Clutch & Cylinder Failed at less than 900 miles. Dealer denied warranty claim

[TPadden72]

I have been driving manuals since 1962 and have never heard of a 1-C shift. Is that something new for the Bronco MT? I know what a granny gear is.

The 7-speed manual Bronco features a dedicated "C" (Crawl) gear designed for extreme off-roading, offering a roughly 95:1 total ratio that allows slow-speed crawling, compared to the 1st gear ratio which is intended for normal driving (roughly 4.28:1 transmission ratio).

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[kodiakisland]

I have been driving manuals since 1962 and have never heard of a 1-C shift. Is that something new for the Bronco MT? I know what a granny gear is.

Ford calls their lowest gear crawl (C). Simple as that. You can call it the true 1st gear, granny low, etc., but Ford chose to call it crawl and that’s how most of us Bronco MT owners refer to it.

 

[BadlandsA51]

Manuals are on the lower priced inventory units because the customer shopping for an entry level vehicle doesn’t want to pony up for the cost of an automatic. If you stock a loaded $60K Bronco with a 7 speed you have narrowed your customer base way down. You could sit on it for months. If a higher end buyer has to have a manual, they’ll order one. I’m not arguing against manual transmissions, just trying to shed a little light on why they aren’t stocked on dealer lots. Ford’s 2 recent high end cars, the GT and the GTD Mustang both have 7 speed dual clutch automatics. The GTs that run, and have won, at LeMans had the same. Manuals are fun to drive, but modern automatics, particularly the dual clutches, run circles around them.

 

[gbub]

Ford calls their lowest gear crawl (C). Simple as that. You can call it the true 1st gear, granny low, etc., but Ford chose to call it crawl and that’s how most of us Bronco MT owners refer to it.

Thanks for the explanation. When I was on the farm, we had pickups that had a granny gear. It was labeled "1" on the gear shift knob but "2" was always to take out from a stop. 1st was used if puling a heavy trailer to get going without burning up the clutch. I guess C is just another granny gear but is used when a very low gear is needed off road or being able to stay in 4H and still be able to catch a low gear.

Landcruiser had something similar. I had a 1973 FJ55 that had a 3-spd transmission. In d974 they came out with 4-spd transmission but it was still basically a 3-spd with a granny gear. I understand they continued to have that very low 1st gear as they came out with more gears in the manual transmissions in newer models.

 

[Q1svt]

First time my BIL drove my Bronco he did a 1-C shift instead of a 1-2 shift. That was a hard jolt to everything and most likely an overrev.

That BIL has no clue how to drive a manual… Ford made ‘C’ a lock out gear like Reverse…. And why it’s designed/ labeled as 1 - 6 gears with a crawl/ granny gear.

 

[Q1svt]

The 7-speed manual Bronco features a dedicated "C" (Crawl) gear designed for extreme off-roading, offering a roughly 95:1 total ratio that allows slow-speed crawling, compared to the 1st gear ratio which is intended for normal driving (roughly 4.28:1 transmission ratio).

Yes in four low… but in two high crawl is great in stop n go traffic… Don’t even need to press the gas …

 

[michelle227]

Manuals are on the lower priced inventory units because the customer shopping for an entry level vehicle doesn’t want to pony up for the cost of an automatic. If you stock a loaded $60K Bronco with a 7 speed you have narrowed your customer base way down. You could sit on it for months. If a higher end buyer has to have a manual, they’ll order one. I’m not arguing against manual transmissions, just trying to shed a little light on why they aren’t stocked on dealer lots. Ford’s 2 recent high end cars, the GT and the GTD Mustang both have 7 speed dual clutch automatics. The GTs that run, and have won, at LeMans had the same. Manuals are fun to drive, but modern automatics, particularly the dual clutches, run circles around them.

The constant crap you pull never will cease to amaze me. Few people are getting a manual to 'avoid' the cost of a slushbox.

Many prefer to DRIVE their vehicle.

Slushboxes are not fun for me and for many others.

When you limit the availability, you limit your customer base. Period.

 

[kodiakisland]

That BIL has no clue how to drive a manual… Ford made ‘C’ a lock out gear like Reverse…. And why it’s designed/ labeled as 1 - 6 gears with a crawl/ granny gear.

Partly my fault as I had to show him the lockout ring as he needed to back out to drive it. Like many people, he’d driven plenty of MTs but never one with a lockout. I’m sure he just kept his hand on the shifter and didn’t realize he still had the lockout up and was babying the shift which is a great way to miss a shift.
Stuff happens, even to people who’ve done stuff before, which he has at a higher level than most.

 

[Q1svt]

even to people who’ve done stuff before, which he has at a higher level than most.

... guess he never read the shift pattern on the shifter? or went through the gears before even starting the engine, on a vehicle new to him?

 

[kodiakisland]

... guess he never read the shift pattern on the shifter? or went through the gears before even starting the engine, on a vehicle new to him?

It’s ok. Stuff happens. Especially at a crawfish boil. I’m sure I’d have done worse on his NHRA bike.

 

[BadlandsA51]

No, you stated that dealers stock very few cars on the lot with manuals and “option them in the crappiest way possible”. I took that to mean they were low equipment level, such as a base Bronco. Many who buy base Broncos do so because they can’t afford a Badlands or Raptor. They don’t want to pay, or can’t afford, the price of an automatic.

This back and forth started with my post responding to a member who said he was told Ford is limiting manual transmission availability due to high warranty costs on clutches, which isn’t true. A lot of clutches fail during the warranty period, but most fail due to drivers not knowing how to drive a manual, or due to abuse. Neither of those causes of failure are covered by warranty. My response was that manual transmissions are not as prevalent as they were in the past because there isn’t demand for them, if there was demand dealers would stock them

The only 2 vehicles left with an option for a manual are Mustang and Bronco. Mustang only offers a manual with the 5.0L, and only 27% of buyers choose it. That’s actually pretty high, but it is a sports car. Manuals haven’t been available in the F-150 since 2008. That’s because of lack of demand. It hasn’t hurt sales, F-150 has been the best selling truck for over 50 years. Even Super Duty phased manual transmissions out in 2021.

If you like driving a manual, go for it. I’ve owned several and enjoyed driving them, particularly a 4 speed with a good Hurst shifter in a car from the 60s or 70s. But fewer people desire owning one every year. You don’t necessarily need a manual to DRIVE a car. In my job I’ve been fortunate enough to drive Mustang GT 500s and a couple of Ford GTs, both dual clutch automatics, they drive fine.

 

[Roger123]

Is "C" on a Bronco synchronized? I.e., can you just put it in "C" when you're moving? Back in the "day" on the old NP435's 1st and reverse were straight cut non-synchro gears.

 

[BadlandsA51]

It is synchronized.

 

[Kevin Scarbel]

Manuals are on the lower priced inventory units because the customer shopping for an entry level vehicle doesn’t want to pony up for the cost of an automatic. If you stock a loaded $60K Bronco with a 7 speed you have narrowed your customer base way down. You could sit on it for months. If a higher end buyer has to have a manual, they’ll order one. I’m not arguing against manual transmissions, just trying to shed a little light on why they aren’t stocked on dealer lots. Ford’s 2 recent high end cars, the GT and the GTD Mustang both have 7 speed dual clutch automatics. The GTs that run, and have won, at LeMans had the same. Manuals are fun to drive, but modern automatics, particularly the dual clutches, run circles around them.

Exactly...........I love my manual Heritage Edition (not an entry level trim).

 

[HalfmuleFarmer]

When you limit the availability, you limit your customer base. Period.

Few profit-making corporations seek to limit product availability when it’s in demand. As much as each of us is tempted to believe our perspectives represent the masses, it’s simply often not the truth. The general public is not asking for more manual transmissions or two doors. The population of enthusiasts here, on this forum, including me, are not a great mirror of the general public.

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