2018 GT 6MT Grinding Noise When Releasing the Clutch

[BLU2DSKY]

Man the look I would give to those jagoffs if they had the audacity to ask me the same question.

Why shift at 7K RPM? Because I bought a performance car??? What do you expect me to do? Shift at 2K like its a Corolla? And also grinding when shifting is never normal.

Oh I had the same look when the foreman said it. Then the service manager said the same thing to me after the ride, stated "I don't drive like that in my car" like a moron, so when I asked what she drove she simply said "a Ford". I think a lot of this has to do with how young I look, granted I'm turning 31 this year and I bought this on my own.

Regardless, I'll be calling the Ford hotline, going that route. I am also going to file a complaint against the dealership. If they want people to drive Mustangs like its a Fiesta, then the dealership needs to stop selling Mustangs. Granted I told my sales rep this and he laughed at how stupid they are to question it.

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[BLU2DSKY]

Interesting. My car has done this exactly once, at around 4500 rpm. Sounded identical, and I could feel it in the pedal. I just assumed it was the dual mass flywheel getting slapped around that I felt. I'll post up if mine starts becoming common.

If you have it, try shifting above 5500 RPM and letting the clutch go slowly, you should hear the mechanical grind consistently. If you quickly shift up, you can avoid it but when down-shifting at high RPMS into 2nd it is hard to avoid the issue.

 

[FISHTAIL]

If you have it, try shifting above 5500 RPM and letting the clutch go slowly, you should hear the mechanical grind consistently. If you quickly shift up, you can avoid it but when down-shifting at high RPMS into 2nd it is hard to avoid the issue.

Yeah I was able to get it to repeat again today going from 2nd->3rd at around 5500. Just regular speed shift and it's a quick buzz that I can hear and feel. Until I saw this thread I'd just assumed it was the dual mass flywheel getting smacked hard over to the limit under high load. 99% of the time I won't run into this problem because I'm usually just poking around with kids in the car commuting.

I'll keep an eye on this thread though, if ford issues a TSB I will bring it in.

 

[MaxHedrm]

Woohoo! Another issue I have. I noticed it 2 shifts in a row this weekend.

Another thing that is weird, car running at a stop, clutch all the way in, the trans clunks going from neutral to 1st. It's almost like putting an auto in D.

 

[BladeGT]

Woohoo! Another issue I have. I noticed it 2 shifts in a row this weekend.

Another thing that is weird, car running at a stop, clutch all the way in, the trans clunks going from neutral to 1st. It's almost like putting an auto in D.

Yup,same here.......

 

[Nanashii]

I get an audible and mechanical thud going from 1st to second 75% of the time and around 50% 2nd to 3rd(regardless of clutch position engagement).

The thud goes all the way back to the 2015s. I had it on my previous 2015 Mustang and have it now on the 2018 as well.

Yeah I was able to get it to repeat again today going from 2nd->3rd at around 5500. Just regular speed shift and it's a quick buzz that I can hear and feel. Until I saw this thread I'd just assumed it was the dual mass flywheel getting smacked hard over to the limit under high load. 99% of the time I won't run into this problem because I'm usually just poking around with kids in the car commuting.

I'll keep an eye on this thread though, if ford issues a TSB I will bring it in.

Yup, speed shifting with the exhaust in normal/sport/track it's almost impossible to hear it and like you said it's just a quick buzz. Releasing the clutch slowly and it's more if a grind.

I'll provide an update on this as soon as the new flywheel and clutch are installed, hopefully by the end of next week. My understanding is that the replacement clutch has been revised and is not the same as the one from the factory.

 

[Nabush]

I have the same noise on mine. Only when shifting above 6000 rpm.

The slower I shift the bigger the noise...

It seems it does it less with time though (I'm at 5200 miles)

 

[itguy08]

Another thing that is weird, car running at a stop, clutch all the way in, the trans clunks going from neutral to 1st. It's almost like putting an auto in D.

Mine will do that too sometimes as I'm a neutral, clutch out at a light guy. I found that if I wait another second it won't do it. Almost like the trans has to spin down for no clunk.

 

[Nanashii]

I have the same noise on mine. Only when shifting above 6000 rpm.

The slower I shift the bigger the noise...

It seems it does it less with time though (I'm at 5200 miles)

Somebody else mentioned this to me as well over PMs. They had about 4600 miles and said this noise got progressively better as the miles accumulated.

 

[Ayatollah Humungous]

I had the same problem when new. As its progressing the noise is lessening. I took my car in for an oil change and asked the dealer to look at it. They test drove it and couldn't replicate the problem. They also said they didn't want to tear into the transmission because there is no obvious issue. I agreed with them on this sentiment.



However, I am unclear if the problem has "fixed itself" or if the problem has become worse and is then demonstrating different symptoms.



I am at 5,200 miles at this point and really can't get the grinding to happen anymore.

 

[opengl]

I've noticed the same grinding noise on mine as well since new when shifting at high RPMs. I'm at almost 3000 miles now, and its definitely getting less noticeable. Not super worried about it.

I also have the thud when shifting into first, which hasn't changed at all. Also thuds when going into second and third sometimes. Reminds me of clicking a motorcycle into first when it lurches forward a tiny bit.

 

[Nanashii]

Brought my car in for the engine rattle and clutch grind. The tech was playing it down since it doesn't happen under "normal driving conditions" I told him Ford has revised the clutch due to this problem.
[MENTION=11611]Nanashii[/MENTION] have you gotten your new clutch installed? If so is the grind gone?

[MENTION=16274]mvfjet[/MENTION] you should find a better dealer or at least one with a better service department. Maybe try talking to the service manager/shop foreman? This is definitely a problem. I am supposed to drop off my car sometime this week to get the new flywheel and clutch installed, but today my engine started knocking, so I am not even sure what's gonna happen at this point. The engine is most likely done, so I don't even care about the flywheel/clutch grind anymore. Car has already been out of service for three weeks last month while waiting for parts, so at this point it has lemon written all over it.:ford:

 

[Nanashii]

Dropped off the car at the dealer this morning and was given a fascinating update. Apparently Ford engineering came across my video and reached out to the dealer. The field service engineer relayed a message saying that this grind is normal for this type of flywheel/clutch assembly and that driving behavior. Something occurs during the last 50mm of clutch travel upon release which causes the grind. Also, everything with the flywheel is normal as well based on how Ford gets it machined. Needless to say...even the shop foreman wasn't buying this bullshit. The flywheel doesn't look normal to him at all and how they measured 50mm....:hail:

Anyways, all the parts are in but the field service engineer has told them not to replace anything. Keep in mind this comes up after the car sat at the dealer for three weeks waiting on parts. Right now the dealer is waiting on the Hot Line to provide them instructions on what to do along with documentation from all internal parties at Ford. The funniest thing is that Ford CS is not on the loop on any of this. I am supposed to have a call with the Regional CS manager tomorrow to provide feedback on how the car is running with the new parts. You can't make this stuff up!

The shop foreman heard the engine knock and had a ticket created. They will be looking into this issue as well.

 

[itguy08]

That's some BS right there. Any time there is a grinding sound it's not good.


Edit - did the math - 50mm is 1.9685 inches. I doubt the clutch plate has much more than 2" of travel in it.

 

[Nanashii]

Yeah, I agree. Also, last fall I test drove 3-4 other 2018 GTs with the 6 speed manual and none of them were grinding like this during higher RPM shifts. We'll see how it plays out and more importantly what they find out with the engine knock. Assuming it's not something simple, the car will probably be in the shop for at least another couple of weeks at which point I will be moving full steam ahead with a buyback. I don't even know if I'll take a chance with a 2019 at this point. Quality seems to be down the toilet with these cars.

The other hilarious thing is that engineering claimed there were tons of flywheels and clutches laying around and they had no idea why there was a one month long back-order.

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