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Ford gets the PowerShift dual clutch transmission right, but is it too late?


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When my Focus was in for the fuel pump recall fiasco, they also updated the TCM and PCM.

 

I am really not happy with the way the car shifts now. Before the shifts were firm but concise. Now they feel sloppy almost rubber-bandy (in comparison to the way it used to shift).

 

I don't know if this update was a response to complaints about shift quality, but I'm not thrilled with it.

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Most customers prefer that type of shift !

 

Not me.....and it is quite a change from the way it was. I've had to gun it once or twice (since the reprogramming) and it just sat there, then the power came on like a second later. I thought something broke at first.

Edited by Intrepidatious
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Intrepid... Anytime a reprogram and relearn is done (as with FSA 15B22) the TCM goes into a 'break in' mode on the clutch. This allows the clutches to slip more than they usually would both during 'in gear/applied' and 'shifting'. In addition, ALL the data it has gathered has been reset. The newest IDS based relearn process doesn't seem to be a precise as it once was. It may take a while for it to return to the way it was. Ford says up to 1k miles of normal driving. What you SHOULD do to speed the process up is go drive it 'spiritedly' (at or very near WOT) 0-60 several times in an area where it is safe to do so.

 

Now, back on track with the original topic of the thread... They can't and won't "fix" the DPoS6. The dry clutch with electrical over mechanical control is a flawed system with a fragile controller (TCM). The actual hard parts are unchanged. A '15/'16 takes the same clutch as a '12. The software updates have helped a whole lot, and if had been available at launch instead of making customers and techs beta test the car, this might not have been so bad, even acceptable. But the way that Ford has handled the whole fiasco is embarrassing. Parts shortages, software issues and the way that they treat dealerships and techs only changed once they realized that sales were being effected. There has been no single better Kia salesman than the DPoS6.

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Four years worth of glitchy problem ridden Powershifts on the used car market will do wonders

for Focus resale values, right when Ford will try to convince buyers to buy another new one.......

 

Resale value, who in their right mind would want to buy someone else's problems?

 

Meanwhile, the rest of the world has already moved to a better commercial product

in the 1.5 Ecoboost and Fusion 6-speed auto.... those customers are to be envied.

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I have one of the early 2012 Focuses with the DCT. The input shaft seal leaked and by 28k the original clutches were toast. Replaced the -A level clutch with the -D level clutch at 28k, shift quality improved dramatically, but the 15B22 update has completely eliminated shudder on one condition - A/C is off. When A/C is on, it now has the potential to shudder on a start, but it doesn't do it every time. It's almost *more* frustrating when it's so intermittent now, it'll go an entire week without shuddering.

 

I would hope that the new -F clutches are even better such that my very intermittent shifts are even less frequent on new build Focuses. As long as the clutches are completely uncontaminated, there's no reason the thing should shift poorly. The DCT is an amazing piece of technology, and one of the reasons I bought the Focus in the first place.

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Intrepid... Anytime a reprogram and relearn is done (as with FSA 15B22) the TCM goes into a 'break in' mode on the clutch. This allows the clutches to slip more than they usually would both during 'in gear/applied' and 'shifting'. In addition, ALL the data it has gathered has been reset. The newest IDS based relearn process doesn't seem to be a precise as it once was. It may take a while for it to return to the way it was. Ford says up to 1k miles of normal driving. What you SHOULD do to speed the process up is go drive it 'spiritedly' (at or very near WOT) 0-60 several times in an area where it is safe to do so.

 

 

Hey thanks for the info! That's most likely exactly what I'm experiencing. Thanks again!

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Four years worth of glitchy problem ridden Powershifts on the used car market will do wonders

for Focus resale values, right when Ford will try to convince buyers to buy another new one.......

 

Resale value, who in their right mind would want to buy someone else's problems?

 

Meanwhile, the rest of the world has already moved to a better commercial product

in the 1.5 Ecoboost and Fusion 6-speed auto.... those customers are to be envied.

 

Yet JPD The EB15 cannot not meet the FE targets at the same cost of the 2.0/DCT combo. The resale problem have little to do with the transmission and far more to do with the incentives, poor Quality and overall brand Equity.

 

 

I have one of the early 2012 Focuses with the DCT. The input shaft seal leaked and by 28k the original clutches were toast. Replaced the -A level clutch with the -D level clutch at 28k, shift quality improved dramatically, but the 15B22 update has completely eliminated shudder on one condition - A/C is off. When A/C is on, it now has the potential to shudder on a start, but it doesn't do it every time. It's almost *more* frustrating when it's so intermittent now, it'll go an entire week without shuddering.

 

I would hope that the new -F clutches are even better such that my very intermittent shifts are even less frequent on new build Focuses. As long as the clutches are completely uncontaminated, there's no reason the thing should shift poorly. The DCT is an amazing piece of technology, and one of the reasons I bought the Focus in the first place.

 

Drive the car agressively.

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Wouldn't it be the 6F15? Escort shouldn't need the torque capability of the 6F35.

 

There is no 6F15... 6F35 is the lowest torque rated version of the Ford-GM 6 speed transmission. It is used in Focus 1.0 Ecoboost and 1.5 Ecoboost as well.

Edited by bzcat
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ibinubu - I've PERSONALLY put clutches in 15's. I've re-replaced several "F" clutches. There is no magic in the "F" clutch. And the majority of the ones I do are NOT contaminated with anything. The system relies on 100% repeatability. The dry clutch cannot do it with the control system that they use.

FYI: dust from wear of the clutch is an unavoidable contaminant- the system cannot compensate for it. That's why beating them like a redheaded step child helps sometimes.

Edited by YT90SC
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