About 4200 miles on the truck now, and the initial 1-2 shift on mine has smoothed out a lot, even on cold mornings (we had a few down in the 30's a couple of weeks ago). I guess it either smooths out once the computer has learned your driving style or after some sort of break-in period?

At any rate, I just wanted to report that it does seem to smooth out quite a bit with some miles.

 

Yeah it's been 80-90's here last few days and the trans dont do the hard shift from 1st to 2nd like it did in the winter.

 

mine seems a little better but I still get the clunk between 1st and second every so often. Actually it does it 100% of the time when I'm leaving work for some reason...strange. It's a hard left turn out of the parking lot but other than that it just your basic surface street.

 

I'm only over 800 miles now and I don't have that rough shift anymore either.

But do you guys notice any clicking noises from under the truck? I think it is from the tranny when it switches gears. only noticed it now with the warmer weather and the windows are rolled down. Doesn't happen all the time though.

 

mine has stop too but ever now and again on a down hill grade it will do it when your slowing down

 

so that damn hard 1-2 shift is normal?


does your tranny also do a weird downshift from 2-1 when slowing down to a stop?


this is in my 2008 Expy I just bought. Wasn't sure if the 6 speed was meant to be that way or not

 

Has actually gone away or are you just getting immune to noticing it.

I just turned over 2000 miles this morning and it is still there with no improvement. It is very embarassing when you have a passenger in with you and want to show off the new truck and then this "jerk" in the 1st to 2nd gear shift happens. They then asked what happened. Does not show off well for a new truck. Hopefully it is not a sign of a bigger problem.

 

kaminsco,
Mine has definitely gotten a lot smoothter. The warmer weather may be a factor, but I don't believe that is entirely it because a couple of weeks ago it got down in the mid 30's here, and it still seemed to shifting a lot smoother than a couple of months ago. I really started to notice the improvement over the past 1000-1500 miles (4300 now). When mine was new and the outside temp was really cold, I would get the "jerk" you are describing on the first takeoff when the truck was cold, but nothing like that now.

tylus,
The downshifting when slowing down is supposed to occur (on the F-150). It allows the engine to shut off the fuel supply momentarily, improving gas mileage. The drivetrain keeps the crankshaft rotating. Mine will only spike to 1100-1200 rpm max on the downshifts. I'm not sure if the Expy has the same programming. I've driven my parent's '08 Expy several times, and I don't remember noticing it downshifting. It may have, but I didn't notice.

Overall, compared to the 4r70w/4r75w and even the 4r100, the 6r80 does have firmer, more noticeable shifts. Then again, I would argue that those transmissions (the 4r's) shift just as smooth or smoother than any truck transmission out there. Period. Is it a bad thing that the 6r80 has firmer shifts? I don't think so. I like the feel of a firmer shifting transmission, which was one of my favorite things about the Torqshift in my SD. But, this is just my opinion. To each his own. Sorry for the long post.

 

This isn't normal. There's a long thread on Explorerforum about the 6r60 in the 06+ Explorers. There are multiple updates for the older 6r transmissions.

Tylus-I think I read that you're Expedition is a left over. It may have older software and I'd have it reflashed. The 2-1 shift jerk is a very common problem with the 6r series and I felt it on some of the Explorers I test drove. Mine doesn't do it in 4x2, but in 4x4 low you can feel it with the extra gear reduction. I'm going to have mine updated to the latest TSB.

As far as the 1-2 upshift, mine is a little noticeable, but I'm not sure if there is anything wrong. The ratios are pretty wide on the 6r between 1 and 2 so that might explain some of it.

Mike

 

This is an interesting post. There are other posts in the Expedition forum with respect to the 6R75 on the 07/08 expy's. They to seem to have shifting issues and people were going in getting software updates for a TSB released. I had hoped they sorted these out on the new tranny's. Although as one mentioned earlier, is this actually a problem or just a difference.

 

I wish there was more info on the 6r series. I have no idea what the difference is between the 6r60, 75 and 80. I've heard that the guts are all the same with different torque converters, but who knows how true that is. It would kind of make sense though because they all have the same ratios and the torque output difference of the 4.6 3 valve and 5.4 3 valve is only 65ft/lbs.

In any case, I've heard that the 6r series never coasts. Apparently when you roll to a stop, the transmission has to shift from 2-1 at the last second and that was/is the cause of the 2-1 shift bump. I would have thought that they would have it fixed by now though. My 06 Explorer doesn't do this in 2wd, but the Oasis says that it has and was fixed late 06. It does in low range, so I'm probably going to have the software updated to the latest TSB.

Like I said with the 1-2 upshift, it might just be more noticeable because there is a 1.83 difference in ratio. Mine is more noticeable than the other gears but it's still a smooth shift.

MIke

 

my shifting issue, is just the down shifting. seem like 3rd to 2nd or 3rd to 1st on fast stops form 40 mph

 

That's right. I think I saw a thread in the Expedition forum talking about a TSB to fix this. Forgot about that.

However, I think the the downshifting people were experiencing in the Expy was a lot harder than the F-150. Mine downshifts, but it is generally pretty smooth, but not as smooth as a tranny that coasts when you let off the gas. All part of that fuel saving strategy I mentioned.

Good point about the wide space between first and second ratios (4.17 to 2.34). That could definitely be part of the reason the 1-2 shift can be rough at times.

 

When I drove the Explorers that had the 2-1 jerk it was very noticeably. It was like getting rear ended by someone going 2-5MPH. Not horrible, but very noticeable. In 2wd the Explorer we bought is seamless in the 2-1 shift. You never know it happens. But in 4 low there is a jerk and I'm going to have the software updated.

Mike

 

my 1-2 shift can be seamless at times, and then other times it's an abrubt hard shift...kind of like an old Chevy I had that I did a shift kit in. It can snap you back in the seat a bit if you aren't expecting it.


the downshift from 2-1 is downright annoying. Best I can describe, it's like popping the clutch out on a 5-speed when you are downshifting. engine RPM flares up, and the whole vehicle does a nose dive while slowing down suddenly.



btw, I've read on a few other forums, the 1-2 upshift is harder at times on purpose. something about the PCM programming is designed that way on purpose in colder weather to help the motor/tranny warm up quicker. VMP supposedly has written some custom tunes to address the problem.




I test drove a 09 Lariat Screw, and it was nice, but I didn't get a chance to really rev her up. Does the 09 F-150 get up and scoot when you give it some gas? I layed into the throttle on my Expy today and it really surprised me...especially for a 6,500 lb beast (roughly). Had no problems going from 0-60 and merging onto the highway


the 6-speed is really nice once you are rolling