========== REPLY ==========
I am not at mechanic or an expert so feel free to disregard my advice. I had the same problem with my 2004 BA XT and I am an extremely sedate driver (zero to 100 in three weeks). I called Ford. They told me I am the only one with this problem and NO! There is no recall or problem with any other Fords (same as what they told me when I asked about the BA's little issue of the transmission cooling oil line bursting inside the radiator and flooding the transmission with coolant...and what if it happens to me... anyway).
I listened to the noise carefully over a month and pinpointed the transmission. It seemed to me that the transmission seems to be starved of oil when it tries to shift at low engine revs so when you rev to take off from the lights or the corner it gets a surge of oil and clunks into gear.
I tried to get a closer look but Ford in all their wisdom have sealed the transmission so you cannot even check the oil level let alone its condition. (Why in the world would you seal a piece of machinery which runs at high temperatures, uses high speed gears, needs a precise level of oil for cooling, needs filters to take out iron filings from the wearing gears AND is reasonably expected to last at least 10 years?)
Anyway, long - short, took it to my trusted mechanic (not the dealer). He bought the transmission kit, dropped the oil out of the transmission, replaced the filter and the sump gasket and refilled with new oil. He also told me to do this every 40,000k's. (Go find THAT in your manual!). The filter that came out was one solid mass of iron filings. No more clunks since then. At all. Cost me $120. This worked for me. It may be totally unrelated to your problem so good luck.
P.S: Make sure that your mechanic cleans the transmission sump thoroughly before putting it back on as the new filter will suck up the iron filings left at the bottom of the sump. "
POSTED BY: E NAR - SYDNEY, NSW 29/01/2007
BESTCADE MOTORSM
