Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting What shifting problem ?!?!?!

Well , once more , the SVT went into the shop to get my poor shifting problem looked into ... and , once more , they told me they found no problem !! This is starting to pi$$ me off !!! It's been into the shop several times over this since day 1 and each time it's the same old BS ... our service tech says it shifts fine with no weird clutch feel or anything .

My problem , in a nutshell , is the same as many others . It just doesn't want to engage gears , especially on downshift . No grinding , just no-go . It's made MUCH worse when it's good & cold outside . I even dropped my car off the night before , so it could be tried from certain cold . Like I said , they found nothing . This is a definate problem . It happens like clockwork . I go to work , it won't downshift into second or first . I go & get lunch , it won't downshift into 2nd or 1st . I come home at 5:00 , you guessed it ... no downshift into 2nd or 1st !! On very cold days , it's a real mofo to upshift OR downshift . It makes this "enthusiast" car a PITA to drive , and I'm not "enthusiastic" about driving it when it won't shift . To make matters worse , I think I hear a whining noise now . I hope that's not my imagination too :rolleyes: .

This last time I thought I'd get it fixed , I got the General Manager of the dealership involved . He said he "really wanted to make sure I was happy" ... what a load of BONK !! He had me set the appt. up through him , so he could get a Ford engineer/tech into the shop to drive it & get his input on the whole thing . Guess what ... no Ford engineer was involved in it . Big suprise there !! The guy I talked to on the phone said he called the hotline & they said there are no known problems with the MTX-75 tranny ... WHAT ?!?! I asked him which fluid was in my car (if it was the old "red" fluid , or the new , updated "honey-colored" fluid) and he was stumped . I explained that mine should have the new fluid because it was built in Feb 2000 , but I wasn't sure about it . All he could say was he didn't know ... or if they even had the fluid there at all .

When the General Manager returns on thursday , he & I will have a conversation . It's not like I want him to install a supercharger under warranty ... I just want my car to be right . Nothing more . I hope I don't have to call Ford Customer Service again ... not that it does any darn good !! The saga continues ...

On a side-note - at least they set me up in a nice Focus this time instead of a bald-tired , severely dented & scratched , front-end shaking million mile Chevy Metro this time !!

No friggen way they have any clue if they A) aren't sure about the fluid, B) are trying to convince you that there are no problems with the MTX-75. If anyone tried to tell me that, they would be getting a swift kick to the nits, since I am on #3.

The only way to cure most of the MTX75 trans issues is to have either 1) A post mid 2000 MTX75 (which is now std in Mondeo) spec box or 2)Ensure that your existing trans is rebuilt/upgraded to post mid 2000 level components. Only this will get you a good trans.It will not help too much with the diff issues we have seen as even some of the latest diffs,dispite being stronger & better gears ,have grenaded under hard conditions.The only way round that one is a Quaife or Torsen...

So what you're telling me , Terry , is that I've gotta live with this terrible-shifting POS until it blows up - which will most likely be out of warranty (it's at 13,000 miles now & 1 year old) ??? Do you think it's a futile effort to ensure that it has the latest fluid in it ? What about the friction modifier stuff ? Is that only if it has the "old style" fluid & not for the "honey-colored" stuff ?

I'm gonna freak out if I've gotta drive this thing shifting like this !!! What the heck did I pay all this money for ?? Not to be frustrated ... I know that ! I should've bought that Chevy I was lookin' at :rolleyes: ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Allen

Have you tried the cocktail? If not, try that before you end up driving the car off a cliff...

If the syncros are on the way out,which it sounds like they are,the cocktail will only delay the 'end'...first sign of bad syncros is 'blocking' shifts, second sign is the 'crunching'...at this point the syncros are just about shot....and yes,unless you can get a trans under warranty,thats a new one not a rebuild,it will end up as cash....A 'new' Ford MTX75 runs 1200-1500,to upgrade the internals of an early trans to the 2000+ level will run you around 750-800 just in the parts.That assumes the main gears and diff are ok,if the diff is on the way out then its more...

I always was told that there was a limiter that locks you out of the gear until a certain rpm or speed on downshifting. Atleast thats what they say when I take it in cause it grinds or doesnt go into gear.

The 'blocker rings' prevent you shifting until the gears are syncronised re speed,they are part of the syncro assy.If they wear from too much blocking it lets the gear engage without the speeds matching,hence the crunch.Part of the blocker rings is a taper clutch which speeds up the next gear by friction at the same time the blocker part is holding it out of gear...get it!

Terry , I just sent you a PM about this ...

Y2K- Sorry to hear about your bad luck with the dealer and the Ford "Help"-line. My '00 has also had the tranny problems since day 1. Initially my dealer told me that i was crazy and that the trans was fine. At about 12 or 13k I was on tranny #2. Since i have had frayed shift cables replaced, shifter replaced, cocktail added, etc. This winter when the temp dropped, surprise, surprise the problems came back. So far the dealer is trying to convince me that this is all in my head again. Probably doesn't help that they've also replaced three dashboards, the sunroof, driver seat and track, and three leaking trunk vents. That, and I also have a Lemon case against Ford since my car has been in the shop far more than the required 30 days. I'll miss this car, but no more than i did during the 60-some days it was in the shop. Best Wishes on yours.