regarding the T9 strenght issues

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jasonty
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Post by jasonty »

mitch, get ricky to prove it! his car dont run.ha
any ways the reason i said i like the old T9 w/ the Comp. Shifter was for local driving -the cost and the vibrations gained (i know it can be fixed) from the T5 vs. the T9 dont add up @ least for me. my T9 was fine.my clutch slipped..someone offered me a deal and i bit. was it worth it-maybe.
was it needed-not at all (in my case)

iammsp wrote:Hey Brad if you are out there to chime in on this one...Ricky swears on the T9 to about 400hp (maybe he can verify that by watching his recently acquired boost gauge!)...another guy here in Winchester with a pretty nicely modded XR4 says that the only modification that he didn't end up too happy with was the T5 upgrade. I think he said he thought the T9 was a lot smoother. I dunno too much about the T9 though...I just bought and my car and parked it for the SLOW rebuild so I don't have too much behind the wheel experience with the T9.
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Post by anglin »

XR4Timan wrote:I remember it from a post from the Roland Zuk-IMON days. I couldn't prove it now, however I definately remember reading it - but I believe it.
Fair enough. I guess I should start poking through my copy of the old IMON archives. I'm certainly curious.
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Post by Frag »

MerkXRTurbo wrote:I like the mechanical feel.
Me too.
:)
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Post by Peter88 »

what exactly is the t9 faults, bearing or the whole damn thing. If it's the bearing would a t5 one or aftermarket bearing do the trick?...........something to try out I guess or hope. :roll:
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wesvailco
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fault, smault......

Post by wesvailco »

what exactly is the t9 faults
the ONLY fault i have found is the fact the tranny doesn't have a drain plug. that's it. the T-9 will hold any power you throw at it, its the driver who makes it weak. missed shifts and throwing it into gear anyway, not downshifting through gears, pushing shifter into dash or throwing it hard into e-brake. this is why T-9's fail, user error.

-yes, i replaced my tranny 3 months ago because it failed. because i flew off the road(backwards in 2nd) and when i landed it didn't seem or sound right. actually the tranny was still okay(minimal shaft play) and my throw out bearing was crushed. this new one will not fail. 4500rpm, side step clutch and hold on. the only thing i am conserned about is the clutch and i have a beefy one. and the STOCK rear. which is to be replaced soon with an 7.5 from a xr4x4, so that weak link is done too. the T-9 is a fabulous transmission. my only other complaint is the long throw between 1st and 2nd. but if you take it easy and really learn to drive a manual transmission, it will last and take any power you throw at it. well, maybe 400-500 might be its limit and who's running that on the streets.
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Post by John Brennan »

So much ink has been dedicated over the years to the contrary that you have to wonder why. Opinions seem to vary widely on this, from the average Merk owner to the 'experts'. I first began reading that it was weak from Rapido literature, and most of what one reads on, say, the Merkur Encyclopedia, would appear to agree. The gang at BAT seem to like the T9, lauding its smoothness, and Dave Compton also said there was nothing wrong with it. Everyone does seem to agree that it doesn't handle abuse very well, and that it must be more carefully driven than the T5. So this is what I've always tried to do.
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MerkXRTurbo
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Post by MerkXRTurbo »

If you have to be extremely careful with anything not to break it, then it's not built very sturdily, is it?
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Post by Colin »

I'm done with the stupid T9. The T5 allows a much more aggressive driving style and puts up with abuse (when you should choose to abuse it.) My only gripe is the first gear ratio, since I got one from an NA 2.3 Mustang... 3.97. :shock:

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Post by anglin »

MerkXRTurbo wrote:If you have to be extremely careful with anything not to break it, then it's not built very sturdily, is it?
I've never been extremely careful with the T9 and still I've had no problems with it. It's not a sensitive transmission, it just doesn't put up with abuse for very long in the experience of most people.
Colin wrote:My only gripe is the [T5] first gear ratio, since I got one from an NA 2.3 Mustang... 3.97.
I don't want to hear it. I have the 1986 TurboCoupe 1st gear ratio of 4:03:1 Couple this with my 3.65 rear end ratio (7" LSD, might be 3.62 rear ratio, can't remember right now) and you have a rather short first gear.

Having driven/raced Grayson's car (2.95 first and 3.36 rear end, if I remember correctly) and having heard Dimitri talk about the 2.95 first gear, I have decided that the next transmission I use will have the 2.95 first gear. The gear is actually usable, not just a short pause before 2nd gear.
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