Official Tremec 3650 Issues Thread

fpb96GT · Oct 6, 2003

my 96 only has 18k on it but has been doing it since 10k miles on the T-45...mine would grind going into reverse, or occasionally doesn't go into reverse at all....ford wanted to take out my whole tranny...so I'm living with the problem.... with fords continuing to use the crap tranny, and refusing to give us more displacement all these years....it makes you wonder why we keep coming back for more.

waker2k1 · Oct 7, 2003

02 mustang gt, 13900miles, blew out 2nd gear, replaced all synchros, clutch(worn out already), shift fork 4th gear and 2nd gear...and a fwe other odds and ends...all i can say is this is a piece of **** trans, the tech said so himself, told me dont waste my time on this trans and get a new one...

dommustang · Oct 7, 2003

waker2k1 said:
02 mustang gt, 13900miles, blew out 2nd gear, replaced all synchros, clutch(worn out already), shift fork 4th gear and 2nd gear...and a fwe other odds and ends...all i can say is this is a piece of **** trans, the tech said so himself, told me dont waste my time on this trans and get a new one...

Hi! I just joined this forum. I just bought a 2003 Mustang GT 2 Weeks ago. I have the grind between first and 2nd. Also second to third can be a problem also. I guess I should have found this forum before I bought. I have no clue what to do. I see others have went to the dealer and they made the problem worse. I have a 1978 Camaro Z28 with a borg warner 4 speed trans. And this thing is great with 58,000 miles on it. I bought the Mustang because Chevy Didn't make a real muscle car. Please Let me Know what you think. Thanks for the help. Dom. P.S. I have only 286 miles on my Mustang GT.

waker2k1 · Oct 7, 2003

take it to the dealer and request a new transmission, dont go through the bs of getting it rebuilt...

GoosyStang · Oct 8, 2003

All I can say is I just got my 2002 stang. It was fine when i bought it. Only 9,000 miles. Now that it is cold getting into second I always get a grind. I almost tore my hair out the other day. I just put down my other stang. A 93 Gt with 230,000 miles on it. Guess what? It shifts better than the 2002. And that was the origanal tranny. Ford is getting a visit from me.

Mustanganatic · Oct 8, 2003

fpb96GT,
The T45 shouldn't have the problem we're discussing here with the 3650. Sounds like you need a clutch adjustment. Do a search on "Mustang clutch adjustment" on Google, there's a very good article on how to pop the quadrant gear over a tooth. I had the same issue with my '89, the clutch was grabbing way at the bottom.
As far as your displacement issue, if the beancounters had their way a few years ago, we'ld be driving Maztangs. Also, word has it the 5.4L will be going into the GTs and Cobras for '05.

Twisted · Oct 8, 2003

Getting Cold Again

Here we go again. The temperature is in the low 40's in the morning now. @nd gear is becoming more of an issue again. I have to do the "2-mississippi count" 1-2 shift. Looks like I am going to be bringing it back to the dealer for the 4th visit for the same problem.

Has anyone received a new transmission or a rebuild that 100% fixes the problem? I know several guys mention that they are on their 2nd or 3rd with the same problems.

BMan5150 · Oct 8, 2003

Twisted said:
Here we go again. The temperature is in the low 40's in the morning now. @nd gear is becoming more of an issue again. I have to do the "2-mississippi count" 1-2 shift. Looks like I am going to be bringing it back to the dealer for the 4th visit for the same problem.

Has anyone received a new transmission or a rebuild that 100% fixes the problem? I know several guys mention that they are on their 2nd or 3rd with the same problems.

I read a post on this board a few weeks ago about how someone called TTC directly, and they advised them to reduce the tranny fluid to 3.2 quarts (????not sure on the exact amount) and go with a standard tranny fluid (non-synthetic.) I read a few people's post after they did this who said it dramatically helped the shifting action and pretty much got rid of the grinding. However, I never heard anything after that, and I've tried to solicit reposnses on this board.

Can anyone give us an update on this procedure?

silver02horse · Oct 8, 2003

I have a 2002 GT with 8,000 miles on it. I've always had the hard shifting problem since day one. I did a little research when I first bought the car and it seemed to be a common problem. I replaced the factory shifter with a Steeda Triax and it seemed to help a little, but the hard shift from first to second is still noticable. Once the car is warmed up it is fine. The hard shift is really bad in cold weather...

dahun · Oct 8, 2003

Mine too!?

I thought that it was the oil and cold temps. So at 5000 miles I changed the transmission fluid to a Mobil 1 ATF and it seemed to get a little better. Doesn't do it so much when it's warm but for the first 20 miles or so, it clunks into second. Doesn't matter if it is a fast or slow shift.
Another thing I noticed is sometimes a quick upshift to third results in a missed shift...?
BTW how can confirm that I have the T3650 tranny? and not the T45?
Dahun

Twisted said:
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 would like to get a list going of everyone that is experiencing difficulties. It is a long shot, but if we get enough people gathered maybe Ford will do something. Strength in Numbers.

I'll start the list:
Name Vehicle First Noticed Problems

Jason Prokosch 2002 Mustang GT 8000miles

GoosyStang · Oct 8, 2003

Has anyone seen these pages before?

http://www.bullittarchive.com/reference/TSB/

http://www.bullittarchive.com/Misc/Tremec/

Interesting.....

Twisted · Oct 8, 2003

My 2002 has been to the dealer 3 times so far. First time nothing. Second time drained and filled with Sythetic ATF, not sure on the amount but it was after the TSB's to lower the level. Third time they did nothing.

After the synthetic change the problem got worse, then much better as the spring turned into summer so it is hard to tell if it was the fluid or just the temp increase.

Now it is getting cold again and the problem is becoming more severe. So I guess the fluid didn't do Sh1t then.

CuddaWuddaShuda · Oct 8, 2003

I hope you're all reading the whole thread. I don't think a recall will happen, and there are some suggestions here that will help you. There is a lot of "venting" on this thread, but there is some good information as well.

I still think this thread should be locked because anything useful that can be posted about this topic already has been.

silver02horse · Oct 9, 2003

CuddaWuddaShuda said:
I hope you're all reading the whole thread. I don't think a recall will happen, and there are some suggestions here that will help you. There is a lot of "venting" on this thread, but there is some good information as well.

I still think this thread should be locked because anything useful that can be posted about this topic already has been.

____________________________________________________________

CuddaWuddaShuda,

Do you work for Ford? You have been following this thread for some time and I can't believe you don't acknowledge the fact that the Tremec 3650 has some issues. I have had the 1-2 shift problem from day 1 (brand new car). This is not a driver problem this is a design problem. It is hard for me to believe, because the car is fine once it is warmed up, that this is due to defective mounts or misalignments. The only fix that has been introduced in this thread is to replace the fluid with a cheaper version and to not fill it to specs. What is this solution going to do to the life of the transmission. Will the lack of fluid shorten the life of the tranny? My concern is this, if the people in this forum are having problems with brand new cars (even '03s), what is the transmission going to be like when we have 50,000 miles on it. I'll admit, it's an inconvenience right now for me to wait for my transmission to warm up until I can shift it properly, but what problems is this going to lead to in the future. I don't recommend closing this thread. I found it very interesting that others were experiencing the same problems (or worse).

BTW I don't want a T-56. I want a properly functioning TR3650 transmission and a company that takes care of it's loyal customers.

BMan5150 · Oct 9, 2003

dahun said:
I thought that it was the oil and cold temps. So at 5000 miles I changed the transmission fluid to a Mobil 1 ATF and it seemed to get a little better. Doesn't do it so much when it's warm but for the first 20 miles or so, it clunks into second. Doesn't matter if it is a fast or slow shift.
Another thing I noticed is sometimes a quick upshift to third results in a missed shift...?
BTW how can confirm that I have the T3650 tranny? and not the T45?
Dahun

If you have a 2002, you have the t3650.

1fstgt · Oct 10, 2003

i work at ford dealership as a tech. and i've never even heard of any mustang tranny problems that's weird that some of you are having so many problems and our dealership hasn't had any in with those complaints. i wonder what the deal is.

BMan5150 · Oct 10, 2003

The deal is that the 3650 is a clunky but strong tranny. It shifts like a Mack truck, although despite this characteristic I'm betting that it won't crap out too quickly if you don't powershift and beat the living daylights out of it on a weekly basis.

It's the worst shifting tranny I've ever operated with one exception - a 1978 John Deere Tractor. No joke - and I doubt the tractor had synchronizers!

Stang2003GT · Oct 12, 2003

I bought the GT for 2 reason it looks great and shifts better then the SRT-4. I tranny is stiff but I like that it can take some torque.

decoy562 · Oct 14, 2003

Mine shifts stiffly, with a mechanical noise when the car is cold, from 1st to 2nd gear. After is warms up, it is not so "notchy."

damongt · Oct 14, 2003

think i found what you're looking for

i work at a ford shop in northern alberta, and i just bought my 01 gt last week. drove friday and took it to the shop saturday afternoon. Checked the TSB's and found that they have an updated shift fork. The part number is 2R3Z 7230 AA. Apparently they have a weak shift fork. I didnt read the whole thread so i dont know if you guys that but i'll let you know how it works i get it back on friday. I will try to remember to get the special service message. Hope that helps.

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