Newb with 2013 SHO trans issue

[rey440cj]

Hello all!
Thanks for the "add", sold new/used Fords for 6 1/2 years till very recently. Am 64 years young, had a few old school muscle cars and am enjoying our Black/Black SHO with Perf. package greatly until recently.
My problem: Warm car up, ok. Select Drive OR paddle shift and accelerate normally ... 1-2 shift is fine but once it hits 3rd I get a "stutter" and watch the tach bounce a bit while feeling the car hesitate. If I lighten up on the throttle it will "stutter" much harder, if I get into it then it stutters less but continues. Car was previously a one-owner model and has 105K on the speedometer. Is this a trans-flush-time issue or electrical (some selenoid?) or what? ANY help will be great, thinking of doing an emissions flush at work here 1st. Wife drives it about 2 miles to work one way each day and for about a year never warmed up enough in my opinion before she got there. We always take it out every Sunday for a good drive but ... hmmm ...

 

[yaycandy]

https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php?topic=9584.0

https://shoforum.com/index.php?threads/transmission-shudder.138456/

 

[stripSHO]

Welcome! I've recommended professional trans flushes to a few members with similar problems but don't recall anyone providing feedback on whether it worked or not. It worked like a charm for me when my f150 did the same thing 100k miles ago. Something was clogging the valve body and keeping the torque converter from locking up properly. Which btw doesn't occur until 3rd gear so it seems likely this could be your problem.

Oh and when I say flush I mean with a machine, preferably at a trans shop. Drain and fill isn't likely to accomplish anything.

 

[rey440cj]

Thanks! Will be taking to the Ford house nearby for a complete flush, hope that helps.

 

[rey440cj]

So I stopped into the Ford house that I am doing a trans flush on this Thursday just to make sure they use a BG machine, etc. and one of the parts guys goes into a big rant on how the trans will fail pretty much immediately if I do this. Said to drive it as long as the trans will allow because it's failing anyway.
Should I really be concerned? I figure if it goes out then replace it when I can, otherwise I may extend it's life by who knows how many miles/years.
Thoughts?
I did not tell him it was a SHO or that it only has 106,400 miles on it and was a one-owner.

 

[rubydist]

I think I would be looking for a different dealer.

 

[Ta2dResqr]

one of the parts guys goes into a big rant on how the trans will fail pretty much immediately if I do this

As a technician that has worked both in the independent and OEM setting, can this happen? Yes. We often mentioned it to higher mileage vehicles. It was primarily high mileage, abused vehicles that we saw it with. We believe the most likely reason was that it had not been maintained and the clutches had been damaged. The clutch material had been worn off and was in the fluid. Remove the fluid, remove the clutch fibers. That being said, I am not a transmission expert and we farmed out most of our transmission work to specialty shops.

Should I really be concerned?

I just bought a 2 owner (1 repo) modified car with 70K on it. I plan to do a transmission flush. Take that for what it is worth. A lot of factors would play into it in my mind. How bad does your fluid look? Is it burnt smelling? Does it feel gritty? If it looks, smells, and feels decent, I would not have any fears/concerns. If it is black, smells burnt, and feels like liquid sandpaper, I'd be prepared to buy a new/rebuild the transmission and hope for the best.

 

[rey440cj]

I checked it about 3 weeks ago when this all started and looked normal, not burnt or gritty. I just hope/believe there is something that will clean up as part of the flush to return all to normal. Thanks for the reply's, I feel better for sure. Will let everyone know after Thursdays' servicing.

 

[rey440cj]

Update:
Had the trans flushed at the Ford house ( I worked there 6 years) after taking to a local well-regarded trans only shop. Was told at the 1st shop that bad coil packs can give the same symptoms but they pluged into their code reader and no engine or trans codes anywhere. Anyway, most all the symptoms gone now after driving for 45 minutes. Will monitor it over the next few days when I can as the wife drives it short distances every day to work.
Question:
What coil packs can I get that are good but not outrageous $$ like the Ford OEM's seem to be?

 

[luigisho]

In my experience stick with oem. Premature failure is no uncommon with aftermarket. Some have better luck with them than others. If doable I would buy oem.

BTW, there has been evidence of counterfeit oem's on ebay and amazon so a trusted Ford seller is preferable.

 

[stripSHO]

So I stopped into the Ford house that I am doing a trans flush on this Thursday just to make sure they use a BG machine, etc. and one of the parts guys goes into a big rant on how the trans will fail pretty much immediately if I do this. Said to drive it as long as the trans will allow because it's failing anyway.
Should I really be concerned? I figure if it goes out then replace it when I can, otherwise I may extend it's life by who knows how many miles/years.
Thoughts?
I did not tell him it was a SHO or that it only has 106,400 miles on it and was a one-owner.

Yeah, with my truck the stealership only wanted to sell me a new torque converter. Glad to read it sounds like you got it sorted out.