Quote:
Originally Posted by Lugnutz65
padresag,
Each tranny has an ID tag. The tranny I pulled had all the proper tags and they were readable. That is the BEST way to identify a tranny. However, several VERY popular links on the internet gave INCORRECT gearing ratio information when I matched up the ID tag with their charts.
Bottom line, VERIFY EVERYTHING by CHECKING THINGS YOURSELF. Some guy says he has a tranny for sale with such and such gearing. Fine. He's probably basing his information on one of the websites I used AND HE COULD BE WRONG. That will be true for eBay, CL, or a swap meet.
Just imagine how frustrated I'd be after installing my tranny if I had not found out the TRUE gear ratio. I'd have wasted big money and time all because of misinformation.
Just be sure to verify everything yourself, and not based on some website chart. Am I preaching? Yep!  |
Thanks Lugnutz, you're exactly right - never trust the tag unless you know the original source. That's what some of the discussions earlier in this thread were all about - the tags are easily moved from trans to trans, so are therefore useless. And the casting numbers are not indicators of what's inside at all. And not every internet listing is 100% correct. When is that ever the case? However, one has to start somewhere in knowing what to at least look for - and the online stuff is pretty much all that is available - but just one piece of the info bubble. The best source I have found of the many that exist is posted in the first few reference posts. I had never seen them all in one place, so that was the goal - to provide some background info for folks to decide on their own. Even though I bought a complete trans with an intact tag (supposedly), I still had to calculate the ratios for each gear when I got home. It is advisable to calculate 1st and 5th onsite before you decide to buy - and to do that you need to actually have a shifter attached - all you need is a piece of tape, a sharpie, and the ability to shift/know which gear you are in - just compare input vs. output shaft revolutions. It is a given that you don't trust tags or just any internet post on ANYthing, not just transimissions. But, as we've discussed on the forum before, T5s especially are notorious for not being correct because the tags are so easily detachable and transferrable and because there are so many sources available online, a wikipedia of T5 info, if you will - so, to answer your question, yes, you are preaching. I think the point is valid and it should be obvious. Thanks for reminding everyone to be careful though - very important to buy stuff like this with eyes wide open.