I built a 1968 E type with a BW WCT5 transmission and I have about 4500 miles on it.
Went to the store yesterday, shifted from 1st to second…in a hurry… and suddenly had no drive. There was no noise other than the engine running. Coasted into a safe spot shut it off. Gear lever seemed to move all the gears, including reverse, clutch pedal felt as normal, started it up and selected first, no drive. Tried all the gears…nothing.
Sat for a while. Called a flat deck. Bystanders took photos, even had some good mechanical advice. Diff failure would have been noisy As would everything from the output shaft rearward. I realized it was behaving like it was stuck in neutral , despite it feeling like it’s shifting. So can I get the top cover off with it in the car? I’d hate to have to take the entire car apart…again… for the sake of a roll pin on the selector forks.
Tx all
Hi Mike,
Most of us are not familiar with the transmission you have but I would be pretty sure if you take the centre console out, you can access it
Steps are
- Remove radio/ashtray console
- Remove long centre console that covers the transmission and extends back to behind the seats
- Undo the fiberglass access cover that will expose the top of your transmission
Dennis
69 OTS
Mike go slow
What box and who made or sold it to you
Simple minds like mine would start by looking under the car while the engine is running, the box is in gear and you’re getting the ‘no drive’ result. Confirm that the propshaft is not moving.
I had a friend who snapped a halfshaft (driveshaft to Brits) and that was the definitive look. Though since you have an LSD I don’t know if that would immobilize the car.
If someone snapped a driveshaft on an E-Type, they’d have more problems than that. The whole suspension would collapse, considering that the driveshaft forms the upper control arm.
A Brit here! No, the half shafts drive the wheels and the prop shaft drives the diff. 
It’s a BW/Tremec T5, not from the usuals and I’m not ready to throw anybody under the internet bus just yet till I’m more sure what’s actually happening
Drive shafts intact, car rolled off the flat deck noiselessly, clutch lever moves (viewed under the car) just no gears. And I think if it had been some catastrophic internal failure I’d hear SOMETHING, bearing rattle, broken metal, teeth chatter. It’s quiet as a church
Hence my desire to take it’s top off
I’d suggest you begin by getting the car on a lift and having someone run through the gears while someone observes the driveline from below. You’d hate to find out that the problem is a broken half shaft AFTER you had ripped out the interior. The answer to your specific question is that you can remove the top of a T5 without removing it from the car. The shifter assembly and top cover are separate, and can be removed independently from above. Paul had some Youtube videos on the assembly of JT5 transmissions, you can search those out.
I snapped the bolts holding the propshaft to the diff once. Instant neutral. Snapping them at the output flange would do the same thing without the drama of the prop shaft whipping around.
Ok so it’s rolling and the fork lever is still attached
Check all bolt connections for shear
Then check the tail housing and see if you can rock the driveshaft
Does everything move?
The issue with the newer boxes were the output shafts were breaking
Got the rear end off the ground, all three drive shafts are intact and rotating.
I can hear the gears turning in the box, reverse and fifth are loudest, 4th is quietest so I think the output shaft is intact.
Researching Paul C’s Youtube videos I see it’s possible to break the main shaft just after the input. If that’s it it sure is quiet.
Either way it looks like the interior is coming out as a start
Good… the problem with ALL the new conversions minus Paul’s kit pertaining to the t5
Is that the tail casing is ground down and the housing is not well supported with the exception of the bearing
It’s taking a huge load
Add to that cheap quality bearings and the issues arise
It’s tricky
So interior removed, box exposed, put the stethoscope on it with the engine running. Clutch in/out did NOT generate the usual sound of the constant motion shaft(s) so engine is not hooked to grbx so grbx must come out.
It does use external cap screws to hold it to the bell housing. I put a pit in my garage specifically for the purpose of dropping engines out the bottom but the very first time I did it I took it out the top as per the manual and I wonder how far it has to be inclined to get the grbx off the bell and still clear the floor of the tranny tunnel.
Tie bar would probably still have to come out, as would the coolant/lower rad hose. Only saving the manifolds, in fact trading them for front damper.
Anyone ever done it??
Probably a dumb question, but are you sure the clutch is engaging?
Mike sorry to hear…
From many sources not throwing anyone under the bus…
This has been the issue
Sad to report
You got away with murder at 4 500 miles!
I’ve seen 1,000 to 2,000 max and then the implosion
Good luck
Gtjoey13-4
Haven’t thrown in the engine-out towel yet, still have to get the wife to push the clutch pedal while I look through the access hole to see if it’s jammed in the released position. Funny how I can’t wrench all day like I used to.
Course time to ponder doesn’t hurt.
Any recourse on these previous/known issues ?
And if as I suspect it’s the main or input shaft is there a reliable source of them?
…or have I got a box of junk.
I’ve purchased Tremec mainshafts through Rockland Standard Gear. The problem is that you can’t fit a stock T5 input shaft. It will need to be cut to length and turned for the pilot bushing.
http://www.rsgear.com/products/performance-race-transmissions
How will you get reliability if you just replace what has failed in the gearbox?
This is the BIG problem
To make it fit the tail section is the weak spot
And the overdrive position
And that’s why we are all stick today👎🏿
Started taking the engine and grbx out. Had a friend press the clutch pedal but couldn’t visualize the splines no matter what I did.
Local T5 expert predicts center hub of clutch failure, but it’s coming out either way.
Mike…Glad to hear shafts are available, they are clearly “one-offs” by comparison to the GM applications. I’ll have my local guy go over the box completely. I trust him.
Stay tuned…