'01 DRIVETRAIN SLACK??

[Daniel Moran]

drivetrain slack

Just spoke to my SVT dealer in Madison. The service rep said there is a technical service bulletin on the 01 Cobra regarding the "thump" issue and it involves repositioning a crossmember, as I understand it. I'm scheduled for next week. Anyone know where we can access Ford TSBs on the web?

 

[YELL-OSNAKE]

Hey steve, I know what you are saying, about the clutch being disengaged, but mine does not do the clunk with the motor off....My dealer even said maybe the clutch was not fully disengaging...but it still does not dismerit there is too much "play" is the drive line to get slack...after personally observing the car from underneath, while someone puts in gear, I get maybe 1/4 or 1/8 a turn of the drive shaft....the E brake is on...clutch still to the floor....Seems to me it is the rear-end...maybe pinion depth too shallow, or the half shaft assy is not too good tolerances. I've heard from some people in this forum, that a gear change, has helped this problem somewhat. I've just become used to it...that's what warranty is for, when it all falls apart. Who knows, all may be correct, and some dampeners may need to be put on the rear-end??

 

[TcM-668]

TSBs

I have access to the Ford 96-2002 Service information DVD. I can check it for you and see what it has to say. If you know the TSB #, that would help.

It has all of the info as of January 2002, so it should have something there regarding the thump. I'll keep you posted.

 

[TcM-668]

Ford TSB...

The only thing I found on the copy of the Ford service DVD I have is TSB-00-24-1. Vibration heard/ felt at clutch pedal.

Hope it helps.

http://home.houston.rr.com/tcm668smustangs/images/

You'll find the TSB-00-24-1.pdf there.

 

[Steve]

YELL-OSNAKE

Ok, some things are getting clearer. I only hear the thud occasionally, not all the time. That means that sometimes the clutch is not completely disengaged from the motor, and other times it is. Maybe this is heat related?? ie, the clutch cable is lengthening under heat. These clutches are hydraulic right? Maybe it is a valving problem??

 

[Daniel Moran]

Just came back from the dealer who now has my Cobra specifically to look at the driveline "thump". He said he would get the TSB number for me then mumbled something about this being related to the IRS. Stay tuned as I either get results or smoke blown up my ass.

 

[wildosvt]

Dude I hope your head doesnt start spinning and smoke starts coming out your ears!------------------------------------<time passes>
:burnout:

 

[Daniel Moran]

I was told today by the dealer service rep that the driveline thump (while clutching into gear at a stoplight) fell under SM-15031 (not a TSB) which affects all manual trans 01 Mustangs. The remedy is to retorque the trans mount bolts. He said mine were loose (at 5500 miles). I'll pick up the car tomorrow and post the results. There's another service message specifically dealing with the 01 Cobra's rearend thunk at upshifts wherein it is proclaimed as normal. My 01 has this too but it doesn't bother me. Based on my net musclecar experience and given the Cobra's variables I'm inclined to agree.

 

[YELL-OSNAKE]

Yeah, let us know if this works....

 

[Daniel Moran]

I just returned from the dealer with my 01. They performed adustment as per SSM-15031 ("torque the rear trans mount to spec for clunk on take off"). They also replaced the trans fluid with Redline D4 ATF. The net results were that this had zero effect on the clunk which occurs at stoplights. This clunk occurs at the exact moment I move the shift lever from neutral into first so I now think it is related to the clutch not fully disengaging even though the pedal is pressed all the way. (As others have brought up on this thread.) Sorry everbody, but that's the way this attempted fix played out. However I did get an 02 Taurus loaner for a few days which I promptly logged 1200 miles on.

 

[brad65ford]

Sucks doesn't it, ya want to kill someone don't ya

Thats exactly how I would discribe my clunk, to the tee(thank you Daniel Moran). These Tremec trans suck IMO and others that have had them, would agree also. I've had two personaly fox swaps (auto to stick) and now 99 cobra, and the answer I come up with is that, Tremec's suck, their noise and the gears don't line up IMO. Ford whored out to the lowest bidder probalbly, thats the way the world is going IMO. I'd rather have the BorgWarner T-5 Motorsport trans. Damn, I hate that clunk. Its hard to stop it, when you got a passenger with ya they always ask what that clunk? Its the fu@Ken trans people, they suck. Let's bitch to Tremec, tell them to design a trans that doesn't slingshot the inturnals when you ingage the clutch. Ya right! I've been advoiding this post(thread) because I know theres not much you can do, just replace it with a t-56?

 

[Daniel Moran]

If this problem also involves the 99 Cobras then Ford really has no excuse for its recurrence in the 01. SVT must have been too busy playing with blowers and just wrote off any further R&D in preparation for the 01. You may recall, SVT very nearly cancelled the 01 Cobra. By the way Borg-Warner sold their transmission mfg. rights to Tremec of Mexico. So the Cobra trannies (including the T-56) are made south of the border. The clunk issue sounds widespread to me. We need to somehow communicate this to Ford. The dealers specialize in being "unable to duplicate problem" and hear only what they want when the owners describe symptoms. I plan to call SVT on this issue plus contact Ford consumer affairs.

 

[Cobra-R]

Originally posted by Daniel Moran
If this problem also involves the 99 Cobras then Ford really has no excuse for its recurrence in the 01. SVT must have been too busy playing with blowers and just wrote off any further R&D in preparation for the 01. You may recall, SVT very nearly cancelled the 01 Cobra. By the way Borg-Warner sold their transmission mfg. rights to Tremec of Mexico. So the Cobra trannies (including the T-56) are made south of the border. The clunk issue sounds widespread to me. We need to somehow communicate this to Ford. The dealers specialize in being "unable to duplicate problem" and hear only what they want when the owners describe symptoms. I plan to call SVT on this issue plus contact Ford consumer affairs.

I added 4.10 gears and my clunk is completly gone. Have no idea why, but it's gone. :beer: :beer:

 

[brad65ford]

ok

ok I install 3.73 in mine and the clunk is still there, lucky you "Cobra-R "

 

[Daniel Moran]

This is hard to believe but over at the 03 Cobra forum, there's a thread with 03 guys complaining about the same clunk so many 01s have; the stoplight idle in neutral/clutch into first clunk. I guess that would eliminate the Tremec 5 spd as the culprit.

 

[brad65ford]

who

Who manufactors the t-56?

 

[Daniel Moran]

Tremec has been making the T-56 since 1999 or 2000.

 

[wildosvt]

This is my 2 cents on the "clunk",,,These things come with to much back lash,The gear gets loaded from the force from the pinion pushing the ring gear away.Cobra R what was your end back lash set at did they give ya the spec they set it at?

 

[brad65ford]

Its the Tremecs

I just spoke with a friend of mine who's a mechanic w/ a degree about the chunk issue. He states that the trans input shaft is always turning, so the trans fluid is helping the gears turn alittle, thats why you hear a chunk, because the gears aren't coming to a complete stop. I've heard people are trying different fluids to help? -Daniel Moran, do you see were I'm going with the Tremec trans's?
-Also wildosvt, I don't believe that the back lash in the rear is the same noise. The noise we are talking about comes from the trans. I would love that to be the case, that noise can easily be id. by moving you car backwards and forwards with out really having to move the car to hear the rear back lash in the rear.:rolling:

I Hate Tremec!

 

[Daniel Moran]

Brad65ford; Your theory about the Tremecs is interesting and seems sound. I agree that we're dealing with two separate sources of noise 1) trans area 2) rear gear lash. I hear the rear lash noise at every shift and it has a different, more hollow quality and obviously eminates from the differential. On the other hand I've not seen any similar complaints from the Corvette or F body owners about their T-56s. My C5 is a 98 6 spd. At that time the T-56 was still being made in Muncie, Indiana by Borg. Tremec started supplying the T-56 to GM for either the 99 or 2000 model year. Still, I don't see any trans or rear "clunk" complaints on the C5 Vette websites I've checked. One could check the GM car's TSB histories at Alldata.com to be sure. If this same noise becomes an issue with the 03s then I'd suspect Ford powertrain engineering before I'd blame Tremec.