No resistance shifting

[VanFiveO]

Hey All,

Thought I would reach out to see if any of you know what might be wrong with my S550's shifter or tranny. Car is a 2021 GT PP1. I'll do my best to describe.

While still running the stock shifter the shifts felt sloppy, the shift lever would just fall into gears. The lack of resistance made it exceedingly difficult to find gears. Once in gear the car drove fine. Engagement of gears is totally okay. Fast forward to a month ago, I installed an MGW shifter (standard handle but x-spec), thinking it may just be the poorly built stock unit. The MGW unit is spectacular and at first seemed to resolve the issue. Very stiff but the loose feeling was gone.

Fast forward to now. As the shifter broke in, the loose feeling returned and as of today the leever just falls into gear. Not a good kind of falling into gear. Zero resistance. Gears still work fine and once in gear the car drives 100% okay. I can shift using a single finger until the gear is about to engage, at this point i get a slight bit of resistance. I've driven plenty of manual cars and never have I felt this before.

I'm going to double check all bolts on the MGW this weekend but don't believe this is the cause, as the problem existed with the stock unit.

Just thought I'd see if anyone may know where to start looking. Makes driving the car less of a joy.. now that the summer is here.

Thanks.

Sponsored

 

[KingKona]

.....the shifts felt sloppy, the shift lever would just fall into gears. The lack of resistance made it exceedingly difficult to find gears. Once in gear the car drove fine. Engagement of gears is totally okay....

Your complaint is that it shifts too nicely? You want your shifts to be resisted?

Please share with us the other cars & transmissions you've owned.

 

[VanFiveO]

Your complaint is that it shifts too nicely? You want your shifts to be resisted?

Please share with us the other cars & transmissions you've owned.

I'm not complaining it shifts too nicely. It feels as if the gear leever is not attached to anything. I am not looking for resistance in gear engagement and am thrilled my mt82 doesnt have any issues with this. The term "resistance" may have been a bad choice of word.

Other s550s I've driven do not feel like this, nor did my car when I bought it.

 

[silverneb]

With a car that new, I would have gone right back to the dealer and asked to speak with a technician and supervisor and explained in person what you meant. I know what you mean and that is not a good sign.

 

[VanFiveO]

With a car that new, I would have gone right back to the dealer and asked to speak with a technician and supervisor and explained in person what you meant. I know what you mean and that is not a good sign.

I had it in at the dealer when the problem began, not nearly as bad as it is now but they shrugged it off and said the transmission isn't known to shift all that smoothly & I'd be fine.

I'll schedule an appointment and bring the inspection report from my first visit to show that it's a documented issue that was clearly not caused by the aftermarket shifter.

Any idea what it may be? I'm unfortunately not very knowledgeable on the transmission internals.

 

[KingKona]

I had it in at the dealer when the problem began, not nearly as bad as it is now but they shrugged it off and said the transmission isn't known to shift all that smoothly & I'd be fine.

I'll schedule an appointment and bring the inspection report from my first visit to show that it's a documented issue that was clearly not caused by the aftermarket shifter.

Any idea what it may be? I'm unfortunately not very knowledgeable on the transmission internals.

I would be very shocked if they didn't deny warranty repairs due to the after-market shifter.

Just put the OEM one back in, don't tell them there had been an AM unit installed.

 

[VanFiveO]

I would be very shocked if they didn't deny warranty repairs due to the after-market shifter.

Just put the OEM one back in, don't tell them there had been an AM unit installed.

I guess a Saturday afternoon of work to save any headaches to do with fighting about warranty claims would be worth it.

You don't think that a trained mechanic can see that the stock unit has been removed/tampered with? Last thing I want is for them to find out there was an after market shifter installed and I was trying to hide it. Wouldn't help my case, that the shifter had nothing to do with it.

 

[ShadesOfBloo]

I'm not complaining it shifts too nicely. It feels as if the gear leever is not attached to anything. I am not looking for resistance in gear engagement and am thrilled my mt82 doesn't have any issues with this...

So, the complaint is that there's no tactile feedback in the shifter?
And you'd like to be a lot more certain that you've gone through the detents, and it's gone into gear properly?

I think the wording writers use in reviews is that it's lacking shift feel. Shift feel is vague. Something along those lines. Try some of that wording, and someone on the dealer staff ought to know what you're talking about.

Other s550s I've driven do not feel like this, nor did my car when I bought it.

You might need to mention that several times, by the time they listen to you.

Any idea what it may be? I'm unfortunately not very knowledgeable on the transmission internals.

If I understand correctly, the transmission has spring-loaded "detents" that have a part in keeping it in gear. (There may be other things involved. I'm not so sure.)
The detents are what feel like they've grabbed the shift lever, and that's how you know it's in gear and you can let it go.
(Someone who's actually assembled a transmission might give us a better explanation.)

Anyway, it sounds like something is on the wrong side of the production tolerances, maybe got assembled with an incorrect lubricant, or instead of "breaking in" maybe a spring just "broke".

You're right to be proactive with this. I suspect if it escalated into a bigger problem, it could mean the transmission starts popping out of gear.

 

[KingKona]

You don't think that a trained mechanic can see that the stock unit has been removed/tampered with?

You have 2 options;

1. Leave the AM shifter in place, and 100% have warranty coverage denied.

2. Re-install the OEM shifter, and maybe, maybe the tech won't notice (or care) and things will get taken care of under warranty.

But I'd also have someone else who drives an '18+ MT82 try yours, maybe it's just you.

 

[VanFiveO]

So, the complaint is that there's no tactile feedback in the shifter?
And you'd like to be a lot more certain that you've gone through the detents, and it's gone into gear properly?

I think the wording writers use in reviews is that it's lacking shift feel. Shift feel is vague. Something along those lines. Try some of that wording, and someone on the dealer staff ought to know what you're talking about.



You might need to mention that several times, by the time they listen to you.



If I understand correctly, the transmission has spring-loaded "detents" that have a part in keeping it in gear. (There may be other things involved. I'm not so sure.)
The detents are what feel like they've grabbed the shift lever, and that's how you know it's in gear and you can let it go.
(Someone who's actually assembled a transmission might give us a better explanation.)

Anyway, it sounds like something is on the wrong side of the production tolerances, maybe got assembled with an incorrect lubricant, or instead of "breaking in" maybe a spring just "broke".

You're right to be proactive with this. I suspect if it escalated into a bigger problem, it could mean the transmission starts popping out of gear.

I appreciate the advice. I'll make sure to reiterate that other cars have felt different. Just have to be persistent I guess. Shift feel may be better wording than asking for more resistance.. hahah

Thanks alot for the breakdown with the springs! Here to learn why things may not be working right, even if it needs to be fixed by a qualified professional.

However, I'm not sure that is the cause. It engages gears properly and the shift lever is grabbed. It's the process of getting there that feels as if the shift lever is lust loosely moving under my guidance.

 

[VanFiveO]

You have 2 options;

1. Leave the AM shifter in place, and 100% have warranty coverage denied.

2. Re-install the OEM shifter, and maybe, maybe the tech won't notice (or care) and things will get taken care of under warranty.

But I'd also have someone else who drives an '18+ MT82 try yours, maybe it's just you.

Thats fair. OEM shifter sounds like the right move. Thanks.

I'll find someone to take it for a spin before I go ripping things back out. Maybe I'm just loosing my mind

 

[jmagnus87]

I've assembled a T45 transmission that was "single rail" and i believe the MT-82 is a "triple rail transmission. What this means is there are 3 rods that shifter forks ride on to engage the different ratio gears. The forks hold the synchronizers and typically are attached by a hole in the fork with a softer material between the fork and the rail. Most speed shops upgrade these slides to brass for durability and positive engagement. It sounds to me like your synchros are mostly stripped and not giving you the resistance into gear.
or
You got super lucky and the Germans who designed the transmission (and actually build them for the BMWs) got you an actual German version of this transmission and it was built to their specs. And what you're experiencing is all the natural build tolerances loosened up to operation tolerance and now you have the best transmission any of us have
Our MT-82s are built in China and I'm sure quality standards there are much lower due to pricing. We don't pay $80,000 for a base GT like they do in an M3.

edit: also, what's the bushing look like in the driveshaft tunnel? If that thing is torn or torn out of the tiny studs in the tunnel then you'll likely have very little shifter feel.

 

[VanFiveO]

I've assembled a T45 transmission that was "single rail" and i believe the MT-82 is a "triple rail transmission. What this means is there are 3 rods that shifter forks ride on to engage the different ratio gears. The forks hold the synchronizers and typically are attached by a hole in the fork with a softer material between the fork and the rail. Most speed shops upgrade these slides to brass for durability and positive engagement. It sounds to me like your synchros are mostly stripped and not giving you the resistance into gear.
or
You got super lucky and the Germans who designed the transmission (and actually build them for the BMWs) got you an actual German version of this transmission and it was built to their specs. And what you're experiencing is all the natural build tolerances loosened up to operation tolerance and now you have the best transmission any of us have
Our MT-82s are built in China and I'm sure quality standards there are much lower due to pricing. We don't pay $80,000 for a base GT like they do in an M3.

edit: also, what's the bushing look like in the driveshaft tunnel? If that thing is torn or torn out of the tiny studs in the tunnel then you'll likely have very little shifter feel.

Thanks for the insight on the mechanics of the transmission. Makes it a little easier to picture what's going on inside.

Being German myself, I would be thrilled to have a German made MT82 but think I'll have to settle for a Chinese one for now lol

What bushing are you referring to? The shifter is trans mounted, so the rear shifter bushing is no longer in the car. Or are you referring to the center bushing of the driveshaft itself?

 

[NGOT8R]

Here’s a look inside of the MT82-D4.

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/mt82-d4-rebuild-thread.176240/

I don’t know if the MGW shifter is like the Steeda Tri-Ax Race shifter, but my Tri-Ax came with soft and stiff springs. The soft will give it more of a factory feel and the stiff springs are more race inspired and require a little more effort to manipulate the shift lever.

 

[babrams3]

I'd break a finger trying to one finger it with my mt-82....count ya blessings brotha

Sponsored