Well, I was coming back home to Atlanta from college for the weekend, and was cruising at about 90, when I first smelled a hint of gear oil. My immediate reaction was, "Oh no... not now!" I was hoping to make it to the next gas station to check it out, but my trans had other plans. About 30 seconds later my car hesitates, like I pulled my foot off of the gas. Confused as anything, I do pull my foot off the gas...then the trans ceases, and it locks up the rear tires on the highway going 90. Have cars next to me, but no one behind me. Took some work to keep the *** end behind me, but got it over to the shoulder.

Not the way I was expecting her to go out on me. Figured it would happen moving off the line or something of the sort. But, I guess it was bound to happen, the engine is pushing 400+ ft lbs of torque!

Just be careful everyone that is running a T5 and knows they should be. I was lucky.

 

I guess now you'll have to change your sig from "dying T5 transmission" to "T5 funeral is on friday".

I have a 83 Z28 with the T5. I have a XE268 cam going in, and modified stock heads going on the motor. Probably wont have much low end torque with that cam, but anyways, I know how fragile the T5 is, mine used to grind when putting into reverse, (fixed that by putting shifter into 5th gear before going into reverse) and after the trans was hot, it would be hard to shift.. and if you were at the lights, and put the shifter into nuetral, you would have a hard time trying to push it back into 1st again once it was hot! I adjusted the clutch cable, and it seems to be better now.

 

The last one I seen, the Main Drive Gear took a crap. Once this gear goes, the ONLY gear left if direct drive, since it bypasses the countershaft. The poor guy had to drive around town starting out in 4th gear.

 

I've killed, oh, maybe 12 or 15 of them... which one would you like to hear about?

The failure mode 4L60 is talking about happened to me once... coming back from the spring Talladega race a few years ago (the one where Rusty was running second, wrecked coming out of turn 4 on the last lap, and some part or other of his car finished 7th) and it did that in Birmingham, and I had to drive all the way home (Memphis) that way...

I think if there's a way to tear one up, I've done it.

 

"I first smelled a hint of gear oil."

Thats strange since the T5 use ATF and not gear oil. Yea ATF auto trans fluid check your manual and call the dealer. But I run straight 30w oil in mine. got that tip from the junkyard who sold me my last one. Dude said if I wanted the bearing to last use straight 30w oil.

My T5 went out 400 miles after 200,000 it had made noise in third for a while. But it was the original trans and clutch.

it got stuck in 5th gear and would not shift. It took about 5 mins of floating the clutch to get it moving enough to get it going. Once I got it going I drove all the way home in 5th. blowing lights and stop signs.

Thought I fixed it, and then got stuck in 4th gear, which was a tad easier to drive home.

 

Mine is a NWC in my 87 and I lost the front cluster bearing at 144k. Since the NWC front cluster bearing rides directly on the cluster, I had to put a new cluster in it. But I must say after I went through it, it shifts better now than when it was brand new with 4 miles on the odometer.

Today I helped my kids friend pull a T5 out of his S15. He took all the teeth off the input, wiped the cluster, wiped the front of the main shaft, and took out the 3-4 slider and hub, not to mention the 4th syncro ring was in the bottom of the case. Case may be gone also. Good news is we were able to save the shifter!! Here is a pic of the input.