Boy did I have fun!!!!!!!!!

[Viperchad]

Hey guys...just wanted to tell everyone about the NEO-FEST in Coumbus, OH at National Trail Raceway yesterday. It was my first experience ever with drag racing.......WHAT A BLAST. If anyone is considering giving it a shot, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!! There were a total of 8-10 Vipers running yesterday.....guys from all over. Got to see some amazing cars!!! Dave Boggs showed up with TWO TWIN TURBO GTS cars!!! Not sure what was more sick...the cars....or his rig!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, I'm going on year two with the Viper community and I just wanted to say.....thanks to everyone who I've met. I wasn't even going to run....and at the end of the day.. I ended up taking runner up. I raced a supercharged GTS with a water **** kit in the finals. I got a head start of course......and naturally had my worst run of the night (went from second to reverse!!!!!). I scared the S$%^ out of everyone at the starting line. Luckily I didn't let the clutch out!!! Reverse lights are not cool halfway down the strip!!

In the end, I walked away with $100 and a huge smile on my face. It was the most fun I've had in a while....oh, and by the way I managed to pull off a 12.1 at 120. Not bad for a rookie I guess. Hopefully the guys will be posting some video soon. It was a pleasure to finally meet some of the guys here....Simms, Gary Javo, 04SRT, Boggs, etc. Hope to see you all again soon. Most of all, thanks to the gang from Dayton (Bobby, Dave, Kenny, Tony, Chris)....you are my boys, and I appreciate all your encouragement. The only problem now is, I've got supercharger fever!!! Bring on the blower!!!

Take care,



Chad

 

[KaiPL]

How did you get into reverse? There is a lock-out that is supposed to prefent this.

 

[Vic]

Here is a post I did in a related thread on the Tremec T56 from a while ago, on reverse lockout, and how it can be defeated.

Yes, (you can defeat the reverse lockout) according to Tremec's T56 tech manual! There are a couple of ways this could happen, one by operator error, and the other by component failure.

You can find it here- http://www.ttcautomotive.com/English/media/pdfs_autogen/T-56_Service_Manual.pdf

The reverse lockout solenoid has a plunger, that restricts the motion of the shift linkage. It actually does not come in contact with the reverse gear at all, but only acts to prevent the shift linkage from moving to the reverse position. The force applied by the shift lever is in the same axis as the motion of the solenoid plunger. The plunger is spring loaded, and is usually extended when the car is at speed, restricting the motion of the shift lever towards reverse. When the solenoid is de-energized, (above 5 mph) the driver must overcome the tension of the plunger spring to move the lever to reverse. This is spec'd at 30-50 lbs of force, but may be less if the spring is fatigued. The manual reccomends replacement if the force is not high enough. (See section 3-12-2 for tension specs) When the car is going less than 5 mph, the computer sends a 12vdc signal to the solenoid, causing it to retract against the spring tension. When the plunger retracts, the driver then only has to overcome the remaining 5 lbs of opposing force to move the shift lever towards reverse. That is the slight spring tension you feel when you select reverse.

The manual goes on to say that the device may be defeated by the driver, (they use the term "crash through" to describe this), and they also say the solenoid plunger may become stuck. The spring could also break, leaving the plunger retracted. If the plunger becomes stuck in the retracted position, there will be no way of preventing the driver from selecting reverse at any speed or in any direction of travel. So it is a possibility to either "crash through" the device by applying more than 30-50 lbs of force to it, or it may become stuck retracted. If its stuck in the retracted position, it wouldn't require the driver to "crash thru" it, just miss the gate towards 5th. Those are two possible scenarios where it would be possible to enter reverse at speed, according to Tremec's own technical publications.

In my case, I can't say exactly what happened, but this is at least a possibility. I was racing a sport bike, and may have been heavy handed in the heat of the moment. Or maybe the solenoid was stuck retracted. I had that tranny replaced at 17,000 miles, due to the shift lever not returning to center when released in neutral. The tranny I have now has never had a problem, even on many runs up to 160mph, and about a dozen days on road courses.

 

[Viperchad]

It's possible......believe me!! I guess it was operator error