2.3 manual noise when engine is cold

My TSB work was done back in May. The dealer had the Bronco for a few weeks before it was turned around, mostly due to an oil seal that was damaged and took some time to reorder. But glad they didn't use the damaged seal, and I had a loaner Bronco Sport to drive, so all-in-all no complaints. Most importantly, they confirmed they had the revised rings and it's nice and quiet. Fingers crossed it stays quiet!

Update from me:

Transmission replaced. So far so good!!! But we'll see how it goes. All the information you could need (including part numbers) is in the video below:

.
.
Also, attached is the latest TSB document for those who need it.

Hi all,
I had the synchro gears replaced, and it has now been over a month of some good long drives and off roading. I am please to tell you all that so far, so good. The grinding/rumbling is now gone and the transmission shifts as it should. I am confident that this problem has been permanently fixed.
As an interesting side note, while doing the synchro replacement the mechanic discovered 3 bolts that had broken from the rear driveshaft to the transfer case. They needed to extract the broken bolts from the transfer case and replaced them. I am wondering why I had three broken bolts, and how did they break...

Well, based on RagnarKon & the poacher's report, looks like it might be time to get my rig into the shop for repair. Thanks for all the updates!!

Cheers,

WC

There’s a new service message out for the mt-88 having issues losing 3rd gear now also as a heads up.

YoMikey13

There’s a new service message out for the mt-88 having issues losing 3rd gear now also as a heads up.

Do you have a copy of the new bulletin or message? I tried Google but nothing pulls up yet.

losing 3rd gear?

Foxtrot Bravo

losing 3rd gear?

It won’t go into 3rd, sorry

YoMikey13

It won’t go into 3rd, sorry

Can you double clutch it or is it completely blocked?

Foxtrot Bravo

Can you double clutch it or is it completely blocked?

I haven’t driven one with that issue yet. I have a 7spd but I don’t havent Had any noises so far

WhiskeyCity

Well, based on RagnarKon & the poacher's report, looks like it might be time to get my rig into the shop for repair. Thanks for all the updates!!

Cheers,

WC

Let us know how it goes, and hopefully you get the solid results we did.

New Bronco owner here..... created another thread before finding this on a search..........

Purchased 2023 Badlands with ~1300 miles back in September from Carmax. Smelled oil burning the other day at a stop light and took a peek under the vehicle after I got home and found a small amount of residual oil underneath the truck. Dropped it off at Ford Dealer for a diagnosis. Also had noticed over the last week a rattle after starting first thing in the a.m. that would cease when the clutch is depressed. Identified both issues to the Service Advisor at drop off.

Got a call today from the service advisor stating that the clutch is completely worn. Vehicle has 5600 miles on it now. Advisor told me that since it is a wear item, Ford has no obligation to cover it under the warranty. The dealer has submitted the case to Ford, but I'm already bracing for bad news. I do not abuse the truck, I don't ride the clutch. I can't speak for the previous owner, but I'm shocked that this is an issue. Any ideas about what I could/should expect from Ford? Do I have a leg to stand on? Any advice is appreciated.

So.......After reading through this thread, the symptoms that are called out in the TSB 23-2019 are EXACTLY what I am experiencing. I am curious, how would the service technician diagnose my clutch as being completely shot? I didn't think to ask when I was on the phone with the service advisor. What steps would a tech take to adequately troubleshoot this as a clutch issue?

I am a bit concerned with the burning oil odor. Maybe there is more than one issue at play. I've not noticed ANY shift issues, slipping, issues getting into or changing gears. Like I said above, I don't beat on the vehicle, drive aggressively, ride the clutch.

I called and left a message for my service advisor asking if the techs that evaluated my vehicle were familiar with the TSB, and am waiting on a response.

Thoughts on how to proceed? Thanks for the help!

CAVALANCHE

New Bronco owner here..... created another thread before finding this on a search..........

Purchased 2023 Badlands with ~1300 miles back in September from Carmax. Smelled oil burning the other day at a stop light and took a peek under the vehicle after I got home and found a small amount of residual oil underneath the truck. Dropped it off at Ford Dealer for a diagnosis. Also had noticed over the last week a rattle after starting first thing in the a.m. that would cease when the clutch is depressed. Identified both issues to the Service Advisor at drop off.

Got a call today from the service advisor stating that the clutch is completely worn. Vehicle has 5600 miles on it now. Advisor told me that since it is a wear item, Ford has no obligation to cover it under the warranty. The dealer has submitted the case to Ford, but I'm already bracing for bad news. I do not abuse the truck, I don't ride the clutch. I can't speak for the previous owner, but I'm shocked that this is an issue. Any ideas about what I could/should expect from Ford? Do I have a leg to stand on? Any advice is appreciated.

So.......After reading through this thread, the symptoms that are called out in the TSB 23-2019 are EXACTLY what I am experiencing. I am curious, how would the service technician diagnose my clutch as being completely shot? I didn't think to ask when I was on the phone with the service advisor. What steps would a tech take to adequately troubleshoot this as a clutch issue?

I am a bit concerned with the burning oil odor. Maybe there is more than one issue at play. I've not noticed ANY shift issues, slipping, issues getting into or changing gears. Like I said above, I don't beat on the vehicle, drive aggressively, ride the clutch.

I called and left a message for my service advisor asking if the techs that evaluated my vehicle were familiar with the TSB, and am waiting on a response.

Thoughts on how to proceed? Thanks for the help!

Sounds like you may have multiple issues.

TSB 23-2019 is literally just a noise at cold start, no leaks, no clutch issues, just a concerning noise. To be honest, I don't think we've seen any confirmation that the noise actually causes a transmission failure—it seems to be literally just a noise.

The clutch is external to the transmission, whereas TSB 23-2019 refers to components internal to the transmission. So if they completed the service procedure for TSB 23-2019 it would do literally nothing for the clutch. But to answer your question, Ford is sometimes willing to do one clutch replacement under warranty (unless it's clearly customer error). After that, warranty claims almost always get rejected. I don't know how this will be handled since you're the second owner to be honest, but hopefully they'll replace it under warranty.

As far as the oil leak goes, it is completely dependent on where the leak is coming from... and without knowing that piece of information it's hard to know if it is related or not.

CAVALANCHE

...
I got home and found a small amount of residual oil underneath the truck. Dropped it off at Ford Dealer for a diagnosis. Also had noticed over the last week a rattle after starting first thing in the a.m. that would cease when the clutch is depressed. Identified both issues to the Service Advisor at drop off.

Got a call today from the service advisor stating that the clutch is completely worn. Vehicle has 5600 miles on it now. ...
So.......After reading through this thread, the symptoms that are called out in the TSB 23-2019 are EXACTLY what I am experiencing.
...

Where was the residual oil located? On the 2.3 motor the oil filter is mounted onto the side of the engine. Removing the filter drips oil into a channel that has the oil come out near the front edge of the drivers door. If the person who last changed the oil didn't clean off that channel, then it's possible that residual oil will pool and drip down right there.

You didn't describe the rattle at all, so it is hard to know what it might be. The clutch could be worn out if someone beat on it for 4000 of those 5000 miles. Just like the auto transmission could have been beat on in a used vehicle. it's a risk.
If you end up doing the clutch I would require all parts to be retained so you can have a 3rd party inspect them. A rattle for a clutch/throw out bearing would not be similar to the sounds you would hear if the problem is related to TSB 23-2019. Clutch would be at the back of the engine, TSB 23-2019 noises would be coming from the mid to back side of the transmission.

mike8675309

Where was the residual oil located? On the 2.3 motor the oil filter is mounted onto the side of the engine. Removing the filter drips oil into a channel that has the oil come out near the front edge of the drivers door. If the person who last changed the oil didn't clean off that channel, then it's possible that residual oil will pool and drip down right there.

You didn't describe the rattle at all, so it is hard to know what it might be. The clutch could be worn out if someone beat on it for 4000 of those 5000 miles. Just like the auto transmission could have been beat on in a used vehicle. it's a risk.
If you end up doing the clutch I would require all parts to be retained so you can have a 3rd party inspect them. A rattle for a clutch/throw out bearing would not be similar to the sounds you would hear if the problem is related to TSB 23-2019. Clutch would be at the back of the engine, TSB 23-2019 noises would be coming from the mid to back side of the transmission.

Oil was forward of the stabilizer bar, almost under where the front drive pinion is. I could see a thin layer forming on the bottom of the skid plate. I'm not entirely sure that it was engine oil. All fluid was low on the drivetrain. I looked around the oil filter and was able to shine a light on it, and the fluid did not appear to be coming from that area. For the record, I noticed this driving home at night. I crawled underneath the truck with a flashlight and wasn't able to get a great look, noticed a couple beads of oil on the bottom of the front diff. Since I was able to get it into the dealer the next day to drop off, and I had just noticed this, I didn't take the time to look again before dropping it off.

I'm just concerned at this point that the tech is diagnosing a clutch issue and am not sure how they are coming to that conclusion. I have not heard back from the service advisor since last Friday. It concerns me that they would go straight to calling the clutch bad. I've not had a single issue with transmission slipping, clutch pedal throw, issues with shift, getting into or out of gear.

The rattle presents exactly as described in the TSB. Also, exactly the same as in the video RagnarKon posted above, could be my truck. Cold start sounds like gravel in a can, goes away if you engage the clutch, Present in 1st and 2nd gear, then goes away after you drive a couple miles.

There's definitely an issue. I'm nervous about how to handle dealing with this if the SA calls me up and tells me that Ford isn't going to warranty the clutch. I end up dropping a few grand on a clutch replacement, and in the end I still have an issue.

CAVALANCHE

Oil was forward of the stabilizer bar, almost under where the front drive pinion is. I could see a thin layer forming on the bottom of the skid plate. I'm not entirely sure that it was engine oil. All fluid was low on the drivetrain. I looked around the oil filter and was able to shine a light on it, and the fluid did not appear to be coming from that area. For the record, I noticed this driving home at night. I crawled underneath the truck with a flashlight and wasn't able to get a great look, noticed a couple beads of oil on the bottom of the front diff. Since I was able to get it into the dealer the next day to drop off, and I had just noticed this, I didn't take the time to look again before dropping it off.

I'm just concerned at this point that the tech is diagnosing a clutch issue and am not sure how they are coming to that conclusion. I have not heard back from the service advisor since last Friday. It concerns me that they would go straight to calling the clutch bad. I've not had a single issue with transmission slipping, clutch pedal throw, issues with shift, getting into or out of gear.

The rattle presents exactly as described in the TSB. Also, exactly the same as in the video RagnarKon posted above, could be my truck. Cold start sounds like gravel in a can, goes away if you engage the clutch, Present in 1st and 2nd gear, then goes away after you drive a couple miles.

There's definitely an issue. I'm nervous about how to handle dealing with this if the SA calls me up and tells me that Ford isn't going to warranty the clutch. I end up dropping a few grand on a clutch replacement, and in the end I still have an issue.

The oil leak you are describing is probably coming from the front differential. Mine had the same issue several months ago. I took it in and they had it a couple of days to diagnose, get the parts and install them. Should be no issue on that part of your problems. Here is the list of parts they replaced

Mine is in today for the rattling noise. Should get it back tomorrow - fingers crossed!

Bruceaholic

Mine is in today for the rattling noise. Should get it back tomorrow - fingers crossed!

Best of luck…. Maybe Santa will hook u up. That has to be painful having ur stallion in the barn at the vets office not knowing the outcome.

🐎

Chief Ron

Best of luck…. Maybe Santa will hook u up. That has to be painful having ur stallion in the barn at the vets office not knowing the outcome.

🐎

Finally got her back yesterday! Here is a breakdown of what they did -

New owner here. Having the same issue on my 2022 base, which I have had for 7 days now. Haven’t seen this mentioned, but when I put it in 4wd it went away. Put it back in 2wd and it stayed gone for a couple days. Two days later it returned and is now accompanied by a shudder like it wants to stall when cold.