Ford's Chinese 6 speed tranny

[Nypsy]

I was all set to start looking for a new 5.0 Mustang.
 
I started to do a little research and...

http://jalopnik.com/5792482/faulty-chinese+built-transmissions-plague-new-ford-mustang

I have heard bad things about the Chinese built 6 speed transmissions. Anyone have any experience with this tranny?

[icepac]

Use some finesse with the lever and you should be ok.

The common denominator of all the stories always seems to have been at one instance of crazy shifter yanking idiocy whether technician or owner.

It's only assembled there so china not so much an issue unless they start pirating and making thier own parts of sub-par materials.

I've got some experience in the OBX worm gear differentials vs the quaife or torsen it is a copy of and found that everything is fine concerning machining but they lose thier way during assembly and thier choice of hardware kit.

I take them apart, get the proper bolts and other hardware, reassemble them correctly, and find them just as durable as the original.

I wouldn't doubt if the guys having issues are the same guys who couldn't make a world class T5 survive behind a stock 1987 mustang GT engine of 225hp.........or can't seem to get more than 18mpg in a toyota prius...........or drive with thier hand on the shifter at all times..........or wear a baseball cap sideways.

[Golfer]

Mines fine after a few hundred passes down the drag strip.

Same goes for every other one I've seen at the strip. That article is 2 years old and while I don't doubt some early ones had issues starting in August 2011 (when my 2012 Convertible was built) there were some parts upgrades.

There was a lot hubbub on some of the forums about it but those with actual problems didn't seem to ever be first hand accounts or were absolute idiots (or techs) who were doing stuff that would be abuse to any transmission.

The shift gates are close together and with the right technique and not using brute force with the shifter it'll be fine. I installed an aftermarket shifter and bracket and change the trans and diff fluid once a year on account of racing.

My biggest WTF came when I installed a driveshaft loop and took it for a drive when I was done. Turns out the mounting bracket wasn't milled just right do it was making contact with the transmission and transmitting all kinds of creepy sounds right into the car.  A little angle grinder TLC and it was good as new.

I'm around 30,000 miles and it's still good as new.

[GScholz]

Why are they assembled in China for the U.S. market? Makes no sense...

[Golfer]

Why are they assembled in China for the U.S. market? Makes no sense...

The same reason anything is made in China.

[SmokinLoon]

The same reason anything is made in China.

There is a theory that there are more US "jobs" in transporting, distribution, and selling those goods from China than if those good were made here in the US... AND... the cost of is cheaper thanks to an abundance of workers comp fraud and the extreme high cost of labor here in the US.  Not to mention all the EPA red tape in manufacturing as well.  I'm not sure if I agree with it, but that is one of the main arguments.

[Nypsy]

Mines fine after a few hundred passes down the drag strip.

Same goes for every other one I've seen at the strip. That article is 2 years old and while I don't doubt some early ones had issues starting in August 2011 (when my 2012 Convertible was built) there were some parts upgrades.

There was a lot hubbub on some of the forums about it but those with actual problems didn't seem to ever be first hand accounts or were absolute idiots (or techs) who were doing stuff that would be abuse to any transmission.

The shift gates are close together and with the right technique and not using brute force with the shifter it'll be fine. I installed an aftermarket shifter and bracket and change the trans and diff fluid once a year on account of racing.

My biggest WTF came when I installed a driveshaft loop and took it for a drive when I was done. Turns out the mounting bracket wasn't milled just right do it was making contact with the transmission and transmitting all kinds of creepy sounds right into the car.  A little angle grinder TLC and it was good as new.

I'm around 30,000 miles and it's still good as new.

Thanks Golfer, I was looking for someone with first hand experience. I also got the impression that a lot of the complaining was being done by idiots abusing the car.
My 2009 GT has been rock solid for 50,000 miles.
Many of the local Ford dealers are offering very generous trade-ins for my Mustang and 0% financing so that 5.0 looks mighty attractive.

[GScholz]

The same reason anything is made in China.

Made yes, but according to Icepac here they're only assembled in China. In other words the parts are made in the U.S. then shipped to China to be assembled into a transmission, then shipped back to the U.S. That sounds just stupid.

[smoe]

I've driven a 98 stang with all the bells and whistles. The manual tranny pedal and stick were a bit heavy. Not something I would want for a daily commute car.

[Nathan60]

Made yes, but according to Icepac here they're only assembled in China. In other words the parts are made in the U.S. then shipped to China to be assembled into a transmission, then shipped back to the U.S. That sounds just stupid.

Cheap labor is still cheaper than having to pay a laborer whos country has labor laws, and you have to give them certain things klike breaks and a safe working enviro.

[Curval]

Go with a Camaro...problem solved.

[Randy1]

There is a theory that there are more US "jobs" in transporting, distribution, and selling those goods from China than if those good were made here in the US...

The big problem with this is that transporting, distribution, and selling those goods from China is low wage, low benefit job unless you are at the top.  That is a huge part of our economic failure.  The housing building spree thing was only a stop gap measure.  When I started working for the power company, manufacturing drove the loud curve, now it is home use.

[icepac]

It's a ZF unit meaning german engineering.

German engineering might not prove to be a good match with chinese manufacturing in the long run.

I think a high percentage of complaints and damage shown in pictures of components and drained oil were damaged by a clutch issue rather than a transmission problem.

I've run into one where the owner got the disc hot and it slightly warped like a potato chip which caused what he called "shifting issues" when there wasn't anything wrong with the transmission.........other than some synchro wear caused by the dragging clutch that he warped through bad technique.

The general public will never be able to understand the difference between symptom and the underlying issue in this case and you end up with incorrect information spread the width of the internet.

[KgB]

It's a ZF unit meaning german engineering.

German engineering might not prove to be a good match with chinese manufacturing in the long run.

I think a high percentage of complaints and damage shown in pictures of components and drained oil were damaged by a clutch issue rather than a transmission problem.

I've run into one where the owner got the disc hot and it slightly warped like a potato chip which caused what he called "shifting issues" when there wasn't anything wrong with the transmission.........other than some synchro wear caused by the dragging clutch that he warped through bad technique.

The general public will never be able to understand the difference between symptom and the underlying issue in this case and you end up with incorrect information spread the width of the internet.

Speaking of Germans:)
Few years back one of my customers received a loaner car from the BMW dealer i used to work for. He claimed that he knew how to drive a manual gear box. 2 miles! Tow truck picked him up two miles from the dealership with burnt clutch. It must've been some kind of record.

[Babalonian]

Cheap labor is still cheaper than having to pay a laborer whos country has labor laws, and you have to give them certain things klike breaks and a safe working enviro.

No to mention that someone in the US who specialises in tranny assemblies is likely to be labeled and given/demand a pay grade of a certified technician.  In China, they just call them factory workers/labor.