1997 Ford Explorer Sport Manual Transmission 4x4 v.s. RWD - Difference?

[Vic Hazzard]

Hey, I've recently purchased a 97 Explorer Sport with a manual transmission and 4wd. However, the manual transmission needs to be replaced.
What I want to know is if I can go to a junkyard and rip out a manual transmission from a RWD Explorer and use it in my 4x4 Explorer.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Turdle]

No.
The transfer cases on our trucks are married, meaning they bolt to a 4wd tail housing on the transmission. 2wd transmissions do not have the provision for this.

 

[Vic Hazzard]

No.
The transfer cases on our trucks are married, meaning they bolt to a 4wd tail housing on the transmission. 2wd transmissions do not have the provision for this.

Thanks for the hasty reply!
Since swapping a complete transmission won't work, would the parts inside the transmission (I know nothing about manuals, sorry) fit, at least?
I'm sure you know RWD trans are much easier to find in a junkyard than 4x4 ones.

 

[Turdle]

You have now gone deeper than I can swim.

However, if you are going to go that far, can you rebuild your current transmission?

 

[Mbrooks420]

I would really think there would be more 4wd transmissions available. What's wrong with your current transmission?

 

[Jacob Williams]

Would the Mazda transmission from a same year 4x4 ranger not be identical to the one on an explorer? I don't know but I'm sure you forum veterans will- if they're the same then looking for 4x4 rangers as well will widen your chances of finding a trans that will work

 

[Mbrooks420]

Yes. The Explorer transmission is a 'mazda' m5r1 I believe.

 

[Vic Hazzard]

Part of my first post was a lie in that I don't have the Explorer yet, I just said that to simplify things.
I don't actually know what's wrong with the transmission, but the car is 2 hours away so I wanted to know ahead of time that if push came to shove, I'd be able to use another transmission that's easily attainable.
I haven't thought about using a Ranger's transmission, but then again I don't think there will be many 4x4 manual Rangers with a 4.0 in the junkyard.
I think the most likely scenario will be that either the clutch needs fixing/replacing, which isn't as hard/expensive, or that the gears themselves are worn down/broken, which I'm wondering if I can replace from a non RWD transmission. (Sorry for the rambling )

 

[Jacob Williams]

Part of my first post was a lie in that I don't have the Explorer yet, I just said that to simplify things.
I don't actually know what's wrong with the transmission, but the car is 2 hours away so I wanted to know ahead of time that if push came to shove, I'd be able to use another transmission that's easily attainable.
I haven't thought about using a Ranger's transmission, but then again I don't think there will be many 4x4 manual Rangers with a 4.0 in the junkyard.
I think the most likely scenario will be that either the clutch needs fixing/replacing, which isn't as hard/expensive, or that the gears themselves are worn down/broken, which I'm wondering if I can replace from a non RWD transmission. (Sorry for the rambling )

Do you know anything about why it needs replacing? A new clutch or something wouldn't be that big of a deal. Those transmissions are pretty long-lived in my experience, my dad used to have a Ranger with one and it was perfect until he sold it after driving it from 50,000 miles to 240-something thousand, with a couple clutch replacements and hydraulic maintenance of course. The one in my Explorer has been just as sturdy

 

[Vic Hazzard]

Do you know anything about why it needs replacing? A new clutch or something wouldn't be that big of a deal. Those transmissions are pretty long-lived in my experience, my dad used to have a Ranger with one and it was perfect until he sold it after driving it from 50,000 miles to 240-something thousand, with a couple clutch replacements and hydraulic maintenance of course. The one in my Explorer has been just as sturdy

Current owner says he doesn't know a lot about transmissions, but he says he knows a sounds coming from it. I'll have to ask him what the car does when put into first, second, etc.

 

[RangerX]

Assuming it's an m5od, aka m5r1, the far and away most common problem they have is a failed slave cylinder. A distant second is one gear going out.
If you pick this Ex up and it does need a trans, you should be able to drop in any trans that is behind a 4.0 engine in 91 and up 4wd Explorers, Rangers, Navajos, and Mazda B series.
A 2wd trans is possible, the tail shaft needs to be swapped from the 4wd to the 2wd, but, depending on your mechanical ability, it's not as easy as it may sound.