WildRed

i have a 06 and it shifts fine. i may be wrong but when they say its ok to grind, i dont buy that. the tranny was not designed to grind into 2nd gear. ok every once in awhile we all grind a gear or 2. not a problem, but this sounds like a consistant problem that needs fixed

Black GT

500 miles so far and no shifting problems with mine.

BigDave

Thanks for the info!
I'm thinking that the syncro is a tad worn, but 6 Ford mechanics all say that it is normal. One guy said that it is because the gears are straignt-cut in this tranny. Stating that it is harder to get the gears to mesh. Since I've rebuilt a couple of top-loaders in the past, I do know what is involved inside the box. Every transmission for the last 70 years or so have the gears constantly meshed and the synchros and blocker rings are what engages (exception is reverse riding on the outside of 4th gear).

If two Ford dealers won't work on it, where do I go? I'll probably kill my warranty this week anyhow...

Swan05GT

I had the exact same problem. The second gear syncro was grinded bad and the third gear somewhat. I had to pay $1200 to Lonestar Performance in Garland, TX. I could of had it done for $1000. Lonestar charged me to take it out and then just took it to a tranny shop ( 2 weeks! ). I could have cut out the middle man if I knew they were going to do that. Warranty wouldn't cover it do to fact that I have a S/C, even though it was grinding before I put the S/C on. Your ford mechanics are full of sh..t. It's only normal if the synchro is worn. Get it fixed, you'll be glad you did.

SonicStanGirl

My advice, go down to a local dealership and test drive another similar car. Maybe the car you bought from carmax has a big issue. I noticed a bit of stiffness to the gearbox when my car was 5 miles new...then it softened up over the miles I put on it (now 7500 mi). I'm with some of the other guys on this site regarding downshifting. The 5spd in my GT seems like it does not like downshifting unless your foot is completely in the clutch and you are at the perfect RPM for that gear.

Advice from my racer friends about downshifting vs. braking, brakes are way easier and cheaper to replace than trannies and clutches.

1fast05GT

23K miles and counting, no shifting issues. I have well over 75 passes at the track as well, speed shifting most of the time. The only issue I had was missing 2 to 3 a couple of times, but it was my fault.

Grinding is not normal.

How many miles on your '05? Being a used car, who knows what kind of abuse it went through.

ford4v429

downshifting and getting that 'whirring' noise is not a good thing...the synchros were added to spool up the gears a tad between shifts, and the whirring sound(1st @ 30) is the sound of your big old clutch disc accelerating to about 6k, being accelerated by a much smaller 'friction clutch' (little synchronizer)...if the synchro cant do its job, I honestly dont know if it wont go into gear, or if it will allow you to grind...I would suggest taking it in for tranny fluid change(even if you offer to pay) and have them strain the oil...betcha its got a lot of glitter in it if the rings are worn- might justify repair then? either way, if its worn, the particles didnt leave the tranny- I'd change the fluid soon either way just in case.

only thing on mine has been a general dislike for the rather vague 3rd gear gate, and once powershifting to second it wouldnt go in- scary, as I'm sure that shift put 10-20k miles wear on it
Third gear is entirely too easy to miss- never ever had a problem in any other car...ever notice in first, push lever to right, then in third pull lever to left- the positions actually overlap quite a bit...too much rubber in the mount or something.

sonicblue05

LOL
shifting into 1st at 30, with the clutch in then using the brakes to come to about 15 before i let the clutch out! lol
i pulled out of walmart one time and at about 30 managed to hit first instead of third.(first week and new to the mustang lol) BAD IDEA my wheelslockedup and i slidlike thirty feet lol. never did that again.....

ThisBlood147

I never had any shifting-related problems with my 05 until after the blower went on. Since it has been on, I've grinded going into 3rd four times[:@]. But I realized my real problem was not missing 3rd.......it was trying to shift too fast and letting out the clutch before the car was all the way into 3rd gear. Now I slow my 2nd to 3rd shift down a bit to make sure I don't try to get "too short" with my shifts. lol