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Harsh Shifting while Cold


A1RFC1

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  • Donating Members
  • Member For: 7y 8m 2d
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Melbourne

Hi Guys, 

First time poster, long time lurker!

Recently picked up an immaculate FG XR6 Turbo with the works, factory standard, no modifications whatsoever, although I have noticed that on very cold mornings the transmission shifts rather hard for my liking from 1st to 2nd. After 10 minutes driving, this eases itself out.

Now I haven't gotten around to checking the transmission oil as of yet, but going through all the service books nothing has ever been touched in relation to the ZF. Car has done 95,000 & I'm looking at servicing this myself over the next few weeks regardless of this 'sealed for life' business. 

Just wondering is this the norm for the tranny? Others I've driven with higher power haven't had this so I'm wondering if they may be a case of low fluid or something else?

Thanks in advance 

 

 

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  • MattyP
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  • Member For: 11y 10m 25d
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Central Coast

1-2 is notorious for being rough but even more is the 2-1
Sealed for life is crap, always good to service them
And have a look at the factory heat exchanger rip that out if it hasn't been done yet

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  • Member For: 7y 8m 2d
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I've noticed that 2nd back to 1st is noticeable but it doesn't have the same 'jolting' feeling I get from the 1st to 2nd shift. 

Yes, I'm also going to fit an external tranny cooler while I'm doing the service. While I've read through most of the ZF service thread's here, is there anything else I should be aware of? Not as simple it seems as my old cars to service

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  • MattyP
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  • Member For: 11y 10m 25d
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  • Location: Central Coast

Yeah the zf is a bitch for the first time, just make sure you get a serviceable steel pan one, make it a lot easier next time

How long do you let the car warm up for?

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  • Member For: 20y 11m 27d
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I've tuned the ZF.  The 2>1 is tuned better on the 2015 FG. In fact Ford recognised this issue and its one of the few tables touched over the FG trans tunes where you can see they tried to improve something.

 

There is one table that directly affects the shifting as the temperature of the trans rises. You could improve this by altering a few numbers in one table.

 

Go get HP tuners and you can improve on the above very easy.

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  • Member For: 7y 8m 2d
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Usually I'll let it warm for about 2 to 3 minutes in the morning before I head to work. From what I've read the ZF tranny fluid does heat up very quickly but it still shouldn't explain why it thuds into gear. I doubt Ford would of sold a car that does that so it does lead me to believe I need to look into it further. Would a ZF tune help in any way or is this simply a case of servicing? 

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  • WOT?
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  • Member For: 11y 1m 3d
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  • Location: Frankston, 3199

Try manual shifting in the morning and see if it's any smoother.

 

Mine used to (before I got the tranny tuned) not change back to 1st from second, making take off from a stop sign etc seem rough as it's first shift from 2nd to 1st, then to 2nd - was really noticeable/annoying on a couple of intersections especially. (I think it's by design feature, not a flaw and was one of the main reason for the tune)

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Change the fluid first.  95,000km old will be affecting the shift quality.  Mine shifted much nicer after the first ever fresh change I gave it, even changing to Transmax Z instead of paying for the expensive genuine ZF Lifeguard 6 stuff.

 

Just make sure the shop know how to get the level right.  It's not rocket science but there is a procedure to it involving the right temperatures, not just fill it to X level and plug it up.

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  • Member For: 7y 8m 2d
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Seems there's a few different oil's that claim to match (or better) the liquid gold. After reading up on many peoples tutorial's seems much more clear now so that's a job for the weekend to do. 

 

Today, I let it warm for a good 10 minutes before heading off seeing it was very cold. Seemed better although I could still notice a small thump as opposed to the initial thud I was getting prior so I guess there's not much more I can really do until I give it a service. Also gave it a go in manual mode & was a 'tad' better but definitely not where I'd want it to be. I guess if the problem still happens after I service it, I'll see if any reputable tuners can 'tune' it out. 

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