Transmission Issue with the Boss?

[Bossblaze]

Hi-

Well, just got back from my dealer, and hard as he has tried, Ford will not give them a new Tranny to replace my MT-82 China Whiner. They took mine apart , and 5th gear and 5th gear synchros are trash . 3rd gear synchro area looks great , which indicates that when it popped and ground going into 3rd, I think the gate/shifter rails may be causing the transmission to go into 5th gear at the same time , even though it felt like initially going in until it popped out. 5th gear , you could forget it - It ground just getting close to the entry to 5th . I still think it has something to do with the shifter /linkage/sliders- I told them once it is back together ,for them to go drive it hard to see if it acts the same , as I would be back if issues still are there. The dealer sympathizes and agrees , but we'll have to see what happens. I hear the 2013 Boss 302 cars will have the Tremec trans instead / This is very BAD for Ford's flagship car , and their way of handling it at a corporate level. Don't be surpirsed to here more people on this , once cars are 'run' more than my high 120 miles. Meanwhile , I have been without the car for 2 weeks now driving a dirty l :-\ loaner Focus.
Dave Christo

 

[MNG_BOSS302]

Driving mine home and for the first 50 miles, I was a little leary, it was a little notchy and I missed some shifts (up and down) - so I was a little concerned. About 75-100 miles it seemed to smooth out. Below 100 I never rev'd past 6k and just paid attention to shifting. After 100 (as per manual) I started reving higher and hitting the redline and it has been shifting fine. No missed shifts running it to 7-7500, up and down shifts are doing ok. So I am less concerned now, I would not call my tranny broken in with so few miles on it but it seems to be fine. I have no skip shift issues, but then I don't seem to even shift at that low an rpm. The car pulls sweet and is fun from 3-7 and you are going way to fast for the street by the time you get to 4th - (but I digress).

As far as Ford, I would hope there are several people that would have liked to toss this tranny (especially after the GT problems) but I am going to guess the Boss program was too far along to do that. All that said, I was not crazy to see the mileage sticker on the car window saying country of origin for transmission - China.

 

[VoodooBoss]

This is very disheartening news to say the least. I'm taking delivery on mine next week. Bossblaze is right. Do some research on the Getrag MT82. It is not good. If I knew this before hand, this would of been a deal killer. We all spent $41,000.00+ for these cars, and this is what we get...so Ford could save a buck! At least I bought the extended warranty.

Take a deep breath...you don't even have your car yet. I've done several shifts at redline with WOT from first to second and mine shifts very well. It shifts better at WOT than cruising around town. Part of the problem is the centering springs are very stiff and take a bit to get familiar with. I use a very light touch with my shifter and using a Magilla Gorilla grip is not the way to smooth shifts. I'm not saying there aren't problems but at least wait until you have yours before having a heart attack.

 

[blazer1]

You're right, I don't even have mine yet, but the numbers don't lie. It seems to me it's more than a handful of owners who are experiencing problems. Even if you don't have problems now, don't you think about the long term durability issue. If Bossblaze is correct, and Ford goes back to the Tremac, well that speaks volumes to me! Don't get me wrong, the car seems like a Homerun, but if these trannys are defective, thats a major soft. I hope it's just a minor hiccup.

 

[Fat Boss]

Certainly the # is more than a handful, the question to ask- "is it a statistically relevant # ?" The internet is full of people posting up when they have problems and devoid of people posting up to say their car is great. The perception becomes skewed because people think the % of owners with problems is high when in reality the % of posters with problems is high. In no way do I mean to minimize yours or anyone's problem. I was a bit anxious when waiting for mine since I've read the threads too. Luckily mine works sweet.

If someone has too much time on their hands, count how many different people are posting saying they are having true problems and divide that # by the production quantity. That will give you a % to work with. Granted you will never find everyone because not everyone posts when they have a problem but you'll quickly realize the true % of owners with problems is small.

If you have a problem, keep the paper trail alive and hammer down on the transmission. If you can't get it to completely fail within the warranty period then I don't know what to tell you. If you can, then they have to give you a new trans right?

 

[blazer1]

As far a percentages go Fatboss, you are 100%. Although, If Bossblaze is correct, and Ford is going back to the Tremac, that's a bit disturbing. Only time will tell.

 

[atrain1975]

Mine is at 5,000 miles and I have had no real problems shifting. It has been notchy when cold, but that is a known issue and it goes away once the trans is warm. One thing that I notice is a high-pitched plastic vibration noise when I accelerate hard in 2nd and when the car is warm. I can eliminate the noise by pulling up on the shifter, so I suspect a vibration of some kind. This does not affect performance or shifting at all, it's just an annoying noise. I'm very sensitive to rattles, etc., and the more I drive this car, the more I realize that I'm going to have to live with a certain amount of harshness. Not ideal for a car that costs over 40k, but it's so fun to drive that the harshness can be overlooked.

 

[JScheier]

While I'm not really thrilled with the M82, I've had no problems with the shifting (defective vent valve, yes). I actually find it harder to shift smoothly on the street then the track. On track, the shifting is precise and very smooth. Definitely don't need to man-handle this transmission.

FWIW, if you don't like the shifter design (linkage, etc..), just take one look at the shifter of the car the Boss was originally chasing. Yup... BMW M3. They hang the shifter off the back (and have done so since at least 1981) of the 3 series. ZF, Getrag, both have the same style shift linkage.

 

[PJWANNABE]

The Tremec transmissions were far from perfect as well. My TR3650 had a TSB to replace the 2-3 and 3-4 synchros and blocking rings since 2nd and 3rd gears were notchy and 3rd would sometimes get locked out. It has been fine since the rebuild. The Boss would probably get the GT500 Tremec if Ford goes back to them, and I am not sure if there were any issues with those.

All companies have made mistakes, but how they handle the resolution is what really makes the difference. Even though you might have to do without the car for a bit (I was without mine for almost a month until the dealer got the tranny right), you are covered by the warranty. You can't blame Ford for trying to cut costs; they were the only one of the Detroit 3 that turned themselves around without taking a government bailout.

 

[VoodooBoss]

You're right, I don't even have mine yet, but the numbers don't lie.

Please share these numbers with us.

 

[STIG302]

A guy at work is getting his Tremec replaced in a 2012 GT500. notchy between 1st and 2nd.

 

[Bossblaze]

Hello-

Just got back from my dealer this week ,and now they tell me the required transmission parts to repair my car are on back until next week sometime. I called ford 800 number with no help .Some high school kid read me a script in front of her phone about getting a hold of the dealer . Duh! After about 20 new Fords in 20 yrs. , my patience is really thin. I'm convinced they don't care, even though they know there are issues with this MT-82 Chinese wonder box ,as other will find out in time . Anyone know a name to contact that may be of help , as it would be appreciated .

Dave Christo

 

[2012YellowBoss]

I use a very light touch with my shifter and using a Magilla Gorilla grip is not the way to smooth shifts.

Rick not to criticize but try doing that coming off a straight at 140MPH going into a hard right turn while full braking. You don't make a trans that needs to be babied when it is meant to drive "on track".

The problem is not with the shifter, the problem being reported by people that have the MT-82 with different shifter in different cars (GT Boss etc).

 

[cloud9]

The Boss would probably get the GT500 Tremec if Ford goes back to them, and I am not sure if there were any issues with those.

I had my TR6060 replaced under warranty. There were several issues with the Tremec on the GT500 and even more with the clutches.

 

[wrongway]

I drove my boss about 75 miles this evening. Transmission seems very smooth. Shifting just fine. Brakes are a little soft. Does that improve after awhile? This is the most fun I've ever had driving a car by far. My Challenger SRT-8 was nice but just doesn't compare.

 

[jimprw]

I drove my boss about 75 miles this evening. Transmission seems very smooth. Shifting just fine. Brakes are a little soft. Does that improve after awhile? This is the most fun I've ever had driving a car by far. My Challenger SRT-8 was nice but just doesn't compare.

Anyone compared their Boss to a recent model Corvette? Would be interested to hear how those two compare at track speeds.

 

[VoodooBoss]

Rick not to criticize but try doing that coming off a straight at 140MPH going into a hard right turn while full braking. You don't make a trans that needs to be babied when it is meant to drive "on track".

I never said baby it. ;D You need to be deliberate but it doesn't take much most of the time on my tranny. I removed skip shift over the weekend because shifting into second at low rpm's can be a bit notchy. It's still there and then other times it's slick as snot. When it does feel notchy it's usually when the car is cold but not always. I've made many shifts from first to second at WOT and bouncing off the rev limiter and haven't missed a shift. I have not missed a shift at high rpm's in any gear and my Boss shifts smoother and easier at WOT.

Remember:

"Smooth is fast and fast is smooth." Bob Bondurant.

 

[2012YellowBoss]

Yep, I tend to grab it when up-shifting and "put" it in gear under hard acceleration. If I push it into third with one finger it goes in nice but there is no way I can get use to doing that on the track. I can not understand how it binds in fifth, all the way over and up, yet it binds up.

I have in fact sat in the car at idle and gone thought the pattern, sometime repeating(ly) putting it in the same gear and it does bind up. I wish I knew what the problem is but it must have something to with tolerances since it is only a few that are having problems. Anyway I broke down and I am having the fluid change, I don't expect much of this this but at this point I am starting to feel anything will help even if it is small.

 

[Tomball Boss]

Bought my 2012 with 3K miles on it. Experienced a few issues at high rpm shifting 1-2 and 2-3. The first time I shifted 4-5 above 7k rpms it locked out of 5th. Could not shift to 5th at any rpm after that without grinding. Then a similar issue began on 4-6 shifts....even at low rpm.

Ford dealer opted to rebuild rather than replace. Every time they discovered damage and ordered parts there was additional delay. Three weeks later, they finally agreed to give up on the overhaul and replace with a new tranny.

No more shifts above 7k rpm for me until I upgrade the shifter and develop some more confidence. I feel the tranny/shifter is fragile compared to the rest of the car.

That said, I love my Boss and can't wait to get it back. Should feel like getting a new car all over again after such a long wait!

 

[NewBossowner]

No more shifts above 7k rpm for me until I upgrade the shifter and develop some more confidence. I feel the tranny/shifter is fragile compared to the rest of the car.

Search through a couple of threads on shifting issues, you will find all of the bandaid fixes for the MT-82, MGW, Prothane mounts, Redline MTL oil, remove the return spring, can't remember the rest off the top of my head. After that it shifts ok, but just ok.