Slotehog

Hey all,

Long time, no post. Life has been busy and the Vette has taken a back seat for several years. Now that the kids are big enough to ride without booster seats, I have been trying to drive it more often.

i have a 1980 L82 that had an auto to manual (Keisler RS500) swap done in 2012. There is between 1000-2000 miles on the trans since install. No hard driving or shifting.

Recently, when putting it into 1st gear it would grind and pop out of gear unless holding it and forcing it into gear. It is to the point that I have to start driving from 2nd gear because the God awful grinding noise that the trans makes when trying to get it into 1st gear.

My brother in law is a mechanic and seems to think the synchros for 1st gear might be shot. He also thinks I should take it to a transmission shop to diagnose the problem to be sure.

While the car is still driveable starting in 2nd gear, I wont be winning any drag races doing so.

What are some of the possible causes and do I need to rebuild/replace the trans already?

Andy

zwede

Popping out of gear is usually caused by it not going all the way into gear. Look at the shifter first. If that's ok you'd have to check the shift forks for wear as well as the sliders (what the forks engage with). With only a couple 1,000 miles on it I'd definitely suspect the shifter. Doesn't Keisler use some funky offset shifter with a mechanism inside of it?

Slotehog

I should have mentioned that my bro-in-law dropped the trans to investigate what he could. He believes the problem is internal in the trans and doesn’t think he would be able to fix it, nor is he confident in doing it correctly.

The Keisler RS500 has a rear offset shifter position but I am unsure if there is any “mechanism” inside.

I will be picking it up later today and will try to get a video with some sound to help with the description.

73racevette

The grinding noise and issues with getting into gear smoothly is likely a synchro going or gone bad. The popping out of gear is likely from a gear that is worn incorrectly or worn to the point of needing to be replaced. All this assumes your shift linkage is working correctly, which is what I would check first.

Sounds like you need to take the trans to a shop for rebuilding.

7t9l82

My bet is the shifter is out of adjustment. Maybe loosen up the limit stops and see if it feels like it goes into place better. Keep note of where it's adjusted now.
Kiesler had thier issues but I don't recall anything being bad about thier transmission.
Maybe your clutch is out of adjustment.

71 Vert LS1

It's been 10 plus years but I purchased Kiesler 600 kit for my 73 Z28 LS project. The trans was a "stock" TKO 600 which I was fine with. So having said this if its an internal problem a TKO trans shop should be able to help. Also if it has to come apart I think they make upgraded syncros and other small parts.

Gordonm

As I recall the RS500 was not a TKO transmission. I would call Silver sport transmission since they bought all of the Keisler stuff. They may be able to give you some help but it does sound like it will need to come out and apart.

Slotehog

Gordon,

You’re right. The RS500 is a Remanufactured Tremec T45. I don’t believe Silver Sport is dealing with the T45/RS500 transmissions. I will give them a call regardless and see what they suggest.

Slotehog

So I picked up the vette this afternoon and drove it home. I forgot to get a video of the problem but when shifting from second to first, it seems like it goes into first. But when releasing the clutch, there is grind and will not go. So I gotta start the drive from second gear. Also noticed when driving home, it doesn’t stay if fifth gear. While it feels like it shifts into 5th, as soon as I let out the clutch and give it gas, the engine revs and the shifter pops out of gear with slight grinding.

I spoke with SST who declined to take on the Keisler RS/T45 transmissions and only work on TKOs and their other Magnum transmissions.

I have no idea what is going on with this trans and I am getting aggravated. At this point I swapped out a 3 speed auto for a 3 speed manual. It will cost me more money that I would rather not spend on something so new (relatively speaking).

I appreciate all your help. If you guys happen to know a transmission specialist in central/south Jersey who won’t break the bank let me know.

if I remember to get a video, I will post it.

Gordonm

I don’t know a lot about the T45 internals but it sounds like the sifter is not allowing full engagement and it is popping out of gear or never fully going into gear. Seeing the T45 was used in Ford products you might have to (gasp) enlist the help of a Mustang shop or something in that area.

68/70Vette

Nice you have a removeable crossmember! All C3's should have come with removeable crossmember and also the tab welded on the frame that is used to support the clutch Z bar. How much extra would this have cost GM. My opinion is that, if you're not NCRS, the frame should be converted to a removeable crossmember if you have a manual tranny......it just makes life so much easier to remove/install the tranny..

Slotehog

All,

I finally got around to getting it to a local transmission shop. By this point I was without 1st, 3rd, and 5th gear as the shifter wouldn't get into and stay in gear.

I feared the worst.

A few weeks after I dropped it off, I got a call from the shop. It turns out once they dropped the transmission from the car, they found the set screws for the shifter had gotten loose and once re-tightened, all worked as designed.

Very good news.

Thanks for the help!

Redvette2

Whew....buy a lottery ticket!

Gordonm

Guess I should have used Loctite on the screw. Glad it was a simple fix. Hope all is well. I have moved to Forked River recently and only have the C6 Z in my garage. Living on the water I have switched to water toys.

Slotehog

Doing well, thanks. Hoping the same for you?

Where in Forked River?

Gordonm

Hollywood Blvd across the street from Caffreys and the Wawa.

Slotehog

Very cool. The town was just featured in the NY Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/r...lass-vibe.html

How Are You

Happy ending! 😀