2006 Mustang GT possible transmission issue

maybe the clutch is worn out? 96K is a little low for the clutch to be done, but if the clutch was slipped a lot, it could be worn out

I agree with the dealership on this one. No way to really tell what is wrong until you pull the transmission.

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Glad to see you’re already receiving advice.

Thanks all, will post back here once they call me on their diagnosis.

Praztek said:

A little over 96,000 mi and pretty much no major repairs.

Recently noticed under light acceleration, pushing in the clutch there is what would sound like taking a brick and scrape across the cement for a second.

There is throttle hesitation and a roaring sound.

It's currently at the dealership and they are recommending dropping the transmission to investigate.

Thoughts or someone with a similar experience?

Thanks in advance

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If it's the original clutch, it's probably due for replacement. That throttle hesitation and roaring sound could be caused by the friction plate slipping.

Being that it's a GT, 96k miles definitely seems like a possible worn clutch or other clutch related issue.

The update is in from the dealership.

New clutch assembly, pressure plate, flywheel and pilot bearing.

Update: 1/23/2023
Well, I picked up the vehicle after all said repairs were completed. During the short drive home , realized the exact same issue is still there. I'm not even sure they even took it for a test drive. I will be taking it back tomorrow and see where we go from here.

Is it hard to shift at all, or just the grinding noise?

Praztek said:

The update is in from the dealership.

New clutch assembly, pressure plate, flywheel and pilot bearing.

Update: 1/23/2023
Well, I picked up the vehicle after all said repairs were completed. During the short drive home , realized the exact same issue is still there. I'm not even sure they even took it for a test drive. I will be taking it back tomorrow and see where we go from here.

Click to expand...

I would be raising hell at the service counter and my voice would be heard throughout the dealership. I would also be talking to the GM about refunding all the labor charges on that repair. They had you spend all that $ and they didn't even diagnose the issue properly before telling you that was the fix. Then to add insult to injury they tried to brush it off by not telling you that the problem wasn't fixed or not even testing it to see if their "repair" fixed it. That's complete bs and this is exactly why no one trusts shops and especially dealers to work on their cars. Call the Ford 800 # if they don't cooperate and I'd call your bank to dispute the labor charges since you were deceived.

I'm wondering why the engine would only make a grinding sound during a shift after light acceleration and then give a throttle hesitation if it were a bearing. That doesn't sound right to me. Chassis ears should be used to track down the basic location of the sound. All dealers have them.
Are there any other noises that you ever hear?
The 3V is notorious for the original timing parts failing. Maybe after letting off the throttle to shift gears the oil pressure drops and makes the chain go slack for a second. The original chain tensioners tend to blow out the gaskets and the oil pressure drops in the system. The timing system is dependent on oil pressure to function properly. If the chain is grinding into the guides or the timing cover then you would hear a grinding sound. It could also give throttle hesitation if and when that were happening.

Worn thrust washer on the crank? The tranny input shaft pushing into the crank. Should be easy enough to check using the method FordTechMakuloco used to check for excessive thrust clearance. Just a thought.

Cobrajet67 said:

I'm wondering why the engine would only make a grinding sound during a shift after light acceleration and then give a throttle hesitation if it were a bearing. That doesn't sound right to me. Chassis ears should be used to track down the basic location of the sound. All dealers have them.
Are there any other noises that you ever hear?
The 3V is notorious for the original timing parts failing. Maybe after letting off the throttle to shift gears the oil pressure drops and makes the chain go slack for a second. The original chain tensioners tend to blow out the gaskets and the oil pressure drops in the system. The timing system is dependent on oil pressure to function properly. If the chain is grinding into the guides or the timing cover then you would hear a grinding sound. It could also give throttle hesitation if and when that were happening.

Click to expand...

Hello and thanks for the informative feedback. I don't hear any additional sounds and will share this info with the dealership in hopes of finding a resolution.

Jeremy Weigel said:

Worn thrust washer on the crank? The tranny input shaft pushing into the crank. Should be easy enough to check using the method FordTechMakuloco used to check for excessive thrust clearance. Just a thought.

Click to expand...

Thank you so much and will also share this with the dealership mechanics.

I provided the dealership with the suggestions above. They responded back with due the age of the vehicle they would not do internal repairs. Offered to do research to see if they can find a suitable motor as a replacement.

Do you have a video of the noise to share?

Roachwe said:

Do you have a video of the noise to share?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately I do not, the vehicle has been at the dealership since January 11th and even if I could , not sure my phone would actually pick up the noise over the exhaust.

Praztek said:

Hello and thanks for the informative feedback. I don't hear any additional sounds and will share this info with the dealership in hopes of finding a resolution.

Thank you so much and will also share this with the dealership mechanics.

I provided the dealership with the suggestions above. They responded back with due the age of the vehicle they would not do internal repairs. Offered to do research to see if they can find a suitable motor as a replacement.

Click to expand...

Go to another dealer or reputable shop. Any shop that says that they won't do internal repairs on an engine or trans is lying to you. All dealers must do internal engine and trans work for warranty purposes so that was a lie. Since you already know that they just like to take wild guesses they're just trying to minimize the effort in diagnosing anything. Unfortunately, this is annoyingly and expensively common in the auto repair industry.
Dealers may not completely rebuild an engine but they all will definitely do timing jobs and they should do proper diagnosis. I had gotten a quote from my own dealer for the timing job on my 3V a few years ago. All the parts for required repairs n a 3V engine are available too so age has nothing to do with anything. They probably view you as a financial loss now because of their own incompetence with the unnecessary clutch repair.

I can see the stealership not going in to replace a worn thrust washer, since that involves tearing down the bottom end of the engine. So maybe that's what this particular dealership was referring to? Timing jobs are at the very least a preventative maintenance procedure and cost way less than an engine replacement. So hopefully they aren't recommending an engine replacement to every customer that simply needed a timing job on a 3v 5.4/4.6L vehicle. But, then again, that's why dealerships have earned the pseudo-name "stealerships". BTW, if you happen to live close to Brian's (FordTechMakuloco) shop in the Chicago outer area (Yorkville, IL), you might contact him for an appointment.
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I have an update and completely embarrassed to post this after all the energy and work we have been through.

Today during my lunch break , decided to check the oil level and was not getting a good reading on the dipstick. Ran up to the local store, picked up the fluids and proceeded with an oil and filter change.

Cracked open the drain plug and didn't take long to realize it was dangerously low of oil.

Completed the job and took it out for a quick ride and all is back to normal.

The car is parked primarily in the garage and doesn't seem many miles as of lately. No oil leaks either. It's been a long time since an oil change.

Apparently I'm the freaking dipstick.

Praztek said:

I have an update and completely embarrassed to post this after all the energy and work we have been through.

Today during my lunch break , decided to check the oil level and was not getting a good reading on the dipstick. Ran up to the local store, picked up the fluids and proceeded with an oil and filter change.

Cracked open the drain plug and didn't take long to realize it was dangerously low of oil.

Completed the job and took it out for a quick ride and all is back to normal.

The car is parked primarily in the garage and doesn't seem many miles as of lately. No oil leaks either. It's been a long time since an oil change.

Apparently I'm the freaking dipstick.

Click to expand...

Are you talking about the engine or trans here?