om3n

Hey guys,

I'd like this thread to be as much for documentation as anything else. I'll try to keep it updated so just in case someone else encounters the same problem they can read up here.

Before reading everything else, this is EXACTLY what I am experiencing (not my video):

So I have a 2011 GT premium (currently about 45K miles) with the factory MT82 manual trans, and I am the third owner. I bought it half way through the summer last year and I LOVE it. Mods were done all by the previous two owners, and please forgive me if I don't know everything about the mods- I got as much info out of the previous owner as I could:

• lowered 1.5" (not sure what lowering kit was used)
• MGW short throw shifter
• JLT CAI
• Offroad Xpipe (from American Muscle, not sure brand)
• SVT Axel back exhaust (not sure what exact model)
• John Lund ghost cam tune (LOVE this)
• 3.73 diff (not sure if from the factory or aftermarket)

So here is the problem. When I first bought the car it had a slight whine when accelerating in first and less noticeable in second. I asked the prev owner what the deal was and he told me it was the CAI sucking air, and because it was so faint I believed him. But I've had the car for almost a year now (granted it gets garaged for 4 months during the winter) but the whine has only gotten worse, and here is what I'm now experiencing:

• Whine in 1st through 4th, no whine in 5th, whine in 6th
• Definitely coming from the trans and not the diff
• Does not whine when revving in neutral
• Getting slowly louder over time

About a month ago I started researching this, and I stumbled across a few threads in a variety of forums, and the video linked at the top. Note this comment in the video:

And there are other threads elsewhere that say similar things.


This morning I took my car to my Ford dealership (had to set up the appointment a month in advance, apparently Ford is fixing a ton of transmissions as the transmission guy was booked for a month solid) and now I am waiting for them to call me to tell me what they think.



Thanks guys, if any of you have had similar experiences I'd like to hear about it.

om3n

So I just got off the phone with the service manager at the dealership.

I was very polite and respectful when I spoke with him but he was the total opposite. He explained that because my "car is catless and has an aftermarket induction system (the CAI)" he would not honor my warranty and not work on the vehicle.

I asked him if he thought these modifications would have an affect on the transmission and he told me that I had with the CAI and no cats "re-engineered the vehicle" and it didn't matter either way. He also hung up on me before I was done with the conversation, I guess he could have taken the conversation as over because I said something like "well thank you for taking a look" but he didn't offer to work on it out of my own pocket, or explain how I could come pick up the vehicle, and I had several other questions as well.


Well, I guess I'm going to try taking it to another dealership, and I'm never going back there again. This is not the first time I've had a bad customer service experience there- it's Atchison Ford in Belleville, MI.


Do you guys think it's worth trying another dealership, or do you think I'll just hear the same thing no matter where I go?

Peebz

I had the same problem that you are having. I thought mine was coming from the rear end at first but learned quickly it was the transmission. I noticed it the most in 1st through 4th gears. The problem with mine was the input and output shaft bearings had gone bad and evidently my 5th gear assembly. They fixed it under warranty this past week and am picking it up on Monday.

If you have aftermarket mods on the car and you have warranty work, it is usually a good idea to take them off and put on the oem equipment. HOWEVER, it is illegal for them to tell you that they can't do warranty work to your car if they CANNOT prove that the aftermarket equipment that you have on the car is the cause of your problem. You can sue their asses off for that, for sure. If I was you, I would go in and talk to the service manager and see what you can get done, DO NOT CALL. The whining noise could be a long list of things but you need to fight the issue because it will cost you about $1500 (give or take) out of pocket to get it fixed if they don't fix it under warranty. Don't let them tell you it is the MGW shifter either cause I left mine on when I took my car in and they just wanted me to put the stock shifter back in when they fixed it.

I hope this helps and good luck!

jz78817

yes it's worth going to another dealer. The decision on accepting or denying a warranty claim is Ford's, not the dealer's. he sounds like he doesn't want the risk of a chargeback if Ford rejects the claim and is giving you a bulls**t response.

Rudolph Hucker

sounds terrible...micky mouse chinese rubbish gearboxes ford fit to the manuals

om3n

Alright guys, I am going to pick this back up again. I'll be calling dealerships and asking them to take a look. I'd like to get this fixed under warranty before winter starts if at all possible. I'm just debating on whether I should be up front and honest about the mods on the car while on the phone, or just avoid talking about them. With that said, anyone know of any mod-friendly dealerships in the SE Michigan area?


Worst case scenario, I'll investigate into rebuilding the trans out of pocket, maybe even myself with a mechanic friend. However that will become a winter project. If it truly is out of warranty then I'll be changing the whole way I think about modding and maintaining the car.

om3n

So I've been googling like crazy looking for a mod friendly dealership in the Detroit area, and I found a vague blog post from like 2009 that said there was one in Jackson MI on a 4x4 forum. I then googled Ford dealerships in Jackson and found Seymour Ford- called them up and I spoke with a service person there, and he was super cool. I told him about the exhaust and the tune and he told me it shouldn't be a problem, he doesn't see those things causing trans problems- the only reason it would be an issue is if a Ford engineer had to look at it, or if they had to remove the after market exhaust to remove the trans/etc. I was super happy with this guy.

My appointment is the 22nd, and I am really looking forward to what these guys say. I'll keep this thread updated.

Derf00

Glad you found a mod friendly dealership. The one I go to is. When we first moved out here to AZ I tried a couple of different ones with my old Mustang. They sucked. The one I go to now (Santan Ford) has a performance division where they install Whipple superchargers, gears, suspension upgrades, everything! Never had any issues with them and mods on my car. I'm not heavily moded but a CAI and tune is sometimes enough to make a dealership squeal. These guys are asking when I'm taking it to the next level (gears, headers, etc).

Andy13186

They all do that, and if you get it replaced and drive it hard, it will do it again. thats just how these transmissions are.


I tried changing transmission fluid to royal purple and that did nothing.

learn to like it, i did.

FordService

He's correct, om3n! Glad you found a mod friendly dealer. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

Deysha