jbchason

I bought my 2011 GT/CS a year ago, used with 15,000 miles on it. I had the typical clutch problems (engaging near the floor, failing to return to normal position when shifting at high rpms), clunky shifting, and I had the MT-82 transmission whine but it was tolerable.

I finally decided to try to remedy the situation by installing the Exedy Mach 500 Stage 3 Clutch (11-14 GT) and a Barton single bracket short throw shifter.

Now, the clutch feels great, the short throw shifter shifts much better. BUT, the transmission whines much louder and sounds terrible, my car pops out of 5th gear when I let off the gas, but stays in 5th gear when I stay on the gas, and I'm out $1500. I couldn't even sell this car right now, because the transmission sounds so bad that nobody with a brain would buy it.

Ford is telling me that because I upgraded to a performance clutch, they can't guarantee the diagnostic ($600) or repair work on my tranny will be covered under powertrain warranty. They have an easy out so I'm not going down that route. I also have no desire to have a POS MT-82 rebuilt by Ford or anybody else, only to have it whine again a few thousand miles down the line.

Is my only option to upgrade to the Tremec Magnum XL?
What is the true approximate cost of doing that upgrade (parts and labor)?
If I put that much money into this car, will I get any of it back when I sell it? Would you consider a 2011 GT/CS with a Tremec Magnum XL and upgraded flywheel more valuable than the same car with an MT-82 in it?
Or, do I cut my losses and just part ways with a car that I love in every other way, but which is not fun to drive right now due to drivetrain issues?

om3n

Not sure what to tell you, but I am also having the typical mt-82 whine. I brought my mustang to Ford just today and told me they also wouldn't work on my car with the mods I have.

I haven't modified the trans yet (came from Ford with 3.73 according to the prev owner) and I have no trans problems other than the normal whine, but I'm interested in learning what you decide to do.

jbchason

Dealers will always look for an out to a warranty. I was told to try to find a "mod-friendly" Ford dealer, but they tend to have a list of acceptable mods (i.e. a cold air intake is quite different than a supercharger).

The fact that Ford doesn't acknowledge this as a major issue and send us each money to put in a Tremec Magnum XL is just disgusting. These MT-82 issues truly affect the drivability and take away from the fun of owning a Mustang.

I'm done with Ford on this one. And, I'm not going to take it back to the guys who installed the clutch and shifter, because they gave me back a car with 2 problems that didn't even exist before I gave it to them. Nobody is taking responsibility and everyone thinks I should just bite the bullet and spend another $5000.

My next step will be to find an honest Transmission specialist and have him see if he can resolve any of the issues for me. I'm starting to wonder if the new clutch or the new fluid they used (redline) made the whine worse. And, I still have no idea where the popping out of 5th gear came from. If both issues can't be fixed for a reasonable amount of money, I'll probably just sell the car and never buy a Ford again.

jbchason

Also, Ford put out a memo on the 2011+ Mustangs, telling owners that the cars are tuned for peak performance and that any modifications could void the warranty. So, they clearly saw this coming and covered their behinds.

How ridiculous is that, with the tremendous aftermarket that exists for Mustangs?

JIM5.0

FoMoCo's TSB on engine mods affecting the powertrain warranty is excessive; I agree. FoMoCo made that TSB too broad with little or no protection from the unscrupulous dealerships from making frivolous warranty denials.
The instructions that TSB had was to remove the PCM and send it to FoMoCo to read how many times it was flashed and whatever possible modding data they could glean from the PCM; nothing short of a "Big Brother" in your car.

However, the aftermarket industry say this as a possible attack on their products since the TSB could be interpreted to also cause warranty denials on just a tune being uploaded into the PCM.
As a result and reassurance of their products' quality and guaranty, Tuners like BAMA now offer a #8 cylinder warranty with their tunes. The #8 cylinder is suspected to be the number one part to fail on engine failures from mods and tunes.

Now, I agree that dealerships should be allowed to deny warranty work if a mod legitimately destroys something, but dealerships should also be held accountable for denying warranty work over frivolous issues (example: you buy aftermarket shocks and install them. The transmission goes out, but the engine, transmission, and the rest of the drivetrain are still completely stock. The dealership should be prohibited from denying warranty work on the transmission). There are many such horror stories; I have no idea which ones are true and which ones are completely blown out of proportion. But for these stories to leak out, they must have occurred at one time or another

JIM5.0

I'm not a big fan of he MT-82 Getrag myself due to a couple of highlights, but I do like that it has a very deep 1st gear, 3.66:1, and the MT-82 coupled to 3.31:1 rears is equivalent to a T56 2.95:1 1st coupled to a 4.10:1 rear.
Aside from the gear whine and the clunkiness, both of which I have learned to live with, my remaining criticisms are:

1) The gear ratios could be better spread apart so that shifting from 1st to 2nd isn't such a drastic change, and possibly the same from 2nd to 3rd.

2) The shifter and linkages are not up to what they should be. They are okay for daily driving, but harnessing the full 412BHP is not what the shifter is meant to do.

3) Compounding the shifter problem, the bushings on the transmission are too damn soft. Very typical of Ford to place way too much emphasis on NVH for daily driving at a significant sacrifice to putting components that can harness 412BHP.
The bushings are so weak that the aftermarket has stepped up to help address engine to transmission alignment under WOT by creating inserts to go into the bushings.
By correcting the transmission alignment, hopefully that can eliminate being kicked out of 5th gear.
http://www.americanmuscle.com/whitel...ntV1&year=2013
http://www.dfw50s.com/showthread.php?t=2545

jz78817

why don't you ask them for three dicks and the Rockettes for free while you're at it? Ford warranties the car as it's offered for sale. if you modify/tune it to up the power from the engine, anything you break as a result of those modifications is your problem. And now you want Ford to give you money for an aftermarket transmission to sustain your modifications? No automaker on the planet earth would do that and you're being totally unreasonable for expecting them to do so.

If the tune can be proven to have led to engine damage, then the warranty claim should be denied. Like I said above, Ford (and every other automaker) warranties their cars in as-built condition. If you modify the car, and your mods cause something to fail, the warranty on the part that failed is void. And don't bring up Magnuson-Moss, it doesn't mean what you think it does.

JIM5.0

Why should I not bring up the Magnuson-Moss act? It says exactly what you just said: if the mod causes the car to break, then yes, the warranty work should be denied.
But the other side and why the Magnuson-Moss exists is to protect the consumer against warranty denial for mods that DO NOT break the car.

Bottom line is I agree with you; I quote myself:
"Now, I agree that dealerships should be allowed to deny warranty work if a mod legitimately destroys something..."

jz78817

the OP said his dealer wouldn't guarantee the work would be under warranty because of his mods, they haven't denied a warranty claim (in fact, I don't believe dealers can deny warranty work, only Ford can.)

besides, the OP was stupid for putting in an aftermarket clutch and short throw before taking the car in for service. Most of us know the MT82 had problems in MY11.

PeteInFlorida

Yeah Ford couldn't repair my issue either, although it was poorly manufactured body panels. I know this is the last Ford I will own. I had to order an aftermarket part and pay for it out of my pocket. Buyer's remorse? Heck yes! Next car will be another Toyota.