Before you even think about installing the transmission, please make sure to read and fully understand everything on the FAQ section of this site.  The info found there is provided so that your installation goes smoothly and that your clutch, shifter and transmission work properly. We want you to be happy with your transmission. For more information, you can click on any text that is underlined and it will often take you to another page with more info.  If you have more questions please ask.

Before installing transmission, check the following:

Do not reuse a clutch that is abnormally worn or has damage. Check the splines, damper springs and rivets for damage. If you were previously experiencing trouble shifting your transmission the problem is most likely clutch related so don't risk using that old clutch with a fresh transmission.

Make sure that your flywheel is in good condition, free of cracks and machined to the correct step height.

Make sure flywheel bolts are tight.

Inspect your clutch disc, making sure that the sprung hub assembly is not damaged.

Check your pressure plate for damage or abnormal wear, make sure that it's flat with a straight edge.

Grease the pivot ball and clutch fork where it presses against the T.O. bearing.

Inspect your axles for torn boots and other damage.

Inspect all suspension bushings, ball joints, tie-rod ends and upper strut mounts for wear. Polyurethane bushings will reduce wheel-hop. (2nd Gen FWD eclipse owners this is the main reason for transmission failures.)

Inspect your engine/transmission mounts for damage. Again, polyurethane bushings will reduce wheel-hop. (2nd Gen FWD eclipse owners this is the main reason for transmission failures.)

Inspect your shifter cables for wear.  The ball & socket (under the rubber bellow boot) should be tight. Grab the rubber bellows boot and try to move the metal jacket in & out of the socket, comparing the two to one another. Replace the shifter cables if either are loose. SHIFTER CABLE REPLACEMENT IS RECOMMENDED, especially if the car has been driven hard as the cables tend to get spongy over time making for poor shifting.

During the installation of the transmission:

Make sure that all wiring, hoses, shifter cables and other BS is not in the way of you putting in the transmission.

IF USING A TRANSMISSION JACK TO INSTALL THE TRANSMISSION BE CAREFUL! I personally do not like using a tranny jack because it's far too easy to bend/warp the clutch disc.

DO NOT LET THE TRANSMISSION HANG BY THE INPUT SHAFT. This will warp the clutch disc and cause the disc to drag on the pressure plate & flywheel which will make the transmission block shifts. This is extremely common among the EVOs because the trans is heavy.

DO NOT USE TRANSMISSION BOLTS TO DRAW THE TRANSMISSION UP TO THE ENGINE! If you can't get the transmission flush with the engine, then remove the transmission and find the cause of the problem.

Make sure to check the position of the clutch fork as this will have a major influence on the clutch action.

After installing transmission, check the following:

Make sure transmission is filled with correct oil.

Make sure drain and fill plugs are tight.

Make sure shifter cables are in good working order.

Make sure all the rubber bushings that hold the cables to the transmission levers are in good shape, replace if worn.

Make sure that the bushings that hold the shifter bracket to the transmission are good, do not use washers as this bracket must be held correctly or the shifter will not be able to shift the transmission fully into gear.

Make sure that all brackets are tight and hold shifter cables tightly.

Make sure that shifter cables are properly adjusted so that you can get into every gear.

Make sure that nothing is interfering with shifter levers (intercooler piping, wires, etc..)

Bleed the clutch!!!

Make sure to follow clutch adjustment procedure.

Take your time, pay attention to the details. Your time spent doing the job right is worth it.

Double check your work, making sure all fasteners are in where they should be and tight.

Initial test drive:

Drive a short distance, about 1-2 miles.

Do not force transmission into gear, if transmission blocks any shift, the clutch is not disengaging fully. Transmission will go into all gears easily if clutch is working properly.

Drive vehicle slowly, no fast shifting or clutch dumps.

Pay attention to the way the transmission shifts into each gear.

Transmission should not block shifts, if it does the clutch is not disengaging fully.

Make sure that the transmission is shifting into each gear properly. If you are having trouble contact us so we can troubleshoot.

Pay attention to where the clutch starts to engage, it should just start to engage 2-3 inches off the floor.

After initial test drive, check the following:

Inspect transmission fluid level, top off if necessary. This is important on the EVO transmissions because the front diff will hold about a pint.

Adjust shifter cables if necessary.

Bleed clutch one more time! I can almost guarantee that you'll get some air bubbles out of the system after the engine vibration has augmented them towards the bleeder screw.

Adjust clutch linkage under the dash once more if necessary.

If you have questions or concerns please contact us, we want you to be happy.

At this point your clutch should be working properly and the shifter cables have had their final adjustment.  Now it's time to follow the Break-in Procedure:

Break-in Procedure:

City driving is best because of all the casual shifting that is involved.

Drive gently, let the synchronizers bed-in slowly so they work better and last longer.

Do not attempt to shift fast during the break-in procedure, let the parts bed-in!

Do not accelerate hard in any gear; shot peened gears need time to bed-in so they don't scuff. After a few hundred miles the machine surface finish of the teeth will be perfect.

Do not launch the car for at least 500 miles; shot peened gears need time to bed-in so they don't scuff. Taking your time with the break-in procedure is important, don't rush it.

Do not force transmission into gear, if transmission blocks any shift, the clutch is not disengaging fully.

The transmission will be a little stiff at first, like a new pair of shoes, but should not block any shifts. If the transmission is blocking any shifts or is difficult to shift into gear from neutral your clutch is not disengaging fully. Understand that the synchros job is to block the shift if the speeds are not synchronized so don't force it into gear. Instead find the source of the problem and correct it. If you need technical assistance with anything transmission related please send us an email so we can help troubleshoot the problem.

Over the course of the hundred miles it should be shifting very well. If you have questions or concerns please contact us, we want you to be happy.

After 500 miles it would be wise to change the transmission oil.  Oil recommendations

Synchronizers take time to fully bed in. After a few thousand miles it will be shifting at its best.

A short word about transmission gears.  Transmission gears are exceptionally strong and generally have a hardness of 58-62HRC.  It is because of their hardness that the gears will take quite a while to fully bed-in together before ultimate power handling capabilities can be obtained. The are several reasons for this and they all revolve around the manufacture's ability to hold tolerance on the parts and to what AGMA or DIN that they cared to produce in the first place. In a perfect world, everything is machined right on the money and you have full and proper contact of the gears that are in mesh but I can assure you that parts are less that perfect and will require some drive time to fully bed-in before you go out there and explore the limits of how much power they can handle without failure. Transmission gears can take as many as 5,000 miles to fully bed themselves in, allowing for full contact and the most strength, and it is wise to let any new or recently rebuilt transmission gears bed-in before pushing the gears to their material limits regardless of what people may tell you.

A word about synchronizers. Transmission synchronizers, like brake pads, will require some time for their friction surfaces to fully develop. Do not shift a freshly rebuilt transmission fast or at high rpms for this bed-in process requires that you drive the car gently and shift slowly, allowing the synchronizers time to do their job until the surface have developed their full final finish which provides the most friction and ultimately the best shift quality. Just like brake pads, this process doesn't happen quickly and takes a few hundred miles of city driving, where you are shifting through the gears often. During this time you will notice that as you drive & shift through the gears the transmission shift quality will continue to improve as you drive the car.

More about synchronizers.  By design, synchronizers will block the driver from completing their shift into any gear, and for that matter, even shifting into a gear in the first place if the speed of the clutch disc, input shaft & various other components doesn’t match the speed of the gear they are shifting into.  My expertise is modifying transmissions to shift at extremely high rpms, there is no equal. However it is crucial that your clutch is operating properly, with sufficient release to allow the clutch disc, input shaft & various other components to be “free” of the engine’s rotating speed thus allowing them to slow down and match the speed of the gear you are shifting into. Please make the effort on your part to insure that your transmission shifts at its best by following the above instructions on this page.

The synchros are NOT designed or capable of dealing with a clutch that doesn’t have enough release.  If you are having trouble getting into any gears while the car is running or are experiencing blocking or “notchy” shifting; you must check your clutch to make sure that you have it properly adjusted or you will cause damage to the synchronizers that is not covered under warranty.  Every effort has been taken to ensure that your transmission is capable of shifting at high rpms while retaining long synchro life. It is sole responsibility of the driver or installer to make sure that the clutch is properly adjusted so that is has sufficient release to allow the synchros to do their job without the clutch disc dragging on the flywheel/pressure plate assembly. If you have questions, contact me.  Thanks.

 © 2010 TRE