Official Tremec 3650 Issues Thread

[SPEEDYLIFSAVR]

you should copy and paste those exact sentiments to FORD . I know I felt the same way dealing with my transmission fiasco . Unfortunately my next vehicle probably wont be a FORD either and thats all I've owned since I've been able to drive . If more people make their opinions known , maybe , and I stress maybe , FORD will do something about it .

 

[psnous]

I know Ford should have issued the TSB sooner and maybe there was a good reason why they didn't but they shouldn't have kept us in the dark either. I also feel that some of these a**hole dealers are making Ford look even worse. I had a nightmare of an ordeal with my tranny and was screwed by a dealer but I fought tooth and nail and was a long drawn out battle but in the end I won then sued the dealer. Went to another dealer and was treated awesome, fixed the tranny and although it lasted longer than the previous 3 times before it eventually failed but I knew a TSB was forthcoming so I waited. It finally came and the dealer did the warranty work as per the TSB about 3-4 months ago and about 10,000 miles, and 10-15 1/4 mile passes later and it feels the same as it did the day I got it back from the TSB work. Now that it's cold here in MO it's slightly notchy til it warms up but is fine after that.

 

[brianmef]

You sued your dealer?

 

[psnous]

You sued your dealer?

Yea, the original one I went to. They fixed it once and knew it was a problem, then the second time they denied me due to abuse but didn't offer any facts, my headlights were supposedly stolen while they had and got new ones on my warranty but there no signs of forced entry unless they left my car unlocked and/or hood open fought for a year almost then caught them in a lie then I got them to admit to me (while I had a hideen recorder) that they denied me due to abuse. Lot of other details but can't really say a whole lot but yea they were *******s and the service manager had a 01 Cobra as well with a P1SC and had been through trannys as well, bet he got his warrantied though

 

[brianmef]

So you sued and won and still didn't get it fixed right. That's pretty bad.

 

[psnous]

So you sued and won and still didn't get it fixed right. That's pretty bad.

Yea I won but chose not to deal with them or let them touch my car so I went elsewhere and was treated awesome.

 

[drock01]

Mass Ford Dealer

Has anyone had any good luck with any particular Massachusetts Ford dealer???

 

[grey281]

I've got a 2004 Mustang GT and it has the same problems. The dealership told me I'm f***ing nuts. My car has 4000 miles on it and I'm ticked that Ford can't make a tranny worth a damn. The 05 has the same tranny too. I'm sure it will have the same problems. Ford admits there is some problems with the 01 to 03 cars and not the 04. wtf. Anyone having these problems with an 04?

-James-

 

[SilverGTV8]

FORD does not make the tranny, Tremec makes the tranny. TREMEC used to soft a syncro for the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts. FORD doesn't want to do anything about it with out proff because of the costs involved. To ford it is a low level problem, to mustang owners it is a big deal. TREMEC has already come out with a fix. Parts are cheap under 200 bucks, labor is the expense that ford doesn't want to incur.

I lived with my 1-2 and 2-3 for 15000 miles after it start to do it. I actually OWNED (sorry sliped 1st post ) the service rep. I told him what was on the TSB and what it is going to fix and why. He was so shocked that I knew everything that was there and I could descrine the problem to a T. He had to do it.

My suggestion is to make an appoinment at the dealership. Drop the car off the night before so it can cool down. GO down there and test drive the car for them with atleast a REP and see if the TECH can come along to, and show thenm what it does.

P.S. '05's have the TREMEC upgrade already installed and so do most late '04's

-SilverGTV8-

 

[rrl]

i did just as you said and took the tsb to 2 different dealerships,both said this was normal and that the tsb is only aprocedure and that they don't have to fix it just because there is a tsb.ford customer service told me too bad,keep searching different dealerships.basically they told me to go to hell.

 

[RedPony]

Wake the dealership up.......

i did just as you said and took the tsb to 2 different dealerships,both said this was normal and that the tsb is only aprocedure and that they don't have to fix it just because there is a tsb.ford customer service told me too bad,keep searching different dealerships.basically they told me to go to hell.

Get two big lemon signs and put them on each side of the car and park it across street from the dealership and then wait.............see how long it take before the owner notices it............bet something happens then.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I've said it before A REBUILT STANDARD TRANS NEVER WORKS 100%. I have never meet anyone satisified with a rebuild in this part of the country.

That's untrue.

I have rebuilt T-5 transmissions before (used in V8's from 83-95) and they always shift as well as non-rebuilt transmissions.

Of course it could be that i take my time and do the job carefully, but they way these trans go together you really can't botch them up too much. The parts only fit together 1 way and as long as you take your time setting the right endplays you shouldn't notice a difference.

It really depends on the skill of the rebuilder.

 

[Mustang5L5]

TREMEC has already come out with a fix. Parts are cheap under 200 bucks, labor is the expense that ford doesn't want to incur.

The fix is $200???

I thoiught i read the parts kit for the fix was something like $900 for everything?? WHere are you getting $200 from?? For $200 i'll do it myself.


I have yet to take my car in for the fix. Mine isn't as bad as some of your's trans that i'm reading.

When it's cold, my first few shifts are notchy. I only have an issue with the 1-2 shift. the 2-3 shift is fine. WHen the car gets some heat in the trans, it shifts fine.

After reading some of the results here, i almost do NOT want to have the fix done. I can live with a couple hard shifts in the morning. Other than that the trans is perfect.

I'm just worried that i am causing damage. I don't want to find at 40,000 miles my trans is fubared from the hard shifts.

I only have 18K miles and my warranty expires in 2006, so i'm not too concerned yet. I still got tons of time left. Plus if parts are only $200, i can do it myself. I know how to rebuild transmissions.

 

[drock01]

Sounds like you just picked up your 03? All I can say is that my tranny shifted pretty good until the weather hit about 40 degrees. Did you drive your mustang on that 17 degree morning we had two weeks ago in Mass? My tranny shifted like crap!!!! I would have guessed I was running cool-aid instead of tranny fluid!!!
If yor're successful at rebuilding your tranny you could make a ton of money on the side. As far as parts being $200, I've heard they are close to 1K. Dealerships say 1K for parts and 1K for labor.
Do you know any manual tranny specialists in the Mass area?

 

[Mustang5L5]

Sounds like you just picked up your 03? All I can say is that my tranny shifted pretty good until the weather hit about 40 degrees. Did you drive your mustang on that 17 degree morning we had two weeks ago in Mass? My tranny shifted like crap!!!! I would have guessed I was running cool-aid instead of tranny fluid!!!
If yor're successful at rebuilding your tranny you could make a ton of money on the side. As far as parts being $200, I've heard they are close to 1K. Dealerships say 1K for parts and 1K for labor.
Do you know any manual tranny specialists in the Mass area?

I've had my '03 since June. During the summer it shifted fine. It owuld just be a little notchy on cool rainy days in the summer. 5 mins worth of driving it cleared up.

It was ok that cold day a couple weeks ago. That's about the only time it really felt bad when you can feel the first couple shifts on the 1-2 slap together instead of meshing smoothly. But 10 mins later it would be fine.

I don't know any manual tranny specialists really....kinda why i got into rebuilding T-5's myself. I'm actually rebuilding another T-5 right now for a friend, but i'm dying to get my hands on a junk T-3650 just to see how they work inside. I don't mind tranny rebuilding, but i just HATE yanking and installing the thing when i am done.

 

[ebbie53]

Well, just got back from vacation and got my car yesterday. They put a new tranny in it with a build date of 08/11/04. iIt shifts real smooth right now but will have to wait till the end of the week for cold weather, will let you guys know then. Can't say enough about my dealer they were great.

 

[drock01]

what state are you from???

 

[jcobra]

Im having a slight clunk between 1st and 2nd doesnt happen all the time. Also have trouble getting into first once in a while. My cobra is a 2001 with only 8700 miles but im the second owner and the warranty is up. I guess I have to live with it or pay out of pocket???

 

[chuckstang95]

1-2 grind/crunch when its cold and i have the weird bump from 2-3

 

[asa96fmc]

Well, just got back from vacation and got my car yesterday. They put a new tranny in it with a build date of 08/11/04.

Do you know how your dealer determined the build date? I recently had the TSB peformed but reverse gear no longer worked after it was done. Consequently, the dealership gave me a new transmission. I asked them to confirm it has the revised parts, but apparently they could not determine the build date.

Any help would be most appreciated, as I am about 600 miles away from being out of warranty, and I want to guarantee this thing is corrected. The dealership service manager was nice about it and assured me it would most likely have the updated parts, but I want definitive proof. Thanks!