2015 EcoBoost shifting HARD into third gear (3rd gear)

[paul bamford]

I am pretty new to the forum so please excuse me if this has come up before. Treating this post as an after-action review while this is still fresh in my mind. Stop reading now if you don't like long posts or multiple questions. I tried to organize this though so it hopefully flows for readers.

This **** or hard-shift occurred when the car was fairly cold yesterday, accelerated not overly hard, and the shift from second to third gear RPM's ran fairly high. The high rev sound concerned me, so I started to let off the gas, and the shift was hard. The whole car ****** (nose-dived I believe). I did not have it in sport mode. I don't believe I hit the paddle shifter. Concerned Father here....lol.

It startled me to say the least. Just bought this 2015 SHO two weeks ago. It has the 3.5 liter EcoBoost engine, 44.295 miles.

I bought an extended Ford warranty when purchasing this car. Not afraid to take it back in for a checkup if this is serious.....FYI. But If I cannot have others tell me what I experienced or reproduce it, the dealership will just laugh at me. Like a new parent in a doctor's office.

Anyone else had this problem on the 2015, should I be alarmed? Should I allow the car to warm up prior to leaving every time? I know this goes without saying, but I allowed for about 2-4 minutes of warm-up time. before this acceleration. Is that enough time for this car?

Anyone have an average temp I should go for every time before pulling out of the garage?

Also, bought this car used and haven't checked the fluid levels myself (call me a ******* I know), will do that first thing when I get home and report back on findings. I'm still in the honeymoon phase, take it easy on me.

Lastly, I have been reading a lot on the PTU on other threads. Should I be concerned with this at my engine mileage and would that contribute to the ****? Prior threads have mentioned it should be serviced by now with my mileage and age. Not sure if previous owner did. I am going to have this serviced asap. Still want to wait until next oil change and do it all at once, but starting to think I shouldn't wait, the more I read.

P.S. - Maybe at the least, I should have the dealership hook to the computer and make sure everything is still stock? It was a lease before, clean CARFAX, but have no clue if someone modded it and flashed it back and F-ed it up.

Thanks everyone. Sorry for the long post...might be overly concerned but oh well.

 

[SM105K]

Check all of your fluids first and report back. Has this happened before?

 

[paul bamford]

No, first occurrence. I will report back. Should check tranny fluid also...warm or hot check on that one do you suggest?

 

[bpd1151]

It's been a generally accepted practice over the years to OVERFILL the trans fluid by anywhere from to one half, to three fourths of a quart.

This provides proper lubricity particularly during WOT pulls. Whether on the street, or on the track.

I would check it when cold, or slightly warm. Not necessarily when it's "hot".

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[SM105K]

Do whatever the manual says. Just know you have to remove the air box base. Pop the lid and lay to the side, remove filter (knock out dirt) and then I believe it is two 10mm bolts that hold the air box towards the front. Remove bolts and pull up the base. Trans dip stick is located under the base.

 

[paul bamford]

By "air box" you mean the part that holds the air intake and filter correct? Probably a dumb question but want to be sure. Def not a mechanic over here...lol

 

[paul bamford]

It's been a generally accepted practice over the years to OVERFILL the trans fluid by anywhere from to one half, to three fourths of a quart.

This provides proper lubricity particularly during WOT pulls. Whether on the street, or on the track.

I would check it when cold, or slightly warm. Not necessarily when it's "hot".

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Wide open throttle (WOT) refers to an internal combustion engine's maximum intake of air and fuel that occurs when the throttle plates inside the carburetor or throttle body are "wide open", providing the least resistance to the incoming air.

Had to Google that one....oof tah....i have so much to learn. But this is going to be fun.

 

[SHOdded]

Overfill in portion of a pint, not quart But def, you need to check transmission fluid level and condition first. Engines warm up quickly, transmissions do not. In cold weather, it can take upwards of 15 minutes in highway driving!

Also check on possible traction issues. Tire type, pressure, tread remaining, etc.

 

[SM105K]

By "air box" you mean the part that holds the air intake and filter correct? Probably a dumb question but want to be sure. Def not a mechanic over here...lol

That is exactly what it is.

 

[paul bamford]

Overfill in portion of a pint, not quart But def, you need to check transmission fluid level and condition first. Engines warm up quickly, transmissions do not. In cold weather, it can take upwards of 15 minutes in highway driving!

Also check on possible traction issues. Tire type, pressure, tread remaining, etc.

Tires are brand new...< 10k mi. Goodyear, not sure of exact specs...will check and post later.

 

[paul bamford]

I've always been told to not check tranny fluid, for fear of having to do it regularly afterwards...any truth to this with SHO's?

 

[paul bamford]

38 degrees here in Indy today. Parked my car outside of office window today. Heating it up for full 15 mins before driving it home today. Thanks for advice so far guys.

 

[OmaHahn]

OK, dumb question time.... I need to "overfill," mine because of some missed shifts from 2-3 under WOT. So where do I fill more fluid? And what oil should I use?

 

[Bronco2fan]

Under the air box, dipstick is the fill port. Mercon LV is what I used, full synthetic.

 

[bpd1151]

There's a trans fluid cap is located directly underneath the OEM air box.

Remove the air filter (and it's box) in order to access the cap.

I personally have always used the Motorcraft Mercon LV for trans fluid.

Others may suggest otherwise. But I'll digress and/or defer on that.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[SM105K]

I've always been told to not check tranny fluid, for fear of having to do it regularly afterwards...any truth to this with SHO's?

No truth too this. It doesn't magically disappear, unless there is a leak.

 

[SHOdded]

Cant check the fluid cold. It has to be up to normal operating temp. Since there is no trans temp gauge on the car, the easiest way to read it is with an OBDII adapter and software to access the data.

I used the OBDLINK MX Bluetooth adapter but a VEEPEAK will work just as well for this purpose. Most people are using Torque Pro software with the adapter. Forscan Lite is an option, but unlike TQP, it is not customizable.

 

[Lostneye]

38 degrees here in Indy today. Parked my car outside of office window today. Heating it up for full 15 mins before driving it home today. Thanks for advice so far guys.

FYI idling and driving are not the same as far as heating up the trans. Either way the engine coolant will heat up faster than the trans fluid.

 

[paul bamford]

No truth too this. It doesn't magically disappear, unless there is a leak.

When I said check, I meant change. Sorry for any confusion. Does this change anything?


If not how often do you change your tranny fluid. Or should I stick to manual on this one also...?

 

[luigisho]

Look at the condition and color of the fluid. If it looks burnt I would change it. If it's low you need to find the cause since it is a sealed system. I usually don't look at autotranny fluid change until 100kish give or take for regular use and much sooner if heavy use. (towing, track, heavy foot etc.). You will need to watch all the fluids in the drivetrain. You have several items that require change of fluids at some point.

Drivetrain failures are no joke and not uncommon on these cars so make sure it's tip top before the extended warranty runs out