T5 transmission hops out of gear if not put into gear JUST RIGHT

SPeace-ATL · Jul 4, 2025

The T5Z is a good choice but be careful. The T5Z is for a FOX Mustang and the input shaft will not reach the pilot bearing when bolted straight into an SN-95 depth bell housing.

Fortunately, there is a CUSTOM SN-95 length input shaft for the T5Z that will adapt it for SN-95 use. An SN-95 length front bearing retainer will also be needed for the T5Z as well.

Some have solved the problem by just switching to a FOX bell housing. That can work but there are several repercussions to consider.

First, the Fox Style Clutch fork goes in at the 9:00 position on a Fox bell housing. There should be room for the relocation but some headers might have an issue with the clutch fork being moved to the 9:00 position. Next, this will move the transmission forward about 11/16 of an inch since the Fox bell housing is more shallow. In some cases people report that this causes knuckle vs dashboard clearance issues. Lastly, moving the transmission forward causes the drive shaft to also be that much shorter. Sometimes the driveshaft yoke does not reach deeply enough in the back of the transmission for proper operation. All of these can be solved, but my point is that it is more involved than just converting to a Fox Bell Housing to install a T5Z. Be careful and be thorough!

I will also say that the SN-95 bell housings do have an inherent weakness. Watch for a crack to appear in the housing in the corners of the opening for the clutch fork. That tab that supports the clutch cable puts stress on the housing there and that tab likes to snap off. This is particularly true with the choice of a stiff clutch.

One last difference. The SN-95 T5 transmissions all came with an 8-tooth internal speedo drive gear. The T5Z comes with a 7-tooth internal drive gear so a slightly different tooth count on the "Driven" gear on the VSS speedo sending unit will be needed to maintain calibration of the speedometer.

Stan

weendoggy · Jul 4, 2025

DarkknightGT said:
Sorry sir I did post this over a year ago! Just helped birth my first daughter a year ago and the mustang has been parked for a bit. I got a new clutch that i haven't thrown in yet, but from what I've been reading and what you guys have said, I think it does need a rebuild. The car's history is unknown to me but from what I understand it was a race car, meaning it was probably abused! So I apologize for not responding right away.

No apology needed. I was merely asking what happened. Things get in the way and take priority, been there, done that. If you can get a T5(Z) at a reasonable price, good. They aren't hard to rebuild...but...you can also open a can of worms where the cost can exceed a new one. Good luck and congratulations on the daughter!

DarkknightGT · Jul 4, 2025

weendoggy said:
No apology needed. I was merely asking what happened. Things get in the way and take priority, been there, done that. If you can get a T5(Z) at a reasonable price, good. They aren't hard to rebuild...but...you can also open a can of worms where the cost can exceed a new one. Good luck and congratulations on the daughter!

All good buddy! I have given it a thought about possibly just rebuilding it, but that's a whole different animal lol, I appreciate it sir!

DarkknightGT · Jul 4, 2025

SPeace-ATL said:
The T5Z is a good choice but be careful. The T5Z is for a FOX Mustang and the input shaft will not reach the pilot bearing when bolted straight into an SN-95 depth bell housing.

Fortunately, there is a CUSTOM SN-95 length input shaft for the T5Z that will adapt it for SN-95 use. An SN-95 length front bearing retainer will also be needed for the T5Z as well.

Some have solved the problem by just switching to a FOX bell housing. That can work but there are several repercussions to consider.

First, the Fox Style Clutch fork goes in at the 9:00 position on a Fox bell housing. There should be room for the relocation but some headers might have an issue with the clutch fork being moved to the 9:00 position. Next, this will move the transmission forward about 11/16 of an inch since the Fox bell housing is more shallow. In some cases people report that this causes knuckle vs dashboard clearance issues. Lastly, moving the transmission forward causes the drive shaft to also be that much shorter. Sometimes the driveshaft yoke does not reach deeply enough in the back of the transmission for proper operation. All of these can be solved, but my point is that it is more involved than just converting to a Fox Bell Housing to install a T5Z. Be careful and be thorough!

I will also say that the SN-95 bell housings do have an inherent weakness. Watch for a crack to appear in the housing in the corners of the opening for the clutch fork. That tab that supports the clutch cable puts stress on the housing there and that tab likes to snap off. This is particularly true with the choice of a stiff clutch.

One last difference. The SN-95 T5 transmissions all came with an 8-tooth internal speedo drive gear. The T5Z comes with a 7-tooth internal drive gear so a slightly different tooth count on the "Driven" gear on the VSS speedo sending unit will be needed to maintain calibration of the speedometer.

Stan

Yeah I figured there would be some issues like that! I have seen a t5z for the 94-95 mustang gt and 99-04 v6 mustang on modern driveline. I honestly probably will have better luck with the stock one through work! That i will know is definitely gonna be right (If powertorque has any sense with the difference in length with the input shaft haha).