T56 stuck in gear...so what did those with a similar experience find was the issue?

[01cobravortech]

I was hoping you guys who have had this happen, could shed some light on what the issue was with your 'stuck in gear' episode.

Today I just suddenly started having issues getting the car into gear.

I run a Fiore firewall adjuster and quadrant.

Pulled over and I think i screwed up bad. Started rotating the adjuster clockwise and it became increasingly more difficult to get it into gear. (I think I was going in the wrong direction), not sure).


Anyway, pulled over again and started going counter clockwise on the adjuster and the tranny started shifting much better, WITH THE EXCEPTION, that 4th started to grind for the first time ever. ( run an MGW shifter)

Ultimately slammed it in 3rd and its stuck in 3rd right now. Man tried turning the adjuster in one direction and the other and I still can't get it out of gear and I'm pretty damn strong.


I hate to ask but could be looking at something worse than just screwing up the clutch cable? I never heard any odd noises and this just suddenly happened today. I'm fearing the worst of course...but was hoping you guys could provide some input. Never have had the shifter get stuck in a gear like this. Real bummed.

Thanks for all input fellas. Not sure if the 109k have just taken a toll on this thing.

 

[01cobravortech]

Btw, if signs due point to a tranny issue as opposed to me screwing up the clutch cable...I would greatly appreciate any input from you Jerzey guys in terms of tranny shops you had a real good experience with. I live in Central NJ, near Westfield. Thank you

 

[01cobravortech]

Btw, car starts when I push down on the clutch pedal, but dies after I completely release the clutch pedal and I can't in any way get the shifter to go into neutral while the car is on.

 

[mhinchley]

http://rktperformance.com/why-upgrade/

When the T56 is out side of street environment, all of that changes. Here are some of the weak parts:

The 3rd gear is the most commonly missed gear and when pushed hard into 3rd gear, the aluminum 3-4 shift fork can break. (symptom: no 3-4 gears)
The stamped steel keys in the synchronizers often break into several pieces since it wasn’t built to handle the rigorous shifting. (symptom: stuck in gear and won’t come out)
The transmission goes through heat cycles every time the vehicle is driven for any length of time but when driven aggressively, the heat can make the plastic shift fork pads brittle. The plastic fork pads often crack and fail. (symptoms: grinding, popping out of gear)

Many have bent the sliders forcing into gear. On the clutch adjustment CCW iirc, but definitely making the adjuster longer, will give you more pedal on the clutch, disengaging sooner. Going the opposite way, making it shorter will give you less pedal. If slipping you want to make it bigger..........if not disengaging, you want it smaller. To get it out of gear, if you can get the car rolling, you will have much better luck. Otherwise, you may have to force it out of gear, or have dis-assembly started with it in gear.
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0603phr_tremec_t56_transmission/

 

[Shadow Grey 03]

Mine was stuck in gear after breaking the crappy stamped keys. I went ahead and added some other parts while it was being fixed to avoid some of the other issues. Billet keys are a must. I can't help on shops in NJ though. Look at the parts list on rpmtransmissions.com for their level IV or V to get a good idea of some of the upgrades. Good luck.

 

[highcompression]

Yep, it's a broken key

 

[Zemedici]

oh god, i bet I have this to look forward to

How many miles vortech?

 

[R.D.P.]

109k miles - I would say his T56 served him well.

 

[01cobravortech]

http://rktperformance.com/why-upgrade/

Many have bent the sliders forcing into gear. On the clutch adjustment CCW iirc, but definitely making the adjuster longer, will give you more pedal on the clutch, disengaging sooner. Going the opposite way, making it shorter will give you less pedal. If slipping you want to make it bigger..........if not disengaging, you want it smaller. To get it out of gear, if you can get the car rolling, you will have much better luck. Otherwise, you may have to force it out of gear, or have dis-assembly started with it in gear.
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0603phr_tremec_t56_transmission/

Mine was stuck in gear after breaking the crappy stamped keys. I went ahead and added some other parts while it was being fixed to avoid some of the other issues. Billet keys are a must. I can't help on shops in NJ though. Look at the parts list on rpmtransmissions.com for their level IV or V to get a good idea of some of the upgrades. Good luck.

Yep, it's a broken key

109k miles - I would say his T56 served him well.

Fellas I'm very grateful for all the input.

Yes the T56 does have 109.5k on it.

However, I can not emphasize enough that it seems that I messed up 4th gear due to my own negligence or stupidity. I simply was not very well versed in how to properly adjust the fire wall adjuster.


Here's the long and short of it...

Dealt with a fantastic shop named: Rob's Performance on 72 Ralph St. in Belleville, NJ.

Right off the bat, Robbie told me that his hunch was that I wasted my Spec 3+ clutch due to how far my adjustment was, as per my reporting, on how I was trying to set up the clutch pedal. Biggest problem I came across was grinding in 4th when I was trying to shift it into gear, while I was screwing up the adjustment on my own.


So ultimately, I actually ended up chipping pieces off the Spec billet aluminum friction plate. (saw the carnage in person today, as I'm very skeptical about shops telling me your issue is this or that). I need to eyeball parts as a precautionaty measure.


I went with a RAM power Clutch HD 26 spline version, rated for 650hp according to AM's website.

I'm actually very impressed with how smooth it is, considering I've now dealt with two very harsh Spec 3+ clutches. Not that its been a big deal, but this clutch is smooth and engages very low to the floor which I like.


Tried getting it into 4th with this clutch and its grinding in that gear. So I'm avoiding putting it into 4th. Just going 3rd to 5th at this point and having ZERO issues going into any other gear but 4th.


So what do you guys think in terms of how much longevity I could see from 3rd or this tranny in general, if I avoid 4th altogether?


Ultimately, I'm thankful I have Hanlon Motorsports in St Peter's, PA, less than 2 hours from me.
Despite having RPM Transmissions and D&D available, I get rather apprehensive dealing with merchants a few states a way. And Hanlon seems to have a very solid rep with T5s and T56s from what I have researched and they come highly recommended from my current shop.

Unfortunately, a rebuild of this T56 is inevitable and it was shifting like butter prior to this incident. So I have to say, I'm quite impressed with how much of a beating the T56 on these 03-04s can take. I've treated this with incredible violence and amazingly enough, this T56 has not grinded or shown any signs of deterioration until I screwed up the clutch cable adjustment.

I'm actually taking this rather well, considering how much abuse I've inflicted on this tranny, and how it took my own negligence to screw a gear up.


Anyway, any thoughts on how long 4th will last if I avoid shifting into it?

No issue at all shifting into 4th, but I understand that 3 and 4th are tied to the hip so to speak.


Again thank you in advance for all your input. I think this T56 is pretty badass. And I run 3.73s with this 505hp to the tire.

 

[bubblehead93]

The synchro assembly is the 3-4 synchro, as you slide it with the fork it will engage either 3rd or 4th gear. I think one or more of the stamped keys in the synchro are junk and are cocked in there such it will go into 3rd but not 4th. Problem is that it will likely not stay that way under use. Everytime you shift into 3rd you are acutating the same synchro assembly that engages 4th. Eventually it will jam up in 3rd again. I would fix it before I drove it. JMO... good luck!

 

[biggair1]

I agree with bubble head. That key is going to come loose and leave you on the side of the road. Same thing here. I upgraded billet keys 1-6 and springs. Bronze pads on forks. Steel 3/4 fork. The rest regular replacement parts that might be worn.

 

[Brandon03Cobra]

Just encountered this same issue this week. I had a RXT installed along with a 26 spline input shaft last summer. I just got the 500 mile break in done in Jan 14'. The cars been down since March putting the Whipple 2.9 and Return fuel set up in. Now all of sudden its stuck in 4th in the garage and I can't get it out.

BTW cars only got 14k miles on it!!

 

[01cobravortech]

The synchro assembly is the 3-4 synchro, as you slide it with the fork it will engage either 3rd or 4th gear. I think one or more of the stamped keys in the synchro are junk and are cocked in there such it will go into 3rd but not 4th. Problem is that it will likely not stay that way under use. Everytime you shift into 3rd you are acutating the same synchro assembly that engages 4th. Eventually it will jam up in 3rd again. I would fix it before I drove it. JMO... good luck!

I agree with bubble head. That key is going to come loose and leave you on the side of the road. Same thing here. I upgraded billet keys 1-6 and springs. Bronze pads on forks. Steel 3/4 fork. The rest regular replacement parts that might be worn.

I think you guys hit the nail on the head. The key or keys are definitely cocked in there in such a way that I'm still able to shift into 3td. I stopped shifting into 4th altogether because it was grinding and I was worried about getting it stuck in 4th. Since getting it stuck in 3rd I've put about 3500 on this T56 and its still going.

Looking at the T56 Magnum but is that expensive just for a tranny. Might ultimately go this way though, when I'm left with no choice.

What do you guys think is a fair price for selling a used T56 with almost 113k on it with a bad 3-4 synchro?