Volvo P1800ES...kinda

In reply to Shavarsh :

I am going to try that. Did a bit of googling and it is not that rare for them to stick even when the box is new and before ATF is added; shifting on the bench before install will actually do it.

Hail Marry pass time!

There was one time I put a used T5 in one of my cars and it would not shift. What seemed to work was shifting it in gear with the engine off pushing the clutch in fire it up and then shifted into neutral a few times and it freed it up and work pretty flawlessly until I sold it

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

Kinda the plan.

Failing that, opening the box to replace the blocker rings does not seem too far-fetched. Mustang Pete has had more than one of these opened before.

Pete

Well, new oil did not make a difference so out it came.  A bit of dismantelation ensued. Turns out the failure had nothing to do with the low fluid level. 

And carnage was found. These little "Tabs" are either bent or broken and not doing their job of engaging the blocker ring. What they are doing is preventing the shift ring from going where it needs to go and jamming up the works.

Broke

And as is endemic to most T5 boxes that live behind a Mustang engine, second gear has seen some abuse. It showed no symptoms, but since I am in here might as well toss in a new second gear.

This thing worked perfectly up to the point where it did not. Go figure.

As you have said all along, there is a learning curve no matter how experienced you are.  While I'm sure you are not surprised at what you found, it does confirm (due to no fault of your own) the somewhat fragile nature of the T5 and you have the answer to yet another mystery.  I'm sure you will put your stamp of approval on the rebuild and it will be a smooth as butter in summer.  Hopefully this is the last major hurdle to make it road worthy and reliable.

In reply to Samebutdifferent :

I am lucky to have someone working with me who knows these boxes quite well.

If I can rebuilt that ancient box in the truck, you can handle this without breaking a sweat.

Sorry I've been away for so long, it's good to catch up on your thread. I love a T5 in this. That's what it should have had since the beginning.

It probably feels good that it wasn't caused by you. All back together and on the road this weekend?

In reply to AxeHealey :

Depends on parts.

Walked into the shop after dinner tonight expecting to see this since it is where we left off

Took me a few seconds to get my sense of reality re-adjusted because what I found in the same spot was this:

Mustang Pete has a sense of humor that I think involves berkeleying with my old brain, and this one was spot on.  But whatever, If I start halucinating mansions in the sky...I'm moving in.

So we did this tonight

It was a good night with all three Petes in the shop for the first time in a while.

Still got to button up a few details, like putting the exhaust back on and adding fluid, but the shifter rows through the gears better than ever and the clutch is working and it is all mounted solid with a driveshaft in place that rotates by hand when the clutch is in. 

Pete

This is fantastic!  

What a great way for this to come together.  Way to go guys!  We are all ready for this to be on the street.

In reply to NOHOME :

It's amazing how quickly a job can get done when someone who knows what they're doing is left alone to do it.

So.....are you gonna put a mural on the inside of the bonnet ala 'vette' guy with a 'Special Thanks to; Mustang Pete' ?? 

In reply to 759NRNG :

There are actually two Petes besides myself who have put a lot of time into the project. When it comes to the Ford mechanicals, it is Mustang's time to play cause he invariably has the situation covered and done while I am still trying to figure out what the way forward might look like.

By the way, Mustang is a huge fan of Fitech EFI  He believes every classic car in the world should have one.

Pete

NOHOME said:

By the way, Mustang is a huge fan of Fitech EFI  He believes every classic car in the world should have one.

place me solidly in the "hot rods shouldn't stink, or be hard to start, or require seasonal tunes" camp.   EFI and cats for everyone!

We should all down one in honor of Mustang Pete tonight.

I'm definitely in the "EFI is better than carbs" camp.  But it's probably not for everyone.

In reply to JoeTR6 :

You mean I have to wait until tonight?  Who makes these rules?  

Ha! See someone doesn't hate the fitech! 

First non-eventfull test drive today. Still just in the hood streets, but nothing bad happened.  Not gone past third gear.  As a matter of fact, I think this thing could live in third gear alone.

Still want to raise the rear ride height by an inch or so but no rubbing with the rolled fender lips. Took the Mrs around the block to make sure that two people in the car did not cause any wheel rub, all good. Punched the gas in second and the Mrs make a squeaky sound. All good.

Final details are going to have to wait till I get the challenge car on the road. I want to take two V8 Volvos to the show on the 29th

Pete

Awesome news!  

It's been a long time in coming and you've made it past all the major hurdles.  Hopefully only the fine tuning and tidying up are left to do.  This has been (and continues to be) a great build to watch and I have enjoyed every update.  Looking forward to the next set of pictures or video.  I think Mrs. nohome will be that much more motivated to learn to drive a clutch after an uneventful test run and a quick taste of what it will do.  Squeaky noises are a very good sign.  

Video evidence or it didn't happen!

Yeah gonna need a burnout vid to prove it's driving

maschinenbau said:

Yeah gonna need a burnout vid to prove it's driving

without elevens, it's just another Disney moon landing.

Bit tricky to do the burnout since I live in a 40 kmh/hr hood with the school next door! But I will try to get some video ASAP.

The kinda good news is that the tires did NOT light up when I goosed the throttle in second. The thing just launches.

I am probably still another season away from being "Done", to where all the mechanical and cosmetic details are addressed, but hopefully the fun factor of driving it will be a motivator. Finding an AC guru to guide me through that bit ( or learning the hard way as I do) is the next big item.

In the short term, its just a case of getting some miles on the car and developing confidence that it will do return trips as a given.  Putting miles on the car will also allow me to make a better judgment of the Fitech.

How close is the interior sans any of the A/C work?