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. If you have more questions please ask.

After installing transmission, check the following:

Make sure transmission is filled with correct oil.

Make sure shifter cables are in good working order.

Make sure that all the rubber bushings are in good shape, replace if worn.

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.

Initial test drive:

Drive a short distance, about 1-2 miles.

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

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.

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.

Adjust shifter cables if necessary.

Bleed clutch one more time!

Adjust clutch 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:

City driving is best because of all the 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 block any shift, the clutch is not disengaging fully.

Transmission will be a little stiff at first, like a new pair of shoes, but should begin to shift better with each shift and over the course of a few 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

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 wear themselves in allowing for full contact and their ultimate strength so 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 surfaces to fully bed-in. 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. 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.  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.

The synchro is 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.

 © 2008 TRE