amorgan93

Well i recently bought a 1996 Mustang Cobra. The car has some clutch drag, i assume a stretched cable, so i adjusted the quadrant just one click tighter so that it was drivable. Well i was snatching it around a little today (but no power shifts because i don't want to mess up the synchros) and right as i was slowing down at around 20 mph i hear this terrible rattling, grinding weird noise coming from the transmission, and i can feel it in the shifter. Its been making it all day, cold or warm, its loud inside the car and loud outside the car at low speeds, 2nd and 1st gear. I can physically feel it when putting the trans in 1st gear. The noise happens in neutral and in 1st and 2nd gear when decelerating, also with the clutch engaged and disengaged, but loudest with the clutch pedal pressed to the floor. here's a video of the noise. Its loud at 0:37 and 3:13. Fun at 3:39 and 3:53. Ignore my terrible missing/grinding 2nd gear in the video when i tried to powershift for the first time, i really need to get the steel quadrant and firewall adjuster.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!


EDIT: Found an 03 cobra making a similar noise on youtube.

dawson1112

Its time to pull that trans and check the tob, pilot bearing , and input shaft bearing . As well as the input shaft bearing retainer. If you keep driving it like that grinding gears like you did in the video a lot you wont have a trans to worry about.

I suspect its a combination of a worn out TOB and a input shaft bearing that needs replaced. Don't be surprised if you find a lot of metal shavings in the fluid.

xx10Gt

yeah i hope you dont grind the gears that often. horrible for a tranny. definitely would get that checked asap. i would also think it has something to do with tob failure

uberstang1

That second video sounds like a bottom engine noise, considering the transmission isn't even spinning when its making the noise.

amorgan93

Yeah I cringed when that shift grinded like that...I don't do it much that was the 1st time I've tried shifting it like that with the clutch dragging like it is. As far as that input shaft bearing, how bad is it to replace? Thanks for listening to the video !

dawson1112

The input shaft bearing is a breeze to change once the trans is out however not as simple as the T5 trans. That may not even be bad, youll know when you get the trans out by grabbing ahold of the input shaft and pushing it in and out , if there is any play in/out of the shaft or if it feels sloppy side to side up and down, then it needs changed.

The t45 is different from the T5 trans and the input shaft bearing retainer/tob sleeve is an integral part of the bell housing. You should look into finding a service manual for that trans if you can. Once the bell housing is removed you will be facing the inside of the gear box and all it internal componants .

amorgan93

Well, drove the car some more today. The noise ONLY happens in 1st and 2nd gear. If i slow down in 4th, or 3rd gear with the clutch depressed no noise! But as soon as i pull it out of 4th or 3rd, the noise starts and happens in neutral, 2nd, and 1st, but if i pop it back up into 3rd, even with the clutch depressed, silent as a mouse! I'm pretty confused now!

I don't know much about these transmissions, but i assume 1st and 2nd are on the same fork? And i saw something about these little plastic tabs popping off of the forks, could that be a possibility?