Unsmooth Autobox
Discussion
My car is a 2019 Lincoln Continental, however the 6 speed
autobox is a bog standard 6F55 found on many Euro Fords.
With 40K miles, I find the transmission a bit lumpy for a few
miles when the night outside temp is less than 12C,
I have the remote start, so would letting the engine idle
for 10 minutes warm up the trans fluid, or does the fluid
really only get warm when the autobox is engaged ?
autobox is a bog standard 6F55 found on many Euro Fords.
With 40K miles, I find the transmission a bit lumpy for a few
miles when the night outside temp is less than 12C,
I have the remote start, so would letting the engine idle
for 10 minutes warm up the trans fluid, or does the fluid
really only get warm when the autobox is engaged ?
The transmission won't get warm until it's made to work - i.e. the car is driven. Heat soak from the engine will be minimal from a cold start and the torque converter won't be doing much work with the car in Park.
You say the transmission is the same one used in Europe but are you sure the fluid spec is the same as used in Europe? It's possible there are different specs for different climates.
Beyond that it could be something they can address through the software. Find out if there have been any updates issued by Ford. The transmission will have a temp sensor and shift dynamics are quite likely to change with temperature. If the sensor was faulty you'd probably get an OBD code. Might be worth checking to see if there are any pending codes,
"A pending code will not turn on your check engine light and indicates that a system on your vehicle is behaving abnormally, but not so much as to mean there is an actual problem. For example a temperature sensor might have a normal operating range of 90-110 degrees, but 80-120 degrees is considered acceptable."
One further thought, if the car has different driving modes such as Eco,Comfort,Sport the transmission will probably have different programs for each mode. The programs typically adjust both rpm for part throttle shifts and the speed/firmness of shift. Try using different modes from a cold start.
You say the transmission is the same one used in Europe but are you sure the fluid spec is the same as used in Europe? It's possible there are different specs for different climates.
Beyond that it could be something they can address through the software. Find out if there have been any updates issued by Ford. The transmission will have a temp sensor and shift dynamics are quite likely to change with temperature. If the sensor was faulty you'd probably get an OBD code. Might be worth checking to see if there are any pending codes,
"A pending code will not turn on your check engine light and indicates that a system on your vehicle is behaving abnormally, but not so much as to mean there is an actual problem. For example a temperature sensor might have a normal operating range of 90-110 degrees, but 80-120 degrees is considered acceptable."
One further thought, if the car has different driving modes such as Eco,Comfort,Sport the transmission will probably have different programs for each mode. The programs typically adjust both rpm for part throttle shifts and the speed/firmness of shift. Try using different modes from a cold start.
There will be some churn and heat generated while it is in neutral. But leaving the car to warm up like that is quite bad for the engine and also not a great fix for the problem. If you think the problem improves when the fluid is hot, it will probably be helped by a gearbox service (ie oil and filter).
Further thoughts from a Ford forum,
"I have had this same issue. From what I’ve seen is that the hard shifting is not related to the transmission fluid level. Yes some of the factory fills are low but this hard shifting is due the the computer/ transmission learning your driving habits. In order for it to go back to smooth shifting, you have to reset the computer. I disconnected both battery terminals and used a jumper wire with alligator clamps to connect both terminal wires. Connect one end of the jumper wire to the positive and one to the negative terminal wire. Leave it like this for about 15 min. Once I did this, I took it on a casual drive for about 20 minutes letting it relearn the shift points. Good idea to do it at night so you don’t hit traffic. It seemed to have reset the computer and all the hard shifting was gone. Even in slow traffic 1-2 gear, 2-3 was smooth. No more clunking. The 6F55 transmission is notorious for these hard shifts because people drive their Sports how they’re made to be driven lol but after a while the transmission learns these behaviours and starts hard shifting for some reason. I think it’s kind of a dumb design on Ford’s part. I’ve driven many police interceptor Explorers which are also equipped with the 6F55 and they do the same hard shift at low speeds dude to how hard the police drive them. Hope this helps."
"I have had this same issue. From what I’ve seen is that the hard shifting is not related to the transmission fluid level. Yes some of the factory fills are low but this hard shifting is due the the computer/ transmission learning your driving habits. In order for it to go back to smooth shifting, you have to reset the computer. I disconnected both battery terminals and used a jumper wire with alligator clamps to connect both terminal wires. Connect one end of the jumper wire to the positive and one to the negative terminal wire. Leave it like this for about 15 min. Once I did this, I took it on a casual drive for about 20 minutes letting it relearn the shift points. Good idea to do it at night so you don’t hit traffic. It seemed to have reset the computer and all the hard shifting was gone. Even in slow traffic 1-2 gear, 2-3 was smooth. No more clunking. The 6F55 transmission is notorious for these hard shifts because people drive their Sports how they’re made to be driven lol but after a while the transmission learns these behaviours and starts hard shifting for some reason. I think it’s kind of a dumb design on Ford’s part. I’ve driven many police interceptor Explorers which are also equipped with the 6F55 and they do the same hard shift at low speeds dude to how hard the police drive them. Hope this helps."
Thanks for the helpful replies.
Yes the car has drive 3 modes, I have tried it in each mode, but it's the same,
the change up or down to 4th is thumpy and when braking on approach to a junction
at 22mph it gives a slight thump as it changes down , this lasts about 5-8 miles then it's fine.
I have via Forscan, reset the transmission a few times but it doesn't change the cold problem.
I did read that low fluid level might lead to lumpiness so I popped 350 ml [ Mercon LV ] into the
trans, made no difference.
I had a previous 2017 Continental and had zero problems with the transmission.
Yes the car has drive 3 modes, I have tried it in each mode, but it's the same,
the change up or down to 4th is thumpy and when braking on approach to a junction
at 22mph it gives a slight thump as it changes down , this lasts about 5-8 miles then it's fine.
I have via Forscan, reset the transmission a few times but it doesn't change the cold problem.
I did read that low fluid level might lead to lumpiness so I popped 350 ml [ Mercon LV ] into the
trans, made no difference.
I had a previous 2017 Continental and had zero problems with the transmission.
Sardonicus said:
Even @ 4 years old and 40k (an its not like this is a low weight vehicle) I would be changing the oil and strainer/filter and resetting adaptions if your chasing a behaviour/shift issue but thats just me and I like things to last
I think that's probably the right/easiest/cheapest place to start with this one.Gassing Station | Engines & Drivetrain | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff