Fifth gear synchro going kaput

[ChipG]

Hey y'all, I've started getting grinding going in and out of 5th gear. After making sure it wasn't my own poor shifting, I think the synchro is toast. I'm still under powertrain warranty, which should cover it. Has anybody gotten transmission work done under warranty with an MGW shifter installed? Or should I maybe switch back to OEM before taking it in?

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[Postal Bob]

What do you think?
Dealer tells Ford, customer installed an aftermarket shifter, now transmission is broken. Can you prove the MGW shifter had nothing to do with the transmission problem? Probably not.

 

[ChipG]

That's where my head is at the moment (as much of a pain as it will be to remove and reinstall). While the MGW clearly can't cause a bad synchro, I'm suspicious that the dealer/Ford will look for an excuse to avoid responsibility. That said, was just curious whether others who have had transmission repairs (and I know there have been plenty) have had any experience with this.

 

[raiderjatt02]

I would put the stock back in just to be safe. I had my 5th gear synchro go out and fucked up my whole transmission. I was stock at the time but got a whole new trans, clutch, flywheel, driveshaft, and had my rear diff rebuilt. Took like 3 months because it was at the height of COVID related shipping delays but it was all covered under warranty. Get it fixed before you get stranded 3 hours away from your home like I did...

 

[NGOT8R]

Did your 5th gear synchro go out on you under normal driving conditions or was it the result of high rpm shifts?

 

[ChipG]

Aside from the fact that high RPM shifts ARE normal I noticed it on the highway during relaxed use - upshifting around 3k - 4k rpm and downshifting when slowing down below 60mph or so.

 

[NGOT8R]

How many miles were on your tranny when the synchro let go? I know the GT350 tranny is different than the MT82-D4, but when I took mine apart to rebuild with 6K miles on it, I noticed that the coating (including the carbon lining) was wearing off on some of synchro rings. The teeth on the synchros looked fine though.

The 3160 tranny must have some shortcomings too, as Calimer offers an upgraded build for them.

 

[ChipG]

Just under 40k miles.

 

[Bike4pizza]

I would put the stock back in just to be safe. I had my 5th gear synchro go out and fucked up my whole transmission. I was stock at the time but got a whole new trans, clutch, flywheel, driveshaft, and had my rear diff rebuilt. Took like 3 months because it was at the height of COVID related shipping delays but it was all covered under warranty. Get it fixed before you get stranded 3 hours away from your home like I did...

Did you have to lobby for the additional parts? I’m currently in the same scenario.
Grinding in/ out of 5th and then had gear lock out of every gear but 5th. Managed to limp it back to the dealer, but it’s currently six states away from home.

 

[raiderjatt02]

Did you have to lobby for the additional parts? I’m currently in the same scenario.
Grinding in/ out of 5th and then had gear lock out of every gear but 5th. Managed to limp it back to the dealer, but it’s currently six states away from home.

Nope. When the synchro blew it destroyed the transmission so they did a full replacement. When they looked at it they saw my clutch was ruined so they had to get a new clutch and flywheel too. Then the driveshaft boot was torn because when the trans went out, it was bucking and jerking like crazy. The rear diff had metal in it so they rebuilt that too. I didn't have to ask for anything. They did it all without me.

 

[ChipG]

So a weekend ago, the clutch pedal went to the floor and brake fluid gushed out of the bell housing. Looks like a clutch slave cylinder rather than a transmission problem. I got the car to the dealer, and they've confirmed. They've also said that the clutch and flywheel need replacement, but because it's blued, they won't warranty that and want $2600 for a stock clutch and flywheel replacement

 

[Biggsy]

So a weekend ago, the clutch pedal went to the floor and brake fluid gushed out of the bell housing. Looks like a clutch slave cylinder rather than a transmission problem. I got the car to the dealer, and they've confirmed. They've also said that the clutch and flywheel need replacement, but because it's blued, they won't warranty that and want $2600 for a stock clutch and flywheel replacement

geez...this happened to me in 2021. Since they were dropping the transmission i figured it was a great time to upgrade the clutch. Went to an Exedy Hyper Single for track duty. Sounds like you may consider finding a used one or going with a Spec or Mantic for the price they are charging.

 

[ChipG]

Yeah, I'm heading over to talk to them and check it out. I'll likely go non-stock on clutch as well as seeing whether the flywheel actually needs replaced.

 

[NGOT8R]

There are plenty of good clutch and flywheel choices out there for $2600.

 

[Johnny Rockit]

Hey y'all, I've started getting grinding going in and out of 5th gear. After making sure it wasn't my own poor shifting, I think the synchro is toast. I'm still under powertrain warranty, which should cover it. Has anybody gotten transmission work done under warranty with an MGW shifter installed? Or should I maybe switch back to OEM before taking it in?

If you give them an easy out, they always take it. Swap the shifter. (It is just an opinion, like everyone else.)

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