Faber

long and short of it is it seems like the second gear synchro is going out. I had installed a tri-ax shifter a few months ago, and although i do powershift from time to time, i generally am nice to the tranny. I originally got the tri-ax because it was a bastard to get the car into third gear if you were driving in a "spirited" manner.

I installed the tri-ax and everything was hunky dory until a few weeks ago when i noticed second gear wanting to grind at high rpm shifts. then it started to happen at all engine speeds.

I took it to the dealer when it started, and they said they could not reproduce the issue. but noted on the work order sheet that they had "found aftermarket shifter"

I took the car in to the dealer yesterday, and today when i called him he said they had to order a new second gear (not the synchro, but the gear) which i thought to be kinda odd. I told him about the TSB for this tranny as my car was built before january and it has the same symptoms of the tsb, and he said they were authorized from ford to replace second gear only, and that they needed my stock shifter in order to perform this work as it would "change the properties of the tranny".

I left the mods on the car because i want to be upfront and honest with this dealer, and not try to hid anything, but a tri-ax shifter with the stops set properly should not damage the tranny at all should it? i mean the tranny has its own stops, as well as the tri-ax so i really have double protection from bending forks or hosing the linkage.

how would a tri-ax have any affect on losing second gear, or the synchro. barring clutchless shifting (which i never ever do)

i have powershifted many a tranny all the way up to 80 or 90,000 miles with no issues, and this car only has 9000 miles on her.


i dont want to give up the tri-ax....i like being able to hit third gear.....

i know i could just re-install the tri-ax, but i dont want to swap it every time i take it to the dealer....
what should i do?

hawgman

My car falls within the date range of the tranny issue. Has not had the issue yet, but that is EXACTLY why I am waiting to put in a shifter. Dealer I go to has their panties twisted so tight it isn't funny. I already get the third degree about what I have done to the car. If the tranny started puking, I would just bet money that they would play the "you put in a shifter it is no longer warranty" card. Yes, I know full good and well the Magnusson Moss Warranty Act. Just not in the mood for the fight.

I don't know of any thing that the shifter could have done to cause the tranny issue. ( to answer your question ).

169stang

I have the same issue. I'm going out of town this Friday and the car is going in Thursday for the tranny and the breaks squeeking-constantly. The service manager won't give me a hard time about my shifter though-fortunately. I have Paul's HP shifter. It doesn't look too much like aftermarket. My tranny makes some extra-ordinary noises, mostly in second. Sort of sounds like a bad bearing.

idobson

Dealers don't care, or at least they shouldn't care. They get paid from ford to fix the car. If your dealer doesn't want to work on it because it has a different shifter on it then go to one that will.

Especially as your symptoms are the same as the TSP haw can they even argue with that?

whiteboyslo

you obviously have never had to deal with ford on a warranty item on a modded car. it's heck. you'd THINK they'd be more than happy to just fix it for you and get paid by ford, but they don't. ford makes them jump through so many hoops to do warranty work it's not even funny, and aftermarket is an easy way to cop out. i'm going through this exact issue with ford on my focus right now.

my focus broke an engine mount on the front of the engine (transverse mount, so we're talking the passenger side). actually, what really happened is that the bolts that hold the mount to the engine sheared. it dropped the whole engine down and forward, taking out the CV shaft and God knows what else (ford's still ripping it apart). the car is under the Ford extended warranty, but i had to take the car to a dealer where a buddy of mine knows a service writer to get them to even think of doing the work on warranty. they're gonna do it, but only to $1500 worth of work. after that, ford would send an inspector out to look at the car who, according to the service writer, would not approve the repairs at all. so now i have to pay out of pocket any amount over the $1500 so that they don't have to call him in. and why do i have to go through all that? because my car has aftermarket springs, dampers, sways, wheels, and cam gears. now, do any of those parts cause a mount's bolts to break? no, and i've never touched that mount, either. now, i COULD stick it to Ford with the Magnusson-Moss Act or whatever that thing is called, but i don't have the time or the energy to take Ford to court.

long story short, unless you're sleeping with someone high up with Ford, aftermarket will screw you everytime.

Mike

Ranger

What it comes down to is how much do you want to fight this? IMO - if you tell them you want to keep the Tri-ax and they say no, you can appeal up thru the Ford process. If Ford says the aftermarket shifter caused it, then apparently the stock shifter did also. I suppose their "experts" would say something else. If this fails, I have had "some luck" in legal issues paying an attorney to send a letter but thats not free either. I think in this case the TSB puts Ford in a weak positon BUT they know the majority of time, a consumer will not want to put the time/money into fighting it.

Not much help - maybe someone else will post a better idea.