bigtim1985

i recently bough a 2001 trans am ws6 6speed. it is completely stock. stock shifter no skipshift eliminator. the trans shifts great except downshifting from 3rd to 2nd. it wont let me shift into 2nd. and its not the syncro because its not grinding at all....it feels like the skip-shift is activated and wont let me downshift. even double clutching or rev matching makes no difference. but i would say 3 out of 10 times i can downshift from 3-2. any thoughts? is it possible to take the solenoid out with the trans in the car so i can test it? maybe the solenoid isnt fully retracting. there doesnt seem like there is much room to get it out though. thanks- tim

bigtim1985

nobody?

razor02097

is the skip shift light on?

you can just unplug the solenoid... you don't have to remove it.

JakeRobb

I'm pretty confident that it has nothing to do with skip shift.

I'm guessing that something mechanical is wrong inside the transmission.

bigtim1985

the skip shift seems to work. it locks you out when your easy on the throttle and when the put your foot down it goes right into second......just wont go from 3-2 downshift most of the time. im thinking the solenoid plunger isnt retracting all the way. can you remove the solenoid with the trans in the car?

JakeRobb

No, you can't remove the solenoid. Post #3 is referring to unplugging the electrical connection from the car that tells it to activate (and yes, you can do that with the trans in the car). You'll get a Service Engine Soon light if you do this without either getting skipshift disabled in your PCM or installing a skip shift eliminator (which fools the engine computer into thinking the solenoid is still connected), either homemade or commercial.

I still think you need to forget all about skip shift having anything to do with your problem. Does your car have the base shifter, or the optional factory Hurst shifter?

bigtim1985

it had the optional hurst shifter in it when i bought it and i just put a hurst billet plus shifter in it and it made no difference. also i tried unplugging the solenoid and it made no difference other then letting me upshift from 1-2 under light throttle. i still cant downshift from 3-2.

97FormulaWS-6

Sounds more like an internal issue to the tranny than the skip-shift.

You wouldn't be able to be in 3rd if it were the skip-shift. The solenoid blocks out both gears.

JakeRobb

As I suspected. Time for a rebuild.

bigtim1985

im gonna attempt to rebuild the trans myself but have a couple questions. i found a website http://www.thegearbox.org/T56.html that has a bunch of rebuild kits avaliable. is there any where you guys recommend? also my trans am has just under 100k on it. should i do the bearings in the trans too? thanks

bigtim1985

nobody?

JakeRobb

IMO, transmissions are something you don't mess with unless you're an expert (or you've got an expert next to you teaching).

When my T56 locked itself into 4th gear, I sent it off for a rebuild. I pulled it out of the car myself in my garage (with some help from some friends), packed it into a crate, and shipped it to SixSpeedsInc in Texas. Total cost was $1400, including shipping, and I got it back with a performance rebuild (it's good for 700 lb-ft of torque). Unfortunately, SSI went under a couple years ago. I'm not sure who the best in the business is anymore.

SSQATCH

I've bought several things through The Gear Box and have noting but good things to say about them. Items are in stock and priced well. I highly recommend them.