How to: 98 5.0 AWD Auto to 5spd M5R2 and 4406 M

[derek54401]

i have no discernable performance difference or economy drop with the vss disconnected, so i can only assume it's not in limp mode.

what i did is disconnect the vss input wire at the pcm. i don't remember what color it is, but i just looked for the one that is the same color as one of the wires from the vss, and disconnected that wire at the pcm.

 

[Nick26]

i have no discernable performance difference or economy drop with the vss disconnected, so i can only assume it's not in limp mode.

what i did is disconnect the vss input wire at the pcm. i don't remember what color it is, but i just looked for the one that is the same color as one of the wires from the vss, and disconnected that wire at the pcm.

you have a speedo though or no?

 

[rwenzing]

i don't remember what color it is, but i just looked for the one that is the same color as one of the wires from the vss, and disconnected that wire at the pcm.

Gray/black, PCM pin 58. It's the same for 96~2001 Ex 5.0 and should not affect speedometer operation if disconnected and insulated near the PCM.

I suspect that there could be a trouble code with this. I ran without a VSS input when I first did my 5.0 swap and got a P0500 for no VSS.

 

[derek54401]

that sounds right. grey and black. and i still have speedo

 

[Cobraguy]

Nick, find someone with a scan tool such as a Genisys EVO, Snap ON, NGS, etc. Hook it up and grab a snap shot when it occurs. You should be able to see what is going on that way. This just doesn't sound like a VSS problem to me.

 

[Nick26]

Ok well I disconnected the rear abs sensor and first of all I still had a speedo which I was surprised with. I assume it then uses the front abs sensors in the hubs or something. Also I still had the skip, I am going to check/replace the plugs today, maybe wires too, and see if that fixes it.

 

[Cobraguy]

That is correct Nick. On the year you have, the VSS signal comes from the ABS module. As long as you have one of the three sensors working, (2 front, 1 year) you will get a VSS output to the ECM, trans, speedo, etc.

 

[quikstang2]

Question on the trans cross member: Would one from a Sport/Ranger with the M5R1 work without being cut down like you had to do with yours? That or an aftermarket one for that application?

 

[Nick26]

Question on the trans cross member: Would one from a Sport/Ranger with the M5R1 work without being cut down like you had to do with yours? That or an aftermarket one for that application?

I don't know what those look like so I'm not sure. However, I did do more work on the crossmember that I didn't mention here yet. So the 4r70w crossmember bushing had the transmission mount bolts like an inch back from the crossmember bolts and used a very thin metal strap around the rubber. Well romping on it one day I snapped this strap and the transmission was basically just resting on the rubber and not bolted down to the crossmember anymore. Also I realized I cut maybe an inch too much off the top of my crossmember so I had a inch of washers in between the bushing and the cross member. So I went to the yard and my initial thinking was I would get another V8 bushing and a totally new crossmember without the top cut off so I wouldn't need the washers again(which I still think might have worked). Instead I noticed the V6 bushing is much beefier then the V8 bushing and a couple inches taller too, but the bolts on the on the V6 bushing were inline, not offset like the V8 bushing. So I welded another plate of steel to the bottom inside of my modified crossmemeber to re-enforce it and drilled new holes for the V6 bushing that were about an inch back from where the V8 holes were.
Hopefully the pictures will explain it. I'll see if I still have the broken V8 bushing and post a picture of that too.

By the way the V6 and V8 crossmemebers themselves are actually identical, it's just the bushing that's different between them.

 

[Nick26]

here's pictures of the broken V8 bushing...

 

[Nick26]

also here is a top picture of the current crossmember I am using now (now you see why i decided to re-enforce it with another plate, there were getting to be a lot of holes).

Also the first picture in this post shows the height difference of the V8 bushing but basically the transmission tail was lower then it should have been in this picture: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2258601&postcount=65

 

[Nick26]

Also by the way I replaced all the plugs and wires and that definitely didn't fix the stuttering problem. I wonder if my MAF could have gone bad? I tried cleaning it with MAF cleaner but that'd didn't help. I suppose it shouldn't hurt to disconnect that wire you guys are talking about first even though disconnecting the VSS didn't seem to have any effect.

 

[derek54401]

try disconnecting the wire. if that doesn't work, i have a spare MAF you can have on the cheap. I picked up an extra one at the salvage yard when i was having the hesitation problem.

 

[Nick26]

I cut that wire and it had no effect, not even a check engine light. How often do fuel injectors go bad? I'm wondering if one of them is crapping out. I have an sct xcalibrator2 which does logging so i am going to try playing with that and seeing if it tells me anything. I have to wait for it to be rainy though because that's when the problem is most obvious. I'll let you know about the MAF, thanks.

 

[5 LITER ROB]

The problem is def from running an auto pcm with a manual set up. I converted my diesel Excursion to a zf 6 speed manual and had the same problem. It would cut out every once in a while just like a miss fire. I wound up sending my pcm to a guy named Jody his company is called DP tuner. He made some ajustments and sent it back to me and worked perfect. He is a great guy to deal with and might be able to help you out.

 

[5 LITER ROB]

Didnt realize this thread is 2 months old. Hopefully you have the problem worked out by now.

 

[Nick26]

no problem, i appreciate the input... it rarely happens lately so it hasn't been a high priority for me

 

[olskool reddevil]

Hey I'm about 15 mins away from RI i'd like to check out the truck dya mind?

 

[5 LITER ROB]

no problem, i appreciate the input... it rarely happens lately so it hasn't been a high priority for me

Hope it helps. I think I might swap my truck soon.

 

[hopps]

So a 97 F150 manual transmission and transfer case from a 4.2 should work fine and the shifter will be in the correct location etc for this swap?

Or did the 4.2 not have the 4406 transfer case?