Quirky shifting?

[JamieP]

I've had my Maverick about 2 weeks. The good news is that gas mileage is better than advertised, I love the simplicity of the controls, and there is a good balance between handling like a car but having a little higher vantage point. I like a lot of things, but what's driving my nuts is the powertrain (8-speed auto and 2.0 L Ecoboost). I'm wondering if my Maverick is completely normal, or if it's got peculiar quirks. If you drive it like a racecar it's very smooth, but if you take off slowly from stop signs it acts like it shifts up then down then back up. Either that or fuel delivery is rough. I can't tell.

For years I drove manual transmissions, so I controlled the cadence. Then I drove a Corolla with a CVT (continuously variable transmission) for several years. That thing was smooth as silk. Never once did I feel anything related to the transmission.

So I'm coming into the Maverick as someone not used to an 8-speed transmission. Like I said, at low speeds it's very... jerky... for lack of a better word. About 90% of my commute is cruising at 50 mph. Between 45-55 mph the truck rides bumpy. I took it to the dealer last week and complained that the ride was bumpy at 50 mph, and that maybe there was an out-of-balance tire. I shouldn't have said anything because they drove it, came back, and said the tires are fine.

My theory is that the truck runs in too high a gear much of the time. Maybe that's how you get good fuel economy, but the bouncy ride at 50 is driving my crazy. Sometimes I slow down and then punch the gas to get a break from the vibration/bouncing.

Is this totally normal, or is my transmission not "calibrated" or something? Most likely I'm just being really picky. After all, it's not supposed to be a Lexus.

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[MaineAssassin]

When cold I find the transmission at slow speeds shifts like it's being done by a poorly aimed sledgehammer. It goes away quickly. The low gears feel clunkier at low RPM to shift around than the high ones, without a display for the current gear it could all be down to skipping gears (2-4 shift or 3-5).

For the ride I find it amazingly smooth for a truck and as good as many cars. I've only driven one gas and one hybrid though so YMMV.

 

[JamieP]

I'm in Maine, too! Mine is also Velocity blue. I like your cap.

It sounds like you're experiencing similar low-speed, low-rpm clunkiness. If you take off like a banshee it's nice and smooth, but I drive like an old man, and the shifting doesn't love that.

 

[HappyCat]

I had the same issue with it preferring a too-high gear resulting in low RPM that would choke sometimes. This was in the 35-50 mph range. I took it to my dealer for a tune up (and the brake controller recall) and it's been great since then.

The dealer did not charge me for the tune up.

 

[JamieP]

I had the same issue with it preferring a too-high gear resulting in low RPM that would choke sometimes. This was in the 35-50 mph range. I took it to my dealer for a tune up (and the brake controller recall) and it's been great since then.

The dealer did not charge me for the tune up.

Good to know. Thank you

 

[ShadowBlack XL440]

I've had my Maverick about 2 weeks. The good news is that gas mileage is better than advertised, I love the simplicity of the controls, and there is a good balance between handling like a car but having a little higher vantage point. I like a lot of things, but what's driving my nuts is the powertrain (8-speed auto and 2.0 L Ecoboost). I'm wondering if my Maverick is completely normal, or if it's got peculiar quirks. If you drive it like a racecar it's very smooth, but if you take off slowly from stop signs it acts like it shifts up then down then back up. Either that or fuel delivery is rough. I can't tell.

For years I drove manual transmissions, so I controlled the cadence. Then I drove a Corolla with a CVT (continuously variable transmission) for several years. That thing was smooth as silk. Never once did I feel anything related to the transmission.

So I'm coming into the Maverick as someone not used to an 8-speed transmission. Like I said, at low speeds it's very... jerky... for lack of a better word. About 90% of my commute is cruising at 50 mph. Between 45-55 mph the truck rides bumpy. I took it to the dealer last week and complained that the ride was bumpy at 50 mph, and that maybe there was an out-of-balance tire. I shouldn't have said anything because they drove it, came back, and said the tires are fine.

My theory is that the truck runs in too high a gear much of the time. Maybe that's how you get good fuel economy, but the bouncy ride at 50 is driving my crazy. Sometimes I slow down and then punch the gas to get a break from the vibration/bouncing.

Is this totally normal, or is my transmission not "calibrated" or something? Most likely I'm just being really picky. After all, it's not supposed to be a Lexus.

There is some good reading here on the transmission. When cold i do notice the 2-3 or 3-4 shift stutter or step but after it warms up there is no issues. Also some information on the shift learning process. I have to do further research to better understand all this unless someone is able to provide the Cliffs-Notes version.

https://advancedtransmission.com/2021/01/12/the-new-ford-8f35-8-speed-transmission/


The 8F35

Ford decided that there was no real advantage to having 9 speeds [[as inherited from the GM 9T / GF9 it is based-on]], and the extra gear added weight and cost that didn’t improve fuel economy. Essentially, Ford decided to remove the 4th gear, among other adjustments. These changes made the 2-3 shift step very small, and the transmission acts as a 7-speed under most driving conditions.


https://gearsmagazine.com/magazine/diagnosing-the-erratic-shifting-fords-8f35-57/

Shift Points

At times the 8F transmissions may skip gears when the vehicle starts from a complete stop. But during quick acceleration, it’ll use more of the available gears, and feel like it’s “speed shifting.” All of this is normal. It’s designed to keep the engine RPM closer to the horsepower peak for the best performance and fuel economy.


But if you think there’s a problem, you can always reset the shift points. Here’s how:


Bring the engine and transmission up to normal temperature. From a stop, accelerate the vehicle to 50 mph with the shifts occurring at approximately 2,000 RPM. Stay in 8th gear for at least 30 seconds or until the TCC applies. Repeat this two times.


Then, from a stop, accelerate the vehicle to 50 MPH with the shift occurring at 3,000 RPM. Stay in 8th gear for at least 30 seconds or until the TCC applies. Repeat this two times, as well.


If the transmission fails to upshift or downshift in a normal manner, you’ll need to further the diagnosis. Refer to the shift speed chart, you’ll be driving at light throttle during this test.

 

[JamieP]

Thanks for all this info. At least I feel like I'm not crazy or too picky since what I'm feeling is a known thing.

 

[GreatWhiteNorth]

There is some good reading here on the transmission. When cold i do notice the 2-3 or 3-4 shift stutter or step but after it warms up there is no issues. Also some information on the shift learning process. I have to do further research to better understand all this unless someone is able to provide the Cliffs-Notes version.

https://advancedtransmission.com/2021/01/12/the-new-ford-8f35-8-speed-transmission/


The 8F35

Ford decided that there was no real advantage to having 9 speeds [[as inherited from the GM 9T / GF9 it is based-on]], and the extra gear added weight and cost that didn’t improve fuel economy. Essentially, Ford decided to remove the 4th gear, among other adjustments. These changes made the 2-3 shift step very small, and the transmission acts as a 7-speed under most driving conditions.


https://gearsmagazine.com/magazine/diagnosing-the-erratic-shifting-fords-8f35-57/

Shift Points

At times the 8F transmissions may skip gears when the vehicle starts from a complete stop. But during quick acceleration, it’ll use more of the available gears, and feel like it’s “speed shifting.” All of this is normal. It’s designed to keep the engine RPM closer to the horsepower peak for the best performance and fuel economy.


But if you think there’s a problem, you can always reset the shift points. Here’s how:


Bring the engine and transmission up to normal temperature. From a stop, accelerate the vehicle to 50 mph with the shifts occurring at approximately 2,000 RPM. Stay in 8th gear for at least 30 seconds or until the TCC applies. Repeat this two times.


Then, from a stop, accelerate the vehicle to 50 MPH with the shift occurring at 3,000 RPM. Stay in 8th gear for at least 30 seconds or until the TCC applies. Repeat this two times, as well.


If the transmission fails to upshift or downshift in a normal manner, you’ll need to further the diagnosis. Refer to the shift speed chart, you’ll be driving at light throttle during this test.

Thanks for this, it explains what I've been feeling and seeing. We've had our Maverick over 6 months, and have just under 5,000 kms on it. Under light acceleration it feels like it jumps thru the gears fairly quick, and you can feel the shifts. Now I see that it skips a gear or two, to get into a higher gear quicker. Makes sense. And I don't mind that, as we drive with fuel economy in mind. An "Eco" feature in "Normal" mode?

 

[ShadowBlack XL440]

Thanks for this, it explains what I've been feeling and seeing. We've had our Maverick over 6 months, and have just under 5,000 kms on it. Under light acceleration it feels like it jumps thru the gears fairly quick, and you can feel the shifts. Now I see that it skips a gear or two, to get into a higher gear quicker. Makes sense. And I don't mind that, as we drive with fuel economy in mind. An "Eco" feature in "Normal" mode?

I find using ECO mode only makes the shifting more mushy and vague. Normal makes the shifts more distinct. I need to try a couple of the other modes to see if I prefer them over NORMAL. TOW may be a good alternative. SPORT mode drops 2 gears and raises the RPMs about +1000 while cruising so that can not be good for fuel mileage.

 

[Sirk]

Same. My EB truck shifts poorly when the engine is cold. It's completely fine after a couple of minutes of driving. I think an 8-speed transmission is a peculiar choice in a turbocharged vehicle. The truck never wants to rev above 2,000 rpm unless I put my foot into it pretty aggressively. Someone on this forum observed that ecoboost engines run better when the turbocharger is allowed to do its thing. All those gears seem counterproductive to that plan.

 

[Blackmav82]

I’m glad I’m not alone on this. Let’s be honest. The first three gears feel like crap in this thing, and do any of you notice a hard downshift when coming to a stop? I kept thinking something was rolling around in my bed, but I didn’t have anything back there.

 

[JamieP]

I’m glad I’m not alone on this. Let’s be honest. The first three gears feel like crap in this thing, and do any of you notice a hard downshift when coming to a stop? I kept thinking something was rolling around in my bed, but I didn’t have anything back there.

You're right that the low gears are pretty clunky. I think the truck shifts several times up and down just to get out of the driveway, and you can feel each shift. Mine does the abrupt downshift, too.

I find that the truck does everything it can to stay at exactly 1,500 rpm all the time. It's hard to keep it at 2,000 rpm for more than a few seconds, and forget about 3,000 unless you really punch it to get on the interstate. When I first got the truck (and started this thread) the bumpy ride when cruising at a constant speed was making me crazy. Either I've become used to it, or the transmission is behaving differently now that it has 1,500 miles on it. I swear it's behaving differently... in a good, less bumpy way.

 

[Prostate Heaven]

I have the 4k tow trans and I haven't noticed any clunky gears.

I hardly even notice it shifting much of the time.

 

[pauldonis]

I've had my Maverick about 2 weeks. The good news is that gas mileage is better than advertised, I love the simplicity of the controls, and there is a good balance between handling like a car but having a little higher vantage point. I like a lot of things, but what's driving my nuts is the powertrain (8-speed auto and 2.0 L Ecoboost). I'm wondering if my Maverick is completely normal, or if it's got peculiar quirks. If you drive it like a racecar it's very smooth, but if you take off slowly from stop signs it acts like it shifts up then down then back up. Either that or fuel delivery is rough. I can't tell.

For years I drove manual transmissions, so I controlled the cadence. Then I drove a Corolla with a CVT (continuously variable transmission) for several years. That thing was smooth as silk. Never once did I feel anything related to the transmission.

So I'm coming into the Maverick as someone not used to an 8-speed transmission. Like I said, at low speeds it's very... jerky... for lack of a better word. About 90% of my commute is cruising at 50 mph. Between 45-55 mph the truck rides bumpy. I took it to the dealer last week and complained that the ride was bumpy at 50 mph, and that maybe there was an out-of-balance tire. I shouldn't have said anything because they drove it, came back, and said the tires are fine.

My theory is that the truck runs in too high a gear much of the time. Maybe that's how you get good fuel economy, but the bouncy ride at 50 is driving my crazy. Sometimes I slow down and then punch the gas to get a break from the vibration/bouncing.

Is this totally normal, or is my transmission not "calibrated" or something? Most likely I'm just being really picky. After all, it's not supposed to be a Lexus.

Did you ever get this resolved or do you still notice the same behaviour? I got mine in July and I am noticing the same thing, but feel more like it’s a fuel delivery issue as a result of the jerkiness.

I did notice that in Sport mode, it seemed much better than Normal. One of the individuals on this thread mentioned a tune-up but not sure what was involved in said tune-up. Did you try that or talk to the dealer?

 

[Uncle Ed]

I've had my Maverick about 2 weeks. The good news is that gas mileage is better than advertised, I love the simplicity of the controls, and there is a good balance between handling like a car but having a little higher vantage point. I like a lot of things, but what's driving my nuts is the powertrain (8-speed auto and 2.0 L Ecoboost). I'm wondering if my Maverick is completely normal, or if it's got peculiar quirks. If you drive it like a racecar it's very smooth, but if you take off slowly from stop signs it acts like it shifts up then down then back up. Either that or fuel delivery is rough. I can't tell.

For years I drove manual transmissions, so I controlled the cadence. Then I drove a Corolla with a CVT (continuously variable transmission) for several years. That thing was smooth as silk. Never once did I feel anything related to the transmission.

So I'm coming into the Maverick as someone not used to an 8-speed transmission. Like I said, at low speeds it's very... jerky... for lack of a better word. About 90% of my commute is cruising at 50 mph. Between 45-55 mph the truck rides bumpy. I took it to the dealer last week and complained that the ride was bumpy at 50 mph, and that maybe there was an out-of-balance tire. I shouldn't have said anything because they drove it, came back, and said the tires are fine.

My theory is that the truck runs in too high a gear much of the time. Maybe that's how you get good fuel economy, but the bouncy ride at 50 is driving my crazy. Sometimes I slow down and then punch the gas to get a break from the vibration/bouncing.

Is this totally normal, or is my transmission not "calibrated" or something? Most likely I'm just being really picky. After all, it's not supposed to be a Lexus.

Have you checked the tire pressure , for the bumpy ride?

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