Transmission Carnage pics
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
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From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
Transmission Carnage pics
My rebuilt trans stopped going into 3rd unless I jammed it hard. Would not go in 3rd at all with the car off. Other gears were perfect.
Here is the culprit.
What would cause a 3rd gear blocker ring to crack in half like this?
I'm not looking for a warranty excuse - I'm just wanting to make sure this doesn't happen again to me. I'm on my 3rd trans rebuild in as many months. I hope this is the last time. I have 500 runs in manual Vettes and hundreds of thousands of daily driver miles in a manual trans. Stock clutches always.
Here is the culprit.
What would cause a 3rd gear blocker ring to crack in half like this?
I'm not looking for a warranty excuse - I'm just wanting to make sure this doesn't happen again to me. I'm on my 3rd trans rebuild in as many months. I hope this is the last time. I have 500 runs in manual Vettes and hundreds of thousands of daily driver miles in a manual trans. Stock clutches always.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,157
Likes: 37
From: North Carolina
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'11-'12
Wow...looks like my knee before surgery... 
Sorry to hear about this Joe.
I think the cause is you are supposed to be in Vegas with us next week and the car is mad at you....
The only time I've ever heard of blocker rings cracking is due to gear clash, usually from contaminated fluid, but that wouldn't be in your case.......Chuck could probably shed some light for you, give him a call.
Sorry to hear about this Joe.I think the cause is you are supposed to be in Vegas with us next week and the car is mad at you....
The only time I've ever heard of blocker rings cracking is due to gear clash, usually from contaminated fluid, but that wouldn't be in your case.......Chuck could probably shed some light for you, give him a call.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Oklahoma City OK
C6 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 27,253
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From: Short Hills, NJ
Damn, three rebuilds in only a few months, ouch. 
Manuals are certainly more fun overall but it's situations like that that make some of us automatic guys feel like we might've made the better choice.
Manuals are certainly more fun overall but it's situations like that that make some of us automatic guys feel like we might've made the better choice.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 12,375
Likes: 406
From: Florida
Sorry to hear of the troubles Joe, that sucks. Is it the same shop all three times?
If these are aftermarket units, you may want to consider a low mile used one out of a donor car. They may be better assembled (since your factory unit lasted several years).
If these are aftermarket units, you may want to consider a low mile used one out of a donor car. They may be better assembled (since your factory unit lasted several years).
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
I have to say with hindsight... I should have bought a brand new trans. It wasn't that much more money. That is my advice to those who have trans problems.
My original trans was fine - when my diff blew it bent the output shaft so I figured then was the time to upgrade to a reinforced manual trans...OEM was much better for me.
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
I've been working on advertising this week....the headline is important.Who would even look at a thread that said "cracked 3rd gear blocker ring"? So what. Dog bites man. Not news. Man bites dog. News.
And the search feature will find 3rd gear blocker ring for posterity if we can get some good info posted here.
My hope is someone with some experience in this arena will see the headline be curious and step in with some salient comments.
Meanwhile the smart aleck comments keep the thread on the first page.
Oh...and so you don't think I cheated you or anyone else from the train wreck you were seeking, here's some Diff Carnage pics that caused my trans carnage issues.
Last edited by Joe_G; Oct 31, 2009 at 07:16 AM.
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Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
Wow...looks like my knee before surgery... Sorry to hear about this Joe.
I think the cause is you are supposed to be in Vegas with us next week and the car is mad at you....
The only time I've ever heard of blocker rings cracking is due to gear clash, usually from contaminated fluid, but that wouldn't be in your case.......Chuck could probably shed some light for you, give him a call.
Sorry to hear about this Joe.I think the cause is you are supposed to be in Vegas with us next week and the car is mad at you....
The only time I've ever heard of blocker rings cracking is due to gear clash, usually from contaminated fluid, but that wouldn't be in your case.......Chuck could probably shed some light for you, give him a call.
Have fun buddy and send me some pics of anything cool! (that is if you can steal away from the Subaru section with your son to take some Vette related pics)
_Sloth Whisperer_
Joined: Jul 2008
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From: Malaysia Air Flight 370
There really does seem to be some sort of curse with the T-56's 3rd gear. My tranny was completely rebuilt and went back in the car less than 500 miles ago. I'm already crunching on the 2-3 shift, and at any kind of high RPM, it's a chore to even engage the gear.
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
I am seriously wondering if there was a batch of bad blocker rings produced or something.....both of my transmissions built 4/09 and again 6/09 had 3rd gear go out within 2000 miles, and coincidentally, my racing buddy has the EXACT same problem in his rebuilt transmission that was rebuilt 6/09.
I'm very concerned about this transmission too....I don't want to give up racing (I've raced for years and years and NEVER had a trans problem) but I cannot afford to keep replacing these transmissions.
_Sloth Whisperer_
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 3,369
Likes: 9
From: Malaysia Air Flight 370
Same here. I just went into mine for $1100 in parts, and $800 in labor. Factoring in the time I had to wait to round everything up, I'd have been better just picking up one of the used Z06 transmissions in the FS section right now.
In fact, as concerned as I am, I may still do so anyways to have it on hand for when this transmission inevitably breaks again. Or if the '05 diff goes, which is more of a 'when' than 'if', and happens to take the output shaft with it.
As far as your blocker ring splitting, perhaps there was a metallurgical issue with that component during production, and whatever component it rides on happened to expand/contract under temperature change, causing it to crack.
In fact, as concerned as I am, I may still do so anyways to have it on hand for when this transmission inevitably breaks again. Or if the '05 diff goes, which is more of a 'when' than 'if', and happens to take the output shaft with it.
As far as your blocker ring splitting, perhaps there was a metallurgical issue with that component during production, and whatever component it rides on happened to expand/contract under temperature change, causing it to crack.
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
Same here. I just went into mine for $1100 in parts, and $800 in labor. Factoring in the time I had to wait to round everything up, I'd have been better just picking up one of the used Z06 transmissions in the FS section right now.
In fact, as concerned as I am, I may still do so anyways to have it on hand for when this transmission inevitably breaks again. Or if the '05 diff goes, which is more of a 'when' than 'if', and happens to take the output shaft with it.
As far as your blocker ring splitting, perhaps there was a metallurgical issue with that component during production, and whatever component it rides on happened to expand/contract under temperature change, causing it to crack.
In fact, as concerned as I am, I may still do so anyways to have it on hand for when this transmission inevitably breaks again. Or if the '05 diff goes, which is more of a 'when' than 'if', and happens to take the output shaft with it.
As far as your blocker ring splitting, perhaps there was a metallurgical issue with that component during production, and whatever component it rides on happened to expand/contract under temperature change, causing it to crack.
In my case I have the stock clutch that works perfectly and I've not changed my shifting - if anything I shift slower with these transmissions trying to baby them. I've never power shifted, I always use the clutch.
I would NEVER buy a used trans, with the trouble I've been having with rebuilts....who knows what kind of abuse a used trans has had on it. It's not like these transmissions are a 2 hour RnR job...it's a big expensive job. If this trans goes I'm chalking up my losses as experience and buying a new trans.
I am seeking knowledge to see if others have this problem and importantly how they solved it. Stopping racing is a solution but not one I want to execute just yet.
By the way, putting in a C5 rear is a good idea BEFORE you blow your rear. You can always sell your rear to an automatic guy, they hold up behind an automatic. When you blow it, it's just a greasy door stop as shown above.
Here's a how to:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-t...-write-up.html
Last edited by Joe_G; Oct 31, 2009 at 09:36 AM.
Safety Car
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From: North Carolina
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'11-'12
Former Vendor
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From: Burlington NC
How does the linkage and shifter box for play??? They seem worn out when new and after some miles they get very bad.
Carrol Smith in the book Engineer to win said something like this. Most transmission problems start at the linkage....
Randy
Carrol Smith in the book Engineer to win said something like this. Most transmission problems start at the linkage....
Randy
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
I know in the old days with the 4 speed external linkages with all the adjustments, those could be messed up or bent and ruin the trans. I thought the new internal rail shifters were pretty much good to go forever?
I didn't blow shifts or powershift to bust these trans. They just didn't hold up. I will say they both seemed to break at the track, not daily driving, but my factory transmissions never broke under equal or harder usage. And both times, 3rd gear went out. I didn't get to see the parts on the first rebuild, but, the symptoms were similar. Except with the first time, if I shifted really really slowly into 3rd, I could do it. With this cracked ring, it WOULD NOT go into 3rd unless you jammed it really hard.
Have you seen problems with the shifter linkage/box wearing out?
_Sloth Whisperer_
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 3,369
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From: Malaysia Air Flight 370
I see what you mean, Joe. I have known that there were clutch related issues for awhile, but the reason it seems like there are independent issues between the two is that fact that it's only 3rd gear. I can only assume every gear would have similar issues if the clutch were the *only* problem.
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
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From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
I see what you mean, Joe. I have known that there were clutch related issues for awhile, but the reason it seems like there are independent issues between the two is that fact that it's only 3rd gear. I can only assume every gear would have similar issues if the clutch were the *only* problem.
In my case, I'm religious with clutch fluid, it feels perfect just like it did on day one. I don't think clutch problems are causing my trans problems as that very clutch was working perfectly with my original trans that was damaged by the rear above.
If you're having clutch problems you must get them addressed before you ruin another trans. That's for sure.
But your point that it always seems to be 3rd seems valid for sure!! Maybe it's just the weakest syncro????
