green_rt10
Enthusiast
Hello,
I have a semi-involved transmission repair question. Well, a few of them. I bought my ~60k-mile 95 RT/10 just over a year ago, and I ended up rebuilding the transmission in April due to worn synchros (first evidenced by reverse popping out). During the work, they told me it looked like it had been previously rebuilt already. The shop that worked on the car are the local Viper gurus. Anyone in my area (which I'm keeping vague) would likely know their name. And, the shop was—and continues to be—awesome.
Since then, I've driven it about 700 miles or so. Only around town and on country roads, and not aggressively. I'm still a little nervous about crashing. : )
Anyway, about a month or two ago, reverse started popping out again. I brought the car back to the shop, and they had their transmission partner remove it. He said he couldn't believe the car had only been driven 700 miles. The shop told me it is trashed--synchros are toast, etc. Upon further inspection, I have been told that the tolerances are off somewhere (I need to clarify whether the block or the transmission housing are off). Apparently, because the fit was just slightly off, the transmission has been rocking slightly under load, wearing everything down prematurely. For what it's worth, the shop said they have never encountered this situation before. So, my Viper is broken in a very particular way, I guess.
Anyway, they are going to rebuild it again (under warranty) but are going to fit it with new guide dowels and some sort of transmission adapter to make sure it fits perfectly.
My questions are:
—Does this sound rickety to you? I know modified cars are fitted with transmission adapters, but it feels like such a bummer to have an OEM engine and the factory transmission held together with an adapter. Again, no diss on the shop—they are working with what they have. It sounds like this is the best that they—or anyone—could do. Given that the transmission looks to have already been rebuilt, this has been an ongoing issue.
—If the factory truly bungled this, am I stuck with a bad car? Is this Viper worth keeping, or do you see this being an ongoing problem. Having the car wear through a T56 in just 700 miles of cruising (not racing) is very alarming.
—Are there any other questions I should be asking?
Thanks for your thoughts, everyone!
I have a semi-involved transmission repair question. Well, a few of them. I bought my ~60k-mile 95 RT/10 just over a year ago, and I ended up rebuilding the transmission in April due to worn synchros (first evidenced by reverse popping out). During the work, they told me it looked like it had been previously rebuilt already. The shop that worked on the car are the local Viper gurus. Anyone in my area (which I'm keeping vague) would likely know their name. And, the shop was—and continues to be—awesome.
Since then, I've driven it about 700 miles or so. Only around town and on country roads, and not aggressively. I'm still a little nervous about crashing. : )
Anyway, about a month or two ago, reverse started popping out again. I brought the car back to the shop, and they had their transmission partner remove it. He said he couldn't believe the car had only been driven 700 miles. The shop told me it is trashed--synchros are toast, etc. Upon further inspection, I have been told that the tolerances are off somewhere (I need to clarify whether the block or the transmission housing are off). Apparently, because the fit was just slightly off, the transmission has been rocking slightly under load, wearing everything down prematurely. For what it's worth, the shop said they have never encountered this situation before. So, my Viper is broken in a very particular way, I guess.
Anyway, they are going to rebuild it again (under warranty) but are going to fit it with new guide dowels and some sort of transmission adapter to make sure it fits perfectly.
My questions are:
—Does this sound rickety to you? I know modified cars are fitted with transmission adapters, but it feels like such a bummer to have an OEM engine and the factory transmission held together with an adapter. Again, no diss on the shop—they are working with what they have. It sounds like this is the best that they—or anyone—could do. Given that the transmission looks to have already been rebuilt, this has been an ongoing issue.
—If the factory truly bungled this, am I stuck with a bad car? Is this Viper worth keeping, or do you see this being an ongoing problem. Having the car wear through a T56 in just 700 miles of cruising (not racing) is very alarming.
—Are there any other questions I should be asking?
Thanks for your thoughts, everyone!
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