1993 Ford ranger M5R1 3.0 L manual 5spd transmission installation issue

[sam warburton]

Hey, I have recently bought a ford ranger with a supposed low mileage tranny swap.. it bust on us, so got a new tranny, replaced the clutch, slave cylinder, throw out bearing etc.. putting the tranny in.. got it all in place, 5 of the 6 tranny-engine bolts in place, except the very top passenger side bolt.. now i know the dust cover is in place correctly because i would be able to see it out of position from under the truck, and all the other 5 bolts are in fine.. so the only thing i can think is there is a sort of mount/bracket type fitting that has two wires fixed to it.. one of the wires appears to lead to the exhaust on the passenger side, looks like a thermo sensor.. and the other comes from the starter motor.. tried to find what this bracket thing is online, because before i put the tranny in, i could see up into above where the transmission would be going, and saw this bracket thing hanging down, and the only place i could see the bracket thing fitting, with its two screw/bolt holes, is at the very top of the transmission, (the holes meet up with the tranny bolts perfectly), either inbetween the dust cover and the tranny, or on the outside of the bellhousing so the bolts are holding that bracket onto the tranny itself..
So i'm asking if this IS where this bracket thing goes.. on the top two tranny bolts, inbetween the engine and tranny alongside the dust cover, or on the outside of the tranny, or somewhere else entirely, and what is it for..
Any advice/help is much appreciated, Sam.

 

[RangerX]

Welcome, Sam!
It’s been over ten years since I dropped my trans last, but what you’re asking does sound familiar, that there’s a small bracket the mounts to the top two bolts.
I’m not clear if that’s all you’re asking, or if you’re having an issue with the sixth bolt, too.

 

[sam warburton]

Thanks Bill, and what im asking is: do those two holes on the small bracket go inbetween the engine and the transmission bellhousing, along with the dust cover, or does the bracket mount just on the outside of the bellhousing.. because i think i've bolted the tranny in place, with all but that last bolt.. and that last bolt isn't going in because that bracket is inbetween the engine and the tranny.. so i'm asking do i need to pull the tranny out a little, so i can get that bracket from being wedged inbetween the two and straighten it back into that same place, and fit the two tranny-engine bolts that hold it in place - inbetween the engine and the tranny, or do i need to pull the tranny out almost completely so i can get that bracket mounted to the outside of the tranny..
_____ ______
--------->0 | --------->| | ------->0
| | | |
--------->0_____| --------->| | ------->0
tranny side dust cover engine side

-------> bolt/direction,
0 bolt/screw hole

So what i'm saying is.. say those are the top two bolts, the bracket is currently sitting in line with..
^^^
HERE
inbetween the engine and transmission... so is it in the right place and just needs rotating.. or does it need to be in line with...
^^^
HERE..
on the outside of the tranny case..

I hope the diagram i drew up didn't confuse you even more as to what i'm asking.. it looks right in my head haha.. Thanks again!

 

[sam warburton]

sorry, the sizing came out all wrong in the diagram, had to redo it..

 

[Josh P]

The bracket will go on the outside of the transmission.

 

[410Fortune]

Outside of the transmission
Its sole purpose in life is to keep the 02 sensor wires and other trans wires up and out of the way
Now if something were to happen to that bracket like say it found a trash can, you could use zip ties in its place

 

[sam warburton]

thanks, guys, much appreciated. think i will have to pull the tranny out completely to get it from being stuck? ive put it in and took it back out twice already!

 

[Josh P]

I used longer bolts on the top 2 holes when I installed the manual in my van. It allowed me to wiggle the transmission without having to hold it. I put the original bolts in the top after all the other bolts are installed.

 

[410Fortune]

If you loosen the whole trans and pull those two bolts back you MIGHT be able to pull that bracket up and out
There is limited room up there.
Pulling a 5 speed trans 2-3 times is what we call the "learning curve" been there done that!

 

[sam warburton]

my knees got the brunt of the learning curve! haha and now a **** ton of snow has landed here so its gonna be a few days before i can try it but this sounds ideal.. thanks alot. had so much crap with this thing.. and all because the dude we bought it from put a low mileage tranny in there, with no new clutch plate or pressure plate or the right amount of fluid in the tranny itself.. obviously didn't know any of this at the time..

 

[410Fortune]

FINALLY SOME MORE SNOW!!
Been pulling the kids around on tubes behind the atv all morning