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Full Version: Third Gear Synchro Problem?
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I have zero problems with my tranny. Well slipping clutch, but thats 100% my own fault.
Ford made one mistake with the Focus (and Cougars)

they decided to make the shifting rings from 2nd-3rd gear with one ring, instead of the standard 2. Result: grinding gears and aweful noise.

go to focaljets Team Shift-It, and someone in there can provide a solution as to how-to install a 2-ring system
My 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears all make a tractor-like windage noise, and I blow shifts from 2nd-3rd fairly often...I think that what you all said about the tranny spinning slower than the engine sounds realistic to me. Wonder if I should go and have the tranny fluid replaced, or perhaps some other stuff...I hate how much noise my gearbox makes, especially in 1st...It's been like this since I bought the car, and it only had 44,000 km's on it back then...
is it the torque converter?
Drivesthebeast,Apr 10 2006, 12:37 PM Wrote:My 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears all make a tractor-like windage noise, and I blow shifts from 2nd-3rd fairly often...I think that what you all said about the tranny spinning slower than the engine sounds realistic to me.  Wonder if I should go and have the tranny fluid replaced, or perhaps some other stuff...I hate how much noise my gearbox makes, especially in 1st...It's been like this since I bought the car, and it only had 44,000 km's on it back then...
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go search on fucal jet.. there are 9,550 posts come up when you search for "tractor sound + tranny" mine even sounds like a tractor, even after I flashed the ECU software to the newest version, it helped a little, but still, not much better. I just live with it, thankfully the mbrp hides this sound.
Drivesthebeast,Apr 10 2006, 04:37 PM Wrote:My 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears all make a tractor-like windage noise, and I blow shifts from 2nd-3rd fairly often...I think that what you all said about the tranny spinning slower than the engine sounds realistic to me.  Wonder if I should go and have the tranny fluid replaced, or perhaps some other stuff...I hate how much noise my gearbox makes, especially in 1st...It's been like this since I bought the car, and it only had 44,000 km's on it back then...
[right][snapback]180293[/snapback][/right]


yeah that's the gear roll over noise ford blessed out MTX-75 with. The only thing you can do is replace the tranny fluid. I use GM syncromesh and I tend to put in a tad more than what the manual calls for ( 3.8qrts and I put in 3.9/4 ) that will make the tranny purr like a kitten and you can even hear the gears winding up and not the tractor noise!

only down side is it's a $30 fuild swap 3 or 4 times a year :( Do it yourself type job too. If anyone wants a how to I'll make one up next time I flush it which should be this weekend.
The gear roll over noise is primarily caused by the tranny pins becoming un-aligned.

They replaced 3 trannys on my car before they assured me it was not doing the car any harm.

As for you Micheal.

Bitching only gets you grief. I should know.
before filling up your trans with mega bling synthetic fluid thinking it will make things better.. i'd do a ton of research before doing that... subaru != ford but on a sube a lot of those fluids really kill the trans quickly.. seriously... it might not be worth the money.. before read before dropping the cash...

and my focus had 100k kms when i sold it and i had 0 trans or clutch problems.. the car saw autoX use, couple of 1/4 mile passes to get a 16s slip (woo hoo!) and hard street driving and no problems...

i know this sound stupid.. but maybe try making sure the pedal is all the way to the floor before moving the shift lever, and making some attempt at rev matching when downshifting?
What Naz just said its actually pretty correct with the downshifting/shifting/accelerator pedal thingy. I drive my car hard day in and day out, but always always always matching the revs when I go to downshift, and all it takes is one crack at the throttle. Believe it or not but my car was experiencing these synchro problems (the grinding and what not) and I just continued to drive the car harder in hope it would break so I could take it to Ford and get a new tranny :D However, the problem went away and my car hasn't had any other weird tranny sounds or anything....... it's weird I tell ya
yeah my 3rd gear always grinds a whee bit at the track when I'm shifting really quickly. thought it was just my driving!

Jake
Burnin21,Apr 25 2006, 08:37 AM Wrote:What Naz just said its actually pretty correct with the downshifting/shifting/accelerator pedal thingy. I drive my car hard day in and day out, but always always always matching the revs when I go to downshift, and all it takes is one crack at the throttle. Believe it or not but my car was experiencing these synchro problems (the grinding and what not) and I just continued to drive the car harder in hope it would break so I could take it to Ford and get a new tranny :D However, the problem went away and my car hasn't had any other weird tranny sounds or anything....... it's weird I tell ya
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Reading this now is pretty funny man :P
hardk0re,Jun 24 2006, 03:23 PM Wrote:
Burnin21,Apr 25 2006, 08:37 AM Wrote:What Naz just said its actually pretty correct with the downshifting/shifting/accelerator pedal thingy. I drive my car hard day in and day out, but always always always matching the revs when I go to downshift, and all it takes is one crack at the throttle. Believe it or not but my car was experiencing these synchro problems (the grinding and what not) and I just continued to drive the car harder in hope it would break so I could take it to Ford and get a new tranny :D However, the problem went away and my car hasn't had any other weird tranny sounds or anything....... it's weird I tell ya
[right][snapback]183250[/snapback][/right]

Reading this now is pretty funny man :P
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Funny how things seem to come full circle in life.
Is the synchro completely gone? If not, I'd do a little experimentation with fluid before pulling it out.

In my experience (145K), tranny fluid doesn't last long in the MTX-75. I've used ATX fluid (recommended in 2000 manual, but crap), Redline (many claim is bad for the '75), the expensive Ford synthetic stuff, cocktails of ATX and 75-90 etc... and, while some are better than others, they all only last up to about 20K before the transmission gets noisy and shifts poorly. It only uses a little over 2l of oil and works it pretty hard.

My transmission now shifts great (did replace the shift cables though) and I run - and I'm not kidding here - Canadian Tire Motomaster TDH fluid at around 9$ a 4l jug. It's a thin Gl-4 oil, so it OK for transmissions. I mix in half a 250ml tube of MolySlip with each change, and change the oil as soon as it starts getting noisy, but a about $10 each change that's no big deal.

Now it shifts great and the 3rd gear synchro works better than ever. I get best results in summer by overfilling the trans a bit (put it on a slight uphill slope and fill until it runs out the filler hole).

Playing with oil might be worth a shot before going for the BIG JOB.
nass,Apr 11 2006, 03:08 PM Wrote:
Drivesthebeast,Apr 10 2006, 04:37 PM Wrote:My 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears all make a tractor-like windage noise, and I blow shifts from 2nd-3rd fairly often...I think that what you all said about the tranny spinning slower than the engine sounds realistic to me.  Wonder if I should go and have the tranny fluid replaced, or perhaps some other stuff...I hate how much noise my gearbox makes, especially in 1st...It's been like this since I bought the car, and it only had 44,000 km's on it back then...
[right][snapback]180293[/snapback][/right]


yeah that's the gear roll over noise ford blessed out MTX-75 with. The only thing you can do is replace the tranny fluid. I use GM syncromesh and I tend to put in a tad more than what the manual calls for ( 3.8qrts and I put in 3.9/4 ) that will make the tranny purr like a kitten and you can even hear the gears winding up and not the tractor noise!

only down side is it's a $30 fuild swap 3 or 4 times a year :( Do it yourself type job too. If anyone wants a how to I'll make one up next time I flush it which should be this weekend.
[right][snapback]180443[/snapback][/right]

I am very sure MTX75 only take 2.1qrts oil, maybe you want to 2x check that.

BTW I use GM syncromesh and it rock.
well we have a success story, after putting in my new clutch, i used gm syncro tranny fluid and no more 3rd gear crunch, and my focus had the worst cruch even when i wasnt speed shifting.
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