I will second the fact that the 97 5 speed is BMFPOS and does not belong in a fullsize. I dont have a problem with grinding as others have posted although it is hard to shift into first at a stand still I get around that by half shifting into second and then up to first. My biggest complaint is reverse, it cant be anywhere near the gear ratio of first, I find it almost impossible to back up a semi steep hill without burning the clutch.
As for non syncro 1st gears I own two, a Ford T-18 in my 82 CJ7 and a 63 CJ3B that has a 3 speed both are a pain in the @$$, the Ford I can deal with because of the granny low 6.32 1st gear and the fact that it is in 4low most of time so I dont need to use it that often, but with the CJ3B and it's Flat head 4 banger it is a little different. Coming to a stoplight only to have the light turn green before you can come to a complete stop and having to lug the engine in second gear to get going because you can't shift into 1st is a pain! No thanks give me 1st gear syncros I could care less about reverse.

PS even though it is non syncro I still love to drive my flatfender.


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Absolutely FASCINATING. I've been wondering when the next cycle would start.

 

"Absolutely FASCINATING. I've been wondering when the next cycle would start."

Sort of makes one think there might be a pattern here. If there wasn't a problem it wouldn't keep popping up from different people.

Wonder when Ford will admit that there is something wrong with these transmissions and do something about it....

 

This seems to be the ONLY place where this problem has occurred. Makes me wonder about those involved.

 

Let me guess, you work for Ford, or a Ford Dealer, or somehow are involved with Ford.

What do you think this is, a conspiracy? Everybody is out to get Ford? These posts are just hateful made up problems by people with nothing better to do?

Your reply sounds like the typical response I have heard many times over the last few months - The reason you see it here online is that this is a central point where the problem can be discussed without censorship or some Ford rep trying to deflect the blame away from the design of the transmission.

One person with the problem might be an anomaly, two, a random chance, three, pure luck. After that it becomes a trend. All of the people having problems are doing so independently of one another.

in my case I have driven a bunch of manual transmissions over the years including racecars, trucks, and multiple foreign and domestic cars. I am driving just fine. It is my truck that has the problem.

In fact, the current transmission I have, 2nd one by the way, with only 8k miles on it, is starting to shift more poorly by the day. Will not go into 1st or reverse, hard shifts, same old problem. It is only a matter of time before I take it in and it has to have the synchronizers replaced, or the entire thing swapped once again.

Just because you haven’t seen the problem doesn’t mean it does not exist. I highly doubt Ford is going to admit that there is a problem?

 

Dear Lucent:

That's a mighty aggressive tone in your type -- especially for the 5th post to this board. Relaxxxxxxxxxx a bit.

Question on your problem:

If you are sitting on a very level ground with your parking brake off and you try to put it into first (or whatever gear gives you trouble) -- q: does the truck move forward while you are pushing the lever into gear? Don't guess, please try it. Do you feel any forward motion on the truck (or rearward, if the problem is reverse)?

I'll check back for your friendly reply.



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Y2K™ Jim Gorka

Toreador Red, Keyless XLT SC SB 5.4L E4x4 4wDisc/ABS, 3.73LS, Skid, HD 7700# Towing, LT-245's on Chrome, Tube-Steps, Captain's, 6CD, Tonneau, named: "Nick"

 

Point Taken... Didn't mean to come across the wrong way. Gotta be careful online without the physical clues. Only four posts on this board, but a lifetime of on-line experience. You would think I should have learned by now.

Guess I am getting a bit sensitive to everybody telling me that I am somehow causing the problem. In any event I will try to relax and be be more friendly.

To your question: When 1st or reverse is blocked, with the truck level, I get zero movement upon trying to get it into gear.

The drivetrain will clunk and sometimes jump but the truck does not move.

It feels like the gear does not align properly and the gate is totally blocked. This weekend it seemed to go into reverse but was in fact not actually in gear. Had to shif back to nuetral and then back to reverse to get engaged.

Two scenarios for this happening. The first is backing out of my drive in the morning. After backing out, push in the clutch, stop, and try to go to 1st, the gear is blocked.

If I let the clutch back out, wait a couple of seconds, and then push it back in and press real gently it will typically go into gear.

Second scenario is stopping at a light. If I roll up in second or another gear and stop, then push in the clutch and try to go to 1st it is blocked. Letting the clutch back out, pushing it back in, and then gently engaging 1st typically works.

After writing this it seems that the transmission has to completely stop spinning internally before it will go into gear.

Could this be due to bad synchros? The double clutching may be realigning things as well. Normal? Maybe...

 

Dear Lucent:

From your description, you are experiencing a classic condition which I outlined in my 4-14-2000 11:35 post (page one).

Key clues: you feel the quick driveline '******' when you first touch the synchro (from a moving clutch) -- and NOT needing to force it thru the synchro (the truck would move). So -- it does not appear that your clutch is dragging (the primary cause for tough-engagement other than for the alignment issue referenced on page one).

You can verify that your clutch is not dragging (this one requires some finesse) by:

Vehicle stopped.

Ever-so-lightly drag the clutch so that you can feel the synchro engage.

Now, here's the point of finesse.

You can push thru the synchro to a point that when you release your effort on the lever the synchro no longer has posession of the gear -- AND your slider (that goes over the synchro) has not yet engaged the gear.

It is at this point that you will feel the gears grind.

While (lightly) grinding on the gear, release the clutch (disengage, that is -- like push on the pedal) and if your clutch is Not grabbing, there will be no further grinding on the gear.

Note that the grinding sounds much worse than it is -- and the gear contact being ground is not the part which mates with any other gear.

It's very clear in my mind -- but articulating this live and without benefit of pictures and editing -- it may lose something in the effort of writing.

If, now, you can engage the clutch and feel the gear raking start/stop with your clutch -- then you are NOT experiencing clutch drag.

This is foreign to many people -- but engaging is easiest (first or reverse) while the vehicle is still rolling -- but only rolling at a baby-step speed. At that speed, you should be able to shift with your 'pinky' finger.

Tell me if it helped.

 

It's nice to see there are still a lot of people out there who drive 5-speeds. I've been a ford owner since I started driving 15 years ago. My first car was a '74 Mustang II (yes it was a POS), 4-speed manual. I bought the car and then taught myself how to drive it. Since then I've had an '84 TRX GT, a '94 Cobra, and now a '97 F-150 V8.

I have found with the ford transmissions that very often I needed to let the clutch out a bit as I was putting it into 1st gear, in order to get the tranny to move just enough to get it into gear.

Driving a stick is becoming a lost art. I will not own an automatic, until I no longer can shift a vehicle. In addition to my truck I own a Nissan Maxima SE, also a 5-speed. I couldn't stay with Ford, unfortunately. I needed something with more room, but wouldn't compromise on power or auto trans vs. 5-speed.

It's unfortunate that the American car companies are going the route of automatic transmissions. I somewhat understand that towing is much easier on an automatic transmission with a truck.....but....

I'm sorry....trucks and sports cars shouldn't come with automatics. Real truck and sports car owners drive stick. Those of you who have automatics, this is not meant to offend-I understand the reasons behind owning one, it's just my opinion.

Okay - I'll get down off my soap box now...but does anyone feel the same way I do???

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1997 F-150 XLT, 4.6L Triton, Flareside, Black, 4x4 Off-Road Package, 5-speed, Tonneau Cover & Ford Bed Mat. (Completely stock except for the 10" sub behind the passenger seat)

 

Y2K 7700 4x4

I don't believe that the clutch is dragging. I couldn't quite do what you described but was able to feel the transmission stop spinning when releasing and engaging the clutch. I do have another interesting observation.

At every stop on the way to work this morning I would roll up leaving it in 5th gear with the clutch in.

After stopping, and having kept the clutch disingaged, I would try to go to first. On every occasion 1st would be blocked. If I put pressure on the stick against 1st and release the clutch it never grinds. It acts like 1st does not exist. If I then press the clutch back in, wait a second and press the shifter gently it will go into gear.

Seems to me that if the synchro teeth were blocking themselves as you described ( >< ), then releasing the clutch should cause the transmission to spin realigning the gears. This does not seem to be the case.

Also, the blockage seems to have a springy feel. Sort of like rubber or the shift forks flexing, if that is possible. It does not feel like direct metal to metal blockage.

 

First off, the move to automatics is, in the majority, due to emissions. You simply can make a 'cleaner' engine with an automatic -- since you can limit the amount of rapid throttle closure.

In the U.S. it's 80% automatic and 20% manual. In Europe - it's almost exactly opposite.

You've got no argument from me about manual transmissions -- I wish I could have one with my 5.4L.

Lastly, Why, why, why do you come to a stop still in 5th gear? Try that with a motorcycle and you'll have a ****ens of a time getting it into first. It's nearly the same way with your tranny -- plus there's a set of synchronizers in the way which are not on your bike.

I only make 4 shifts a day from a dead stop.

Reverse to get me out of the drive; stop; first gear to get me rolling. ALL shifts to first for the entire trip to work are then made during the last foot before a stop.

The third and fourth shifts are from my return from work.

The springy comment gets me back on a dragging clutch -- but I believe you can tell that your disk is not spinning - so...

Way back in driver training they should have told you to gently slide it into first gear during the last 5 feet of roll before the truck stops. If you do this, you should be able to nudge it in with the back of your fingers (effort-wise -- just for making a point) -- and you'll never ever wear out the synchro (my 1987 Escort is still running at >140,000 miles on the first clutch and synchros -- on second owner. My 95 Ranger shifts sooooooo sweet -- single-finger shifts with the method I've described.)

Simple rules to tell your daughter while teaching her to drive.

1 - (the shift-to-first I mentioned above)

2 - Only use first gear from a stop. If coming to a turn, or when slowing down and then changing your mind and want to speed up or any time you're moving: use second gear -- not first. Your synchro's will last forever.

3 - remember that the bigger the clutch -- the slower the shifts. Centrifugal force acts against your synchro's. The reason the little Hondas shift instantly is because they have no clutch (practically). There' no inertia to overcome. The bigger the clutch the slower the shift. Physics.

4 - speed shifts, power shifts, and crash-shifts destroy the springs on the clutch disc. Once they're squashed or broken, your clutch will chatter, make noise, or fail due to spare parts flinging around.

Try it for a couple of days, and report back.

I think you're right about the lost art.

Regards,

------------------
Y2K™ Jim Gorka

Toreador Red, Keyless XLT SC SB 5.4L E4x4 4wDisc/ABS, 3.73LS, Skid, HD 7700# Towing, LT-245's on Chrome, Tube-Steps, Captain's, 6CD, Tonneau, named: "Nick"




[This message has been edited by Y2K 7700 4x4 (edited 08-02-2000).]

 

5th was an example. It depends on what the speed is prior to the stop. Could be 3rd, 4th, or whatever. As for putting it into 1st the last four feet, that is what I have to do to make things easy, on the transmission.

However, in rush hour having the darn thing in gear all the time makes my left leg real tired. The problem arises when I take it out of gear at a light and then try to get it back in without doing the clutch shuffle. It is especially frustrating when you are sitting in nuetral and then decide you have to go cause the light changed and you weren't watching.

90% of the time it will not go into 1st without double clutching, waiting, and then slowly pushing it into gear. People behind me get real pushy...

Every vehicle I have owned prior to this one didn't mind sitting in nuetral at a light and then going right back into gear when it was time to go. This one always complains and makes me go through gyrations to get into first.

It may be "normal" but I still feel that it should work smoother. Just my 2 cents worth. I think we have run over this dead cat enough.

 

My 5speed has been notchy since mile 1. After 2 hour trips on the Interstate @ 70 or more it will consistantly squeak during the 2nd to 3rd gear shift. The squeak will go away after the transmission cools down. Of course the service people are always too busy to drive it hot, so they can't replicate the problem. I checked the temp of the fluid with an A/C thermometer when the trans was in failure mode and it pegged it at 220F. Is there a manual transmission cooler and pump available somewhere???

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Hutch
'99 F150 4x4 5spd Manual V6

 

Just wanted to say THANK GOD we have this message board. I've received many answers to my questions concerning my truck on this board. This is my first post and as you can imagine I have the same tranny problems. It grinds at times while shifting into third. The shifting is also pretty rough, but I can deal with that. It's primarily the grinding that I'm concerned about. Is there anything we can do to get Ford to correct this? I went to the dealer this morning and they gave me the "There's nothing wrong with the truck" answer. I hate those. Just wanted to share my thoughts with the board.

 

Just wanted to say THANK GOD we have this message board. I've received many answers to my questions concerning my truck on this board. This is my first post and as you can imagine I have the same tranny problems. It grinds at times while shifting into third. The shifting is also pretty rough, but I can deal with that. It's primarily the grinding that I'm concerned about. Is there anything we can do to get Ford to correct this? I went to the dealer this morning and they gave me the "There's nothing wrong with the truck" answer. I hate those. Just wanted to share my thoughts with the board.

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2000 Black F-150XL,Ext. Cab, 4.2L, 5Spd, Flowmaster, K&N Air