Official Tremec 3650 Issues Thread

[highvolts]

Well... I took my 03 in last Monday (27-Sep) and got her back on Thursday (30th). Today/Last night it got to 30 degrees here in Columbus Ohio, so I got up and went out and drove around the block. WOW! There is a major difference from last time it got this cold and now. It is very smooth and engages very nicely. Hopefully it will stay that way thru winter. My mechanic (personal friend) said he had to order a part that was not in the kit... not sure what for... so for now... I give it a Thumbs Up!

 

[AlcHemiE]

Yeah, ive been to three different dealerships now and they all thell me its normal. At the final dealership i asked to speak to the manager and he came out. He also told me it was normal to which i responded "Is it ford's policy to issue TSB's on normal issues" then i showed him the TSB. His response was a blank stare and nothing else. I just took my keys and left. I am writing ford corporate as we speak, and enclosing a copy of the TSB, and a copy of each dealer invoice stating the condition as normal.

 

[drock01]

I had some dealer push back as well. Stress the fact that yes, this was normal at one time, however over the past 2 years Ford and Tremec have been working together to fix this problem and just recently (July?) a TSB was issue to address this problem. Someone in a previous post had also mentioned this is somewhat of a safety issue. Popping out of gear or not being able to shift into gear can be dangerous.

Did any tech's drive you mustang? The colder the weather the better. How bad is your tranny?

Stick with it and I would go to the dealership where you bought the vehicle

 

[02mingreyconv]

I had my tranny fixed a month ago and I have had no problems since.

I took the car in with the problem and they gave it back to me with the 'can't duplicate' answer. I told them that the car had been popping out of gear and was really notchy/grinding when cold, so we agreed that I would bring it in when it started to get colder.

I then took it in on a monday and said that the gears had been popping out again over the weekend and that I wanted my tranny fixed. I also told them that the car was shifting alot better during the summer but that it was horrible during the winter. And it is a convertible, so it is going into storage for the winter and my warranty is due to end in febuary so I demanded the 'fix'. I did not mention that I knew about a TSB. They complied and I have been happy ever since.

I was planning on putting by KB 9psi kit in at the same time and asked them to replace the original clutch with a dual friction centerforce one while they had the tranny out but they refused. I was not complaining since they were doing the fix for me and I drove the car to the local speed shop where they installed my shifter & clutch for $200.

Just tell them that the gears pop out every once in a while, on cold mornings, when you really step on it. They can not duplicate that bc they are not allowed to abuse customers cars

Good luck!

Joe

 

[Chongus]

Do that again and you'll be banned. --Spreadman

 

[AlcHemiE]

Yeah, i am just sick of getting the run-around. I shouldn’t have to "stick with it". I paid almost $27,000 for this car after tax, so i expect that when i bring it in for service that they comply and do all they can. I don’t deserve to get this BS. I usually find that a professional letter to corporate, accompanied by the "i would prefer to avoid any legal action" line usually gets the best response

 

[highvolts]

Anyone know if they take the shifter off when they do the TSB? Mine has been fixed and i'm thinking bout getting a new shifter.

 

[2013 Geee T]

Ive had mine fixed for about 2 months or so and it is starting to act up again. Its been a little colder and its getting a grind again. Its not nearly as bad but its still not perfect & I guess it never will be! But the after market shifter makes it much more noticeable thats for sure.

 

[GDMCSMITH]

Better but not great

Well folks, my TSB fix is 3 weeks old and although things are better than they were, they could be a whole lot better..

I've had some morning harshness (it is getting colder out) that does get better in about 5 miles..But the clunking/banging still happens, although a lot less than before..When I say clunk, it is when you are cruising at moderate speed and that you foot off the gas, the tranny "bangs" and you feel it...There seems to be a speed range for each gear when it is better but it happens real often...I have never had a manual tranny do this in 25 years..My last 4 cars (94SHO, 96Contour, 98ZX2 and a 2000 Nissan Altima), all manual, never had a feel like this....None of them had the muscle of my 03GT, but the tranny SHOULD be matched for the HP....

I will see how things go for awhile longer, but it is a bit disappointing so far..Although better, it is not as good as I expected...

 

[brianmef]

I always thought the "clunk/bang" was a noise from the rear end and not the transmission. I haven't had any notchiness or grinding when shifting from 1st to 2nd since I had mine fixed, but I still hear the clunk noise. I told the service manager about it and they are calling it "normal" and won't fix it. That is BS just as much as they used to call the transmission problem "normal" until they finally decided to issue a TSB for it and then people are still having problems getting it fixed from their dealer. I still say if I buy another car, I really doubt it will be a Ford after all this.

They know about this and won't fix it even though there is a TSB on it. I've noticed the banging noise if I am just coasting with the clutch in and in 1st or 2nd gear like when I am going to be coming to a stop soon in a parking lot, and it's not during "quick acceleration" as they state below. I notice it at other times also like when I am at a certain speed and give it some gas. I feel that the problem is too much "free play" in the rear end. I could be wrong but that's my impression of what's happening. When I talked to my service magager about it, he made it sound like you had to almost be abusing the car to duplicate the noise, and you don't. It's under totally normal driving conditions.

Bulletin Date: JAN 2004
DRIVELINE CLUNK DURING GEAR CHANGES AND/OR QUICK ACCELERATION AFTER COAST (TIP-IN) CLUNK. *TT

 

[GDMCSMITH]

Rear end??

Hey brianemf...

Thanks for the words...It could be the rear end now that you mention it...I wasn't aware of the Jan 2004 Bulletin and it sounds about right..I just assumed it was the POS tranny.."Free Play" is what it feels like, I thought tranny syncros kept the all gears spinning about the same speed for easy(?) engagement, but it may be the rear end... I will keep on things and see what Crossroads Ford has to say...The Service Advisor I have been working with has a 04GT and he already blew 2nd gear, so is real familiar with crap like this...

I will get the Jan 04 Bulletin and let you know what they say...

PS....This whole mess really sucks...It just seems that when GM got rid of the Camaro/Firefird and Mustang was the only muscle available, they know buying options are very limited without spending a fortune..I love Mustangs but they Ford is sure making it real hard..

 

[Twisted]

I have the rear end cluck too. If I grab the drive shaft with my hand I can rotate it back and forth about 1/4-1/2 inch. I pointed this out in one of my 4 transmission visits and was told it was normal too. It doesn't bother me as much as the grind because I plan to do gears/aluminum driveshaft at one point and have it shimmed correctly then.

 

[GDMCSMITH]

Hey Twisted,

"Shimmed Correctly"...What a concept !!

Good luck!

 

[jprez1980]

3650 TSB Number?

Hey Gang---

I am about 2K left until the warranty runs out....is there finally a TSB on the 1-2 3650 clunk and if so whats the TSB number and where can I find more information? I've been waiting since December of 02 lol =)

Thanks!
JP

 

[brianmef]

The TSB # is 04-15-6. You can view it here:
http://forums.modulardepot.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32640

I would print it out and show it to your dealer if you have to.

 

[jprez1980]

Need some advice/input on this...

Took my car to the Ford house today regarding this TSB. My car has been there before when I first purchased the car and when I was complaining about this issue, so its not like its the first they have heard of me and this problem. Anyways, the tech has to attempt to replicate the problem...well low and behold..."Unable to duplicate problem". Even after they viewed the TSB they said sorry...not all cars are impacted...see the TSB says "most" apparently your car doesn't fall into that category. They also said if I am really adamant about it I can pay out of pocket to have it done. Now with less than 1,000 miles before my warranty runs up and warmer weather I dont' know what to do. Any suggestions? I call forward customer viewpoint and they couldn't care less. I e-mailed regional executive today..no response yet there either.

 

[brianmef]

They are saying it doesn't affect every car? It affects every Mustang from 2001 to 2003 with the 3650 transmission. They probably don't own a Mustang and wouldn't know a good shift from a bad one! I would maybe try another dealer or go back there and let them know you want it fixed NOW and don't take no for an answer. It's defective and there is a TSB documenting it. What more do they need? A letter from the president of Ford?

 

[fomoco]

They are saying it doesn't affect every car? It affects every Mustang from 2001 to 2003 with the 3650 transmission. They probably don't own a Mustang and wouldn't know a good shift from a bad one! I would maybe try another dealer or go back there and let them know you want it fixed NOW and don't take no for an answer. It's defective and there is a TSB documenting it. What more do they need? A letter from the president of Ford?

Did you know Ford only pays out 5.6 hours to the technician for replacing all the gears and synchros as per the tsb!
I think this may contribute to the "sorry buds we can't fault it"
Don't let the dealers push you around.

 

[brianmef]

Did you know Ford only pays out 5.6 hours to the technician for replacing all the gears and synchros as per the tsb!
I think this may contribute to the "sorry buds we can't fault it"
Don't let the dealers push you around.

Yeah, that's probably why so many dealers are unwilling to fix it even though they get reimbursed for the parts. I was lucky with my dealer. The service manager actually called me letting me know there was finally a TSB on it and to bring it in. They was probably tired of me calling in constantly, although towards the end I pretty much gave up on it. I would like to say to everyone to not give up when they say it's "normal" and they won't fix it. Keep taking it in complaining about it.

 

[lazerred03]

Here we go again!

at approx 10500 I had the 1-2 and 2-3 synchro backing rings replaced by ford. Now at 22,000 I'm having similar problems again. Not as bad as last time as in no third gear grind when I put it in third but I do get the occasional 1-2 gear grind and the transmission is notchy and sometimes will not go into reverse. I have tried to repair it by putting in some Redline D4 trans fluid a few weeks ago. Since then I have driven it over 700 miles and still not much luck. It still is stubborn when cold however when it warms it it does shift better. I just called my ford dealer about the TSB and we will see what they say. If they want to check the car out I'm going to have to remove the tri ax again, seems like everyweek I'm taking that damn thing out to bring it to the dealer for this **** hehehe. I'll let you know how I make out!

Ken