So heres the situation i swapped a t5 into my firebird and it doesn't feel smooth shifting gears are hard to find the shifter takes a good amount of effort and it grinds a little into reverse and when you pull it into neutral any answers?

 

That's not a transmission problem; it's a clutch issue.

Which did you use; a pilot bearing, or bushing?

Have you seen the "famous" pic I have on this site of how to assemble the throwout bearing to the fork? Which way did you put it together?

 

well i dono i didn't do it i got them out of another totaled car and just put them in but i had driven the other car so i figured they were fine
what should i do?
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i also get an unhappy grumbeling noise in neutral but wen i put the clutch in it goes away

 

Look

What about the pilot? Which did you put in, a bushing or a bearing?

 

When you pulled the tranny out of the car, chances are the throw out bearing fell on the ground. So you had to pick it up and put it back on the fork at some point, so you must have remembered how you put it on eh?
I think either way you're going to have to pull the tranny. Make sure you put in a pilot bearing or bushing, and see how that TO bearing looks.

 

sorry my last post wasnt clear
i never separated the engine from the tranny but from the looks of things with the whining in most gears its the input shaft bearing

 

sorry guys i have still been unclear i pulled both a 355 and a t5 from an 87 t/a and pot them into my lg4 700r4 car without separating the 355 and t5 now i am getting a light grinding noise in neutral with the clutch out that goes away when i put it all the way to the floor the other issue is the whining which occurs in all gears except 4th and there is a good chance the fluid is either over filled or underfilled as i add 2 quarts of dex 3 first one and saw an improvement in shiftability then the second and didnt see much difference both of which added by removing the shifter
i apologise if i have led any of you in the wrong direction and would greatly appreciate any imput you have to offer

 

I would put a new clutch kit in there since that is what my setup was doing, hard to get it into gear and out of gear, and in neutral, mine would stop making the howling/grinding noise as soon as I applied some pressure to the clutch pedal.

 

Did you fill the tranny back up after you put it in?

 

i put two quarts in there but have no clue how much is in there i was gonna drain it this week end and refill it with 3.5 quarts of dex 3
zeypher it is entirely possible that your throw out bushing was in wrong until you replaced the clutch i think my pressure plates are fine though because the clutch begins to engague 3 inches off the floor ill let you guys know what ist doin after i change the fluid
thanks for all the help

 

Actually, mine was doing real good for about 30K miles. The TO bearing wore out, part of the clutch disc was broken (right above one of the springs) and the trans/bellhousing bolts got a bit loose.