krough2010

Hey guys, I search a lot of forums but can't seem to find one specific to my issue.

I have a late 01 GT with a tr3650 trans. The trans, clutch, flywheel, aftermarket quadrant, FW adjuster, and cable are all pretty new (only 12,000 miles). out of no where it has become very difficult the shift in and out of gears. Prior to the issues I could press the clutch and easily put it in any gear I wanted regardless of rpms. Now out of nowhere 1-4 gears are bear to get in and out of. At >2000rpms its not too bad but I still need to wait for the sweet spot so it will fall into gear. However at higher rpms I really have to muscle it out of gear just to up shift then I need to let the rpms drop way down before going to the next gear. I dont have any gear grinding and the shifter does not fall out of gear at all.

The clutch appears to be operating as normal. It grabs just below half way and there's no slip when engaged or drag when depressed.

Id say I drive spirited and occasionally aggressive but I definitely don't beat it. Its taken over 3 years to put on that 12k miles.

Opinions??? Syncros, shift fork??

cliffyk

How many miles on the car, how much of what brand of fluid is in the tranny, when was it last changed?

krough2010

The car has 53k on it but the trans and clutch have less than 12k. The fluid has not been changed since the trans was installed. As far as fluid type and amount I have no clue. The trans was installed by a ford dealer so I'd assume motorcraft brand.

cliffyk

I would drain the tranny and refill with 3.0 L (3.2 qt) of Mobil 1 ATF. The dealer may have filled the transmission to the original 3.8 L specification, which is wrong per TSB 04-15-6.

Note that 3.0 L is filled so that the oil level is 19 mm (0.75") below the filler hole, I have seen both dealers and "quick-lube" places fill them right up to the hole and thus overfill the 3650...

krough2010

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

DRAGUL

I called Tremec two weeks ago and spoke to two different people there regarding the TR-3650 transmission in my 01 cobra. I was told to disregard Ford's tsb and fill it until it comes out the side hole. Was also told the best oil for these transmissions was Mobil 1 synthetic atf.

cliffyk

That was rather irresponsible of them, but give it a try if you like and let us know when the shifting problems discovered by Ford ruin the synchros. Better yet call Ford and see if they tell you to ignore the TSB; which BTW was reissued for the 2004 models as TSB 04-26-13...

DRAGUL

I was just stating what Tremec said. I figured Tremec is the manufacturer of the transmission, not Ford. So don't you think the manufacturer would be a bit more knowledgeable when it come to their product?

cliffyk

Yes Tremec did make it, however Ford is responsible for creating service specs for the transmission--and has the direct experience of providing warranty and other service for failed units. When it became obvious thse failures were not just isolated problems you can bet they consulted with Tremec on both the nature of the failures and how to prevent future failures.

This is a quote from a 2007 issue of Transmission Digest:

I suspect that whoever you spoke with at Tremec was not really aware of the situation, or of the TSB...

dawson1112

I would have to agree, Technical service bulletins only come out after there have been numerous complaints and repairs logged , they are not general knowledge of a service tech. How ever a diligent technician would have looked to see if there are any TSBs on the Tremec you speak of.