Silver_'02_4.6 said:
Oh really, so riding one's brakes won't wear them out prematurely or you can’t burn them up?
Sure, you can wear out the pads that way, but they are a routine maintenance item. Your transmission is not a maintenance item.
Silver_'02_4.6 said:
And why do you assume improper transmission operation? I shift easy and I have never shifted into reverse while moving, just like I doubt many people here have
Many people here have complained about grinding going into reverse. I doubt that would happen at a standstill. At a complete stop, I can see where a defective transmission would fail to engage reverse, but it shouldn't grind. Think about it: if you are able to sit at a complete stop, with the clutch depressed, and make the transmission grind, where is the energy coming from that causes the grinding noise?
Silver_'02_4.6 said:
Your analysis of my percentages doesn’t make sense. What type of valid figures are you looking for? Positive or neutral experiences with the trans. are irrelevant in this matter. No matter how you figure it, based on 250 reports of this tranny issue, that is 0.4% of all Mustangs sold with the 3650 and that 0.4% have a common complaint regarding the trans. That means my calculations shows a maximum 99.6% of 3650 positive or neutral owners have no complaint to report, but that’s the unreliable figure.
As you say, 0.4% is the reliable figure. The problem is that, reliable or not, it's way too low to ever justify any action by Ford. Saying that 0.4% of people have a problem with a particular 5-speed is meaningless. Of course they do... in fact, I bet for any automatic transmission you pick 0.4% of people have some kind of warranty issue. That's just not a very big number for a device as complicated as a transmission, especially a manual.
Now, if positive / neutral comments weren't excluded, we could use StangNet as a sample group and get a real idea of what percentage of people have the problem. Too bad nobody understands that... or are you all afraid to see the real percentage?
Also, if the people on the thread were looking for a valid fix, I could understand that positive / neutral commentary wouldn't help. But I know people here aren't looking for a fix because I have posted the number one suggested fix for grinding gears from a very good service manual, and it has been ignored.
Silver_'02_4.6 said:
Do you really think Ford would run the risk of using substandard mounts causing the transmission to operate improperly? And maybe your right, what if there are inferior mounts in the Mustang from the factory, which lead to driveline misalignment. But, that would be Ford’s problem to fix, not mine. Why would I ever want to buy aftermarket mounts because Ford is suppose to know more parts of the car than anyone in the aftermarket? That TSB says that faulty tranny operation can result from aftermarket shifters, but I still have a factory shifter, and my transmission grinds-that doesn’t jive. Since none of us with the problem are getting anywhere with Ford, we would like some answers-even if it means pursuing legal measures.
Ford probably doesn't even make the mounts. There is probably a lot of variation in the manufacturing of the rubber-like material from one batch to another. Besides, anyone will tell you Mustangs - even ones that shift well - have some very soft mounts. And motor mounts wear over time. There is just a lot of drivetrain slop on these cars. You can get your mounts replaced for less than $200... that won't get you an hour with a good civil attorney.
I think the real problems here are:
1) A bunch of people are holding out hope that Ford will put free T56s in their car
AND
2) People aren't "being one" with their cars. Shifting a manual is sometimes more art than science. I am basing this statement on my own experience, on the track and on the street. Lately I have been observing how I shift my T3650, and there's no doubt that I am sensing and responding to feedback from it. The feedback takes the form of vibration, noise, and so on. So I am making a semi-conscious effort to prevent it from grinding... I just don't think this is a problem. It's just logical that I would have to do this. Could Ford put in a transmission that would never, ever grind no matter what kind of stupid $h1t people did with it? I guess, but I don't want to pay the penalty for that, in cost, weight, and parasitic loss.