Well I finished swapping my 700r4 for a T56. I got the T56 used with supposedly 30,000 miles and condition unknown. Anyway, I put it in the car and take it for a test drive. Everything was fine except 2nd gear. It would grind every time I tried to shift into 2nd, upshift or downshift, unless I rev match it.

So anyway I assume that the synchronizer for 2nd gear is bad. I’ve already pulled the tranny back out of the car. I was thinking about taking it to a tranny shop to get repaired but none of the shops I call can give me a cost estimate. One place said $350 for labor and other place said $750. That seems kind of high. For those of you that have had your tranny rebuilt/repaired at a shop what was the labor cost?

I am considering doing the repair myself but I’m unsure what’s involved. I would like to replace all the synchronizers, upgrade the 3/4 shift fork, and upgrade the fork pads. I think the gears and bearing are in good shape but won’t know for user until I open it up. Are there any special tools that would be needed to replace the items mentioned above? I have read that you may need a pull, press, and another special tool to check the end play. Is this all required to replace the mentioned parts or is that only if you replace the bearing and gears?

I already have the 50 page PDF service manual from GM. Does anyone else have any guides, pictures, or other recommendations?

Should I just take it apart and replace the items that are bad or is there a rebuild kit that I should buy instead?

I’m just looking for advice or recommendations. I haven’t decided whether I want to take it to a tranny shop or do it myself. I just have the feeling that I’m going to get ripped of if I take is somewhere.

 

I have the sme problem and have contacted www.T56rebuilds.com. I have looked at the special tools needed and have gotten alittle scared. He said 1200 shipped.

 

Mine did the same thing. Ended up being a blocker ring.(material came loose from ring) Everything else looked fine. It wasn't too bad, but I work at a dealership and have access to the pullers and such. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought.

 

I just finished helping my Dad help me put mine together last weekend, and it was actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be! You need a really long puller to get behind the 5th/6th gear to pull it off the main shaft from the back, but nothing else is too bad to get apart. Then once you've got the main case opened up, 1st & 2nd are the next in line off the main shaft. 2nd gear in mine was really screwed ... well, the synchro hub, and the teeth on the gear that the syncrho engages on ... a lot of them were missing! (no wonder it was hard to go in! ) ... so I had to replace the actual GEAR for 2nd, as well as the full synchro assembly, and I replaced all the synchro rings 1st-6th, and I needed a new reverse synchro hub too (it was pretty chewed up inside, although in hindsight, I should have just flipped the hub and ran the other side of it ... oh well!

For a tranny shop who does them regularily, they should easily be able to re & re the tranny within a day. You might be better off going through T56rebuilds.com or D&D performance though ... that's what they specialize in .

 

gm high tech had an article about t56 rebuild in their march issue


http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...ssion_rebuild/


I have just finished rebuilding my t56 for transmissions class at school.


Aside from a shop press, bearing separator plates & press tubes the only

oddball tool is the puller for the speedo gear / 5-6th driven gear.

I was about to make this puller based on a pic from the article,

basically it is an extended 2 jaw puller.


It seems your problem is a worn blocker ring, but you may also have to

replace the synchonizer assembly and / or speedgear as the teeth may be

chewed up or some possibly sheared off.


I did not replace any of the bearings as the Service Manual says that they

do not need to be unless they are worn. For this reason I also did not check

the End play.

I ordered a full rebuild kit but only used the;

blocker rings 1-6, snap rings,

keys, springs, fork pads, shifter isolator cup

3-4 steel fork, reverse gear, flipped reverse syncro.

In summary its not that bad if you have the tools and Service Manual.

If your gonna have a shop do it, send it out to someone who has worked on

this transmission before.