GEN 1 Harsh shift into gear from park

[CanadianRaptorVL]

Hey guys, I've had my "new" 2014 Ford Raptor for about 5 months now and it has been great, no issues. I did find that every once in a while then I shift from park into drive or reverse that it's not as smooth as it normally is and takes some more force to stick it in gear along with a pretty rough crunching sound. This happens mostly when the truck is on a slight incline but also sometimes parked normally on a flat surface.

Any suggestions as to how I can fix this problem?

Thanks in advance, cheers!

 

[FordTechOne]

Hey guys, I've had my "new" 2014 Ford Raptor for about 5 months now and it has been great, no issues. I did find that every once in a while then I shift from park into drive or reverse that it's not as smooth as it normally is and takes some more force to stick it in gear along with a pretty rough crunching sound. This happens mostly when the truck is on a slight incline but also sometimes parked normally on a flat surface.

Any suggestions as to how I can fix this problem?

Thanks in advance, cheers!

How steep is the incline? The shift lever is connected to the transmission parking pawl by a cable, so any load on the driveline will be evident in the effort to disengage the parking pawl from the output shaft. It's certainly not uncommon to have higher shift lever effort on an incline, which is why it's always recommended to apply the parking brake before shifting into park/releasing the service brakes.

 

[CanadianRaptorVL]

How steep is the incline? The shift lever is connected to the transmission parking pawl by a cable, so any load on the driveline will be evident in the effort to disengage the parking pawl from the output shaft. It's certainly not uncommon to have higher shift lever effort on an incline, which is why it's always recommended to apply the parking brake before shifting into park/releasing the service brakes.

Thanks, I'll try that out next time! So engage the parking brake when in drive (idle) then shift into park? The incline is barely noticeable but I often park on muddy or uneven gravel roads so the truck is always in a weird position, especially now in the winter because of all the snow and ice build up.

 

[FordTechOne]

Thanks, I'll try that out next time! So engage the parking brake when in drive (idle) then shift into park? The incline is barely noticeable but I often park on muddy or uneven gravel roads so the truck is always in a weird position, especially now in the winter because of all the snow and ice build up.

That will work. Essentially, you want to engage the parking brake while your foot is still on the service brakes, then shift into park. That will prevent the load being placed on the parking pawl.

 

[CanadianRaptorVL]

That will work. Essentially, you want to engage the parking brake while your foot is still on the service brakes, then shift into park. That will prevent the load being placed on the parking pawl.

Great appreciate the tip! Would the reverse also apply here where you shift into drive before releasing the parking brake or does that not matter as much?

 

[B E N]

If the force required is just to get it out of park then it doesn't matter what gear your going into. Get in the habit of applying the parking break before you shift into park. If the situation is resolved you have your answer, if it isn't move on to further diagnostics.

 

[JoeTex]

I would rule out "Drive shaft clunk" .
You can find plenty about it on this forum and others.
Basically when you load the rear springs the drive shaft needs to slide freely on the transmission spine.
if it is going dry it starts to slip stick and can sound and feel like a major problem.
drop the drive shaft, pack the yoke nearly full of fords recommended grease and reinstall.
on a 2014 you'll be good for a year give or take until you need to do it again.
that's been my experience anyway.

 

[FordTechOne]

Great appreciate the tip! Would the reverse also apply here where you shift into drive before releasing the parking brake or does that not matter as much?

Shouldn't matter, as long as you have the service brakes (brake pedal) applied firmly, the truck is not going to move and load up the parking pawl.

 

[Lags]

The best fix hands-down… Is buying the Cobb access port and installing a goosetuned TCM flash. 2017 avalanche gray with just over 40,000 miles, and this thing has never shifted so smoothly and so on point with timing. Best decision I have ever made. I experienced the same harsh shift you are talking about. I didn’t buy the transmission tune specifically for the harsh shift, but it most definitely corrected that. These girls come off the lot highly refined and beautifully designed, he just refines them even more and makes them better.

EDIT: I also have my ECU tuned by Winfield Raglan (goosetuned) as well. He is the real deal and there are a ton of people on this forum that will agree.

 

[CanadianRaptorVL]

The best fix hands-down… Is buying the Cobb access port and installing a goosetuned TCM flash. 2017 avalanche gray with just over 40,000 miles, and this thing has never shifted so smoothly and so on point with timing. Best decision I have ever made. I experienced the same harsh shift you are talking about. I didn’t buy the transmission tune specifically for the harsh shift, but it most definitely corrected that. These girls come off the lot highly refined and beautifully designed, he just refines them even more and makes them better.

EDIT: I also have my ECU tuned by Winfield Raglan (goosetuned) as well. He is the real deal and there are a ton of people on this forum that will agree.

Thanks I'll keep that in mind! I'll start by trying out some of the other tactics before I drop the money on a tuner though