Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Technical => Drivetrain Tech => Topic started by: Sick88Tbird on August 15, 2008, 10:12:51 PM

Title: Water crossing, now T-5 is not so co-operative...
Post by: Sick88Tbird on August 15, 2008, 10:12:51 PM
Last Sunday, on my way home, I hit some deceptively deep water in my neighborhood(they just redid the entire drainage system and repaved...and it's significantly worse now).  Needless to say, my center console looked like a water fall...forced about 2 gallons of water in.  Since then my T-5 just doesn't want to go into gear...any gear....

I have an Hurst shifter on it without the factory shifter seal...anybody think it's possible some water could've gotten in there?  even then, would a little water be enough to do that?

Thanks,
Don
Title: Water crossing, now T-5 is not so co-operative...
Post by: booksix on August 15, 2008, 10:14:02 PM
Did you RTV the shifter on when you installed it?
Title: Water crossing, now T-5 is not so co-operative...
Post by: Sick88Tbird on August 15, 2008, 10:26:07 PM
Yeah, I RTV'ed it good.  I'm wondering if water got forced in from the top side of the shifter...

I guess I'll change the fluid tomorrow and see what happens.
Title: Water crossing, now T-5 is not so co-operative...
Post by: booksix on August 15, 2008, 10:28:45 PM
That could be, but dang, that's some high water!!  Fluid change is probably a good place to start.  It may tell you if you got water in there but idk it'll do much to help your problem...
Title: Water crossing, now T-5 is not so co-operative...
Post by: Sick88Tbird on August 15, 2008, 10:50:06 PM
Yeah, I really don't see it taking that much water in...but it's weird...never had a problem shifting until immediately after that...oh well, I have too much ATF floating around anyway...it's worth a shot.
Title: Water crossing, now T-5 is not so co-operative...
Post by: booksix on August 16, 2008, 01:40:54 AM
Yeah, it's probably a coincidence.  Or maybe the water screwed up your clutch somehow?  So it won't go into reverse or anything?  Do you have a stock style cable or a manually adjustable cable?
Title: Water crossing, now T-5 is not so co-operative...
Post by: jcassity on August 16, 2008, 02:22:41 AM
got any trash up on top of the tranny blocking the shifter?  it was water after all.

also, can you account for your tranny vent?  if yours is wide open, you found your water inlet. a little water will go a long way for your forks and shifter rods to bind up.

I cant see it being the clutch unless corrosion started.  A few good runs should shake all that off like a wet dog.

I certainly would not let that car sit much longer without running every option you have at full blast to include the heater / hvac.  its pretty easy to say you could have sucked some water in a vac line to.  I hope you didnt suck water into the crankcase with a stock air box system.
Title: Water crossing, now T-5 is not so co-operative...
Post by: Sick88Tbird on August 16, 2008, 06:57:56 AM
It does have the stock air box, but I pulled the silencer as soon as I got the car...the motor runs just fine...I'll be changing the fluid very shortly here, as well as inspecting the shifter.

Thanks,
Don
Title: Water crossing, now T-5 is not so co-operative...
Post by: TurboCoupe50 on August 16, 2008, 08:51:42 AM
I had the same problem with the drowned Stang, tranny was full of water... Problem was in the shift mechanism in the top cover... Change the fluid, if it's milky, it has water in it... If it does, add new fluid and run the engine till the tranny good and hot(run it through the gears a few times on jack stands) and change it a second time...
Title: Water crossing, now T-5 is not so co-operative...
Post by: Sick88Tbird on August 16, 2008, 12:03:21 PM
Water it was!  Looked like a strawberry milk...about 4qts came out...so a little over a quart of water...shifts much better so far....

Turbocoupe50...thanks for the tip about changing it again after getting it up to temp...I probably would've left it alone.

So far, it feels 96.34867% better...lol....maybe changing it again will help even more.

Thanks guys,
Don