I think i found the problem to the grinding issues...

[302]

If you look in your owners manual it says XT-11-QDC

Well upon inspection you will notice this is not the correct fluid.

Here are some links to back up this claim.

http://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/main/quickref/mantrans.pdf
http://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubrican...ransmission Fluid&category=Transmission Fluid
http://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubrican...ransmission Fluid&category=Transmission Fluid

Here is a testimony i found on the internet. This guys claims has all of the shifting issues i started to experience once it got cold:

"Start by reading your owners manual, you all did this upon delivery right. You will see the listed fluid as XT-11-QDC for your MT-82. This fluid is for DCT's like my 2011 Fiesta. Day one I said WTF? I had read and knew the MT-82 required XT-M5-QS. I mentioned this to my dealer, my parts department, and every single 2011 owner I had the privledge of meeting. Needless to say I was told it is the correct fluid, a typo, I am a liar, and the list goes on. Frankly I don't really give a ****, this really is my last attempt to help the community. XT-M5-QS has been the key to get many Getrags to shift correctly, Mazda guys swear by it.

After the weather turns cool, consistantly around 35 degrees the problems really start. Same baulky, notchy, clunking bull**** as everyone else. At 3,559miles I drain out the brown super thin XT-11-QDC and replace with light amber XT-M5-QS also known as tranny honey. The tranny right away was smoother, it felt lubricated and protected. I went easy for a hundred miles and then lightly got on it for the next few hundred. Everyday the tranny feels better. This tranny really likes to be hot. I now have almost 500 miles since the switch, I suspect there is damage to the trans but what can I do now.

I honestly suspect the shifter and linkage as a possible problem area. When I boil the tranny tunnel and can actually feel the heat coming through the carpet and shifter I know it is party time. My shifter, knob, center console, body tunnel or tranny tunnel are always the last to get warm. When the car is warm, the shifter warm, tunnel warm, this thing will rip.

Theory time. The air that circulates under the car, around the tranny, through the linkage is cooling everything down too much. I do not know if the durometer of the ****ty rubber in the linkage or shifter but I know it hates the cold. The linkage is most likely binding or sticking or needs some lube. Above 40 degrees the car is perfect now.

Yeah we all know the hydraulics, pressure plate bolts, clutch pedal all got ****ed, but seriously guys just read your owners manual."


So s197 gear heads. Is this legit, because it sure as hell seems so.

 

[RSKtakR]

now THAT is interesting!!.. Since my clutch was replaced (from the stocker shooting craps) i keep hearing all this clunking in the rear end but its ONLY while im shifting.. its the wierdest thing.. Ford says its normal.. but i have noticed that since driving this car in the cold weather daily now, the trans is VERY notchy, and not smooth like it was when it was warm out.. So now Im wondering if switching fluids will get rid of the clunking.. sounds kinda far fetched to me.. but its like some noise in the trans is transfered to the rear end and gets amplified.. i dont know but it drives me CRAZY and Ford says its normal.. i have NEVER had a rear end on any car clunk like this ONLY while shifting under little to no load.. when Im into it, there is no clunking.. just under normal driving conditions.
I am also curious if this fluid would hurt the trans when its hot out.. ?

 

[captcarb]

The online service manual calls for the XT-M5-QS which you say is proper and the Ford literature supports that. The owners manual is obviously in error, and I doubt that the factory would follow the owners manual over the service manual.

It would seem to me that if anyone is in doubt, they should just ask for a transmission oil change, and ask what lubricant will be used. If they intend to use the wrong fluid, just ask them to refer to the service manual specifications. That should be the end of the discussion.

 

[bigbelly]

RSKtakR - concur wholeheartedly. Exact same issues here.

 

[302]

FYI: this is not far fetched. I changed the fluid in my 1994 cobra from regular transmission fluid to synthetic. I experienced very harsh shifting conditions. So fluid in the transmission has a lot to do with shifting. I am hoping a couple people who work for ford on the boards will see this and take the thread to the next level with their chain of command. I am also hoping that they have access to a hard copy published by ford containing this information.

 

[302]

I am also leary of it, because if you do change the fluid from what is stated in the owners manual they very well could void the warranty if problems cropped up. However on the other side of the coin, are they going to do a chemical analysis of the fluid to determine the cause of failure? i doubt it.

 

[19COBRA93]

I am also leary of it, because if you do change the fluid from what is stated in the owners manual they very well could void the warranty if problems cropped up. However on the other side of the coin, are they going to do a chemical analysis of the fluid to determine the cause of failure? i doubt it.

As long as the fluid that comes out of the trans in question "looks" like what's supposed to be in there, that's all they'll look for. If you bring your car in for a bad trans, and purple stuff comes out, you may have a problem.

And I agree, having the right fluid really makes a difference on how a transmission shifts. I nearly ruined a brand new T56 in my '03 Cobra because the "internet" (all the know-it-alls on SVTP) thought it would be better off with synchromesh instead of Merc V.

 

[beefcake]

how do you know the 82 is not what's already in there?

 

[DDTCM]

I'm scared .....

 

[wbt]

While possible I seriously doubt it to be the "cure all". Reminds me of the friction modifier claim.

I researched the piss out of what fluid to replace the current fluid with and came across the same links mentioning the different fluid vs. what the owners manual states.

Ford engineers are not that dumb. Getrag engineers are not that dumb.

There would be a major recall going on if that was the case.

All said, the fluid I would recommend using is 75w90 Royal Purple gear oil with friction modifier. This is going in when I replace my driveshaft, clutch and shifter next year.

I call BS on the claim of wrong fluid from the factory.

My research from August:
http://www.s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40947

 

[VTXFrank]

I researched the weight of the factory oil that's supposed to be in our transmissions. It is 75w90 from what I saw. If you want proof, let me know and I'll figure it out again and post links.

I too will be using Royal Purple with friction modifier here soon. I'm just waiting for my first oil change before I do it. My dealership sent me a coupon for a free oil change. I will be using that sucker too. Motorcraft oil is good shit, so I will hold off on going to full synthetic till about 8500 miles or so.

I doubt Ford put the wrong oil in our transmissions though. There's a mis-print in the manual, but I seriously doubt the facility that built these cars has the wrong oil based off the owners manual.

 

[jmatero]

Its just a misprint in the manual. Ford put the friction modifier in mine and it seemed better for a bit. I also had a new flywheel and clutch assembly. I'm in San Jose CA so "cold mornings" are 60... And it grinds 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 all the time now. And my second clutch is on/off with jerky launches in first. Based on what Ford is saying now, they're working on a fix and they are telling dealers NOT to add friction modifier any longer because they're now concerned with long-term damage to the tranny.

 

[RSKtakR]

FYI: this is not far fetched. I changed the fluid in my 1994 cobra from regular transmission fluid to synthetic. I experienced very harsh shifting conditions. So fluid in the transmission has a lot to do with shifting. I am hoping a couple people who work for ford on the boards will see this and take the thread to the next level with their chain of command. I am also hoping that they have access to a hard copy published by ford containing this information.

My "far fetched" comment was pertianing to all the clunking noise from the rear, and whine on decel now being related to teh fluid that is in my trans.. i was driving yesterday and also noticed that the clunking seems to happen when i press and depress the clutch pedal, the clunking happens ONLY when its in gear though while pressing or depressing the clutch pedal though.

as far as swapping to this mentioned fluid in the trans..when my car goes back to the dealer to inspect the rear end I am going to request a trans fluid change, find out what fluid will be put back in, and see if they will do it because of the notchiness in the cold.

 

[302]

My "far fetched" comment was pertianing to all the clunking noise from the rear, and whine on decel now being related to teh fluid that is in my trans.. i was driving yesterday and also noticed that the clunking seems to happen when i press and depress the clutch pedal, the clunking happens ONLY when its in gear though while pressing or depressing the clutch pedal though.

as far as swapping to this mentioned fluid in the trans..when my car goes back to the dealer to inspect the rear end I am going to request a trans fluid change, find out what fluid will be put back in, and see if they will do it because of the notchiness in the cold.

Be sure to keep us updated on that.

 

[VTXFrank]

Be sure to keep us updated on that.

Yep, I'd like to know what happens as well. I do have some "whine" and slight clunking coming from my car. Thing is, it's nothing more than I've heard in any American made car with a manual transmission.

 

[302]

Yep, I'd like to know what happens as well. I do have some "whine" and slight clunking coming from my car. Thing is, it's nothing more than I've heard in any American made car with a manual transmission.

I have the cold grinding and that's about it

 

[SlowA$$5.0]

Every built manual transmission has gear whine, so that just makes me think that our tranny's might be stronger than previous models. As far as griding when its very cold, well, no kidding. Let your car warm up before jamming through the gears. I see so many complaints about these cars on this forum.

 

[jmatero]

Stiff lever when cold is normal. Grinding under any circumstances is not. Just to clarify, there are owners (like me) in climates where it doesn't drop below 60 and the gears are grinding away.

 

[SlowA$$5.0]

Stiff lever when cold is normal. Grinding under any circumstances is not. Just to clarify, there are owners (like me) in climates where it doesn't drop below 60 and the gears are grinding away.

So your transmission grinds gears every time you shift?

 

[VTXFrank]

Every built manual transmission has gear whine, so that just makes me think that our tranny's might be stronger than previous models. As far as griding when its very cold, well, no kidding. Let your car warm up before jamming through the gears. I see so many complaints about these cars on this forum.

Letting your car warm up does zero to warm up the oil in a transmission. You need to drive it slowly, not changing gears like you're racing, for the first five miles or so until the trans oil has a chance to warm up. Your diff oil too. I would not be surprised at all if the cold car grinding comes from the thick ass oil in the diff not being warm as well as the trans oil not being warmed up. I get slight grinds if I try to shift too fast before it's warmed up when it's in the 20's.