Concerns of tick/grind in an 01

[Alacrity]

Sorry if this has been drilled over and over again, I'm very new to all of this and I did search but still didn't find exactly what I was looking for. Anyway, just a while ago I picked up a 2001 GT with about 23,000 miles on it, and I was wondering how bad either of these two things are. I think I may have the infamous 1st - 2nd gear grind...Is this something that must be fixed eventually before serious damage, or is it something that these cars just do and can be ignored? Also, I've noticed a small ticking noise, generally a bit louder at lower speeds as I accerlate, and it either goes away as I'm going faster or I just don't notice it anymore. I got this car at a Carmax and I have about a week left on their warranty, and if there's anything that can be fixed I'd like to know. Although I do have a strong feeling I'd have a difficult time proving any of this to them. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[mackey]

First, for the ticking you should start by tightening up all your exhaust bolts. Get a pipe, put your ear to one end and move it around the header, see if you can hear/feel anything if you can you have an exhaust leak. Start with that then move on. As for the tranny, look at the sticky at the top of the thread list, it has alot of posts. Kind of hard to miss.

 

[Alacrity]

Alright, I'm going through the thread now (53 pages, fun). I guess I just need to drop it off and see if they'll do anything. Thanks for politely directing rather than the flaming I deserved for missing a sticky on it.