3650, anybody else with this problem?

[Cameron]

my 02Gt has 41000 on it and from 1st to 2nd it grinds. the transmission makes all kinds of noise. i took it in before warranty was up and they told me that it is sub-pose to make that noise. they said when it is broke in it sounds like that. then i found this on another website and now i am worried. if so, the car is gone if ford doesn't fix it.
check this out
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=328655

[explicitone]

change the trans fluid to royal purple but only put 3.5 qts in not the 4 that the book tells to

it has been a problem with those trans since they came out and ford will not admit to it

[acidskie]

I believe I'm in the same boat. I have a 02 w/ 23000 on it. I know its had the 1st to 2nd grind since I bought it at 16000 miles. As far as I know its stock too. I'm getting ready to hit the dealer up about it. How exactly can I tell what tranny I have?

[explicitone]

Originally posted by acidskie
I believe I'm in the same boat. I have a 02 w/ 23000 on it. I know its had the 1st to 2nd grind since I bought it at 16000 miles. As far as I know its stock too. I'm getting ready to hit the dealer up about it. How exactly can I tell what tranny I have?

if you have a 02 GT then its a tr-3650

heres the break down
86-95 world class t-5
96-01(and 1/2 half way through the year they changed trans) t-45

01 1/2 + tr-3650

cobra 96-99 t-45
01 tr 3650
03 t-56
03 mach 1 tr 3650

[aceplayer25]

It seems as though both transmissions are about the same and I've heard a lot about the 2nd gear grind, I have a 97 cobra and at 33000 miles ONLY AROUND 6000 RPM it will grind if you granny shift or throw it in 2nd gear. At low RPMs it will not grind at all. Everyone says to change to Redline or Royal Purple synthetic and it stops this problem and everything seems smoother and quiter. I am about to change my shifter and rearend gears and I am gonna put Royal Purple in it and see how it does.

[urstangsmoke]

i have an 03 GT with 12K on it and i have brought it back to the dealership 2 times about this same exact problem .. each time they told me it was fine, but my brother en law tells me it could be a bad bearing. but i might be with you guys and change my tranny fluid to royal purple. i wish i had some other suggestions but noone has given me any other options. good luck

[acidskie]

well with as many people who have/are having this problem, we shouldn't have to switch the tranny fluid. Ford should own up to the fact that its a issue in the tranny and fix it. Period. Plus someone told me that you can void your warranty by using a synthetic in the tranny. Is this true? Anyone know?

[urstangsmoke]

im not sure about the synthetic tranny fluid and the warranty issue, but thats a good question .. ill call my dealership tomorrow and see what he has to say ... but i egree with ford having to own up to it, we pay enough money for a quality product that should be there

[acidskie]

let me know what you find out please. I will try it also as long as I know its ok for the warranty.

[explicitone]

Originally posted by acidskie
well with as many people who have/are having this problem, we shouldn't have to switch the tranny fluid. Ford should own up to the fact that its a issue in the tranny and fix it. Period. Plus someone told me that you can void your warranty by using a synthetic in the tranny. Is this true? Anyone know?

this is not true ford uses a semi-synthetic fluid in them the one that can void it is red line to some of the additives that do not work well with the carbon fiber syncros

[GodStang]

Ford replaced mine. Said they had a recall on it.

[Cameron]

here is my problem, my car is out of warranty. i had it to the shop a few times for noise coming from the drivetrain. now the trans is getting worst. it is hard to shift into 2nd. i change the fluid twice. once before i read about what to do about the 1-2 cluck. then i followed the exact instructions on the site and it didn't help at all. just wondering if i should complain to my local dealers to see what they will do? or who to complain to? i hate to be a whiner, but if ford doesn't fix this problem i will never buy a ford again. i grew up a chevy fan and turned to ford. i love ford, but will never buy another vehicle.

[Cameron]

GodStang what dealer said that? seems to be a lot of mixed responses from the dealers.

[moosejaw]

This sounds like the result of not using triple cone synchros/blockers on 1st and 2nd. Using a single blocker ring on 1-2 will not be as forgiving and shifting will be rough. The result is wearing out the synchro teeth on 2nd gear and the synchro/slider assembly requiring both to be replaced.

This design is the same as the 3550/tko. Single blockers are a cheap way to design a synchro. My 3550 is a mess. Both 1-2 and 3-4 synchro sliders are junk. 2nd gear is also toast. I need so many parts it is now cheaper to buy a G-Force gear set and install a T-5 than repair the 3550.

This 3550 never shifted well into 2nd and 1st was occasionally hard to synch up.


Mike