Morris Motorsports

This site page will be dedicated to the T56 and Clutch/hydraulics  tech. It will offer alot of useful information on what may be wrong with your transmission, or why is your transmission shifting like this, or how to diagnose a potential hydraulic or clutch problem. Some of this information has been gathered over some time by our own experience, or found over at LS1tech.com and the very knowledgeable crew AND certain sponsors over there.

T56

...more to come guys (and gals).  We are trying to update our website everyday with information to help our customers, so make sure you check back often. More info (and pics) will be up soon. (9/05)

T56 and Clutch FAQ:

Q:How do I determine if my clutch needs a shim?

A: The guys over at Tick Performance did a VERY nice write up on this over on LS1tech and there is a thread here on it: http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/manual-transmission/1030815-does-your-clutch-setup-need-shim.html

Here are some diagrams (these pics were drawn up by Tick Performance) on measuring the distance:

Q: How do I bleed my hydraulics (MC and slave) for my clutch?

A: While there are a few different ways to successfully bleed your system, including the "Mighty Vac" method (which we will get to) the system that has worked well for us is:

Place your vehicle on jackstands, top off the MC reservoir. Have one person in the car, and one person under the car. Place pressure on clutch pedal, but do not pump. Person under the car should crack open the bleeder valve on the slave cylinder to release any air in the system. Clutch pedal will travel to the floor.  Right before pedal gets to the floor, bleeder valve should be closed. Release pedal. Allow pedal to come back up. Then, repeat the above steps.

After 3-4 times of opening/closing the bleeder valve, make sure to check/top off MC reservoir, as it will empty rather quickly. You will continue these steps, until the clutch pedal is firm, and there is no more air coming out of the bleeder valve. This whole process can be done in about 15-30 mintues.

Always remember: Keep eye on MC reservoir, and never allow it to become empty (or really even below a 1/4) AND make sure that the bleeder valve is CLOSED BEFORE you release the clutch pedal, and a good way to keep practice is by closign valve before the pedal reaches the floor.

Q: How do I know if I have a transmission OR clutch/hydraulic problem?

A: While there are no guarantee's, this is a basic rule of thumb:

If your transmission/clutch starts to act up in ALL gears @ same time, it is usually a hydraulic/clutch issue. If it begins to act up in 1 or 2 gears, it is usually the transmission. Now, again, that is NOT always the case, but more times than not, it is correct. Why? Well, you NORMALLY do not experience a failure in ALL gears at the same time in a transmission, all at once. Again, it is possible, but not a NORMAL occurence. And, vice versa, with the clutch/hydraulics, they control ALL gears and not just 1 or 2, so if you have a hard time getting the transmission into all gears, it is likely a clutch/hydraulic issue.

Q: Why should I upgrade to Bronze Fork Pads?

A: Stock, a T56 uses Nylon Pads that are prone to cracking, chipping, breaking, etc...and will cause missed shifts, poor shifting, and can even cause a transmission to become stuck in gear. Here is a picture of a stock Nylon Pad that has cracked:

Q: How often should I change my manual transmission fluid?

A: While every car/transmission is treated differently by their owners, a good rule of thumb is once a year or @ 15K-20K miles. Sooner if abused/raced alot or subjected to alot of heat, and later if just driven on occassion or not abused (not raced). Here is a picture of fluid after LESS THAN 5K miles on a transmission that had been driven hard: 

This picture is of a broke stock nylon fork shift pad:

.......just getting started guys, will have LOTS more info this evening  for you, got to get back in the shop......