I have a 95 TA with a T-56 and I think I may be having a problem. Everytime I let out the clutch, just as it engages and starts to pull the car, it makes a groaning sound. The sound also has a type of rattle in it. You can hear it from inside the car and also from outside the car. You can also feel it in the clutch pedal.

It also does it another way as well. If you are moving down the road (im talking pretty slow) with the clutch fully engaged and your foot isnt on the gas, and if you slightly start to accelerate, it does it too. It doesnt do it in reverse usually, but i have had it do it once.

If you let out the clutch extremely slow and ride the clutch just as it is engaging, you can sometimes make it not make that noise.


The buddy i bought it from owned a 96 bird...and he said it did the same thing. I also drove his 2000 TA and it doesn't do it. So I'm trying to figure out if anyone elses car does it as well. I'm pretty sure the 98+ dont do it, so i'm wondering if it's just these 2 cars, or if anyone else has had/has this problem.

Any ideas? Please help as it's so embarassing when my nice ride moans when i let out the clutch or even touch the gas when it's in gear. Keep in mind it only does it at low speeds.

 

Have you had the car a while and it just started doing this or did you just get the car and are just thinking the noise is unusual? The "groaning" sound when pulling out slowly is pretty normal for the LT1 T56, mine always did it at low speeds like you say and I hear many others do too. As far as the rattle, it does that a little too but only after adding the aftermarket shifter with the solid base that bolts directly to the trans. If you have a stock shifter with that rattle it could be a bad pilot bushing. The LS1 cars have a different T56 made by Tremec and also began using a roller pilot bearing as opposed to the solid pilot bushing the LT1's did. This probably has to due with why they are quieter and rattle less. The LT1 T56 has way fewer problems though from what I hear, many more LS1 guys are experiencing shifing problems and other issues with their trannys.

 

Thats normal. When I first got mine I thought something was up, it's ok. Low speeds in the first three gears cause it to make some noise...kinda like a broom on concrete type of sound.

 

so the noise is perfectly normal then? what exactly is it doing when making that noise? and is there a way to get rid of it?

 

I am not really sure what it is, something to do with the clutch and flywheel is my guess.

 

mine makes that noise at low rpm as well as the pilot bearing makes noise. and i have a stock shifter (not for much longer). ive just learned to ignore it.

 

The only noise you could really fix would be switching to a roller pilot bearing, that may get rid of the rattling sound. The groaning has a lot to do with the strength of the gears, and the way they are cut. It's a very strong trans in stock form, there are guys running stock t56's with well over 500rwhp. I would be willing to bet NASCAR tranny's aren't the quitest things either Anyway, once you start modding it you wont even notice the noise from the trans after a while

 

I thought all T56s came with roller pilot bearings, which is a thorn in the side of the owners. I know many who rebuild their trannies replace the bearing with a bushing since it's much more durable. I'm doing a M6 conversion in the coming months and am going with a bushing in hopes of avoiding the bearing explosion some people have had.

 

Gregg,

My 94 had a pilot bearing. It rattled at low speed during clutch engagement also.

I just replaced the clutch (with pilot bearing) but I haven't driven it yet. I expect it will still make the noise though.

Also, Tremec bought rights to manufacture the T56. Borg Warner no longer produces them but it's the same trans. I just rebuilt mine and some of the replacement parts were from Tremec.