Manual Transmission FAQ - Look Here First!
08-18-2012, 08:16 AM
#101
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Ah ok thanks for some useful info instead of just talking some crap like and blaming me for everything. Thanks guys. I'll start looking into them. Winter is coming up so won't be driving much anyway. Thanks again
08-18-2012, 09:52 AM
#102
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Gonna bleed the system today and see if maybe that helps. Can't hurt right? It's that screw on top left side of the tranny right? Above where the line goes in. One more thing did GM use a braided stainless line for it? That's what mine has running down into the tranny. Just curious because I'm still not sure what all the previous owner did to the car. Thanks again guys, the last couple of posts have been helpful.
09-02-2012, 10:47 AM
#106
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Well never got a chance to bleed the clutch, but a mechanic buddy came out to Colorado and said it is the first gear synchro for sure. Also said as long as I don't try to force it shouldn't be a problem just an annoyance. Probably pull the tranny this winter and get it fixed then.
10-24-2012, 08:07 PM
#108
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Read all six pages and did not find an answer. 2000 6-spd, 44K miles, all OE, clutch is fully engaged 1-2 inches off the floorboard. I don't think this is normal, true?
Clutch itself works great otherwise, hold on the floor and can select any forward gear moving or not. Reverse and first gear from a stop, I select fourth, then select rev or 1st, no problem here - just a low engaged pedal.
Clutch itself works great otherwise, hold on the floor and can select any forward gear moving or not. Reverse and first gear from a stop, I select fourth, then select rev or 1st, no problem here - just a low engaged pedal.
10-31-2012, 01:03 AM
#109
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Well here I am again. Still having the issue with first grinding. The other day I was driving a little hard and went from first to second, not WOT or red line but up there, and it grinded in second now. Tonight I couldn't even get it into second most of the time and third at times either. WTF is going on with my tranny? Clutch pedal in good as far as feel and tried the going in high gear and checking if the clutch was slipping or outpacing the speed. All good there. Still can get into first but only completely stopped and slowly and easily pushing it in. Second seems to be doing the same now too. Im going from first to third when I am driving but tonight it would fight me in 3rd too. ???????
10-31-2012, 09:42 AM
#110
Pull the trans and split the case open. Set the gear cluster on the bench and look at first and second gears. Look at the syncro for 1st/2nd. Were any parts found in the case? Are any teeth missing. Have any detent ***** or springs come out? How do the syncros look? Is anything bent? Do the shift forks move smoothly? When a gear is selected do the detents hold that gear in the "selected" position or does it try to walk out of gear(deselected)?
11-30-2012, 01:13 PM
#111
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Tweak to the bleeding approach. Manual Transmissions FAQ
2. Where the heck is the bleeder screw for this thing?
One of the more difficult things about a T56 is accessing the bleeder screw. You cannot see it without a mirror, so you must rely on feel. If you are beneath the car and you are looking at the transmission where the master cylinder line connects to the slave cylinder, reach straight upward. At the very top of the transmission you will feel a hex-shaped rod about two inches in length. That is the bleeder screw, which comes directly from the slave cylinder.
To bleed the system, you will need a 7/16th” socket, thin-walled, in ¼ drive. It would behoove you to use a few swivels and extensions. I also highly recommend taping the socket to the extension/swivel/etc. If for some reason you drop the socket, it will end up at the bottom of the bellhousing and you will have a hell of a time fishing it out.
If you plan to bleed traditionally, you will need two people. One under the car opening and tightening the bleeder screw, and another in the car operating the pedal.
If you are not squeamish about cutting into your car, you can make traditional bleeding a one man job. Underneath the car, do your best to put a dent in the transmission tunnel, straight across from the bleeder screw, with a punch. Get into the car and pull back the carpet around the pedals, and cut a small ‘access square’ so that you can also fold back the plastic, foam-lined piece beneath the carpet. Under that you will find the dent you made. With a 1” holesaw, cut a small part of the tunnel out. Now, with a 7/16” socket and a few extensions, you can reach the bleeder while being in the car! From here you can operate the pedal with your hand and use your other hand to tighten/loosen the screw. When you are done, simply put a piece of duct tape over the hole and recover with the carpet. It does not introduce any more noise into the cabinet.
Here is what the hole looks like (I had to drill mine a couple times to get it right)
2. Where the heck is the bleeder screw for this thing?
One of the more difficult things about a T56 is accessing the bleeder screw. You cannot see it without a mirror, so you must rely on feel. If you are beneath the car and you are looking at the transmission where the master cylinder line connects to the slave cylinder, reach straight upward. At the very top of the transmission you will feel a hex-shaped rod about two inches in length. That is the bleeder screw, which comes directly from the slave cylinder.
To bleed the system, you will need a 7/16th” socket, thin-walled, in ¼ drive. It would behoove you to use a few swivels and extensions. I also highly recommend taping the socket to the extension/swivel/etc. If for some reason you drop the socket, it will end up at the bottom of the bellhousing and you will have a hell of a time fishing it out.
If you plan to bleed traditionally, you will need two people. One under the car opening and tightening the bleeder screw, and another in the car operating the pedal.
If you are not squeamish about cutting into your car, you can make traditional bleeding a one man job. Underneath the car, do your best to put a dent in the transmission tunnel, straight across from the bleeder screw, with a punch. Get into the car and pull back the carpet around the pedals, and cut a small ‘access square’ so that you can also fold back the plastic, foam-lined piece beneath the carpet. Under that you will find the dent you made. With a 1” holesaw, cut a small part of the tunnel out. Now, with a 7/16” socket and a few extensions, you can reach the bleeder while being in the car! From here you can operate the pedal with your hand and use your other hand to tighten/loosen the screw. When you are done, simply put a piece of duct tape over the hole and recover with the carpet. It does not introduce any more noise into the cabinet.
Here is what the hole looks like (I had to drill mine a couple times to get it right)
For the love of God, do not cut into the car to bleed this thing. It's overkill and just opens the door for other issues. Using multiple extensions and universals also isn't necessary, but if that's what you want to do, go for it.
You can easily get a 1/4" drive ratchet and shallow 7/16" socket with no extensions or anything. You just have to feel around and get it on there. Once you do, you don't have to worry about dropping anything. It sits on there nice and snug. It makes it easy to open and close the bleeder since there is only one point for it to swivel. And when you get out to fill up the reservioir (like I had to when bleeding this with my wife), it just sits on there and doesn't hang all over the place like it would with those swivels and extensions.
Don't get me wrong, this is an awesome write-up and I benefited from it immensely. BUT, we all love things to be easier, especially when working in tight spaces. Using the approach I took is, in my opinion, a lot easier. Hope this helps people out! Thanks for the post otherwise!
12-04-2012, 02:25 PM
#112
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t56 problems alright so i just swapped out my whole tranny, clutch, and hydraulics set up with my friends entire set up which we both know works perfectly (so i can build mine). only thing i did not reuse was the slave which i bought new.
heres the problems... everything seems to be in fine, but we keep bleeding and bleeding and the pedal never gets as hard as it should. be in mind this is a monster stage 3 clutch in now. we think there may be a leak in the hydraulics system somewhere and will be checking that out today.
the other problem is i cannot get into gear... at all, any gear. i dont know if this is a clutch problem, hydraulics problem, or if the slave needs to be shimmed because with the setup in his car it didnt need to be shimmed.
please any help or info would be nice. need to get my car running.
heres the problems... everything seems to be in fine, but we keep bleeding and bleeding and the pedal never gets as hard as it should. be in mind this is a monster stage 3 clutch in now. we think there may be a leak in the hydraulics system somewhere and will be checking that out today.
the other problem is i cannot get into gear... at all, any gear. i dont know if this is a clutch problem, hydraulics problem, or if the slave needs to be shimmed because with the setup in his car it didnt need to be shimmed.
please any help or info would be nice. need to get my car running.
12-07-2012, 09:57 PM
#113
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alright so i just swapped out my whole tranny, clutch, and hydraulics set up with my friends entire set up which we both know works perfectly (so i can build mine). only thing i did not reuse was the slave which i bought new.
heres the problems... everything seems to be in fine, but we keep bleeding and bleeding and the pedal never gets as hard as it should. be in mind this is a monster stage 3 clutch in now. we think there may be a leak in the hydraulics system somewhere and will be checking that out today.
the other problem is i cannot get into gear... at all, any gear. i dont know if this is a clutch problem, hydraulics problem, or if the slave needs to be shimmed because with the setup in his car it didnt need to be shimmed.
please any help or info would be nice. need to get my car running.
heres the problems... everything seems to be in fine, but we keep bleeding and bleeding and the pedal never gets as hard as it should. be in mind this is a monster stage 3 clutch in now. we think there may be a leak in the hydraulics system somewhere and will be checking that out today.
the other problem is i cannot get into gear... at all, any gear. i dont know if this is a clutch problem, hydraulics problem, or if the slave needs to be shimmed because with the setup in his car it didnt need to be shimmed.
please any help or info would be nice. need to get my car running.
I'm not familiar with the clutch system you're talking about, but if it requires shims and you didn't put them in, then the TO bearing may not be reaching/engaging the way it should.
How long did you bleed for and which method? I tried a mityvac on my system when I changed the slave/master and it didn't do a damn thing. I had to do it the conventional way of having someone pump while I opened the bleeder. It took about 20 minutes to bleed the line.
09-02-2014, 04:46 AM
#114
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Ok, I got an issue with my clutch, the other day I was taking my wife and stepson to work. When I got to my wife's job as I was pulling into the parking spot the car lurched slightly, I didn't think nothing of it but when I went to leave I had no pedal at all, it was like the pedal was just hanging there freely. You could not put it into gear at all from a dead stop unless you turned the car off and then put it into gear, but then when you start the car it starts rolling like the clutch is not fully disinguaging. I got the car home finally, (I had to shift without the clutch which really sucked but I do know how to do that). With what I've told you so far I'm thinking it's a hydruallic issue, any ideas, knowing my luck it would be the clutch master cylinder and or the slave cylinder. I'm gonna replace the clutch anyway since it has been in the car since before I bought it 4 yrs ago. It's a 93 T/A, t-topped and a T56, extreamly rare, less than 100 were optioned like this and I've not found another anywhere with t-tops and a 6-speed so I want to keep it going and restore it!!! FYI I lost my right leg last year but 3 hrs after I got out of the hosbital I was driving and shifting gears like I never lost a leg. I fabricated my own leg to drive so getting things done is still not a problem for me
Thanks for any help or thoughts you can give me!!!
Ron Pomplun
Thanks for any help or thoughts you can give me!!!
Ron Pomplun
09-02-2014, 05:38 AM
#115
You lost hydraulic fluid pressure either at the master, slave or the hose in between. If you're lucky it will be the master or the hose. The slave is concentric(not side mount) so the trans must come out to change it. If the clutch needs changing anyway then that would already be part of the job. First thing is to look for a fluid leak. Some tips on driving clutchless. Don't try starting in 1st gear. Start the engine and have someone push you to get rolling then slide the shifter slowly into 2nd and stay there. Don't drive in traffic and don't stop at Stop signs or Red lights. I did this once on a motorcycle and it got me across the desert until I got to Los Cruces and found a clutch cable.
05-13-2016, 09:34 AM
#118
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I'm having massive driveline slop/backlash on my car. The shop tells me the diff needs to be rebuilt with more shims, and there is something very wrong with the trans.
I found minimal slop in the trans output shaft. Less than 1/8" backlash, metallic clunk coming from the clutch area, and a $#!% load of trans fluid running the length of the transmission. This was 1st gear, parking brake off. Pics and vid attached.
On the rear diff I found much more slop, about 1/4" backlash. This came with its own metallic clunk and very minor diff fluid seepage. This was in neutral, parking brake on. Pics and vid attached.
I found minimal slop in the trans output shaft. Less than 1/8" backlash, metallic clunk coming from the clutch area, and a $#!% load of trans fluid running the length of the transmission. This was 1st gear, parking brake off. Pics and vid attached.
On the rear diff I found much more slop, about 1/4" backlash. This came with its own metallic clunk and very minor diff fluid seepage. This was in neutral, parking brake on. Pics and vid attached.
05-14-2016, 11:33 AM
#120
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Well I opened up the Diff since that is usually culprit. I found the ring gear is not fully meshed with the pinion gear leaving about 1/8" at the bottom of each tooth un worn.
The biggest surprise is how much play there is between the diff and wheels. I estimate the wheels turn 3/8" before turning the diff gears... My gut tells me the whole diff needs to be rebuilt and re-shimmed at the least. Not sure about the half shaft slop.
LS1Tech what do you think?
The biggest surprise is how much play there is between the diff and wheels. I estimate the wheels turn 3/8" before turning the diff gears... My gut tells me the whole diff needs to be rebuilt and re-shimmed at the least. Not sure about the half shaft slop.
LS1Tech what do you think?
Last edited by MaDMaX350; 05-14-2016 at 11:37 AM. Reason: forgot the pictures