Rebuilt M5OD problem

[Happy Jack]

I have a 94 Sport and it came with a M5OD. It had some trouble so I took it out 2 years ago and put a C-5/4 and doubler in. Decided to go back with the M5OD and took it to a tranny shop 2 weeks ago. Finished the install tonight and it won't go into 4th gear and it kicks out of OD when you let the clutch out. What did the shop do wrong? Is this a common problem? Does the tranny have to come back out to fix it?

 

[KPT]

Does it go into reverse easily?

Just a guess but maybe the shop didn't put the right thickness of shims in for the front main shaft bearing race. Four gear isn't a gear, its just a ring on the end of the input shaft. I'm thinking if its not held in place properly by the shims then it might not be lining up with the 3/4 slider enough for it to engage.

I can't think of why fifth would kick out, especially if reverse is working fine.

I'm not sure if the top cover can be taken off with the tranny installed. If so though you could probably look through the hole in the body where the shifter is and perhaps see what is wrong. I'd bet it has to come down to be fixed though.

 

[Happy Jack]

Yes reverse, 1st, 2nd and 3rd seem to work fine. My oldest son has been doing most of the work. I rebuilt the shifter and fill the tranny with what the chiltons said through the shifter hole. Checked it after the test drive and it was at the proper level. New clutch, master and slave cylinder. New flywheel and prasure plate. Don't know when my oldest boy will have time to pull it back out. Maybe the shop will work with me on it. After I installed the shifter earlier this week I couldn't get 4th. My son said he did not try to hold it in 5th it just made a bad noise and jumped out when it did. Reverse seems to be fine also.

 

[Happy Jack]

Called the shop this morning and the guy said to drive it in. I dropped it off and told them what all we did. The guy said they would take care of it. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Happy Jack]

I called them this morning and they are putting it back in right now so I should have it back today. Said there was a problem with a syncro in the back of the tranny.

 

[KPT]

Sounds like you found a great shop if they are willing to take the tranny down when you didn't have them do it originally.

 

[Happy Jack]

That part is good. As I really need to leave on a long road trip this weekend and I don't think it would have been ready if we had to pull it back out in the driveway and take it in to them.

1st, 2nd, and especially 3rd doesn't seem to shift as well as it did though. Just have to see how it does on the trip.

 

[Happy Jack]

Didn't drive it much wednesday. Just to the tire shop and back maybe 2 miles. Yesterday I drove it around doing stuff to get ready for a trip this weekend (planned to be gone wheeling in SD, MT, WY, and CO for 3 weeks). Pulled into a parking spot. Came out and no reverse. Pulled forward a bit. Still no reverse. Pulled forward a bit more and finally had reverse. That is what it was doing 2 years ago when I was on a trip down in AZ. Seemed to get worse then if I ran in OD. So I drove back in 4th and pulled the tranny. But seemed to me then the tranny was coming apart as I kept changing fluid and finding metal on the magnetic drain plug.

Called the shop yesterday afternoon and the guy said bring it by for him to test drive this morning. Said it sounded like the clutch was not releasing all the way. Don't know why it would release all the way last friday when I drove it to him with just 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and then not now with all the gears. Hope he can just bleed the clutch.