Finally got that weird 2012 Focus transmission shudder figured out

Had this customer come in with a 2012 Focus that had a nasty shudder between 2nd and 3rd gear, you know the one. He'd been to two other shops already. I spent a solid three hours just on the test drive and data logging, trying to catch it. The TCM adaptations were a mess, but the real kicker was the clutch actuator motor. Ford's TSB said to replace the whole thing, but I found the internal gear was just slightly worn. Cleaned it up, re-greased it with some Motorcraft XT-10, and did a full reset with the IDS. Drove it around Grand Rapids for like 20 miles after and it was smooth as butter. The look on the guy's face when he picked it up was worth the headache. Anyone else had luck fixing those actuators instead of just swapping them?

2 comments

2 Comments

xenajones6d ago

Nice save. Did you check the clutch fork pivot ball for wear while you had it apart? Seen those cause similar issues.

the_joel6d ago

Disagree about the pivot ball being a common culprit here. On these dry clutch PowerShift boxes, the actuator gear wear is almost always the root cause of that specific shudder. Fixing that internal part gets you further than chasing other potential issues first.

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