Interesting to see the clutch becoming the prime suspect in this first/reverse thing.
I have had my 99 SVT (#2725) back for a day-and-a-half now, since having the third transmission installed, this time accompanied by a new clutch. So far, the shifting into first and reverse has been completely problem-free...not even a hint of the previous difficulties.
I too had that funny little "shudder" from time-to-time when starting the car in gear, as if the clutch was "stuck" or something.
It seems a great shame it has taken Ford so long to figure this out. Far too many people have had this problem misdiagnosed by dealers who have insisted on fiddling with shift linkages and so on, or replacing trannies as if they were wiper blades, resulting in either no improvement or even making matters worse.
I think those of us who have dealers who have managed to solve this particular problem (the first/reverse thing) should make an effort to have our dealers contact the appropriate department at Ford and/or SVT so it can benefit others.
This could be especially important to those unfortunate enough to be out-of-warranty and facing the cost of a new clutch. We might succeed in getting Ford to issu a TSB on this, and that could save a few people quite a few dollars.
(Of course, my new clutch feels kind of funny, but that's another story!)
