Problem with tranny ?

[Andrew2KRT10]

Guys, I went to a car show in Mamaronek NY, while on 287, I suddenly lost 5th and 6th gear. Im here now.. No oil leak, no noise, no parts flying around. Any suggestions ? I'm smooth 1 - 4thThanks,Andrew

 

[klamathpro]

Which of the following are you saying is happening.

You are locked out of putting it in 5/6, will not go in gear at all
You put it in and it grinds
You put it in gear and it pops out to neutral
You put it in gear, it stays, but doesn't drive the wheels

 

[AZTVR]

Which of the following are you saying is happening.

You are locked out of putting it in 5/6, will not go in gear at all

Can you move the shift lever from the 3-4 neutral position, over to the right to the 5-6 neutral position? ( We assume that you can because you don't mention that you "lost" reverse) Once in the 5-6 neutral position can you move the shift lever all the way to the normal 5 or 6 final location? Can you do it with engine not running ?

 

[Andrew2KRT10]

Sorry, I posted with my phone and no glasses. Now that I am home this is the deal:

So I was cruising along at about 60 mph in 5th, and all of a sudden it was like I was in neutral. I thought it popped out, so I right away checked and it was in the 5th position. I tried 6th, same thing, like I was in neutral. By now I have slowed to about 45 and put it in 4th, no problem, all okay. I started going slower and dropped 3rd, no problem, up to 4th, no problem, up to 5th again, and nothing, like I was in neutral. I was not far from my destination and I just kept it in 4th. I hung out at the show for a while, which is when I posted on the board and put a call in to Chuck.

While at the show, some Dodge Dealership guy from White Plains told me, no worry, it's just a sensor. Pull off your battery cable, spark it 3 times and put it back on, that will reset the sensor and you should be okay. I didn't really argue with the guy but I said to myself that I really don't recall that many computer sensors on a 2000 Viper. That's when Chuck called me back and told me that it sounds like a fork broke loose. I asked him if it was safe to drive home, Chuck said yeah, nice and easy. Chuck also estimated a possible $2,000.000 repair job when all is said and done.

Mind you, I am not leaking any oil, no noises, and the shifting is smooth 1 - 4.

Needless to say I was not to thrilled with Chuck's answer, but I very much appreciate him calling me back. I drove home in 4th, for about an hour drive at a top speed of about 40 - 45, and all is good, car is in the garage. It shifts as smooth as ever between 1 - 4th. I did not try 5 & 6th again and didn't even try reverse.

I def do not have the cash to do this now, so I have a thought. I do have the stock rear for the car because years back I did a rear upgrade and just swapped out the rears. I would be more than wiling to do a trade on the repair job for my original rear if anyone is interested in that, and while I am at it I would like to consider a Shift upgrade.

Any help would be appreciated !!! I am in no rush. That car could sit in the garage till after the holidays for all I care.

thanks,

Andrew

 

[Andrew2KRT10]

By the way ! This all happened as I went to a car show at the request of the Hard Parts TV show I was on a while ago. When I got there and saw Joe, the owner and star of the show and told him the problem I had, he said "don't freak out, its probably not a big problem, enjoy the day" ha hahahaha, I should be back on the show and tell him I need a trany this time !

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

I lost reverse and picked up a brand new Gen 3 tranny from Jon B. for $1400 shipped a couple years ago. Trans bolted right up with no mods. Try giving him a call. No point in rebuilding a Gen 1-2 trans when you can get a 0 mile Gen 3 trans for cheaper. Good luck!!

I then sold my busted Gen 1 trans for $300 to further lessen the blow of buying the new trans.

 

[klamathpro]

You may be able to find a local shop that can replace just the shift fork for under $900 with labor if money is really tight. Call around hotrod shops that work on Camaros and Firebirds and ask if they know how to replace the 5/6 shifter fork in a T-56. Labor will be around $600 - $800 and the fork will be around $100 - $150. If you're mechanically inclined you could do it yourself since gears don't need to be pulled and it would cost under $150. I've torn into an AWD tranny three times before and it really wasn't that hard, just time consuming, but I hear the T-56 is easy.

 

[TowDawg]

I checked with Jon when I was looking at options and all he had in Gen III version was one with 27k on it for $1695 (plus a core charge). Wasn't worth it in my case, so I bought a Tranzilla T56 from Rockland Gears.