Old School GT350

[k98dave]

Wind that 289 to 7K+

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-4AD3N-kkk

 

[VoodooBoss]

Yep that guy can drive Flat Out!

 

[302BOB]

Please notice this gifted driver is driving a manual (stick shift) car. All the fun of this gets taken away when you put an automatic trans in the mix. I know the new 8 spd auto trans are faster than old school manuals, but the thrill of shifting will always be in my blood..

 

[k98dave]

Please notice this gifted driver is driving a manual (stick shift) car. All the fun of this gets taken away when you put an automatic trans in the mix. I know the new 8 spd auto trans are faster than old school manuals, but the thrill of shifting will always be in my blood..

Yeah it seems like heel/toe rev matching may become a lost art! But that's progress and paddle F-1 type shifter's are taking over. Even the last time I went to a drag strip, I was amazed how many old school cars had converted to auto. They change gears faster and no more human error (i.e. missed gears =broken trans)

 

[Racerpilotalan]

Wow, he is the best racer on the track in that group.

 

[superhero]

good thing he didn't have the MT82.
now that's how a trans should shift at ANY RPM. Thank you Ford of China.
Great driving skills!!
I enjoyed it.

 

[k98dave]

good thing he didn't have the MT82.

From what i have read on various posts, it seems the clutch is more of an issue than the m82 trans, and I suspect a little "operator error" in there as well. :

 

[Boss0960]

I suspect a little "operator error" in there as well. :

I wouldn't be going there. I've got two techs and two service managers at two different Ford dealers that agree my transmission was not working properly. If the clutch was the problem, they should have replaced the clutch during one of the three rebuilds or the replacement of my trans. As it stands, my car still has the original clutch and the original problem I took it in for when it only had about 3k miles on it.

Assuming it is the clutch, which seems reasonable since that's the only part of the original trans left on the car, Ford should replace it since the problems showed up when the car was practically new. However, Ford considers the clutch "expendable" and won't replace it. They expect that they can build a car with a crappy clutch and that I should replace it nearly immediately at my own expense. But the jokes on them. It has cost them more in parts and labor to rebuild my trans three times and then replace it than it would have cost them to replace the clutch once.

And to top it off, they have lost me as a future customer in process after a dozen new Fords in my driveway.

 

[VoodooBoss]

The clutch is the main problem and replacing it with a stock clutch won't solve the issue. You need to go aftermarket. The stock clutch doesn't fully disengage at high RPM's which makes it difficult to get the trans into gear.

 

[k98dave]

"I wouldn't be going there. I've got two techs and two service managers at two different Ford dealers that agree my transmission was not working properly. If the clutch was the problem, they should have replaced the clutch during one of the three rebuilds or the replacement of my trans. As it stands, my car still has the original clutch and the original problem I took it in for when it only had about 3k miles on it."

Well sorry but I'm going there! There has been so many clutch issues posted here that I lost count, but in reviewing them upgrading the clutch would have been the most obvious thing to do.
Seems reasonable to think that if you went ahead and ungraded to an aftermarket clutch with the first problem, and certainly after the 2nd trans replacement you would have saved yourself all the trouble. I would bet even though you would have to pay for the better clutch yourself, the techs would have cut you a deal on the install since most of the labor was already covered. I don't have any trans issues but if & when I do I will get the best aftermarket clutch I can and have that done at the same time.

 

[Boss0960]

Well sorry but I'm going there! There has been so many clutch issues posted here that I lost count, but in reviewing them upgrading the clutch would have been the most obvious thing to do.
Seems reasonable to think that if you went ahead and ungraded to an aftermarket clutch with the first problem, and certainly after the 2nd trans replacement you would have saved yourself all the trouble. I would bet even though you would have to pay for the better clutch yourself, the techs would have cut you a deal on the install since most of the labor was already covered. I don't have any trans issues but if & when I do I will get the best aftermarket clutch I can and have that done at the same time.

It's nice to see that you acknowledge the faulty stock clutch as the problem and not "operator error" as originally suggested. However, I still blame Ford for selling a vehicle that becomes nearly unusable within a few thousand miles and offers no satisfactory option to restore it to proper operating condition under the manufacturer warranty. It is not my expectation that a new vehicle would fail after only a couple of months and for the customer to have no recourse to repair it other than to spend several hundred dollars in aftermarket parts to make it perform to any acceptable standard. In other words, I don't believe it's my responsibility to spend several hundred additional dollars to make a brand new car driveable.

Ford has violated the inherent trust between customer and manufacturer that gives meaning to the concept of a warranty. I have already traded in two previous Ford products still covered by the comprehensive warranty because I could not get quality issues repaired under warranty. I find I little interest in a GT350 or any new Ford product since if I have a problem, I have zero confidence that it can or will be repaired under warranty.

 

[k98dave]

"It's nice to see that you acknowledge the faulty stock clutch as the problem and not "operator error" as originally suggested"

I don't believe I said "you" had operator error, but I really find it hard to believe that some trans issues noted here on various posts are not really just that. Having been shifting gears for some 45 years in countless Mustangs/Fords/GM's we all know that missed shifts will occur! Anyone that say's it never happens to them is well........ full of it.

As I said if you are on the 3rd trans and still claiming to have your "original problem" which you didn't say what it was, then clearly something else is wrong. Maybe your dealer's service guys are just not up to par.

 

[Boss0960]

As I said if you are on the 3rd trans and still claiming to have your "original problem" which you didn't say what it was, then clearly something else is wrong.

Primarily grinding going into second gear. Not notchiness but gut-wrenching metal on metal grinding with the clutch fully depressed. Also notchy going into third. After the third rebuild, I took it back to the dealer the very next day and the service manager himself got a nice crunching shift right out of the dealership's driveway. Then they decided to replace it.

Maybe your dealer's service guys are just not up to par.

Since the problem has been remarkably consistent over the number of "repairs", I humbly suggest that they are setting it up exactly as it came from the factory. As of now, I have installed all the usual "fixes" for notchy shifts, MGW shifter, Whiteline bushing and Blowfish bracket. Since the Blowfish bracket install, it is at the point now where it shifts normally after a half hour/forty-five minutes of driving. I tend not to drive it unless I'm going to drive for an hour or more to heat it up until I can shift into second without flinching. If the factory clutch is the problem, then I truly believe that Ford should honor it's warranty and replace it with whatever clutch works if the factory clutch is insufficient.

Also, should I have replaced the clutch at my own expense right from the start? Well, I've been seeking a repair since the car was pretty much new and held out on the promises of the dealers and Ford engineering that the trans would function properly after each repair. I installed the other items based on reviews that claimed improvement in notchy/grinding shifts. We all now know that the clutch is the source of the problem but that's the only thing Ford will not replace under warranty...so here we are.

Ford actually sent me a Customer Loyalty Coupon after the last replacement didn't work. It was a meager attempt at a "settlement" and did not inspire any loyalty. You know what inspires customer loyalty? Repairing the factory defects in your customer's brand new car, that's what.

 

[k98dave]

Seems like your problem may be in that they keep trying to rebuild the same trans? I would have insisted on a new trans after the 2nd problem because it would seem either the tech didn't get it right or there is a defect in the case, or both. Having been been inside several transmissions over the years, Both Tremec & Borg Warner's units I have seen some where the case/housings were not machined properly causing mis alignments resulting in bearing/synchro failures. The fact that it takes until the trans is up to temp tells me something in there is expanding (shifting) with temp. It doesn't take much, a couple of thousands change can affect things.

I can understand why your ticked off. The service guys should have got the district reps involved and gotten you a complete brand new trans. Oh BTW, did they ever check the motor mounts? believe it or not a loose/weak mount can cause loading (twisting) of the trans case. Worth a look.

 

[Boss0960]

They did put a whole new transmission in it. That was their final attempt at a fix. When I told the regional rep it didn't work, they offered the Customer Loyalty Coupon instead of another attempt to fix it. I know a new clutch is in my future. It just bugs me that that it seems required while the car was only two months old with about 3k miles on it. It also bugs me that I spent the first two years of ownership chasing down a fix through Ford dealers that was never fully achieved.

 

[TMSBOSS]

Your points regarding warranty and repairs are all valid.

Still, you may have been able to get a free install for a clutch with one of the trans repairs and avoid the cost associated with a swap now.

Again, I am 100% in agreement with the principled argument you made.

 

[k98dave]

They did put a whole new transmission in it. That was their final attempt at a fix. When I told the regional rep it didn't work, they offered the Customer Loyalty Coupon instead of another attempt to fix it. I know a new clutch is in my future. It just bugs me that that it seems required while the car was only two months old with about 3k miles on it. It also bugs me that I spent the first two years of ownership chasing down a fix through Ford dealers that was never fully achieved.

Not sure what state your in but looks like its time to try the "Lemon law" if they have one. I believe after third attempt they may have to take the car back. I know of a BMW owner in Ca that got the car (SUV in this case) purchased back by the company. But Ca is well...Ca!