2011 gt500 1-2 shift problem

[box 1]

Hey guys I have had my 2011 for about a week now it has 225 miles on it. At 100 or so miles I went 1-2 at full throttle, it grinded but went in. Was kind of shocked but thought nothing of it. Next day I tried it again and it grinded and wouldn't go into 2nd at all. Has happened every time since(about 5 times). I'm not power shifting this car or anything. Seems like it has problems under wot with getting into 2nd gear. Not happy at all since I just got this thing and NO this is not my first SVT car lol. Seems like others have had similar problems as well. Are there any known fixes or what the exact problem is and have any of you with the problem taken the car in? What has the dealer said? Some say the problem goes away after a few thousand miles.... Thanks!

 

Mike

[bpmurr]

From my experience it seems that 2nd gear requires the clutch pedal to be as far down as possible prior to release. Anything less and it's grinding into 2nd.

[box 1]

From my experience it seems that 2nd gear requires the clutch pedal to be as far down as possible prior to release. Anything less and it's grinding into 2nd.

 

 

that is what I have been doing

[theseeker]

Mike,

 

The same thing happened with my car. The first few times I hammered down (my expression) from 1-2, it sounded like I did not know how to shift! I was concerned to say the least. I took the car out the next day and did some normal driving until I felt the car was warm, about 20-30 minutes. Well, after that, everything was fine, 1-2 hammer, smooth as silk. I have no idea WTF it was? However, the first few days I drove it I had TC on and now TC is always off.

 

Currently, no problems to report. I will say that 2-3 is pure bliss!

[jsarkis]

These trannys & shifters can be a little tough and notchy, especially 1-2nd shifts. If you consistently can't get it in gear, by it refusing or bad grinding take it to the dealer. Vapor08GT500 i believe (Alex) just had is 10's tranny replaced bc of this refusal / grind. Might be some others, not sure. It may just by bad senchros, some even change the tranny oil to help (those with just tougher 1-2nd shifts).

[QUIKSVT]

Mine has the same problem. First time it did it to me I thought I f'd up the shift, when in fact I didn't. Sorta embarassing when you have someone in the car! haha!

 

If it persists it's going to the dealer. I didn't pay 50k for a car to not shift into second properly.

[ChrisSD]

From my experience it seems that 2nd gear requires the clutch pedal to be as far down as possible prior to release. Anything less and it's grinding into 2nd.

 

This. I had the problem on my 10'.

[box 1]

Here are some more people with the problem:

 

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/shelby-gt500-150/709678-2011-gt500-1-2-shift-problem.html

 

 

It seems like gears 1, 3, 5 have a longer throw forward versus gears 2,4,6 that have a much shorter throw back????

[box 1]

also is it possible that the shifter needs to be adjusted? I dont know too much about these transmissions but from what I have seen it looks like it may be possible to adjust how for back the throw can go?

[jsarkis]

Try this, it helps some: Make sure your seat is upright (early on I'd cruise seat back a little, go wot & have trouble with hitting 2nd), clutch fully depressed and pull 2nd gear diagonally toward your rib cage (fairly hard), don't pull (2nd) the stick straight back like it feels is correct. This has helped myself and a few others.

 

box 1, many upgrade their shifters to a aftermarket short throw (frpp, tri-ax, shelby...) for more precise shifting (Shelby short throw is part of the SS package). You can also try changing out the bushings only if you want.

[kpevin]

If you try to go too fast it will grind, after some experimenting I finally got it where I can get a smooth/fast 1-2 shift. Mine has always went into 2nd, but at times it would grind some, it seems to get worse when its really hot as well, but my fix was making an effort to slam the clutch down as far as possible

 

I was pretty worried about it at first but it hasnt made a noise lately, I was thinking I was pushing the clutch enough but most likely I wasnt. Now that I make an effort to make sure I push it down to the floor its been fine. I wont even try a full on powershift, getting a decent 60 foot will help your ET way more than powershifting.

[box 1]

thanks guys, I have been doing everything you have been saying but the thing still grinds, my trememc 3650 shifted like butter compared to this thing. I really do not want to take it into the dealer but I guess I will if I have to..... Do any of you know where the problem lies?

[shelbynuts]

I had this problem with my 10'. Raced a 66' chevele 454 (spelled wrong? who cares, it's a chevy) and lost off the line due to grind to second. I tried the same guy's LS-3 vet a short time later and spanked him bad. Did notice this going to 2nd gear each sucessive time. Could it be a yr to yr problem. I'll watch for this when the new 11' shows up.Thanks for the heads up!

[Torched10]

thanks guys, I have been doing everything you have been saying but the thing still grinds, my trememc 3650 shifted like butter compared to this thing. I really do not want to take it into the dealer but I guess I will if I have to..... Do any of you know where the problem lies?

 

have you spoken with tremec--when i had some issues i contcated their tech support and he was very helpful

[Ezareth]

Hey guys I have had my 2011 for about a week now it has 225 miles on it. At 100 or so miles I went 1-2 at full throttle, it grinded but went in. Was kind of shocked but thought nothing of it. Next day I tried it again and it grinded and wouldn't go into 2nd at all. Has happened every time since(about 5 times). I'm not power shifting this car or anything. Seems like it has problems under wot with getting into 2nd gear. Not happy at all since I just got this thing and NO this is not my first SVT car lol. Seems like others have had similar problems as well. Are there any known fixes or what the exact problem is and have any of you with the problem taken the car in? What has the dealer said? Some say the problem goes away after a few thousand miles.... Thanks!

 

Mike

 

 

Had this happen to me when ripping out of Summit Racing after a carshow on Sunday....first time it happened and I was trying to shift at max RPMs and thought I F'ed up the shift when it grinded.

 

Hope this is just a technique issue ) =

[box 1]

What did tremec have to say about the problem?

[theseeker]

Try this, it helps some: Make sure your seat is upright (early on I'd cruise seat back a little, go wot & have trouble with hitting 2nd), clutch fully depressed and pull 2nd gear diagonally toward your rib cage (fairly hard), don't pull (2nd) the stick straight back like it feels is correct. This has helped myself and a few others.

 

box 1, many upgrade their shifters to a aftermarket short throw (frpp, tri-ax, shelby...) for more precise shifting (Shelby short throw is part of the SS package). You can also try changing out the bushings only if you want.

 

 

That is a great point and observation. If you pull towards you as opposed to straight back it engages.

I ordered the Shelby STS and I am looking forward to the difference.

[L82ford]

I've had this happen on my 11' twice. The first time, I was showing the car to a neighbor. I was a little embarassed, figuring I let the clutch pedal up too early as I was hitting second. It happened again yesterday, when I know my left foot was still squeezing the carpet.

 

Like most buyers of these cars, I've owned a lot of high performance vehicles over the years. It feels like a synchro issue - like a sloppy old Muncie with 5,000 quarter mile runs under its belt. I really don't think this should be occurring on a 600 mile, $50,000 car.

 

I will try to pull the shifter more towards my hip than straight back to see if that makes a difference.

 

On a side note, I'm thinking of moving the battery to the trunk, to help weight distribution and hook up. I'm a little surprised that, with the space available in the empty spare tire well, Ford doesn't locate the battery in the trunk from the factory.

 

If you're reading this wondering should you be concerned buying a 2011 GT500, the answer is absolutely no. Do not be concerned. The car is a blast.

[Torched10]

What did tremec have to say about the problem?

 

for me i was having issues just getting into 2nd--didt have any grinding--he told me push cluch to floor, and use an angle on the pull back to 2nd,After 1000 miloes i saw it inproved alot,and now at 2,000 its gone

[box 1]

Thanks I have tried that as well but does not seem to work

[kpevin]

I've had this happen on my 11' twice. The first time, I was showing the car to a neighbor. I was a little embarassed, figuring I let the clutch pedal up too early as I was hitting second. It happened again yesterday, when I know my left foot was still squeezing the carpet.

 

Like most buyers of these cars, I've owned a lot of high performance vehicles over the years. It feels like a synchro issue - like a sloppy old Muncie with 5,000 quarter mile runs under its belt. I really don't think this should be occurring on a 600 mile, $50,000 car.

 

I will try to pull the shifter more towards my hip than straight back to see if that makes a difference.

 

On a side note, I'm thinking of moving the battery to the trunk, to help weight distribution and hook up. I'm a little surprised that, with the space available in the empty spare tire well, Ford doesn't locate the battery in the trunk from the factory.

 

If you're reading this wondering should you be concerned buying a 2011 GT500, the answer is absolutely no. Do not be concerned. The car is a blast.

 

 

Mine is getting better with age it seems, its most definitely a syncro issue. Not so much a bad part but when they beefed the trans up they made it heavier internally and narrowed up the friction material in the syncros, thats a lot of mass to slow down when zinging up in 1st gear. T-56s had the shift fork issue on the 2-3 shift, these seem to be better on the 2-3 shift, now its the 1-2 shift lol.

 

Like I said though, I really have to concentrate some to make a clean fast 1-2 shift, since then I havent had a grind yet. Its not just 2011 Gt500s, its Vipers, 2010 Camaros, new Challengers and '08+ C6 Corvettes that have 1-2 grind or not being able to get into 2nd issues with the 6060.

 

I dont know why they didnt put the battery in the back either, my old G8 Pontiac had it in the back and if GM could do it (supposedly to help with weight distribution) I would think ford could have pulled it off with a 50K 'supercar.'

[kpevin]

FWIW here is a decent thread from ls1tech.

 

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/manual-transmission/1206190-t-56-magnum-vs-tr6060.html

 

Remember a 't-56 magnum' is the same as a 6060.

 

Post 14 has some good info and pics of the 6060 slider and engagement teeth compared to the older t-56. Its pretty easy to see why if they grind bad a few times it will most likely get worse.

[KEYSTONE]

I've been having the same issue with my 2011 GT500.

 

With the car running, at stop, clutch in, I repeatedly ran the shifter through the gears very slowly, feeling the engagement in each gear. 1st gear and 3-6th all have a single, positive detent. By "detent" I mean a click or bump, where you feel the shifter having some light resistance and then locking into gear. 2nd gear (and 2nd gear only) has a decided double detent, where it goes through an intermediate detent before getting fully in gear.

 

Like all of you, I have a lifetime of driving hi-po manual trans cars and it is frustrating. I never powershift.

 

First thing I did was take the car over to two motorhead friends of mine who have even more shifting expertise than I do. I demonstrated the problem to them (it happens to me on about 25% of 1-2 upshifts, but only when getting on it) and then I let them test-drive and make several 1-2 upshifts (not powershifts) during vigorous acceleration.

 

Neither of them had the problem during their test-drives. I think I may have been pausing on the first detent in 2nd gear and just not getting the shifter all the way back.

 

Since getting some coaching from my friends, I've not had a reccurrence of the problem, but will get it to the dealer anyhow, just to document the issue and to see if the shifter can be adjusted.

[box 1]

I talked to Kevin Ryan (product engineer) at tremec and we came to the conclusion that syncros were bad......possibly due to the clutch not engaging/disengaging properly......which means that clutch may not be adjusted correctly from factory (incorrectly bled cylinder).....I am just going off what he told me. Feel free to call tremec and ask for him. He said the trans should shift as smooth as butter lol.

[JWG223]

After reading this and other forums, I think a lot of people can use a lesson in shifting (not that this is the problem wiht the 6060 completely, as it has been troublesome for many).

 

1-2: You place your hand around the shifter knob like you are about to thumb-wrestle it. You pull back and toward yourself. This hand position will inherently pull it toward your body and back. Clean shift.

 

2-3: push the shifter up with the heel of your palm, allowing the springs in the shifter to guide it to 3rd. If you have a vehicle with weak springs (by design, not all are as tough as my Hurst on my 5.0 were), help guide it along.

 

3-4: Invert your hand like you were giving a thumbs-down. Grab the shifter and pull straight back. You will hit 4th every time. When you grab it similar to the 1-2 shift, the body-mechanics will naturally pull it toward 2nd gear. This is what causes the dreaded 3-2 and 5-1.

 

4-5: Push with the heel of your palm up and away from you at an angle. It has no choice to but nail 5th.

 

5-6. Same as 3-4, but pushing toward the passenger while pulling back.

 

This helped me hit shifts in my WS6 almost without fail. In 5 minutes I turned from a 3-1 hitting noob to a not 3-1 hitting noob. It was very enlightening. It may work for some of you, and not for some of you. Each person is different, but it worked for me. The only time I ever ground a gear in my WS6 was when I didn't depress the clutch fully after driving my 5.0/TKO500 (which required only the slightest clutch depression). Oh, and once when it got pretty cold.

[JWG223]

I talked to Kevin Ryan (product engineer) at tremec and we came to the conclusion that syncros were bad......possibly due to the clutch not engaging/disengaging properly......which means that clutch may not be adjusted correctly from factory (incorrectly bled cylinder).....I am just going off what he told me. Feel free to call tremec and ask for him. He said the trans should shift as smooth as butter lol.

 

 

I have spoken with Tremec before. They know their stuff and they won't BS you. At least, the guy I spoke with didn't. FWIW, I read about a few '09 Viper guys got bad master cylinders and had a 1-2 drag/grind.

 

Once again, I like the GM fluid in a Tremec. It won't work miracles, but with the 6060's small syncros, optimal fluid helps.

[box 1]

hitting shifts inst the problem and I dont think that is with most people

[shelbynuts]

Thanks I have tried that as well but does not seem to work

 

But the wheels need some work on the 11's. Never mind! It's an inside joke! I have a good buddy that was a painter for Ford. I will ask him for inside info. He may be able to get to engineering for more info. This is obviously a wide spread problem. Do we have a problem shifting or what? Come to think of it. I was at a car show father's day. Unexpectedly I ran into a ford mechincal engineer rep that told me he was part of the team that builds the motors for the gt 500s. I wish it was now that I knew this problem. He would have been perfect to ask since he was there only to promote the SHELBY gt 500s. According to him.

[Ripcurrent]

With the car running, at stop, clutch in, I repeatedly ran the shifter through the gears very slowly, feeling the engagement in each gear. 1st gear and 3-6th all have a single, positive detent. By "detent" I mean a click or bump, where you feel the shifter having some light resistance and then locking into gear. 2nd gear (and 2nd gear only) has a decided double detent, where it goes through an intermediate detent before getting fully in gear.

 

 

Maybe that is to help prevent you from doing a 6-2 downshift instead of 6-4.

[JWG223]

hitting shifts inst the problem and I dont think that is with most people

 

 

I've been having the same issue with my 2011 GT500.

With the car running, at stop, clutch in, I repeatedly ran the shifter through the gears very slowly, feeling the engagement in each gear. 1st gear and 3-6th all have a single, positive detent. By "detent" I mean a click or bump, where you feel the shifter having some light resistance and then locking into gear. 2nd gear (and 2nd gear only) has a decided double detent, where it goes through an intermediate detent before getting fully in gear.

 

Like all of you, I have a lifetime of driving hi-po manual trans cars and it is frustrating. I never powershift.

 

First thing I did was take the car over to two motorhead friends of mine who have even more shifting expertise than I do. I demonstrated the problem to them (it happens to me on about 25% of 1-2 upshifts, but only when getting on it) and then I let them test-drive and make several 1-2 upshifts (not powershifts) during vigorous acceleration.

 

Neither of them had the problem during their test-drives. I think I may have been pausing on the first detent in 2nd gear and just not getting the shifter all the way back.

Since getting some coaching from my friends, I've not had a reccurrence of the problem, but will get it to the dealer anyhow, just to document the issue and to see if the shifter can be adjusted.

 

 

Looks like it was for this poster.