invalidusername Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 So, I have tried searching and cannot seem to find someone with the same issue as I am having, so, please bare with me. Here we go: My 280zx has a turbo engine in it that the previous owner built up. He never swapped out the NA 5 speed, when I got it he said the release bearing was going. A week or so ago the tranny started making terrible noises like a thumping and it started making a high pitch screech....well, figured it was time to put her down. I found a T5 in a junk yard, had them pull it and I put it on. The shifter went in to every gear just fine when off the car, once installed I checked, still seemed to shift fine. I installed the drive shaft (lots of gap from yoke to back of tranny, but I will worry about that later) and cranked her up. Car idled like garbage...which is normal, so that was good, I put it in first and it shifted smooth and started driving....then I tried second, no go. I could not shift back in to first either, after several attempts I finally got it back in first. I parked the car, went home in a fit of rage and had terrible sleep. So... here is one thing I thought of, I used the NA slave cylinder, I could not see a difference between the two, is there? could this be the issue? The clutch felt like it was going in, but, I dont know. If you are wondering why I dont just go out and measure the pistons and etc, its because the lift I am using is at my work place, which is thirty miles from my home, I am working 12hour night shift and am working on the car when I get off. If no one responds, Ill check the piston in the morning when I get off. I would rather it be a cylinder issue than a transmission issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Try the basic test of engine on/engine off. Does it shift in to gear with the engine off? The FSM shows two transmissions for 83, but only one clutch. Odds are they're the same. It's possible that the slave cylinder slipped out too far when you had it disconnected and you lost some fluid. Check the rubber boot for fluid, the reservoir for fluid level, and re-bleed the clutch. That's what I would do. If it worked once, that's a sign that you have the right parts, they're just not working right any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skirkland1980 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 "Car idled like garbage...which is normal, so that was good" LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invalidusername Posted November 15, 2013 Author Share Posted November 15, 2013 So, I am hoping I have found the cause. I have the car parked in a more well lit location, while I was checking under the hood and admiring the rats nest of wires and hoses that is my engine, I noticed that the daggum transmission is not bolted flush against the engine. It looks like it is a good 1/2 inch or so away. Would that be the cause of my issues? the trans is completely flush on the bottom. I know that the bolt on top is quite tight.....didnt realize it would be easier to get to from the top. Is there a peg that sticks out somewhere that may be misaligned? I am going to go at it again monday when I get off work, I am just hoping someone with more transmission experience can help me. I have friends with plenty of tranny experience...but that's only because they did a tour in Guam, so their input is quite useless, entertaining, but useless. Having been in the Navy myself, I should have known better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skirkland1980 Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 Yes there is a dowel pin at the top. Yours must not be in the hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 I noticed that the daggum transmission is not bolted flush against the engine. It looks like it is a good 1/2 inch or so away. Would that be the cause of my issues? the trans is completely flush on the bottom. I know that the bolt on top is quite tight.....didnt realize it would be easier to get to from the top. Is there a peg that sticks out somewhere that may be misaligned? Take a picture and post it, just for fun. If it's as you described, there should/could be much more damage. The pilot bushing holds the nose of the main shaft centered and should have put leverage on your bearings, possibly damaging them. Gears could be damaged from mis-alignment after the bearing got damaged. The tip of the shaft might be damaged. The clutch might be damaged from flexing. The transmission case should be damaged if any of the bolts are tightened properly and the transmission is tilted. Overall, you might have destroyed the transmission. On the good side, though, the screeching from the first transmission might have just been the throwout bearing. Worth double-checking. Your clutch probably stopped working once the transmission tilted and cocked the clutch disc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invalidusername Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 Waay old, I know, just wanted to update the thread in case someone comes across it in the future and cares. Transmission is good, output shaft is good, pretty much everything was good, the only issue was the clutch. I had the clutch replaced and transmission slapped back on, no issues, been driven quite a bit since. The peg was longer than the hole was deep, not sure why, that was the first time I had heard of that as an issue. The peg was ground down some and it lined up just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skirkland1980 Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 The dowel pin must have slid out a little. A tap with a hammer would have likely done the trick but thanks for the update. I'm amazed at how many folks never update after making a repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pac_Man Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) The driveshafts are different, did you swap a turbo driveshaft in or use the one that you had in there with the other transmission? EDIT: Nevermind, missed how old this thread was. Edited May 30, 2014 by Pac_Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.