Manual Trans. Thud when shifting

[PatM]

... posted that in another thread (Grinding noise on 2nd and 4th gear), may be interesting here also:

I investigated the problem by myself over the weekend and found that the stock shifter is mainly responsible for this grinding/rattling kind of noise at 2500+ rpm due to vibration. As I had the Barton shifter here anyway I just removed the stock shifter assembly and installed the Barton short throw shifter. First thing I noticed was that shifting is much improved and the noise is 60% gone. Nice thing is I can shift through all gears with my elbow resting on the console now. I still could experience some harsh noises in some gears and figured out that this seems to come from the additional spring force pushing the shifter to right in 1st, 2nd and left for 5th and 6th gear (no noise in 6th gear though). As the resistance with all 4 springs in was way to strong for my liking anyway, I removed the 2 top springs. Now the noise was about 80% gone but I still had some kind of annoying metallic "ring" noise in 5th gear which mostly vanished when pushing the shifter slightly to the right. So I decided to just remove all the springs and fully rely on the linkage spring, which is totally fine for me even if I liked the two spring setup better. Additionally, I do not know if, on the long run and thinking about warranty, there could be any negative effect applying additional spring pressure to the linkage and trans. The noise in 5th gear is now minimized to a totally acceptable level as I can barely hear it anymore with windows up and AC off. Maybe it gets a bit smoother over time.

As a conclusion, my take on it right now is that shortly after installing my Magnaflow Street Catback, the rattling/grinding like noise developed because of the more intense vibrations introduced by the x-pipe especially. This does of course mean that even with the stock exhaust it could develop over a longer period of time but is maybe not that pronounced. The stock shifter and especially the reverse lockout is really bad from that perspective.

Regarding my clunking problem when shifting (engaging/disengaging the clutch manly from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd), I have been told by my dealer that Ford has problems on several cars with clunking (I assume due to excessive play) on both ends of the driveshaft, meaning either transmission or differential. For the trans it could also be the throw out bearing. So I will drop it off at the dealer next week and they figure out on which end the problem is in order to decide on the path forward. I honestly like this approach much more compared to just exchanging something on pure spec.

Seems to be a bit long winded, (my apologies:hail but hopefully also provides some helpful information ...

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[whalesalad]

I continue to hear that the differential bushing kit from Steeda helps to mostly eliminate the thud during shifting.

I just ordered one not for this purpose specifically, but i'm excited to see if the thud disappears.

 

[zx2reme]

So I just got done installing a ton of suspension mods to include the Ford Racing bushing sets. I took the car out for a drive and when I shift, there is a lot of rattling coming from the rear end. There's nothing while I'm driving steady, but when I shift, the rattling starts. I originally had a thud, but it went away after about a 1,000 miles. Any thoughts? Could I have installed the axles incorrectly? Also, the rear end whines while driving as well. Kind of wishing I only went with the Steeda bushing kit so I didn't have to pull the car apart so much. LOL!

 

[16s550]

Let's get those Ponies running smooth, Tele5.0, MustangDirector, and Mangrove Mafia.

Checking in with your dealer is a great first step; let me know when you do so.

Also, as I'm seeing this is more than an isolated case, I want to document your product feedback. If interested, please send me your VINs and any additional details about the noise you are hearing while shifting.

Rachel

That does nothing. I told you guys about it. You told me to take to dealer and i did. They told me it's normal. It's not normal obviously with all the people on here experiencing it. This is very annoying and it doesn't do it all the time. Some sort of recall should be done. This has been happening since I've bought the car in January.

 

[16s550]

Ford should give us all one piece drive shafts. This clunking crap is ridiculous

 

[foghat]

That does nothing. I told you guys about it. You told me to take to dealer and i did. They told me it's normal. It's not normal obviously with all the people on here experiencing it. This is very annoying and it doesn't do it all the time. Some sort of recall should be done. This has been happening since I've bought the car in January.

Normal is as normal does...

Ford should give us all one piece drive shafts. This clunking crap is ridiculous

As many have reported, a one piece drive shaft does not get rid of the 'thud'

 

[mustang_guy]

Its the differential. Ive covered this already. Its primarily an issue with the torsen diff found in the PP. Ive driven quite a few non pps that dont do it. Also not all PP models do it, it seems to be isolated to a certain tolerance. Changing out the bushings around the rear end can/have helped some. If you cant live with the clunking which is perfectly normal/acceptable by dealer standards then switch away from the torsen or open your diff up and make your own adjustments.

Best regards
Ex ford master tech.

 

[16s550]

Its the differential. Ive covered this already. Its primarily an issue with the torsen diff found in the PP. Ive driven quite a few non pps that dont do it. Also not all PP models do it, it seems to be isolated to a certain tolerance. Changing out the bushings around the rear end can/have helped some. If you cant live with the clunking which is perfectly normal/acceptable by dealer standards then switch away from the torsen or open your diff up and make your own adjustments.

Best regards
Ex ford master tech.

If it dosnt cause any damage I will live with it. But For me it doesn't seem normal and I shouldnt have to fix it...I bought a new car to not have problems like this. Why should I have to adjust. I paid more for pp. They should adjust it...never had a car that thudded when put it in gear.

 

[16s550]

Normal is as normal does...



As many have reported, a one piece drive shaft does not get rid of the 'thud'

That sucks

 

[mustang_guy]

If it dosnt cause any damage I will live with it. But For me it doesn't seem normal and I shouldnt have to fix it...I bought a new car to not have problems like this. Why should I have to adjust. I paid more for pp. They should adjust it...never had a car that thudded when put it in gear.

Its an irs issue in the design or was designed in for a reason. What that reason is if thats the case, i could not tell you. Subarus wrx or wrx sti's do this too but only during a launch or wot with fast shifts.. Aftermarket bushings fixed their clunks. The pp's that dont do it seem to be luck of the draw. It has to be a tolerance thing.

 

[16s550]

Well I guess we will see if my friend david@steeda can help me get rid of thud. I am also switching out tranny fluid after shifter install.

 

[OrangeRush]

I thought I'd chime in here. Some light thudding/clunking is normal and not indicative of a problem (per se) nor cheap/crappy parts.

I had a Scion FR-S in the past and, apart from being a totally different car, it had an Aisin transmission and Torsen LSD - very high quality parts on both ends and it still thudded frequently. It's annoying, yes, but really nothing to worry about.

 

[16s550]

Glad it's nothing to worry about, but If I was the engineer making the parts I'd find a way to eliminate it from factory because in my opinion it's very annoying and it shouldn't be doing that. It's my first car that has ever done that and I've driven over 150 cars and heavy big rig vehicles. Primarily manual transmission. It just doesn't feel normal to me...should be butter every time.

 

[MikeyPee]

MGW+Steeda tranny insert and SS line+BG tranny fluid=NO THUD. I credit the MGW with the thud elimination

 

[16s550]

Im going to be installing my steeda tri ax this weekend so we will see if thud goes away.

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