2002 mustang GT 5-speed, 43k. I recently took my car in to have the transmission looked at because of a grinding into 3rd gear at mid to high rpm when the car is warmed up. They told me there was a technical service bulletin out for this problem and the proceeded to replace the synchros, forks and some other parts that escape my memory right now. I got the vehicle back and its still doing pretty much the same thing. The dealer told me there would be a 400 mile break in period but i didnt think the grinding would reoccur. Its like when its cold the gate is working well to stop me from going into third until the synchros readjust the speed. But when it warms up it feels like there are no synchros at all just goes right into third with a grind. Should I try a diff. tranny fluid, i've read that works miracles for others, synchromesh maybe? Or is it a clutch problem?, Shift linkage? Please Help?...Please dont reply if your going to say its my driving, I've been driving 5-speeds for many years and am fully capable of good solid shifts, Thanks for your help!
3rd gear grinding TSB completed
- Thread starter jmiller5623
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search for the 60-page long thread on the t-3650 transmission in 4.6L tech.
You'll find your answers there
You'll find your answers there
Thanks for the info on that thread 
I looked it over and realized I'm pretty much beating a dead horse here and for that I apologize. I really didn't seem to find any one w/ my the same problem as me after the TSB was completed. Like I said before when I first drive it in the morning it wont grind at all. No matter what I do then as it progressively warms up it wont stop grinding. 
Could it be the viscosity of the fluid, maybe something thicker is needed in the tranny. Or possibly like someone said before the throwout bearing. The dealer said my clutch and bearings were ok however. Adjustment of cable maybe, Anyone w/ any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
I looked it over and realized I'm pretty much beating a dead horse here and for that I apologize. I really didn't seem to find any one w/ my the same problem as me after the TSB was completed. Like I said before when I first drive it in the morning it wont grind at all. No matter what I do then as it progressively warms up it wont stop grinding. Ok so for anyone thats payin attention to this grinding problem that everyone seems to have from what I've read in these forums, I'll tell ya what I think it might be, lol. I went out to my car on my lunch turned off the radio, heat , etc. so it was quiet and proceeded to press the clutch in and out. It seems that it is making some faint noise when the clutch pedal is out, and when it is depressed, the noise slowly goes away in approx. 3-4 seconds. If I attempt to put the gear shifter in 3rd gear w/in the 3-4 seconds it will grind. If I wait the few seconds until the noise stops the gear will go in w/out any problems. All other gears do not need to wait that alotted amount of time. My thought was the clutch cable needs adjusting or the TOB isn't working correctly. Its just odd that it would only do that in the one gear. To recap I already had the synchros, forks, rails, replaced with a TSB. This problem was exactly the same before and after the TSB work......Man I hope they did the work they said they were gonna do! One more thing, when driving at any speed when shifter is in neutral, and i proceed to shift w/ out using the clutch into ( I know stupid but it was just for troubleshooting) 2nd or 4th it wont allow it, it will be blocked from going into the gear. However, w/ 3rd, it allows it to go right into the 3rd slot and grinds just the same as if I had the clutch depressed, there is no blocking of the shifter. I hope all of this makes sense, I really want this prob. to be over. Thanks again
Hello. Did you ever figure out the third gear grinding issue? I’m having the same issue. Thanks.
Check this out...
Official Tremec 3650 Issues Thread
After reading several threads on this board as well as others. It is apparent that the Tremec 3650 Transmission has a known flaw. You can call it 1-2nd grind/clunk, cold gear clash, bent shift forks, whatever it is, it seems that Ford Dealers are told to tell you that "It's Normal" I...
www.stangnet.com
The widely known 1-2 shift and 2-3 shift clunk that was covered under the TSB was a design flaw that didn't allow the trans to speed match the gears very well. The TSB replaced the physical gear and synchro, but wasn't a 100% fix. I owned a 2003 GT brand new under warranty, and was very familiar with the 1-2 clunk issues and dealing with Ford to fix it under warranty.
almost 20 years later, it's hard to say if your issue is a result of the trans design issue, or a syncho slider that is worn out and needs replacement. Could also be issues such as clutch disengagement, or bent forks and such. My point is, at this point in time, it's hard to pinpoint the cause without digging into the trans and inspecting the parts.
Since a lot of this info has now been lost due to time, here's the actual TSB. I believe the TSB was revised later to include 2004 Mustangs as well, but I have a copy of the 2003 version from when my 2003 GT had the issue brand spanking new. Again, hard to say if this is your issue, or just a worn out old T-3650
The listed revised syncro kit (3R3Z-7124-AA) was later revised to 3R3Z-7124-AD and has been discontinued unfortunately.
And, just to show the issue was never fully fixed, there is a TSB for later Mustangs with the T-3650 that also have this problem
almost 20 years later, it's hard to say if your issue is a result of the trans design issue, or a syncho slider that is worn out and needs replacement. Could also be issues such as clutch disengagement, or bent forks and such. My point is, at this point in time, it's hard to pinpoint the cause without digging into the trans and inspecting the parts.
Since a lot of this info has now been lost due to time, here's the actual TSB. I believe the TSB was revised later to include 2004 Mustangs as well, but I have a copy of the 2003 version from when my 2003 GT had the issue brand spanking new. Again, hard to say if this is your issue, or just a worn out old T-3650
The listed revised syncro kit (3R3Z-7124-AA) was later revised to 3R3Z-7124-AD and has been discontinued unfortunately.
And, just to show the issue was never fully fixed, there is a TSB for later Mustangs with the T-3650 that also have this problem
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