Ford 6spd Autos, Your Experience: Poll

[prydey]

Originally Posted by bobwm

Not sure - when I mentioned it in the FG issues thread I was pointed to http://www.thelurch.com/lurching_zf_transmission.htm

It was only an issue on my 08 XR8 and I've read on here it's about it learning your driving style and how it will come back etc. but thankfully I've not had it on my 09 XR6T nor my 10 GS.

that website sums it up spot on. you will also read about in on bmw forums etc, or any forum that deals with cars fitted with a ZF.

mine does both, but its hardly intrusive. you just get used to it after a while.

the 'variant 1' shunt, where the gearbox is selecting 1st just before or as you come to a complete stop isn't that noticeable after a while.

the 'variant 2' can be quite harsh, depending on how heavy you are with your throttle application. if you aren't quite stopped it will stay in 2nd, and won't be an issue, but if you have enough throttle % to make it select 1st, it does so with a pretty harsh change.

i have heard of some guys getting it 'fixed' or 'improved' by a ZF tech.

from what i understand though, it doesn't harm the gearbox or shorten its life in any way.

also on the subject of the heat exchanger, i believe there was an updated one in the last couple of years but not sure when it was exactly. heard they were only about $150 but that sounds a bit cheap for a genuine product.


looking at the poll, where's the 5 people that had problems. be good if they could share the symptoms they felt before hand, or what the actual problems were.

[4vxc]

mine has had variant 1 and 2 since 7,000km has been back3 or 4 times for a re-flash first few did nothing last one fixed the issue for about 2 weeks now it is back. As prydey said above it can be quite harsh almost like being rear ended at the lights. The last time it happened it snapped the internally rusted drive shaft.

[TMC]

From my experience the thought that the ZF can't handle a bypass trans cooler is wrong. Don't know where that theory came from, but mine took to the bypass cooler like a duck to water.

The "theory" probably came from Ford as they are too scared to open the box at all. Ford sends the boxes off to ZF to be rebuilt if need be, so I suppose they don't want to get involved with "unsealing" the "sealed for life" box to fit a cooler to it.

[Rodp]

My F6 is up to 150,000. ZF isn't the nicest box I've had but no issues so far and the shifts are pretty smooth. Would be the last thing I would be worried about in a potential new car.

[69ISH]

I have bog stock 09 FG XR8 carries arpprox 400kgs all the time and at times up to approx 600kgs in weight for my work but it is very rarely driven hard, does a minimum of 600 highway ks a week.
Ford replaced the trans at 90,000 ks as it was what they called chirping apparently clutches slipping and the converter would drop in and out of lock up on the highway. The Ford Techs had mentioned that this was very uncommon and that the boxes do give very little trouble.
They had the car for 2 days initially as ZF had instructed them to check the fluid levels and this has to be done at a certain temperature. They fitted a new box after ZF inspected the old one, they also replaced the radiator as a preventative measure, I was without the car for over a week.
The car now has around 107,000 ks and it just had the diff replaced for the fourth time, I have had to wait over 2 months for this last diff.
I do love this car but it is now out of waranty and if it has another diff or box failure it will be driven until it can't be then repaired and sold as it has been of the road to long in its short lifespan.
I have had base model V8 falcon utes for the previous 2 utes (No problems untill over 250,000 ks) and when I bought this ute the only way to have a V8 was in the XR8 platform and I was very impressed with the utes fuel consumption.
When I bought this ute I was originally going to buy a 6 cylinder lpg ute and the dollars I saved in fuel and purchase costs could go into one of my other cars (69 Mustang sportsroof, 72 Sports Gran Torino, 69 Cougar Eliminator) but I was surprised at how cheap the XR8 was to purchase and run and obviously ended up changing my mind. Now with what it has cost me in hire cars to keep me working I would have been better of going some POS 4 cylinder 1 tonner and I could have had bought another muscle car maybe 2.

[Olbucko]

07 SY AWD 170,000 km no problems whatsoever, still works like new. Had the oil and pan changed at 160,000 km by auto trans. specialist. I worry about the cooler though. Might have Ford fit a new cooler soon.

[Rodge]

2007 BF2 Typhoon - 3 years ownership, no issues, flawless gearbox performance
2010 FG F6 - ZF shunted a bit when coming almost to a stop and reappling throttle before stopping, slightly annoying but I understand there's now a software fix for this
2011 SC GT-P - Flawless performance.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by bobwm

Not sure - when I mentioned it in the FG issues thread I was pointed to http://www.thelurch.com/lurching_zf_transmission.htm

It was only an issue on my 08 XR8 and I've read on here it's about it learning your driving style and how it will come back etc. but thankfully I've not had it on my 09 XR6T nor my 10 GS.

Thank you! That's exactly what I was talking about...usually the first type they mention. It did it today a couple of times in stop-start traffic in Rocky. Once you know it's there, it's hard to ignore and just seems "odd"...not "bad", but "Hmm...that was weird..."
Sometimes it almost gives you a "push" a little like the second type mentioned...you stop behind a car and it almost feels like it's going to push you into the back of the car in front. Again...odd.

Is it true that it could be a programming fault? Is there an upgrade on the way that Ford dealers should have mentioned to them?

[remps88]

my old rig had the 6spd. bf 05 nov build, so one of the first out there. i got it at 20,000km and when i was 17 and wrote it off at 19 with 118,800km and had no issues whatsoever. it was an incredible box. put up with me throughout my p plate learning driving years, haha. was in sports manual mode prob 70% of the time when not on freeway, having fun with the exhaust and all that, so for one that wasnt babied at all, it help up just fine! (till the two red gums jumped out of bloody knowhere ;) )

[lucas2]

2007 bf mk2 xr6 113k km, coolant got into the zf and I've been quoted $6800 from ford to replace. The zf was perfect prior to this. Symptoms included; whining, uncontrolled revs, shuddering, strong vibrations, rapid drop in coolant level/milkshake colour.
Great box but too expensive to repair.

[zoomie]

Back in early 2009 i bought a brand new G6ETurbo that had trans issues from the day i got the car back from a engine change under warrenty (car had just over 900kms on the clock when the engine went bang)... Drove that car until 21000kms on the clock and still had continual ZF trans issues despite Hans from ZF spending lots of time working on the car.

So i sold the car and moved on.

Now at the end of 2011 i bought a new FG F6 and have now done just on 7000kms on it with not one single issue with the ZF trans, its bloody fantastic. It is like night and day the difference between the new car and the previous ZF equipped falcon i had.