The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline T5 shifting issues

Im having some slight shifting issues with my t5. When going from 1st to second or second to third i cant shift fast and right into gear. When i just pass the neutral center point and going into second the shifter will move about half the way then tighten up like im hitting interference then it will get easy again and slid the rest of the way into gear and the same thing when going into third. When the truck is at idle at the lights it slides right into gear with no effort. When trying to get aggressive with it shifting into second will always grind. Think my clutch is dragging somehow? pedal travel is not maxed out. It has to be about 75% out to even engage.

Sounds like worn synchronizers. How many miles are on the T-5?

Rebuilt about 2500-3000 miles ago. I put in a kit that included bearings , seals , keys , key rings and synchros

Did you put in a new clutch kit and have the flywheel turned 2500-3000 miles ago?

the clutch and flywheel only had about 2000 miles on them prior to the t5 install.

So i removed the t5 yesterday. The inside of the trans still look clean. The new blocker rings I installed during the rebuild still have perfect teeth and the insides of them are not worn out.The tips of the teeth on the second gear look ever so slightly worn but i don't have a new gear to compare to so it hard to tell how bad it can be. I did notice that when testing the blocker ring on the second gear on the bench even when i was pushing them together hard i was still able to get the blocker ring to somewhat slip and rotate. I have not measured the exact gap between the blocker and 2nd but there is still lots of room left and the blocker is not bottoming out.


One thing i did notice is that the tip of the input shaft that rides in the pilot bushing looks like it has a tight fit. It is gulled. every once in a while i would have an issue with grinding into reverse also so that could explain that.



Do you think the slight dragging of the shaft could be whats causing the grinding into second only at the high rpms?

What kind of oil are you using in it? Did you look at the shift arms, they are not heavy duty and maybe cracked? T5 is not a heavy duty transmission, don't think they ever shifted very fast at higher rpms.

I used royal purple lube at first but recently changed it out to a ATF Dex 3. I have not yet taken a close look at the shift arms. What do you think is a high rpm? it grinds for me when i try to shift only into 2nd around 2300rpm and up. I can bang it into third and fourth at 3200 and over with no issues.

Just had my Muncie 4 speed rebuilt. I got a new set of syncro assemblys, but when my expert trans tech took the trans apart, he told me I needed new second and third sliders also. They didn't look that bad to my eye, But he must have been right, as trans now shifts up and down like new..... When you compare the sharp teeth on the new ones to the old ones, big difference!

Sorted out my issue. Found out it was the combination of 2 things.

#1 was the new input shaft and the new flywheel bushing were tight and the input shaft was gulled up. I have a feeling this caused some drag thus not allowing full release when using the clutch. I removed the shaft during this transmission rebuild and put it on the lathe and took a fraction off of the diameter.

#2 was the slider ring for 1/2 gear. The teeth on it were rounded thus not allowing it to properly engage quickly and smoothly. I went to a Camaro / Firebird pick yard we have just 20 min away and found a new set of 1/2 and 3/4 sliders. Got them for $90 for the pair. All the other rebuild parts i put in the last rebuild time still looked good so those parts were reused. It now shifts very smooth compared to before and i can wind the thing up to 3500 in first and get her into second now with no issues.

Good deal wolffcub! I ended up having to pull my trans out, the new TO bearing I put in, took a dump, after a few days, and I had to replace it. Trans and clutch are golden now.....