TRANNY ISSUE WITH THE TR's

Not unique to the TR, many Ferrari models suffer from this. Time to try the search function in the upper left corner of the page, as there are literally dozens of threads on the subject. Often times experimenting with a few gear oils can solve things.

Happy reading!

 

Even with the better oils that some use, the TR is still not a shifters dream, it will never shift like a Porsche, all buttery smooth. My advice is deal with it, there are so many other great things about the car.

 

Easiest way to improve the problem is to buy a 512TR

Seriously though, it is what it is. Redline Shockproof oil will certainly help a bit, as will learning to shift from 1st to 3rd when everything is still warming up. With the amount of torque these cars have, it is not the end of the world. I'm so grateful Ferrari fixed this issue for the 355. The 355 has zero torque at low RPM

 

The number 1 cause of poor shifts in a Ferrari is from drivers who shift at low rpms, such as under 4000 RPMs. This is exacerbated when cold, and worst going in to 2nd.

What counts is the RPM level when you go *into* the next gear, not the rpm level when you came out of the old one, btw.


If the poor shifting isn't from lugging the engine around at low RPMs, then I'd suggest draining the old tranny fluid, flushing with automatic transmission fluid or gasoline (both are highly flammable, btw), and then filling to the exact top (not overfull, not underfilled) with high quality gear oil that meets or exceeds Ferrari's recs (I like some Redline gear oils but I don't know which would work best for a TR).

Gear oil is cheap and it doesn't take much to fill up, so try two or three if the first gear oil change doesn't work wonders. This is a good time to check for metal bits in the tranny fluid that would indicate if you're about to have a tranny meltdown, too.

Likewise, you'll want to insure that your shift linkages are lined up properly.

If the above fluid work and shifting at high RPMs doesn't work for you, then you may end up tearing down the tranny and surfacing/replacing various parts to get everything "right."


Good luck!

 

Shifting in a TR when cold does take a more deliberate effort than when things are warmed up. The reason is that there is a "blind hole" in the transmission that the sliding shaft must pilot into, and when you push oil into a confined space it will not compress. So when the trans oil is cold and thick it takes more effort. Many TR owners simply skip 2nd gear until things warm up a bit. When I did my last service, I took a lot of time to adjust the shifter as perfect as I could get it (quite a tricky job). Then I changed out the trans oil - using Redline 75w-90NS. Now even when my TR is stone cold in the winter, I can shift into 2nd gear with only slightly more effort than when it's warm. As "No Doubt" mentioned driving style can also play a big part in how the TR shifts. So it's a combination of a lot of things. Really good, experienced TR owners can drive these cars as smooth as glass no matter what the circumstances. It takes practice but you'll get there. That's part of the fun of owning a Testarossa. It also gives you a reason to get out there and drive it....

 

Yikes!!!! Surely people don't actually do this... at least not more than once.

Not in my garage!

Auto trans fluid is way less flammable. We used to run it instead of gear oil in our race cars - less drag - more HP. Works fine, but not recommended for a street car.

Rgds,
Vince

 

Automatic tranny fluid is extremely flammable. Drip a drop or two from an eydropper onto your hot catalytic converter to watch a flame fest.

 

Yeah? How about the spark or open flame test? I would bet that gas ignites much more readily, than automatic transmission fluid. Coolant will flame up on a hot catalytic converter too....but what is your point? Gasoline is WAY more dangerous and more easily ignited. Recommending using it for cleaning seems reckless to me.

 

Both gasoline and automatic tranny fluid will flame up without a spark (e.g. auto tranny fluid on a hot cat converter).

What is wreckless is pretending that one is safe when it isn't. Either must be used with extreme caution.

 

Just want to add my thoughts on the subject, although I haven't checked the lower explosive limit for any of the fluids discussed (yes, I know it probably doesn't apply directly to fluids in an open container). I would think ATF would be similar to motor oil, perhaps somewhat more flammable. I consider gasoline to be the most flammable of anything that is around a shop setting. So while some things are flammable, I consider gasoline to be extremely flammable. Just my 2 cents. .I used to clean parts with it when I was young, but I would now never use it for anything except in a gas tank.

 

The flash point for automatic transmission fluid is 210 degrees C. The autoignition temperature for gasoline is 246 degrees C.

Both fluids are useful for cleaning metal parts, but caution should be used in each case. Keep those fluids away from high temperature sources or open flames.

 

There is more to it than flammability - there is also vapour pressure. Quite literally - even the smell of gasoline is flammable. You will bring that gear case well above the lower EXPLOSIVE limit with gasoline.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosive_limit

Don't even use gasoline for cleaning. If you MUST use something like that - use diesel or kerosene. It is still dangerous - but not nearly as bad as gasoline (compare the RVP). The best bet is a water based solvent. They work pretty well these days.

I wouldn't put ANY of these in my gearbox or engine. The only reason to introduce a 'cleaner' into an engine is to clean up carbon & sludge deposits - byproducts of combustion. No combustion byproducts in the gear case - so no need.

Sorry to rant - but gasoline is plain old dangerous & will blow up a garage or gearbox in a flash (pun intended - mksu19 bait).

Rgds,
Vince

 

I am not. The likelihood of a screaming hot catalytic converter while changing transmission fluid is an unlikely ignition source (most will have let the car cool somewhat before working on the car), but sparks are a very possible source, either from static electricity or trouble light, etc. As was previously posted, vapors are a very real concern with gas, yet non existant with transmission fluid.