T5 - How to check if it is good?

[namz7791]

I bought a WC T5 and complete 3rd gen camaro coversion package from a salvage yard in New York which included flywheel, bellhousing, slave cylincer etc etc. The tranny has a 90 day gurantee from when I received it which is coming up really quick.

 

Unfortunately I have fell into the while I am at it syndrome and will not get the car running by the time my warranty is up. The salvage yard will not extend it either.

 

When I spin the input shaft the tranny seems to shift in and out of all forward gears and reverse and doesn't make a lot of noise while spinning it by hand so I am hoping that means that it is ok. My local tranny shop wants $300 to look at it meaning they want to take it apart which means I might as well spend more money which I don't have to rebuild it.

 

Anybody familiar with the T5 that may know a quick and easy way to see if it is ok prior to the warranty expiring? Supposed to have around 80K on the 1989 camaro that it came out of.

 

Thanks!

[Z-TARD]

Shift through all the gears while spinning the input shaft by hand. The input shaft will have a little side play in it, normal for most standard transmissions. Pull the drain plug and drain the fluid from it through an old white t-shirt, after it's drained check the t-shirt for chunks of metal that came out with the fluid. Some of them will also have a small magnet attached to the drain plug on the inside, check that for metal shavings as well. There probably will be some metal floating around in there on a car that had 80,000 miles, normal as long as there are no large chunks. This is about all you can do to check it without popping off the top cover. If it cycles through all the gears and doesn't have gear teeth come out with the fluid it should be OK.

 

Mike