Volvo P1800ES...kinda

One lap around the hood and the shifter no move no more. Not the clutch since it is still happily doing its job of decoupling the engine from the GB when depressed.

On the positive side, for the short time the gearbox was working, the engine got a chance to show what it will do in this car when ot shakled to a berkeleyed up AOD. It is going to be FUN. I will be consuming lots of fuel and tires. My concerns about needing power steering were put to rest; the effort is quite reasonable. What I might do is keep an eye out for a manual rack to make it just a bit easier to turn. A very simple extension of the tailpipes was suggested by Mustang Pete and it made a huge difference to the noise level in the car. Not the best look out back, but maybe a bit of bling-chrome will fix that. Car idled for at least half an hour in a hot garage while messing with the Fitech and never went over 194 degrees, so that is a good sign. As to the Fitech, the conclusion is that it is oversold as a solution to carburetors; it works, but the learning curve is steeper than for a carb if you are starting from scratch. I would probably buy a Holley Street Avenger if starting over.

Pete

So let's put the positive spin on this...

Engine - Check

Steering - Check

Exhaust - Check

Clutch - Check

Transmission - Need to Check  

Assuming the the shifter didn't bind up somewhere, you mentioned you had a shop nearby who is fluent in T5 rebuilding.  I'm assuming this is where it will be headed if it is in fact bound up inside?

Something like the exhaust tips used on Fox-body Mustangs might work nicely.  Lot of options out there.  

Very odd to hear that the trans seized up.  Curious what shifter is in the car and if an upgrade would fix your issue.  Seems doubtful though...

Steeda shifter. Problem seems to be internal.

Cool.  I heard good things about that unit.  Good luck with this latest challenge.

Shifter d oesnt move at all?

Could it be the little ball right under the shifter is out of position?

Before tearing the case apart, check the shift tower.

I can't imagine anything in the actual trans not allowing some shifter movement.

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

I can move the shifter with difficulty, but it feels like it is galled and seized inside the gearbox.  Easier to move in the 3-4 plane than the 1-2 plane

I know you're probably on top of this but is the fluid full?

Fresh ATF.

Someone mentioned that a pilot bearing failure might cause the shift linkage to hang up. Not sure I understand how, but it has come up a couple of times in my Google searching for a cause. The pilot bearing is new, but I have learned that new means that it has never worked and is hence to be in the suspect list.

Pete

ATF ???  For a manual transmission?

I don't think it would be the pilot bearing considering the clutch appears to be working properly.  If the bearing was seized, it would be driving the input shaft, negating the clutch actuation.  I would do as others have stated and start at the shift lever and work backwards.  

Does this have the little plastic bushings at tge ball on the shifter? Ive had t6s do some funky E36 M3 in my s10 when that bushing decided to vanish without a trace.

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

Why yes it does and a fine time we had finding the little berkeleyer when it decided to fall off the end of the shift lever and into the turret! Blood was involved. Cussing ensued.

The problem is internal to the box. The shift rail does not move freely as it should. What motion the rail has does not feel good.

Pete

For those asking or curious, the T5 and probably some of the related transmissions use ATF, even though they are not automatics.  Nohome has the proper fluid (and really, did you think he wouldn't?).

Cause found. My fault. Found all the fluid on the road.

Pete

Oooof. Salvagable?

In reply to NOHOME :

Ouch. How does it feel with fluids not gushing on the road?

NOHOME said:

Cause found. My fault. Found all the fluid on the road.

 

Pete

From where praytell???

pres589 (djronnebaum) said:

For those asking or curious, the T5 and probably some of the related transmissions use ATF, even though they are not automatics.  Nohome has the proper fluid (and really, did you think he wouldn't?).

ATF in a manual is a new one on me.  Now I'm part of the informed group.  In truth, I was pretty confidant Pete had this all under control but figured I'd ask the seemly obvious question.

Of course now we know the real problem...  I for one am pretty bummed out about it but not nearly as much as Pete is right now.

Came back from a first short lap and there was fluid dripping from the speedo drive and some smoke on the exhaust. No big deal, shoved the drive in and secured with a new bolt and washer. Did another lap in a different direction and all was good until it was not.

Driving home today I drove around where I did the first lap. there was a giant oil (atf) line down the middle of the street going right to my house.  Never occurred to me that the speedo drive would have such high pressure and puke its entire contents in one block. Now I do know.

Pete

NOHOME said:

Cause found. My fault. Found all the fluid on the road.

 

Pete

Drain or fill plug left out? 

Sorry to hear that the t5 died so fast. 

Methinks this car is rejecting all of its transmissions out of spite, until you find the one it prefers! 

I hope the trans isn't badly damaged by this.  I guess a refill of whatever ATF you have around would be the next step in figuring that out.  If that fixes it, might be wise to change fluid early when this is all wrapped up.

Fingers crossed.  

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

Still not shifting so going to drop the box and have a look. There are some carbon fiber blocker rings that might be unhappy. I dunno but if I follow the shift linkage it should lead me to the issue.

I've had them free back up after adding fluid, I hope you have good luck!