ralph958

Hi guys.
I have a 2008 gt with 350 miles on it. If I shift slowly (from 2nd to 3rd) it won't grind. If I shift fast it almost always grinds badly. Do I need to take it back to the dealer ? Do you think it's the clutch or the sync.? Is it a major repair ? Does anyone else have this problem. I would appreciate any input.

CalStang'07

Welcome to the Forum! This concern or yours, sounds like it might be the Mustang stock shifter's very smooth and loose feel? Our CalStang shifts just fine, unless you get too spirited with it. Then some times you will have a little trouble finding the third gear shift. If this is the problem and you like to drive hard once in a while, you may want to invest in a good quality aftermarket shifter install for your S197 Mustang? There is a lot of good info at this site on the shifters that are availible out there. Presently looking at the very outstanding MGW shifter model for our GT/CS. Check Taco Bill's Hotlinks on this install, if interested. Good Luck!! CalStang

krnpimpsta

If it happens when it's cold and your tranny hasn't warmed up yet, then yeah, it happens to alot of us. I thought we just had to live with it, but someone on this forum managed to get their tranny replaced under warranty for that.

If it happens after warming up and with the clutch fully depressed, you probably have an issue.

adrenalin

I have the exact same problem. Actually I didn't experience that until I had over 50,000km on the car. I took it to the dealer and they had me bring it to a transmission repair place. The guy took it for a test drive and said nothing was wrong. Now that I have the car back on the road I am going to get a second opinion because it already happened to me twice today.

mustangspeeder

Never experienced it in my '05. Sounds like a trip to the dealer.

krnpimpsta

How cold does it get where you live? This generally only happens to me when my tranny is cold - about 0-20 degrees cold.

mustangspeeder

Oh, lol....never mind then. I'm in Phoenix, hehe.

Etnix

check the warranty and service issues forums, there is a few page thread going on about this. I have the same issue, Ford replicated it, and now I have to go in and have the tranny rebuilt.

viiStang

I have a 08 GT with 4300 miles on it and the same exact thing happens to mine, but seems like when it's cold. I live in central NJ, so lately it's been any where from 30-40 degrees in the morning. I've trained myself now when the car is first moving to slowly drop from 2nd to neutral then gently slide it to 3rd and it doesn't grind. If I just bang it from 2nd to 3rd then it will grind. After 4 or 5 shifts from 2nd to 3rd then it's OK. The only thing that is preventing me from bringing it to the dealer is that I really don't want them to start screwing the the tranny because I'm afraid something else will break if they start messing with the car. Aside from that I really don't have any other issues with the tranny, knock on wood...

ralph958

Sounds like the same problem as mine. To answer the above question , yes it has only done it when it was cold here. It was in the 20's yesterday here in Pgh. and it grinded all the to work yesterday morning. (only when I would shift fast from 2nd to 3rd). I made an appointment at my local Ford dealership after work yesterday. When I left work to take it there it was in the low 60's here. It didn't do it one time on the way to the dealer. It definitely seems to cold related. I dropped it off anyway. I want it to go on thier record that I have this problem just in case It gets worse and I have to go to war with Ford. And yes, I too am nervous about the mechanics somehow making it worse. Or worse yet , picking it up and finding some type of body damage. (always a fear of mine when I drop off a car.)

ralph958

Just got a call from Ford. They said that there is a problem. They are ripping apart the transmission. I'm not happy. 350 miles and the syncro is bad ???
You know guys, I traded in a 2004 RX8 on this car. That car was (supposedly) a very unreliable car. I never had 1 problem with it in the 4 years I owned it. THis is the 1st American I have owned in many years. I'm sorry to say this but I don't think I would've ever had a problem like this with a Japanese car.
All in all , I really love the stang. I just hope they fix it and don't screw it up.I'm not sure how the lemon law works but I may have to find out.
I'll keep you all posted.

CalStang'07

FYI: If you research in this Forum, you will find that the combination of some very cold temps, a cold tranny, some high RPM/engine torque on the motor mounts and some spirited shifting of second to third can usually help this problem appear! Have to believe that this can be addressed towards the factory stock shifter! Although it has been also been known to happen at lower speeds too. For normal driving habits, this shifter really seems to work pretty well, as designed. Some here that have reported these similar type of problems. Many have resolved them with a good quality aftermarket shifter install in their S197 Mustangs! This is not to say that you couldn't have a bad tranny in yours! Lastly. This is probably why there is now been some talk about how Ford may have redesigned the stock shifter? Good Luck!! CalStang

GTMark052

I'm not sure if I'm being overly fussy about mine or not. My 2nd to 3rd shift will not grind, so to speak, but will click or "nip" when it is cold. Though even after it warms up, when upshifting to 3rd it has the notchiest feeling of any gear.
Also, do any of you guys get locked out of 3rd on high rpm shifting? That has happened to me quite a few times.
I've been seriously considering a tranny fluid change, hoping that it would help, but if I have to take it back to the stealership then I'll hold off.

metroplex

I've heard of lots of shifting issues using too much ATF. The manual calls for roughly 3.2 qt of ATF. I only bought 3 qt of Redline (I wasn't going to pay $8+ for 1/4 of a quart) and used a hand pump. I lost about 1/8 of a qt in that pump, so I only filled my 3650 with about 2.8-2.9 qt of ATF. I find that my 3650 actually shifts more crisply when it is cold and I have the stock shifter.

falhulk

Nope. I just bought mine 2 days ago. Yesterday I noticed this problem after letting the car warm up (temps in the 40 degree range) then driving a mile in 2nd then ****ing to third. I tried it 4 times with the clutch pinned to the floor and it happend every time. It did not matter which gear I went from to get to third (1st, 2nd, 4th) it still grinded. I looked on here and found the smae thing being reported by others. I called the dealer and they told me to bring it in. I cant get it there until next week. When i drove it again yesterday it was fine. This morning, the exact same thing. I have less then 100 miles and it has seen no spiritied driving.

karman

This is the only problem I have had with 3rd and it rarely happens.
I get the feeling that problem has more to do with the stock linkage.
Grinding? That sounds like real trouble.

falhulk

It sounds like you are shifting without depressing the clutch all the way.

viiStang

I agree with your statement 100%. My first car was a 83 Benz 240D and even though that car was old as hell it was reliable and gave me little to no problems while I had it. Then I bought a new VW Jetta Wolfsburg and that car virtually gave me no problems at all and I had it for 6 years. The biggest thing was that after 6 years the battery died, go figure! That's a hell of a battery.

But my GT is my first American car and I gotta say so far I'm a little disappointed. This gear shift issue is one thing. The glass in my car fogs up like crazy in the cold compared to my last 2 cars. So far I've had it for 4 months and I'm enjoying it and don't regret my purchase at all. But American made cars aren't how they used to be. In my personal experience, you can't beat German engineering.

metroplex

We've owned nothing but Fords for the past 30+ years and I will say that the Mustang is probably the highest quality Ford we've owned. That's not saying much because the Fords from the 70s and 80s were horrible. My 81 T-bird would overheat just idling in the parking lot thanks to the inadequate cooling system design. I spoke to some retired Ford engineers that worked on the early Fox chassis and they admitted that some of those cars would overheat very easily.

Fords4Ever

I took mine in this week for a similar issue - 1-2 and 2-3 shifts when cold sound clunky and you can feel as though it is scraping against something. I said it sounds clunky because I hesitate to say it grinds - it does NOT sound (or feel) like traditional grinding as though you were trying to put it in gear without pressing the clutch in.

They said they have had problems and they ordered a new flex plate - I'll let you all know if this solves my problem.