A855 - 5 Speed

-
Then tell him 'Try selling to it someone else who is aware of all the problems and is willing to take them on...' That's a whole other approach than 'sell it to some sucker'.

Manual gearboxes have been made for a hundred years. There's no good reason it should be popping out of gear - and even more, there's no good reason 'they' can't resolve it. What's really being exposed is a common aftermarket malady .... guys who set out to make a 'bad-***' part without first getting the basics worked out. The aftermarket makes some very nice products about half the time, and the other half is stuff that is shiny and sexy but falls short. Clearly, whoever made this gearbox bit off more than they could chew.

That wouldn't bother me so much if the aftermarket guys were a little less full of swagger but it seems like far too many think bragging about their stuff is Priority #1. The best guys are the ones who do their best then stand behind their product to the end.

I feel sorry for the OP.....and what's more, if I had to work lying on my back under jack stands, I wouldn't do it. The OP woulda been better off spending his $6K on a good lift and trans jack. There is an age - 30 years old - at which no one should put up with floor jacks and jack stands.
 
I don't know man. You're being way to understanding, IMO. I would be demanding a complete refund by now along with return shipping money. You paid a lot of money for what's turned out to be a POS, IMO. For that sum, it should have been the "perfect" they say they want to make it for you now. For that sum, they should all be perfect right out of the gate.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I don't know man. You're being way to understanding, IMO. I would be demanding a complete refund by now along with return shipping money. You paid a lot of money for what's turned out to be a POS, IMO. For that sum, it should have been the "perfect" they say they want to make it for you now. For that sum, they should all be perfect right out of the gate.
Click to expand...


I hear that. I'd have gone ape **** on someone by now and over much less money.
 
I do agree with Rusty, I am being way to understanding, and it's out of character.

And yes, it absolutely should have been perfect from day one.

After speaking with Jamie, zero confidence, then spoke to Seth at GFI, confidence restored, then spoke to Christine at GFI, back to zero, then John, the only one to tell the whole truth, and frankly by his own admission the only one who has laid out a huge chunk of change and now holds the bag.

Seth was competent and understanding, but I still believe he was pushed to the side for trying everything to make it right, then Christine took over. The last time, Seth brought it to my house, in his own car with girlfriend in tow, on his own time, 7 hours one way, and stayed for 3 hours or so.

When I talk to John next I will be asking about getting my money back, I meant to when someone called back but it just slipped my mind, I was working. I do keep lists, dates, etc.

The reality is I don't even know who I would get it back from, and that's ridiculous.

I don't mean who I paid, or who should, but sadly who would?

And that's where this is at, for any buyer.
I paid Passon, but clearly, in my mind, he's just a vendor, and a poor businessman, GFI the builder and warranty, and now John comes in as an investor and seller.

My guess is the first two would point the finger at the guy who made the investment that 'saved' this project.

Passon already tried to blame me for the install, and Christine tried to give me crap for painting it.

John asked me to give him time to test it, as it is already in the test car, and if needed and I agree, make it right with his new source of gears/parts.

If I ever sold the trans in my car now, if I had no other option, I would certainly reference this thread.

I should know shortly what the next decision is and what happens after.

Funny, I don't see any chime in with positive feedback, none, zero, zilch.

I hope those who did post that have trans install and test asap, your warranty is running out.
 
Last edited:
I once had an old guy, about 80 years old, tell me in very slow and simple language, "Sometimes in life, you take a thumpin'." Do you know what he said after that, the answer on how to get around it? Nothing.

Given the cast of characters who have tossed this problem around, the odds of them stepping up and 'owning' it are just about zero. No one likes to stand behind warranty issues...especially when they didn't take in the original money. It's simply easier and cheaper to let you be angry and screwed than it is to rectify the issue. Will the noise you make on the internet hurt them? Definitely. But bear in mind these guys are all sitting around barely scratching out a living, maxed out on talent, funds, and ability. The damage you'll do them sort of comes with the territory. It's like when a wino gets kicked in the head by a passing cop....the pain is real but it's part of the job description.

The last thing I would do is let any of the 'sellers' have possession of the gearbox to 'test' it or 'fix' it. You'll likely end up with no money AND no gearbox.
 
gregcon said:
Will the noise you make on the internet hurt them? Definitely.
Click to expand...

I agree with your statements, and was actually surprised when I looked at the # of views this thread has, just never looked.

However, I'm not convinced it will hurt anyone, and this is why:
  • The internet is packed full of non-information on the A855.
  • Posts flooded with questions and 'I know a guy who owns one, or heard something.'
  • Extremely limited personal experience posted, which are positive, but limited in miles and time.
  • Sometimes, people don't want to admit they got screwed, especially when it's the new fancy, expensive thing.
  • None of the parties producing the A855 chime into forums, only to post one short sentence, like, 'they will be available soon.'
  • People vehemently defend Passon, for no legitimate reason.
  • It almost appears that they figured out it's more advantageous to remain silent and mysterious, no matter what.
You make an excellent point regarding shipping it back for testing.

Christine told me, on 2/14/20, the last time they returned a call/email from me, that she would send a shipping label and once the old trans was received back, they would send the new one.

After 38 minutes on the phone, I wasn't going to cover this again, but you drove the trans to me last time, I have no crate, and it's going to be the other way around.

I'm not removing the trans from my car until the new one is in my garage in one piece!

As it stands today, John gets the opportunity to make this right. I don't owe anybody anything, or another chance, however after speaking with him I agreed it was a fair request.
 
matthon said:
However, I'm not convinced it will hurt anyone, and this is why:
Click to expand...

I don't know. The step by step process of your troubles would be interesting on other sites. Personally i'd have it posted on every Mopar site and Facebook page I could find. You seem to really down play the power of the internet. Give this guy a chance and if he fails bash the hell out of all of them. If he comes through I'd post all the issues and tell everyone how he helped you out.
 
You are exactly right; it's one of the mysteries of the world. Hennessey is great example...there are a million horror stories of how he screwed people over...yet he continues to attract new customers and there are people who will get in your face to defend him. It's the romance of it all....the idea that someone can do something to bring the world to a new and better place. It's the same driving force behind the multi-billion dollar vitamin/supplement industry, weight loss industry, and fitness industry, among others. It feeds on the side of human nature that says 'Oh well it was lousy for him .....but it'll work good for me...'
 
I desperately want an exploded diagram of the A855.
They will not provide.
 
matthon said:
I do agree with Rusty, I am being way to understanding, and it's out of character.

And yes, it absolutely should have been perfect from day one.

After speaking with Jamie, zero confidence, then spoke to Seth at GFI, confidence restored, then spoke to Christine at GFI, back to zero, then John, the only one to tell the whole truth, and frankly by his own admission the only one who has laid out a huge chunk of change and now holds the bag.

Seth was competent and understanding, but I still believe he was pushed to the side for trying everything to make it right, then Christine took over. The last time, Seth brought it to my house, in his own car with girlfriend in tow, on his own time, 7 hours one way, and stayed for 3 hours or so.

When I talk to John next I will be asking about getting my money back, I meant to when someone called back but it just slipped my mind, I was working. I do keep lists, dates, etc.

The reality is I don't even know who I would get it back from, and that's ridiculous.

I don't mean who I paid, or who should, but sadly who would?

And that's where this is at, for any buyer.
I paid Passon, but clearly, in my mind, he's just a vendor, and a poor businessman, GFI the builder and warranty, and now John comes in as an investor and seller.

My guess is the first two would point the finger at the guy who made the investment that 'saved' this project.

Passon already tried to blame me for the install, and Christine tried to give me crap for painting it.

John asked me to give him time to test it, as it is already in the test car, and if needed and I agree, make it right with his new source of gears/parts.

If I ever sold the trans in my car now, if I had no other option, I would certainly reference this thread.

I should know shortly what the next decision is and what happens after.

Funny, I don't see any chime in with positive feedback, none, zero, zilch.

I hope those who did post that have trans install and test asap, your warranty is running out.
Click to expand...

I would even ask John to sell it for you after it’s fixed even if you have to take a bit of a kicking on it... you could likely get enough to buy a T56 or a TKO.
Morals and karma aside when you buy a cottage industry product of this type you are almost guaranteed to have problems...don’t matter if you are the original buyer or you purchase it used, you could still end up being the sucker that was born that day...
I could write a book about this Exotic European motorcycle I bought one time...it actually broke down in my garage before I rode it... I could have gone on the internet and spent my days complaining about it...but when you buy something that 3 guys in northern Italy manufactured this comes with the territory...just like when you buy an 855 transmission...I hope it works out for you.
 
matthon said:
I desperately want an exploded diagram of the A855.
They will not provide.
Click to expand...
Why are they worried you are going to start building 855s yourself or something...seems like something they could provide after all the headaches you have had
 
If it was my trans...I would take it to my friend who has 40+ years experience in gearboxes. He and I would open it up and find out why it's not staying in gear, and if the issue were fixable*, we would fix it. There's no point in continuing to hope the sellers can fix it - they've shown they are out of gas. You need a fresh set of eyes on it.

*I'm kinda wondering if the issue is manageable or unfixable. For example, if they located two of the shafts not in parallel, it might be an issue that only gets resolved by going to a new case, etc. It's interesting...4th gear is usually and most likely the gear when the least is going on as it is direct 1:1 drive.
 
Anyone know a spectacular trans place in the upstate NY area that knows how to work on trans and return phone calls?

Per post 95, I wasn't kidding.

And to eliminate the possibility of it being the case is one of the reasons why I demanded a completely new trans.
However, that doesn't guarantee anything.
 
matthon said:
Anyone know a spectacular trans place in the upstate NY area that knows how to work on trans and return phone calls?

Per post 95, I wasn't kidding.

And to eliminate the possibility of it being the case is one of the reasons why I demanded a completely new trans.
However, that doesn't guarantee anything.
Click to expand...

When you say upstate NY, how far upstate are you talking about?
 
What about that guy supershafts? He's a driveline specialist in NY. I think rumblefish knows him. Mabe he knows somebody.
 
gregcon said:
If it was my trans...I would take it to my friend who has 40+ years experience in gearboxes. He and I would open it up and find out why it's not staying in gear, and if the issue were fixable*, we would fix it. There's no point in continuing to hope the sellers can fix it - they've shown they are out of gas. You need a fresh set of eyes on it.

*I'm kinda wondering if the issue is manageable or unfixable. For example, if they located two of the shafts not in parallel, it might be an issue that only gets resolved by going to a new case, etc. It's interesting...4th gear is usually and most likely the gear when the least is going on as it is direct 1:1 drive.
Click to expand...
I don’t think it will be that easy unless you happen to access to the engineering drawing. If the tranny flat did not go into gear it maybe possible to find something binding, but that is not the issue here. To pop out of gear it says to me something is either out of tolerance or was made to an improper tolerance. That will be hard to find without disassembling and measuring a lot of finely tolerances parts.
The issue will be near impossible to identify unless you know what the tolerances are on a transmission that does not pop out of gear.
I think that what ever is wrong,it is not out a lot or there would be noise, vibration associated to the transmission. I do agree it could be something major like the case.
If it was my tranny,,, I would either 1) get my money back or 2) get a different A855 transmission, with a written extended warranty kicked in. If Passion will not do 2) I would be going after 1)
 
Last edited:
I remember when a 4 speed (whether Ford, GM or Chrysler) popped out of gear it used to be the synchronizer rings had worn. What's different about these transmissions?
 
RustyRatRod said:
I remember when a 4 speed (whether Ford, GM or Chrysler) popped out of gear it used to be the synchronizer rings had worn. What's different about these transmissions?
Click to expand...
One thing that is different is that the transmission’s synchronizer rings are new, like the rest of the transmission. So they are not likely to be worn out,,,,
 
my68barracuda said:
To pop out of gear it says to me something is either out of tolerance or was made to an improper tolerance.
Click to expand...

Would this be true if the trans does not pop out 100% of the time?

I know it's impossible to guess accurately, but this is what seems so odd to me.

Sometimes, it goes into 4th and nothing will make it pop out, accelerating, decelerating, clutch in/out, up/down hill, etc.

When I shift to 4th and it's going to pop out, you know it immediately.
It doesn't feel like it didn't go in all the way, you just know, hard to explain.
Holding it in gear, you don't know until you let go.

But, when you know, just watch and wait, sometimes it pops quick, sometimes the stick moves gradually, at different rates, but when it does it's pretty jarring.
 
Whatever the issue, it's across both a-body and b-body trans.

Why would they claim 9 trans with the exact same issue, all b-body and shipped for testing on the same pallet, were fixed by installing a heavier side cover spring?

And they wanted to send me a new side cover and spring, as if they were inseparable.
 
When they come out of gear, it’s because the struts or strut springs are either worn or junk. That’s what holds them in gear.

Without an engineering drawing (as mentioned above) it would be tough to figure out if something is machined incorrectly.

If something was too far off, I think just popping out of one gear would be the least of the issues.

All the parts fit into an 833 case, so they can’t be that much different than an 833. It would be ignorant (IMHO) to reinvent the wheel by redesigning the drive hubs, struts and strut springs when it’s a proven design. But I’ve seen ignorant in this industry my whole life.
 
Back in the 80's we used to modify 3spd transmissions to use in our dirt latemodels. Occasionally we would come across one that popped out of gear, our quick/dirty fix was to change the profile of the interlock detent notches in the side cover. I know nothing of the a855, but mis-indexed detent notches might be slightly side loading the forks, keeping the struts/springs from seating correctly.

I have cut large holes in the top of spare main cases, making them fixtures for easily checking the indexing of the interlock detent notches. I currently faceplate my own transmissions, which gives me the opportunity to change the placement of the dog rings and shorten slider travel distance. It's pretty much necessary to also modify the interlock detents for proper alignment to go along with the shorter slider travel, as you don't want to damage the forks due to un-necessary side loads.

Grant
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top