TR6060 Reverse, 5th gear and 6th gear lock out

josegovi

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Hello All,


First I would like to thank everyone in advance for the help, as well as the administration team of this forum for allowing me to be a member. I would like to apologize in advance for any typos and/or errors, English is not my first language but hopefully between friends and google translate, I should minimize the issue LOL. I am going to give as much information as possible so my post might be lengthy.


With that said, I recently bought a 2011 GT500 with 39,000 miles on it and love the car for the most part. The car now has 44,500 miles on it and I am encountering transmission problems and I am looking for a solution. I researched around and within this forum and could not seem to find an article, or thread with the issue I am having, therefore I decided to create a new thread. I apologize if there is a thread on this already, and I failed to find it in my search.


I am not a mechanic but I love to learn as much as I can, specially about this matter. I have done oil changes, changed a radiator before and small jobs similar in complexity, so not much compared to some of you guys. My problem unlike most people is with 5th gear, 6th gear and reverse. I have seen most people complaint about the shift from 1st to 2nd gear which I am unsure if its present in my vehicle, as most people experience this issue when shifting at high RPMS and I have not shifted from 1st to 2nd pasted 3 or 4 RPM.


The issue is that the car will not go into 5th gear, 6th gear or reverse on certain occasions which I will explain in more depth below:


1st time it happened – drove from work to the airport (about 30 minute drive), did not drive the car like a princess but was not redlining the gears either. Once I get to the airport, I went around 2 times to pick up my passenger, and as I leave the airport when I get on going go thru the gears, when I get to 4th gear and try to go from 4th to 5th it would not let me at all, almost like something blocking it. I went back to 4th and tried it again, same results, so then I tried going from 4th and neutral to 6th with same results. The issue lasted about 10minutes and then it started going in 5th and 6th gear like nothing happened.


2nd time it happened – I drove from my house to cars and coffee meet (about 30 minute drive) drove normal and when I went inside the parking lot, I found a spot and went to park in reverse and it would not go in reverse, same feeling as what happened on my way to the airport.


Took my car to a specialized shop on Mustangs, they called me after a couple of days and tell me they are not able to replicate the issue. I told them my two scenarios pointing out that it did not happen in a 5 or 10 minute drive, so they said they will drive the car some more. Got a called a few days after and they said the same thing, they drove it some more and were not able to replicate the problem. I asked them what was their recommendations and they said to change the shifter for an MGW one. Bought the shifter and got it installed and which did not solve the problem.


3rd time it happened – Wake up on a Saturday, go turn on the car and reverse would not go in, however, after a couple of tries it did go in.


4th time it happened – Went on a different Saturday to the gym and then for a drive of maybe 20 minutes or so, and it would not go in 5th gear, tried it 2 times with no success, then tried 6th gear and it went in and after that it was all fine.


I checked the transmission fluid and is good and changed the shifter. I hear the Syncros on this transmission are not the greatest, so I hear about Hybrid Syncros (part carbon fiber, part metal/steele/brass) that might solve the problem everybody else is experiencing from 1st to 2nd gear but not sure. Also, with reverse being in the mix, I don’t even know if reverse has a Syncro, as well as I am not a mechanic so can work on it myself, I would have to paying a shop which from what I understand, it would be at least $2,500 to change the Syncros. This brings me to question that is, if is the Syncros and it cost that much money to fix, is it better to get a new transmission? If so, what transmission? Certainly don’t feel like gambling with the TR6060.

By the way, to the best of my knowledge the car is stock except for borla exhaust.
 

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me32

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What is the level of your brake fluid? Is it topped off?
 

einehund

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I had kind of the same issue when I lived in Germany. While driving fast on the Autobahn, my 5th and 6th gears would lock me out while attempting to shift as quickly as I do with 2-3-4. If i was over 5k rpm in 4th, I would have to push in the clutch and let the rpms drop to under 4k to then put the car in 5th. The 6th gear lock out only happened 2 or 3 times, and I think it was actually my shifting, as 6th gear has a really weird angle to try and shift quickly into; it is not the straight down pull that the 3-4 shift is.

I get the reverse lockout so often that I now always shift into 3rd and then 4th before putting the car in reverse. I think it is just a car trait that I had to get used to. It has been that way for 50k miles.

Also, your English is very good.
 

josegovi

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What is the level of your brake fluid? Is it topped off?

I dont know, I will check and let you know. Just curious and pardon me if there is something so obvious but, I failed to understand the connection between the break fluid and transmission issues.

I had kind of the same issue when I lived in Germany. While driving fast on the Autobahn, my 5th and 6th gears would lock me out while attempting to shift as quickly as I do with 2-3-4. If i was over 5k rpm in 4th, I would have to push in the clutch and let the rpms drop to under 4k to then put the car in 5th. The 6th gear lock out only happened 2 or 3 times, and I think it was actually my shifting, as 6th gear has a really weird angle to try and shift quickly into; it is not the straight down pull that the 3-4 shift is.

I get the reverse lockout so often that I now always shift into 3rd and then 4th before putting the car in reverse. I think it is just a car trait that I had to get used to. It has been that way for 50k miles.

Also, your English is very good.

Thank you sir for the feedback, I have been in the states for 15 years but every now and again I screw it up, LOL.

Did you ever get it checked out?? Did you just kind of lived with it??
 

me32

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I dont know, I will check and let you know. Just curious and pardon me if there is something so obvious but, I failed to understand the connection between the break fluid and transmission issues.



Thank you sir for the feedback, I have been in the states for 15 years but every now and again I screw it up, LOL.

Did you ever get it checked out?? Did you just kind of lived with it??

The 07-14 mustangs and gt500 share the brake fluid with the hydraulic clutch on the car. Having low fluid could cause the hydraulic slave not to fully engage the clutch and cause gear lock outs.

Not sure is that is your issue but it doesnt hurt to check.
 

einehund

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Thank you sir for the feedback, I have been in the states for 15 years but every now and again I screw it up, LOL.

Did you ever get it checked out?? Did you just kind of lived with it??

My issues only happened closer to redline in 4th and 5th gear while pushing the car hard... those kind of situations don't happen to me in the U.S. I left it alone because it is rare that I'm racing anyone at 160mph+ here. Germany, on the other hand... lots of fun times!!

The reverse lockout is an annoyance that i just got used to.

FWIW, I'm pretty sure there are no synchros on reverse, so that is a factor for that gear. Not sure about synchros on 5th or 6th gear.
 

Catmonkey

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Well you do have a reverse lock out solenoid. Have you tried replacing it? I'd give Tremec a call on the 5th and 6th gear issue.
 

PM-Performance

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If you are getting lockout closer to redline, check your drivetrain geometry and look into bracing your trans.
I had all kinds of lockout issues from my trans moving around under load and just recently installed the CHE K Member brace and TQ limiters. My initial driving impressions are that the car is so much more a joy to drive than without those bars. First race with the car was solid and no lockouts. It was getting pretty consistently locked out before as well.

Don't listen to anyone stating syncro issues. Syncros dont really cause lockouts and they arent intermittent or under WOT only conditions.

If you are interested on my input on the matter and seeing the CHE brace, you can see my video here
 

josegovi

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The 07-14 mustangs and gt500 share the brake fluid with the hydraulic clutch on the car. Having low fluid could cause the hydraulic slave not to fully engage the clutch and cause gear lock outs.

Not sure is that is your issue but it doesnt hurt to check.
The 07-14 mustangs and gt500 share the brake fluid with the hydraulic clutch on the car. Having low fluid could cause the hydraulic slave not to fully engage the clutch and cause gear lock outs.

Not sure is that is your issue but it doesnt hurt to check.

Amazing, I will never forget this....knowledge is power, many thanks!

My issues only happened closer to redline in 4th and 5th gear while pushing the car hard... those kind of situations don't happen to me in the U.S. I left it alone because it is rare that I'm racing anyone at 160mph+ here. Germany, on the other hand... lots of fun times!!

The reverse lockout is an annoyance that i just got used to.

FWIW, I'm pretty sure there are no synchros on reverse, so that is a factor for that gear. Not sure about synchros on 5th or 6th gear.

I bet it was fun....I was not sure if reverse had syncro, thanks for letting me know.
 

josegovi

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Well you do have a reverse lock out solenoid. Have you tried replacing it? I'd give Tremec a call on the 5th and 6th gear issue.

I have not gotten the solenoid replaced, do you or anyone know if doing that would cost a whole lot of money?

Do you think Tremmec will help even though the car is 8 years old, I am not the original owner and the warranty is done?

Well you do have a reverse lock out solenoid. Have you tried replacing it? I'd give Tremec a call on the 5th and 6th gear issue.

Yea, my issue is not at high RPMs, or at least when it has happened I was not trying to shift at high RPMs.

Nobody told me the syncros were my problem, but I did see a video that stated the hybrid syncros fixes the issue from 1st to 2nd and was wondering if it would work for my problem, however, now knowing that reverse does not have a syncro makes me feel different about it. I will check out the video for the bar, I am at work and could not do it now.
 

Catmonkey

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Do you think Tremmec will help even though the car is 8 years old, I am not the original owner and the warranty is done?
As in warranty, oh hell no. Even if you car was in warranty, they'd refer you to Ford. But I think they can tell you what some of the issues are that can cause this to happen. It may take a rebuild of the transmission to correct. 5th and 6th would be on the same shift fork, so it's likely more related to that. Usually a bad synchro will just cause a grind when getting it in gear, not preventing getting it in gear.

On the reverse lock out, a good cleaning and inspecting the wiring harness and connectors couldn't hurt before replacement.
 

SCALILOU

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Ihave read the gear lock out is due to the load of the motor at higher rpms slightly twisting the transmission housing. Since the shifter is remote and not attached to the transmission housing, when the transmission twists /flexes, you'll get locked out. This is why the Blowfish bracket was created and also the reason the MGW race spec shifter is designed the way it is. They are designed to mate the shifter to the transmission housing to prevent the two from working separately. I will be buying the Blowfish bracket. I'll chime in with my results once it's installed. Every person I have heard of installing the bracket report never getting a gear lock out again, even during aggressive shifting at high rpms during road course racing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using the svtperformance.com mobile app
 

Catmonkey

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Yea, my issue is not at high RPMs, or at least when it has happened I was not trying to shift at high RPMs.
For all you guys advocating WOT shifting solutions.

Back to that reverse lock out solenoid. I think it's active all the time, only allowing the shifter to move into the reverse gate while either stopped or going very slow. If the lock out mechanism is over traveling, as in there's something wrong it, it might keep the shifter from entering the gate for 5th and 6th. Just something I thought of after my last post.
 

josegovi

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I will call Tremmec to see what they say, it cannot hurt. I am considering looking into the solenoid as well as the blowfish bracket, I just kind of wish I would have known about the bracket when I spent the money for the MGW shifter. I will let you guys know my findings.
 

Robert M

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The 07-14 mustangs and gt500 share the brake fluid with the hydraulic clutch on the car. Having low fluid could cause the hydraulic slave not to fully engage the clutch and cause gear lock outs.

Not sure is that is your issue but it doesnt hurt to check.

^^^^and to add to this............A poorly maintained brake system only adds to the problem. Rust makes its was back into the reservoir from the steel brake lines, the rust settles to the bottom of the brake reservoir, a push on the clutch pedal draws rusty fluid out of the brake reservoir and down into the clutch system with all rust settling at the lowest point........down the line and in the clutch slave......

42650139482_4f00df30c0_k.jpg

40889563920_d21f7916cd_k.jpg

42699422971_3451474cfb_k.jpg


What REALLY compounds this problem is not bleeding the brake system with fresh/clean fluid before pad changes. If an owner simply compresses the caliper pistons back into the calipers before adding new pads, where does all of that nasty/rusty contaminated fluid go? Back into the master cylinder reservoir......

R
 

StrayBullitt

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Op I would cover the easy items first, a couple of fluid changes in the Transmission close together as well as brake fluid flush and flush the clutch hydraulic line. Get a few more miles behind the wheel and After that I would consider a clutch upgrade. You'll get better power holding capabilities, but should also gain a more positive engage/disengagement
 

cidsamuth

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Reference the brake fluid rust . . . while a good overall comment concerning maintenance of the brake system, there is no chance his low mileage 2011 has fluid bad enough to be causing rust buildup in the clutch system unless he has been garaging the car at the bottom of the Atlantic.
 

me32

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Reference the brake fluid rust . . . while a good overall comment concerning maintenance of the brake system, there is no chance his low mileage 2011 has fluid bad enough to be causing rust buildup in the clutch system unless he has been garaging the car at the bottom of the Atlantic.

What about areas with high humidity? Storing the car out side?
 

Catmonkey

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Reference the brake fluid rust . . . while a good overall comment concerning maintenance of the brake system, there is no chance his low mileage 2011 has fluid bad enough to be causing rust buildup in the clutch system unless he has been garaging the car at the bottom of the Atlantic.
Unless he's had possession of the car since the day it rolled off the transport, he has no idea where this car has been. Floods happen in a lot places and lots of unscrupulous people buy them and put them back on the road. Who's to say this one didn't sit in a foot of water in Houston a couple of years ago. I'd be more inclined to change the transmission fluid with fresh fill, preferably one of the synthetic solutions, just because it's cheap and easy and you never know what's in there unless you changed it previously. If he can get in the other 4 gears when he's experiencing this issue, I'd rule out the clutch.

OP, I can't see the Blowfish bracket solving this issue. Lock out in 5th or 6th at WOT, maybe, but at cruise speeds, the engine is not torquing over enough to cause shifter mis-alignment. With the MGW2, I'm not sure that would still even be a thing.
 

Robert M

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Reference the brake fluid rust . . . while a good overall comment concerning maintenance of the brake system, there is no chance his low mileage 2011 has fluid bad enough to be causing rust buildup in the clutch system unless he has been garaging the car at the bottom of the Atlantic.

Believe it or not, those brake fluid reservoir pictures were added to a forum discussion from a 2011 GT500 owner two years ago on a car that had just under 40K original miles......When I added Baer Extreme rear brakes to my 2008 at 5 years old with just 600 original miles, this was what I found in my system......

002-zpsleechnr3.jpg

001-zpsiavmwxzc.jpg


^^^^Like I said, 600 original miles, stored in an A/C'ed garage in Florida since very early 2009 when my car came back from Las Vegas. 600 original miles is a loooooong way from 40K miles and the brake usage and moisture absorbed into the systems between the two.

Brake fluid is supposed to look like pee, not tea, and def. not root beer.

R
 

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