DCT / PowerShift Transmission Update TSB Thread

[Superd]

Originally Posted by mishka

In my car (2013 DCT) one of the shifts is much slower (that's what hesitation is right?) compared to the rest and i'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same. So the only shift that seems to be much slower for me is when I shift from 2nd to 3rd. By the way, i'm referring to shifting in manual mode. In drive or sport/auto it shifts seemingly normally (not slow).
So i'll be in 2nd gear, push the upshift button and about 2 seconds later it finally switches to 3rd gear. The rest of the gear switches are much faster than that. Am I experiencing hesitation?
Also for anyone who hasn't seen it, I have a thread up about how my DCT engine and/or transmission died while driving (not sure if it was a stall), and i'm taking the car into the dealership. here is the link to the thread. Should I mention this "hesitation" to them as well since i'm already getting it inspected for defects?

Thanks.

Mine has the same behaviour.

[Kabigon]

Originally Posted by mishka

In my car (2013 DCT) one of the shifts is much slower (that's what hesitation is right?) compared to the rest and i'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same. So the only shift that seems to be much slower for me is when I shift from 2nd to 3rd. By the way, i'm referring to shifting in manual mode. In drive or sport/auto it shifts seemingly normally (not slow).
So i'll be in 2nd gear, push the upshift button and about 2 seconds later it finally switches to 3rd gear. The rest of the gear switches are much faster than that. Am I experiencing hesitation?

Think of the DCT as two manual transmissions, each with their own clutch.

If you are in 2nd gear, 1st or 3rd is "pre-selected" (by the TCM) on the "other transmission" depending on the vehicle speed.

If 1st was pre-selected and you select 3rd, a gear change (which happens slowly) must occur.

If 3rd was already pre-selected and you select 3rd, one clutch will disengage while the other engages (which happens quickly).

Try shifting from 2nd to 3rd at a higher speed and see if it doesn't happen much faster.

[Bolto]

Originally Posted by Kabigon

Think of the DCT as two manual transmissions, each with their own clutch.

If you are in 2nd gear, 1st or 3rd is "pre-selected" (by the TCM) on the "other transmission" depending on the vehicle speed.

If 1st was pre-selected and you select 3rd, a gear change (which happens slowly) must occur.

If 3rd was already pre-selected and you select 3rd, one clutch will disengage while the other engages (which happens quickly).

Try shifting from 2nd to 3rd at a higher speed and see if it doesn't happen much faster.

Thanks for the explanation Kabigon, that makes perfect sense in terms of the shifting behavior I get in manual mode, which is that delay from 2nd to 3rd people are mentioning.

The thing is, I never had that delay before I had the transmission TSB update applied, so it must have increased the speed at which 3rd is preselected. In my experience, to get the quick gear change from 2nd to 3rd now, the engine has to be north of 3000 rpm. I'm gonna do some testing to see where the exact speed threshold is.

[Sprint]

Originally Posted by Arco-Zakus

I agree, but lots of people do not do what they "should", if they even know what that is. When the new Focus came out I don't think most of the people selling them knew much about how different its "automatic" transmission is. No surprise that they couldn't explain it to potential customers. There was also some confusion, probably even some deception, about the difference between the DCT's "normal characteristics" that some owners objected to and the actual failures that were occurring. Considering the high turnover I've seen in sales people at car dealers in my area, it is likely that some only cared about what was in it for themselves in the near term, even after they did know what was going on. (Ever heard of Bernie Madoff?)

One thing that might make it not feel so bad is to write it off in your mind to the proverbial "rising cost of education." I've noted in other comments that I've been "educated" really well about buying new cars at least 4 times in the last 40 years -- slow learner here. (In one case -- not a Focus --- I ended up finding a crashed sample of a later model than the one I owned and swapping its transmission with mine, all at my expense. I liked the rest of that car that much, especially with other modifications I had already made to it. Doing that job was also very "educational". Learning to be my own mechanic paid back more than I realized for many years after that, though it's definitely not for everyone.) It is not easy doing the homework and being patient for the right opportunity, but that is part of the lesson.

One of the lessons I got from experiences like this is that, as a buyer, I "should" know what it is that I am buying. Another was to not buy a new or re-designed model in (at least) its first year of production unless I'm up to dealing with the likely problems. A third was to not get so excited about any new car that I forget the first two. Such excitement can lead to trying to convince youself that, after all these years, car makers must have learned how to do it all better by now. The only way that usually happens is when they stick with old/proven technology. (e.g. Toyota Corolla) Buying a brand with a better track record can help, but is no guarantee. (Two of my "lessons" have been taught to me by Honda and Toyota.)

I hope that doesn't sound too harsh. I sympathize with your predicament, and thank you for sharing your experience here for others (me) to learn from.

====================================
"Brevity is the soul of wit." No wonder my posts are so long.

re buying a newly redesigned car: I thought about this before buying but my concern was alayed by some info Ford put out early on indicating that the seasoned Euro focus/dct was being brought over to North America. From this I understood that this car was not newly redesigned - Wrong!

[mjb457]

TRANS SHAKE AGAIN PULLING OUT!!! Cant be normal.... I have 2013 as a rental & it is fine....way different than my 2012 SE....Mine was fine after being fixed for 3months than has resurfaced again....any advise out there...FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE please advise ASAP>>>> THANKS MJB

[PratoN]

Originally Posted by mjb457

TRANS SHAKE AGAIN PULLING OUT!!! Cant be normal.... I have 2013 as a rental & it is fine....way different than my 2012 SE....Mine was fine after being fixed for 3months than has resurfaced again....any advise out there...FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE please advise ASAP>>>> THANKS MJB

I'm sorry to hear your issues have resurfaced; I recall talking to you about it before. Although, mine were never fixed to begin with. I'm guessing it's an issue with the trans case itself - after all, they are on revision F.

[mjb457]

A bit unnerved to say the least.... I thought this issue was resolved back in OCTOBER.... its at shop being looked at now.... All help and suggestions welcome(rental car expenses now---not good!) MJB

[mishka]

Originally Posted by mjb457

A bit unnerved to say the least.... I thought this issue was resolved back in OCTOBER.... its at shop being looked at now.... All help and suggestions welcome(rental car expenses now---not good!) MJB

if it's still under warranty and they can't fix it - it's a lemon, right?

[Sprint]

Originally Posted by mjb457

A bit unnerved to say the least.... I thought this issue was resolved back in OCTOBER.... its at shop being looked at now.... All help and suggestions welcome(rental car expenses now---not good!) MJB

What was done to fix your car in October?

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by mishka

if it's still under warranty and they can't fix it - it's a lemon, right?

Not necessarily. If it doesn't qualify it doesn't matter if its under warranty or not. Learn your local laws before going forward.