Guest De Schmaydee Posted October 19, 2002 Share Posted October 19, 2002 bw T5 went out on my 82zxt...wont go into 1st & 2nd....the clutch just disintegrated into 100s of pieces....never had any probs,shifted great... ....i was doing 60 or so (decelerating) coming off of the interstate onto the exit ramp and was trying to come out of 5th...i pushed in on the clutch ...when i tried to take it out of gear it felt like the clutch wasnt working (kinda hard to pull out of gear)didnt think much of it at the time...i pulled a little harder....it came out w/a BLANG! and a shudder....and that was all she wrote... ....seems funny that 1st & 2nd would go out from that.... ....it used to shudder a little on take off (normal driving)...and you had to hold it in reverse...but other than that no probs..... ...kinda blows the "bullet-proof" T-5 all too hell! ....not much info here...but does anybody have an idea what might have caused this?......thanks ...s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug71zt Posted October 20, 2002 Share Posted October 20, 2002 Bulletproof? T5 - strange finding those two words used together. IMO - stick with the NA Nissan transmission. I've found them more reliable than the T5. I've changed a truckload of T5's from 80's Camaro and Mustang and even V6 S10 trucks. Sounds like the tips came off of the 1st/2nd shift fork or it broke in half. Do you shift it hard sometimes?(Don't we all?) Not sure about the clutch problem. The input bearing may have gone out of it but that results in no drive at all . Sell the D/S and Bellhousing and drop in a FS5W71B But that's just my opinion. Good Luck - Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperZ Posted October 20, 2002 Share Posted October 20, 2002 From what I've heard, never having one go out on me, the only thing that kills them is the shift forks being slammed. I've had a Nissan unit go out on me before, but I've slammed the $hit out of the T5 I'm running now with no complaints. And I just recently put in a B&M ripper shifter with hard stops to prevent overshifting, so hopefully it will last a while longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Schmaydee Posted October 20, 2002 Share Posted October 20, 2002 ....ive already got another used t5...from zbarn, another flywheel (aluminium) and a centerforce dual friction clutch.....what i'm concerned about is w/the upgraded clutch this new(used) tranny wont fly apart....like the other one did....from what i've been reading ...the early 80s were crappy years for the T5.....s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 First off, buy an aftermarket shifter with the positive stops. Not only is this insurance, but it moves the T5 shift quality into a different league entirely. Depending on your time frame, I would R&R the ENTIRE trans and add the Gearzone.net stell countershaft bearing stabililer. Although it may be that the Nissan T5 doesn't have the tapered countershaft bearings and may not need them? Either way, go to www.gearzone.net and learn all about T5's. Really worth your time IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Schmaydee Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 appreciate it mike (and all)....i have kept the old t5....and i'd like to rebuild it...the link looks like it will be very helpful......s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug71zt Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 The only problem I've had with the Nissan unit is shearing off the roll pins between the shift fork and the shaft. Happened going into 3rd one of my first times at the strip (I was a little hyped-up). Cost me a climate control panel and 10 stitches in my knuckles. Now I rivet the forks to the shafts with monel rivets.(And relax a little at the track). The T5's in the Mustangs used to spread the case in the front of the tranny and take the teeth off of the input gears. There's not much good left after that happens. Word is that they've got a lot better since then. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lockjaw Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 The shifter swap is a great way to improve the T5. I picked up a hurst one the other day, and the difference has to be experienced to be believed. I have not managed to tear up a T5 yet, but I have gone thru several nissan transmissions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgkurz Posted October 25, 2002 Share Posted October 25, 2002 I am in the process of swapping out my Datsun 5spd for an 83 280ZXT BW T-5. I was wondering if the Ford or Chevy T-5's are compatible with a Z? Some of the Mustang Cobra transmissions seem to have a better torque rating and more desirable gear ratios. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Schmaydee Posted October 25, 2002 Share Posted October 25, 2002 i'd keep the nissan unless its broke... .....from what ive seen youre best off w/the nissan 5spd . ....if youre gonna be running 350+ hp then you might want to look at a tremec/tko...jeffp has done a whole lot of research on this.....(tremec bought the rights to the t5). but the tko isnt a bolt up deal by any means..(and its not a t5). and as far as i can tell none of the ford/chevy t5's fit....(and wouldnt be so great even if they did). ...i've found a place that sells parts for t-5s...once all this is over i'm gonna experiment w/the one (t5 tranny) i have thats messed up....the t5s were crappy in the 80s but got a lot better...i'm gonna see if i can use some parts out of a worldclass t-5 in it....(just for kicks).. ...youre prbly best off w/what youve got...but if youre gonna build big hp i'd look for some of jeffp's post on the tremec/tko......s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C Posted October 25, 2002 Share Posted October 25, 2002 We have talked about this several times. Check out www.Gearzone.net and this thread http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=7;t=001101 which talks about the differences. In a nutshell, World class trans have 2.95 first gear, Nissan has 3.5. Requires changing input shaft and cluster gear. You cannot get a Nissan input for the 2.95 first gear. WC trans uses paper cone synchros and has bearings on speed gears. Non WC uses brass synchros and bushed speed gears. Gear alloy is different/stronger in WC trans but once again, to take advantage of this you will need to swap all of the gears. It might be that the WC GM or Ford input could be shortened and resplined to the Nissan setup then you could use the guts from a WC trans with the Nissan case and bellhousing. Actually, the rear of the Nissan case takes the Ford shifter so it may be the same front part of the case in which case if you get a Ford WC T5 and a custom modified input shaft it bolts right to the Nissan bellhousing? Anybody have both a Ford a Nissan T5? I have a Nissan and 3 GM's, but the GM is quite a bit different using a different shifter and the case is rotated 15 degrees relative to the bellhousing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C Posted October 25, 2002 Share Posted October 25, 2002 Torque loads for transmissions are based on max load the trans could stand for a 24hr period and I don't know what gear that is tested in. This has nothing really to do with driving. I don't know ANYONE who broke a T5 because of "too much torque" but because of shock loading. Rev it up and dump the clutch, viscious wheel hop, etc. Old saginaws were the same way. FWIW, the WC T5 and the early GM T5 have the same gear ratio, but the WC has a higher torque rating because of the materials upgrade to the gears and bearings. The T5 is an excellent trans for a street car that sees moderately hard acceleration on typical "street" type tires. They will hold up quite well if you get an aftermarket shifter, shift using the clutch, and NO clutch dumps especially in a light car. The gearzone.net steel bearing retainer helps a bunch also on the WC trans with the tapered countershaft bearings, and I would be tempted to put it in ANY T5 I had apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted October 26, 2002 Share Posted October 26, 2002 Gear ratio in the trans is often tied to what the torque rating is, example is the T56 in the 93 versus 94 Camaro. If the T5s are anything like what the Camaro got, then the Bulletproof nomer is a fat joke, they brake them all the time, nearly stock cars and those old Camaros made decent torque but not all that much power to speak of at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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