PSA: MT82 Fluid For Track Use

[JDee]

These are different than the bronze fork pads. I believe these mount on the detent shift pins that require a slide hammer to remove them.

I was just going by the caption they had on the product listing that said "fork pads". So I guess a fork pad looks different than what's pictured in the listing? I wouldn't know a fork pad from a pickle fork, which is why I always need to know a guy who knows a guy!

 

[EF1]

Before adding a trans cooler, my stock MT 82 would get hotter then the engine after a 20min track sessions. Frequently saw 300 degrees F!! Added a cooler es per the TMO guides on this website, with a oil pump etc, and that brought temps down around 240F. Then went with a Calimer Stage three and temps went down to 180 without the pump going. Waiting to run a longer race to see if its worth keeping the tranny cooler and pump or not. Before the cooler, several of my dead MT82, showed signs of cooking inside. Lots of Blue.

Thinking about it...Maybe will keep the cooler running just in case.

That is a huge temperature difference between the Stage 2 and 3. If I remember correctly the big difference is the custom machined gear set. Could the gears be generating that much less heat?

 

[TMSBOSS]

If the gears are square cut and noisy yes

 

[Mad Hatter]

The noise freaked me out at the beginning as I did not know what was the cause. but once your racing you don't notice anymore . When I asked Ben about it, he said its not a true square cut but somewhere in-between. The temperature drop was really quite notable.

 

[blacksheep-1]

my 40 ton press..
you'd be surprised at the amount of moment- force you can project by slamming a mainshaft down on a piece of lead on your garage floor.
The other thing you can do is to put it in your press, load it up with PB blaster crank the hydraulics down, lock it, and walk away for about an hour, it will usually give.

 

[blacksheep-1]

I'm looking over the MT82 on the net, just throwing this out there, the world class T5 use a plastic race roller bearing in their units, they get road raced and have little issues with them, I'm thinking a legit trans cooler and pump will solve the bearing issue. so do you guys think the bearings give up, cause some type of mis alignment or runout and then it effects the rest of the trans, or is the rest crap as well, and goes before the bearings? knowing that would be critical post mortem.

 

[Mad Hatter]

My first failure was fifth gear with some mildly spirited driving on the highway.... I think the syncros and the gears are the weak point. We rebuilt too many MT82s to count, but a little while ago you did not have many options on parts. Must have bought at least 4 kits from AMP and did not have great results. But in none of those trannies, was the failure related to the plastic roller bearing as far as we could tell.

Prior to that, the best mt82 I had was a Calimer stage 1 that lasted two hard seasons with some 30 races.

The Calimer Stage three has the carbon syncro rings as well. Only have about 5 races on it so far so too early to tell how is it going to hold up. First the local anarchist rioters killed our 2019 season early, and then Covid finished us off totally for 2020..

 

[JDee]

I'm looking over the MT82 on the net, just throwing this out there, the world class T5 use a plastic race roller bearing in their units, they get road raced and have little issues with them, I'm thinking a legit trans cooler and pump will solve the bearing issue. so do you guys think the bearings give up, cause some type of mis alignment or runout and then it effects the rest of the trans, or is the rest crap as well, and goes before the bearings? knowing that would be critical post mortem.

I think there's multiple problems related.

First, the stock Ford clutch is junk and it starts the ball rolling WRT screwed syncros. Mine was so bad I couldn't get a 3-4 shift, I'd get 2nd or 6th and yet the clutch seemed to be working totally fine. I was sure the trans was the problem, Ben Calimer told me it was likely the clutch that was the problem and he was right. Exedy clutch installed, problem solved, shifts reliably every time now. You just don't know the clutch is doing damage but it is. I don't know about bearings, mine doesn't make any weird noises or have any bearing howl.

5th gear syncro is already badly damaged due to the clutch, it grinds/crunches when cold, settles down when warm but still not normal. So then after the clutch starts the trouble how much of it is the trans? How many people would change out the stock Ford clutch while it still seems to be OK? How long would an MT-82 last if it had a decent clutch ahead of it from the beginning? That would be an interesting thing to know.

And for sure it needs a cooler. What I don't understand is why no one makes a kit for the MT82, they'd sell a zillion of the things....

 

[Mad Hatter]

Yes, in many cases its the combined causes that leads to a dead Mt82, clutch, shifter, heat etc etc.

I used this thread for my cooler

MT -82 transmission cooler setup

Finally got my transmission cooler setup completed. took most of the day making hoses, mounting the pump and wiring up a relay. Used the same toggle switch that the diff cooler is on. Maybe will add separate swiches if I do a radio blank off switch panel down the line.Used the FR 500 power...

trackmustangsonline.com

 

[Scootsmcgreggor]

First, the stock Ford clutch is junk and it starts the ball rolling WRT screwed syncros. Mine was so bad I couldn't get a 3-4 shift, I'd get 2nd or 6th and yet the clutch seemed to be working totally fine. I was sure the trans was the problem, Ben Calimer told me it was likely the clutch that was the problem and he was right. Exedy clutch installed, problem solved, shifts reliably every time now. You just don't know the clutch is doing damage but it is. I don't know about bearings, mine doesn't make any weird noises or have any bearing howl.

Do we know what it is about the OEM clutch that is so poor? Is it all of them, or are there some symptoms that indicate if someone has a faulty one? Mine seems to be operating fine, but would like to know if there's some way to know if it could be a problem.

 

[JDee]

Yes, in many cases its the combined causes that leads to a dead Mt82, clutch, shifter, heat etc etc.

I used this thread for my cooler

MT -82 transmission cooler setup

Finally got my transmission cooler setup completed. took most of the day making hoses, mounting the pump and wiring up a relay. Used the same toggle switch that the diff cooler is on. Maybe will add separate swiches if I do a radio blank off switch panel down the line.Used the FR 500 power...

trackmustangsonline.com

I saw that, it's a very good guide. Problem is I have no source locally for the hose stuff and ordering out of country right now is a huge pita. The pump and cooler are not a big problem, it's the hoses and fittings that are the biggest issue. Definitely going to get something put together though before spring, found a guy not too far from me who makes hydraulic hoses for industrial equipment and will be seeing him in the new year to see if he can get the stuff I need and put it together.

 

[TMSBOSS]

Do we know what it is about the OEM clutch that is so poor?

The stock clutch is heavy. The weight overloads the syncros burning them up prematurely. Performance replacements, single or twin disc reduce the weight/inertia allowing the stock syncros to work.

 

[JDee]

Do we know what it is about the OEM clutch that is so poor? Is it all of them, or are there some symptoms that indicate if someone has a faulty one? Mine seems to be operating fine, but would like to know if there's some way to know if it could be a problem.

My clutch seemed to be working fine, until the shifting issue started and even then I was sure it was the trans not the clutch. Apparently it doesn't release fast or fully once it gets hot and with all the noise on track you'll never hear it is causing gear crunching until weird stuff like gear lock outs start happening. My advice to anyone who is seriously going to track their Mustang is to get a decent racing clutch right away, don't wait until stuff starts happening. I have a stock motor and I suspect this tranny could have lasted a lot longer without the clutch issue. Or maybe not....

 

[TMSBOSS]

I switched to an RST early and still have my original MT-82. Change your fluid after 10 hours on track or add a cooler is common advice.

 

[JAJ]

I saw that, it's a very good guide. Problem is I have no source locally for the hose stuff and ordering out of country right now is a huge pita. The pump and cooler are not a big problem, it's the hoses and fittings that are the biggest issue. Definitely going to get something put together though before spring, found a guy not too far from me who makes hydraulic hoses for industrial equipment and will be seeing him in the new year to see if he can get the stuff I need and put it together.

I ordered a bunch of fittings from these guys in May 2020 during the border shutdown and it was no problem: https://www.anplumbing.com

Customer service was good, prices decent and they had what I needed in stock. Another source I've used successfully is https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/torquesuk

Either one can help you out and I've had good service from both.

 

[Grant 302]

Do we know what it is about the OEM clutch that is so poor?

The biggest problem is when they fail to completely disengage. Particularly at high RPM, and when hot. The Boss 302s seem to have it worst, but they were also the first to get a rev limit of 7,500. I’ve seen it first hand in a Boss clutch that was removed and can see that it has evidence of dragging on one side of the pressure plate.

Is it all of them, or are there some symptoms that indicate if someone has a faulty one?

I suspect later clutches ‘14+ should be ‘better’ in that regard, but it’s hard to say how much so.

Mine seems to be operating fine, but would like to know if there's some way to know if it could be a problem.

Power shifting has a way of showing issues, because of the greater RPM difference that the clutch and trans/synchros are being ‘forced’ to handle. But that’s not the best test for cars with the stock shifter linkage, for the issues that it causes.

...

I’ve said before, even though nobody really likes to hear it, but I still think many problems are caused or exasperated by driver issues or errors. Top of the list is failure to rev match.

My other unpopular opinion is that the MT-82 isn’t particularly fragile internally. I mean I’ve powershifted on track using 305 slicks and frankly more than I should on the street on street tires...and nothing has grenaded, yet. And that’s over 10 years of that in my ‘11 GT.

 

[EF1]

I guess we have just been luckier than most with our MT82's. I have around 93,000 on my 2011 GT now and I am on the original clutch and transmission. I had some of the notchiness when shifting cold in the beginning, but installed a MGW shifter and changed to RedLine MTL. I know that I am coming up on a clutch replacement soon and planned on sending the transmission to Calimer while it is out to fix the reported weak points.

 

[TMSBOSS]

I had Zero issues shifting below 6750RPMs. Above that stock, I would lock out about 50% of the time. I put in the MGW and Redline fluid like you did and she shifted fine, usually. Every once in a while she would grind or "Resist" gear changes. Once I installed the RST, she shifted perfectly. I wish I had changed the clutch earlier.
93K on any automotive clutch is great service life. You must take care of your stuff and know how to shift.

 

[EF1]

Half the miles were back before I stopped daily driving the car and started taking it to the track. I only have around 30 track days on it at this point. The closest track is about 4 hours away, so I don't get to go as often as I would like. I drive it hard when I can, but maintain it well. Fluids are changed far more often than recommended and I have been using RedLine fluids in the engine, transmission, and rear differential for years. The clutch has been on my list of preventative items, but keeps getting put off since it isn't complaining.

 

[Mad Hatter]

I wouild agree that any of my countless mt82s were fine and never had any problems shifting below 7000rpm, Even with the stock clutch. Problems start when you go over 7000 rpm and have more power. I think by the time you get to 430 rwhp the stock tranny is very much in danger.