Last night as I drove down the freeway, my rear U joint failed, and I lost the drive shaft. Once the car was at home, I climbed under to see if the flailing drive shaft caused any damage only to find the transmission leaking like a stuck pig. On further inspection I saw that 3 of 4 mounting ears are cracked, or broken off. One of the cracks was long enough to make a leak. A previous ****** also had an ear broken off, but didnt cause a leak, or issue. What could be causing this issue? I have everything rubber mounted, and tight. The engine is a Chevy 235, and the ****** is a T5. I will admit that I shift hard often, but I didnt expect to break things with my little hopped up 6.
The clutch could be your culprit if it's too severe. The 235 has a heavy crankshaft which has a lot of momentum at rpm. It's probably more likely from the driveshaft than the clutch but either is possible.
I would make sure everything wasn't stressed when it was installed, no twisting of the tailshaft, etc. Is it possible that the flapping about driveshaft did the damage? Bob
How are the engine and trans mounted? If its front engine mounts, and a mount on the tailhousing, that could be your problem. Chris
its not uncommon for a thrown drive shaft to brake the tail housing or trans case..before it slips out the drive shaft is whipping back and forth with some serious leverage...had a jeep knock the transfer case off the transmission...
make sure everything is runnin true. and its common for other things to break when a driveshaft exits on its own. hell i had one come thru the floorboard and barely missed my head.id would have prefered it to break other things under the car instead of trying to take me out.lol
I would replace your motor mounts and trans mount, is either mounted solid, As a general rule you can solid mount and engine but never soild mount a trans. If one is allowed to twist and the other isnt, somethings going to break. Just a thought MrC.
Good point, the original stick transmission located from the bellhousing ears to the ch***is. That's quite a span to support and a lot of stress cound be on the T5 tailshaft housing. Bob
even V8 with aluminum bell housings should never be mounted with front engine mounts with out mounts at the bell housing. I read a long time ago that manufacturers went to the side mounts on engines after going to aluminum trans cases and bell housings because the bells were breaking in testing. added mounts to the bells was an early way to correct broken bells when engines had forward mounts,That was with short 3 speed trannies and 2 speed automatics just think of the strain a longer OD auto or 5 speed trans can add with the trans mounts mount back over a foot from the original mount location.
That's why drive shaft loops are a good idea! They capture the dropped shaft and keep it from whipping or worse, pole vaulting, when the front u-joint breaks.
The engine is rubber mounted in the stock 54 chevy position which is about half way back on the the sides of the engine. The ****** is mounted by a s10 rubber mount on the stock ****** cross member. I have broken ears off the ****** with out dropping the drive shaft, but this was way more damage than before. Im thinking that I might make additional mounts at the bell housing. Everything looks to be aligned from the front of the engine to the rear end. As for the clutch, it is a stock s10 clutch plate with a bus fly wheel for the larger clutch surface. I have never had problems breaking tail shafts, it has always been the ears.
You had it mounted up like 90% of us would have suggested doing so that shouldn't be an issue. That driveshaft flopping around develops a lot of force and if the trans mount may have been a bit weak to begin with it could have done the number on the trans.
Aw Dan that ****s!! Sorry to hear about this!! I have a T-5 with a blown gear set but a good case on my sideyard if you want it or if Jamie can watch Cam we can hit a junkyard and snag a whole nother one! PS: I need the S-10 tail and top section if you don't reuse your old stuff and it's not broken!
One obscure cause to check: Sometimes when the suspension is loaded or unloaded, the U Joint can hit the limit of its angular travel and cause a violent "hit" that causes a lockup. I had a CJ5 that, when you hit a rise in the road, allowed the rear axle to fall as the suspension unloaded and the rear U Joint would bind and break. The driveshaft would whip and tear stuff up. We accidently discovered the problem when we jacked up the jeep and sat it on jack stands allowing the rear to hang.....when we previously jacket it up, the rear axle was supported by a floor jack. Try your rotation at the extreme travels of the suspension....your U Joint may be binding also....
X2, also '54 springs are pretty slim and there maybe alot of wrapup during hard shifts compounding things.
I can almost guarantee that the rear springs are wrapping. I have the ******* bars, but haven't installed them yet. I cant bring myself to paying for the TCI spring kit. Anyone know of larger springs that will bolt on?
Everything I would have suggested has already been posted. I worked for a shop that prepared and maintained supposedly stock road race cars that had T-5 transmissions. Several times I have seen cracks develop at the mounting ears of a T-5. Apparently the case doesn't have a lot of reserve strength. That being the case, anything making things harder on the case isn't what you want. One(fairly expensive) option is the heavy duty case made by G-Force. The cost is somewhere around $350. They make them all with a Ford mounting pattern. If you want the GM pattern they add it, so you then have a dual pattern mounting.
Every time I have lost a u-joint or driveshaft over the years in my 55, if it whipped it hard one time it broke the ears of my Muncie M22. I was running it pretty hard too so I moved up to a heavier shaft and joints. Ladder bars or ******* bars will help not breaking u-joints for sure. I had several engines at various horsepower levels and saw the same problem at times with them all. Good luck and hope you figure it out because it is severely aggravating.
the center hole in your bell housing is most likely bigger than the bearing retainer,that bearing retainer should be snug in the hole,if its not you will break ears.
If there is more than a few thousandths clearance between the hole and the locating collar, the trans ears are just one of numerous problems you're going to have.
speedway has a mid engine mt that is made by allstar co. need to use longer guide pins........ it is for circle track.... they also have one that is one piece that encircles the flex plate as a ring gear safety shield...........
So far all the research Ive seen says that the case is the weak point on the t5 ******s. It looks like the G-Force t5 case is the way to go. Its $350, and is way more stout. Im going to also check the bellhousing. This also the perfect excuse to hit the junk yards and find a world cl*** trans. http://www.jegs.com/i/G-Force+Transmissions/468/GFT5072/10002/-1
The Jalopy Journal
