Why are all T-5 trannys garbage?
- Thread starter WICKED50LTR
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The 86 I just bought is the first car I have that is a stick. I don't count the SVO, I never drove it, just sat on it and sold it for a profit. When easy driving, it is fine. Under acceleration, it grinds or "bangs" between 1st and 2nd. Is this a bang of death or just take it easy on it?
The 86 I just bought is the first car I have that is a stick. I don't count the SVO, I never drove it, just sat on it and sold it for a profit. When easy driving, it is fine. Under acceleration, it grinds or "bangs" between 1st and 2nd. Is this a bang of death or just take it easy on it?
Well each time you grind gears you are mashing the hard parts together and that wears them out. The synchros contain soft parts and hard parts. Only the soft parts are designed to wear and what get replaced in a typical rebuild The hard parts, if damaged enough, will require replacement and are a little more costly.
The longer you go on a grinding t-5..the more it costs to fix.
The longer you go on a grinding t-5..the more it costs to fix.
I take it you've never driven a Honda.
For real though, there has GOT to be something wrong with me. I've killed 3 T-5's over the course of 5 years. This last one is Astro-built though, so hopefully I don't have to try to torque those top two bolts down again for a while, knowwhaddimean??!!!1!!
The T-5 in Frankenstang's notch was theoretically replaced about the same time the motor was rebuilt at 150k. The car now has about 265k (or more) on it. It's survived several runs down Firebird and about 22k miles under me, 6 months or so of Frankenstang's weekend floggings of it, the year or two that some douchebag Fast and the Furious wannabe 16-year-old kid that had it before me, and the surely constant, relentless beatings at the hands of its original owner, who had stripped the car down to the bare nubbins and given it a ghetto-cheap drag setup (interior half gone, A/C gone, other stuff deleted, lil' tires up front and fatties in back, Eibach drag spring set, half an exhaust, etc.).
Only thing I ever replaced was the input shaft and bearing when I did the clutch and upgraded to a steel bearing retainer ... and I only changed the shaft before I honestly couldn't get the old bearing off the stock shaft.
That thing STILL shifts damned nice. I miss it.
(But I still have visitation rights. 
)
Only thing I ever replaced was the input shaft and bearing when I did the clutch and upgraded to a steel bearing retainer ... and I only changed the shaft before I honestly couldn't get the old bearing off the stock shaft.
That thing STILL shifts damned nice. I miss it.
(But I still have visitation rights. )
Shakerhood
20+ Year Stangneter 
Last week I drove my Stang for the 1st time in a while and I grinded Gears 2 times trying to downshift from 5th to 4th, I never had a single problem with my Tranny in all the time I have owned it. In all seriousness my new Truck is a 6 Speed and I think I am getting used to its shifting pattern and it threw me off a little in the Mustang as after those 2 times everything was fine as I got used to driving the car again.
Perfect excuse for a T56 swap.
Winnar!
But seriously, The T-5 isn't bad as long as its not abused. I just dropped $1300 on a new one for mine and its beautiful. My old 89 had 160k on it and the tranny was still great. I expect this new tranny I just dropped in to the GT will last till I have money for the glorious T-56 swap.
blackened88lx
Active Member
When I bought my car, 95% stock with 37k on it, the t5 lasted me about 6 months and 6k miles. Now, I was not very nice to it AT ALL, and it was an '88 with lower power rating, but I still expected more out of it behind a stock motor but 3rd gear was not having any of it. I've got about 5k miles I'd say on the APW setup I rebuilt it with, and I love it. Again, this is a pretty much stock car, but I don't expect it to hold up to the power I have planned for the future. I will probably try and sell it before it breaks though if anyone wants an APW t5
T-5 wasn't a bad transmission but given the age and the way people drive the cars, they are just bound to fail being the weakpoint. It really doesn't take too much to do them in, little traction and some hard shifting with a 300 ft lbs or torque rating which the 302 can do from the factory is all. I am supprised they hold up to the abuse that they do...
Kevin
Kevin
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