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1-2 Grind TSB coming

2007 - 2014 
55K views 280 replies 71 participants last post by  Goose17 
#1 ·
I talked to a Ford regional rep today and he informed me that there is a TSB coming out to fix the 1-2 shift grind for the GT500. There are upgrading the clutch and the shifter and are going to repair any damage in the transmission.

Parts come in tomorrow I should get it back by this weekend.

I've had parts in the tranny replaced and the entire transmission replaced after that didn't work.

Ford and the dealership have been great throughout the process. Anyone waiting for the fix may have better luck now.

I also brought danishes this morning when I took it in. I reckon a bounty of flavorful pastries can do nothing but help.
 
#100 ·
This doesn't sound good for even the 2013 Shelby's

http://www.insideline.com/chevrolet...ord-mustang-shelby-gt500-comparison-test.html

In Reference to 2013 Shelby GT500

"Also, the GT500's shifter protested aggressive 1-2 shifts, sometimes rejecting 2nd gear altogether — a problem we've had when testing previous versions of the Ford Shelby GT500."

Forget the rest of the story it was so pathetically written and so biased I almost threw up while reading. It reminded me of the guy making up excuses for dating the fat ugly chick.
 
#106 ·
Quote from the 2013 1st to 2nd gear post since it may be relevant.

Check out Panzerfaust's solution:
http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/11919004-post58.html

This is an old issue with (in my case) a simple answer, but my theory is that you have to take action to correct the BS factory shifter issues BEFORE you make repeated grinding/clashing 1-2 upshifts which will damage the trans and compound the problem into an issue that requires warranty action. The issue (I believe) is that the factory shifter stick (NOT the factory shifter) is the culprit here. It is so over-isolated with rubber bushings that it makes experienced manual trans users look like rookies.

With over 25 years of man. trans. use under my belt, I was humiliated by clashing gears on the 1-2 upshift on my 2011 GT500. It happened to me 2-3 times (and I read about it all over the web) and I immediately went into diagnosis mode. Sitting in my car in my driveway with the engine off, I ran through the clutch/shifter motions of an aggressive 1-2 upshift repeatedly, something I'd done thousands of times in reality, with no problems.

Then I slowed down the clutch/shifter movements I make, into slow motion. Lo and behold, I could feel that as I moved the shifter handle from 1st to 2nd, when I hit the shifter stop at second, there was a secondary, almost imperceptible movement of the handle a tiny bit to the rear and I could feel an additional mechanical sensation through the handle. That sensation was the final, full engagement of 2nd gear.

Though I had, in my mind, been timing the release of the clutch by my left foot to the arrival of the shifter handle's end-of-rearward-travel into second gear, that was not the case.

The culprit was the ridiculous factory rubber-mush isolation of the shifter stick. It was NOT the body of the factory shifter proper. What my 25 years of man. trans. usage had programmed my brain to do was to release the clutch when my right hand stopped noving rearward. Because of the over-insulation of the factory shifer stick, there was a fraction-of-a-second of a delay between the shifter hitting the second gear shift stop (thus compressing the rubber isolators) and the rubber isolators on the stick having time to rebound (de-compress) and then transmit the force from the shifter stick to the shifer body and finally get the second gear shift to complete.

Sounds hoakey I know, but a fraction-of-a-second mis-timing of clutch release to gear engagement will result in a gear clash. Below is the text of my post to Team Shelby.com (post #29 on the thread at: Shelby GT500 Shifter vs. MGW - Team Shelby - Page 2 )

I simply bolted up (with NO RUBBER ISOLATION) a Hurst stick to my factory shifter and I've never had the grind since. Because I caught it early enough, there was no harm to the trans. Your mileage may vary.....

Team Shelby post now follows, pics are on that thread:

Before anybody runs out and spends hundreds of dollars on an aftermarket shifter and the labor to install it, I'd advise trying what I did. When I got my 2011 SVTPP Shelby, the shifter felt rubbery and I was having the 1-2 upshift grind problem. I was planning on getting an MGW shifter, but decided to tear down the stock set-up first to see if I could improve it for less $$$. Lo and behold, the stock stick has more rubber on it than a high school senior on prom night.

I realized I had been having the 1-2 grind because I thought the car was in second gear and had been releasing the clutch too early, while in reality the over-rubber-isolated stock shifter stick was not transmitting my force on the stick to the actual shifter arm. The trans was not fully in second gear when the clutch was released, hence the grind.

I bought a Hurst chrome stick (#7201) off eBay for $40. It came w/ 2 bolts with bushings that adapted the smaller-diameter metric bolts to the larger 3/8" bolt holes on the shifter and it also came with the rubber boot adapter. Shifter stick has 3/8" coarse thread for your choice of knob. I bought a Roush shifter boot from JEGS for ~$30 and it fit the boot adaptor like a glove. I removed the stock stick and all the rubber isolators, installed the Hurst stick (bolting it directly to the stock shifter w/ no rubber isolation), the Roush boot and a Hurst T-handle I had lying around my garage. Total install time was about 60 mins and was done entirely from the driver's seat.

Result is an expenditure of ~$75 for a shifter that works with the rock-solid feel of a bolt-action rifle. It was an unbelieveable difference over the rubber mush crap that came from the factory. It has virtually no rattle or vibration and the 1-2 grind issue is gone. It cranks off 1-2 upshifts with ease. I did re-discover the fact that the aluminum t-handle gets a bit warm in a sunny parking lot. I also have about a half-dozen shift knobs I've acquired over the years, including a vintage 1960's-era Muncie pattern knob and a Mopar-esque pistol grip, so I switch them up from time to time for some variety.

So, before you throw the baby out with the bathwater, the problem w/ the factory shifter is the rubber isolation that they install. They totally over-do it, so that there is never a complaint from somebody who buys a Shelby and complains about shifter vibration because they expect a Rolls Royce level of cabin noise......just throw out the bath water (the rubber isolation) and keep the baby. You'll save a lot of $$$$. If you don't like it, you can always subsequently buy an aftermarket shifter and re-sell the Hurst stick on eBay.......
 
#107 ·
Thanks for that Chris, but I stated many pages ago that my shifter can grind with my clutch pressed and held to the floor while shifting back and forth from 1-2. All while rolling with a cool car at 25 mph. Warm, not so much. It would appear the symptoms are varying a little from car to car.
 
#108 ·
Is this with the OEM shifter or an altered one? I'm thinking if you've had several grinds, it may be worth having Ford do the warranty work then looking into the MGW shifter or perhaps the alterations detailed in the thread.

Either way, I hope you get yours sorted out!
 
#109 ·
Well, my car went in today for this issue. Of course, they could not produce the symptom. The tech said it shifted fine. Then the service writer told me to come in tomorrow morning to give the tech a ride so the grind can be duplicated. Well, I work so that will not happen. Great here we go. I HATE wasting my time. Going to pick it up in a few minutes and I'm gonna drive it like I stole it. If it grinds its going back WTF!!!
 
#110 ·
Hi,

Just got mine back from the dealer. Problem is fixed and everything works like it should but the clutch pedal is now so refined. I hate the way it feels. There is hardly any resistance probably be great for traffic but loved they way the clutch used to feel. Wouldn't recommend the fix unless u absolutely need to have it done. The Tsb finally came out and all u have to say to the dealer is the car rolls forward when the cluth is down and show them the Tsb 10-3-8 and they are required to fix it. But like I said ur clutch pedal will not feel the same.

Sad.

:(
 
#113 ·
Went back to the dealer with the car this afternoon.... Took the tech for a ride to show him WTF is going on. Sure enough, quick blip of the throttle, throw the shifter into second and grind away it did. I even had the tech drive it and he got it to grind also. So the dealer is supposed to call Ford for a fix. I'll keep you all posted. The car goes in on July 16th.
 
#118 ·
When I went in a few weeks ago they told me that they had some replacement parts all under warranty (second gear, a new collar, possibly some synchros I can't remember :/) BUT that this was only a POTENTIAL patch for the issue and didn't guarantee a fix. Because I have longtubes they told me they couldn't drop the transmission without pulling them off which would have cost me $700. I opted out as the lead mechanic told me he could certainly foresee a TSB coming and he would hold off if it was his as well and only pay for the LT removal when there was a for sure fix.
 
#122 ·
The isolator removal seems to fix issues that occur when letting go of the clutch because of the minute amount of time is takes to fully slip into gear AFTER we think it is in gear. However, I experience this issue when the clutch is fully engaged on the floorboard when slamming from 1st to 2nd....NOT when letting go of the clutch because i THINK it is already in gear.
 
#123 ·
Thanks wallywqgon.

I got 2nd gear grind the other day with a slow ass 1-2'shit because I was in gas saving mode. Nothing worse that trying to baby the car and the 1-2 grind occurs. I'm so frustraTee with the inconsistency. It sucks driving around and every 1 2 I'm biting my teeth.

Come on already ford!!!!! Please, we need a fix ASAP for this "from factory" crappy trans.
 
#199 ·
Thanks wallywqgon.
I got 2nd gear grind the other day with a slow ass 1-2'shit because I was in gas saving mode. Nothing worse that trying to baby the car and the 1-2 grind occurs. I'm so frustraTee with the inconsistency. It sucks driving around and every 1 2 I'm biting my teeth.

Come on already ford!!!!! Please, we need a fix ASAP for this "from factory" crappy trans.
LOL, that's funny. A slow lazy shift mosy-ing around a corner is when it happens to me as well. I took it to Ford, the guy couldn't reproduce it, and when I said "Here let me show you", the damn thing went right in at 6500 rpm! I have an MGW shifter as well (and a TVS).

I'm happy with it just the same, don't really drag race. I have a shudder/vibration above 70 mph though...thought it was wheels, maybe one of them is dinged a tad. Anyone else have a vibration on highway? It's a harmonic vibration, every 2 seconds on, off, on, off. Only other thing besides wheels I can think of is driveshaft.

Not that it will make any difference, but I'm changing my rear end gears to compensate for the much higher torque I have now. I couldn't stand such high RPM's just daily driving...it kills gas mileage. So now I'll be set up like the 2013 (chose a 3.15 rear). The 2013's have a 2.66 1st gear, while my 2011 is 2.97. WAY too much when combined with a 3.73! I have to get to 3rd gear before I don't spin.
 
#128 ·
I've had my 2011 for 9 mos. had 1-2 grind since day 1. I complained enough that the dealer finally found a letter from ford about possible fixes. First fix was replacing clutch etc. 2nd time was syncros. Neither one worked. Ford is giving me a brand new tranny next week. Hopefully, it's one that doesnt have the grind problem. I'll update y'all.
 
#129 ·
Great..... They replace second gear in your car and it didn't work. I should be picking up my car tomorrow and after reading this post, I'm not expecting it to be fixed either. Well I'll find out tomorrow.
 
#130 ·
Well, it is Thursday and still no car. I can't even get those people to pick up the phone and call me for an update! WTF!! I am the one always calling for an update, which I can't even get a firm response.

Dropped the car off for Monday morning. I called them to see what was going on Monday night. " we ordered second gear and it's synchros. It will be overnighted and the car should be ready Wednesday night". Ok, cool. I call wednesday night and the service advisor says the tech is finishing it up and will not be able to take it for a test ride until Thursday morning due to the bad storms that were rolling through last night. (I was ok with this). So now today I call the dealer on my way ome from work, I can't get anyone to tell me what is up with the car. I don't work as a mechanic for a living but I know my way around a car and I know it doesn't take four days to remove, repair and reinstall a transmission. If they found something else or this repair didn't fix it, JUST ****EN TELL ME!!! Is it that hard to pick up the phone and let me know!!

Rant over...... Sorry for the long winded post but this is frustrating!
 
#132 ·
Ok, got the car back. It isn't perfect but it seems better. I'll give you guys the "skinny" on what I experienced. The dealer replaced second gear, synchro, snap rings and a few other odds and ends for the fix. I can still make it grind when I do NOT press the throttle all the way to the floor and shift quickly around 4500-5000 rpms.
Well just for the hell of it, I tried something different while I was out... I tried flooring the throttle, letting the tires break loose, then shifted to second gear quickly. Well it went in smoothly. (i did this a few times) I don't know why but if this is what it wants well, I'll drive it that way. I still plan on trying to talk to the tech next week to see what he thinks. I'll keep you guys posted if interested.
 
#133 ·
I think you meant clutch all the way to the floor.

When I got mine fixed - including the clutch, I was told by the tranny guy to take it easy for a couple hundred miles. After that, I was able to get on it to confirmed it was fixed.
 
#135 ·
I picked my GT500 up today after having a brand new transmission installed free of charge. IT WORKS!!! No more 1-2 grinding. I speed shifted it 5 times and it's perfect. So, the first two attempts at repair were unsuccessful. The third attempt was a new transmission. Obviously, Ford will replace your transmission if the synchro, clutch, and shifter replace doesn't fix it.
Message me if you have any questions!
 
#137 ·
Ahh, thought you were power shifting or something. According to the tech that did my work, you want the synchros to seat or something like that for a couple hundred miles before gett'n on it.
 
#138 ·
Hmmm. I got no special instructions when I picked up he car. The service advisor just said " the car is all set".
That would have been some usefull info.

I'm not sure on what to do. Bring it back, or just drive it for a few miles like you said and see what happens.:(
 
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