Problems with T-5?

[skorpion317]

I just bought a '98 Camaro with the T-5, and I've seen a few threads regarding problems with this trans. My 1st question is, how many people have experienced problems with the T-5, and the 2nd question is, what can be done to remedy the problem (particularly the 2-3 shift, which seems to be the most common)?

[SilverRS96]

Re: Problems with T-5?

dont beat the **** out of it lol....thirds broken twice on me

[HokieBird]

Re: Problems with T-5?

Get a short shifter. You won't regret it.

[skorpion317]

Re: Problems with T-5?

Get a short shifter. You won't regret it.

Wouldn't a short shifter put more stress on the transmission, since more force is required to shift?

[hockeyman]

Re: Problems with T-5?

Where'd you get it from?

[skorpion317]

Re: Problems with T-5?

I bought it from the current owner, who lives about 15 minutes away from me in New Jersey.

[HokieBird]

Re: Problems with T-5?

The short shifter shouldn't be any harder on the transmission than a stock shifter. Depending on the brand it will have stops you can adjust so in theory it's safer. Plus, it will get rid of your 2-3 issue (I assume you were talking about missing it sometimes).

[skorpion317]

Re: Problems with T-5?

The short shifter shouldn't be any harder on the transmission than a stock shifter. Depending on the brand it will have stops you can adjust so in theory it's safer. Plus, it will get rid of your 2-3 issue (I assume you were talking about missing it sometimes).

I was talking about a problem some people have with a hard 2-3 shift that results in breakage (not hard as in hard to shift, but a forceful shift). Is there anything to remedy that particular problem? I don't want to have to baby the car every time I want to shift gears.

[camaro19]

Re: Problems with T-5?

you can have your transmission rebuilt by G-force, or another company that i cant think of off the top of my head. its not cheap but definetly worth it in the long run if you plan to extensively mod your car. and in my opinion, id rather pay the extra than swap in an automatic, but thats just me.

[T-Mill]

Re: Problems with T-5?

I think the big issue with the T-5 isn't necessarily it's durability, but it's ability to handle added horsepower. I have a Camaro that I'm modding up now, but before that it was a stock engine and it has 150k on it and I've driven pretty hard, and have had no problems whatsoever. You don't have to "baby" it, and the 2-3 shift isn't a problem spot as far as the tranny, just some driver's who shift faster with their clutch than they do with the shifter. If you're planning on doing heavy mods, then you'll need a rebuild, but if you're not then it should be fine, at least from my experience.

[camaro19]

Re: Problems with T-5?

its not that it cant handle horsepower, its the torque it cant handle. it comes out of the factory able to handle 230foot pounds of torque, but our cars come stock with 225tq. so as it becomes apparent that sooner or later the gears are gonna break

and the input shaft is horribly small

[jrschultz]

Re: Problems with T-5?

its not that it cant handle horsepower, its the torque it cant handle. it comes out of the factory able to handle 230foot pounds of torque, but our cars come stock with 225tq. so as it becomes apparent that sooner or later the gears are gonna break

and the input shaft is horribly small

Is that rated at the flywheel or what is actually sent through the tranny? That only affords 5 more ft/lbs if that's the case...:(

[Robb01]

Re: Problems with T-5?

Are there any known reliability problems if the car is stock and the trans isnt used hard? Just wondering, i just purchased a 99 firebird and want it to last a long time. It only has 65k on it. I had a friend who owns a trans shop change the fluid and it looked in great shape. Hope it lasts a while

[HokieBird]

Re: Problems with T-5?

The T-5 isn't as unreliable as this thread would have you believe. Some members are power shifting and beating on them and yes have destroyed their stock transmissions. The other cause is from adding too much power, but unless you are spraying or going forced induction it probably won't be an issue.

My car has almost 130k on it and my T-5 is fine *knock on wood*

[Robb01]

Re: Problems with T-5?

thats what i wanted to hear, I was always lead to believe that manuals were more reliable than autos. That may be a misconception on my part though. Hopefully mine will be fine