Solved Ford Explorer 5 speed conversion - Going Full Manual

Update: The swap is done & is working well. This has been a year in the making, so it is a lengthy thread with changed directions, good spec info, lots of pictures, silly chatter, trouble shooting, overcoming certain issues that may arise in doing such a swap. I tried my best to include the smallest details of the conversion. Some might seem petty, but to some it might help them along in their work. Enjoy the following & bear in mind I am a novice at best. With pretty limited tools, and practically no physical help, I managed to do this alone in the driveway. The mental help, info, support, and knowledge was given from a collaboration of other members, condensed into a single thread. I thank each and every one that has helped along the way. If I can do it, you can do it!

In this thread you will find:
Complete manual trans & transfercase conversion performed on a 2nd Gen 1995 4wd 4 dr Explorer
Stock 4r55e and 4405-ca replaced with M5OD-R1 & 1354m
Spec information on which trans & t-case years to use
Problem solving with wiring with diagrams & pictures
Shifter installation modifications with a full size console
Exhaust was not removed (thanks to a 3" body lift), so no info on that.

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I am going Full Manual in The Black Hole soon.

Picking up a donor - 99 Sport- for all parts needed.

It has the M5R1 Trans, & the 1354 manual T-case. So, I will use everything I can from it for the swap. I plan on finding a ECM from a 95 manual from a Junkyard.

Here is what I am having a problem wrapping my head around with this swap:

Speed sensor!
The 95 has the sensor in the T-case. The 99 has it in the rear Diff.

What can I do to remedy this? I am very green when it comes to fabricating parts, I am limited to bolt on deals if that helps any. So, I don't plan on making a custom Tone ring and welding parts. There must be a way to make this work without having to spend hundreds of dollars on aftermarket speedometers, or a GPS unit. I would like to use my stock cluster and gauges.

Is there any stock Harness that can be used?

Is the ABS sensor hole in my 95 rear diff the same as the 98 & up holes? Will the 99 speed sensor bolt into it?

I searched and looked last night till I had double vision. I did read that there is a rare 4x4 tail house extension with a hole in it for the speed sensor from my 95 sensor. As far as I can tell, that is out, because of how difficult it is to find.

The rear diff sensor is the same through out all the years. It's just an
ABS sensor that they decided to use as the VSS too in '99. I'm not sure if '99 1354 will have a spot for the speed sensor. I know in later year 4404s they filled in the hole location on the case.

I'd try and find pics on eBay to see if that's the case on the late model 1354s too. Worst case is you just sell that one and pick up an older model.

Thanks for that!

I would like to use the T-case from the 99 if possible tho. If all else fails, I will look for an older one.

The computer is still in the 95 Sport I got my m5od from at the local junkyard. Let me know if you want me to grab it for you.

If you need a newer sensor, let me know and I'll drop it in the mail.

Foxracin said:

The computer is still in the 95 Sport I got my m5od from at the local junkyard. Let me know if you want me to grab it for you.

Click to expand...

If I can't find one local soon enough, I will give you a shout. Thank you very much!

techieman33 said:

If you need a newer sensor, let me know and I'll drop it in the mail.

Click to expand...

Thank you as well Eric. If what Section is saying makes sense to me, the ABS sensor I already have is the same thing as the VSS. It has a duel purpose in the newer models is all.

gmanpaint said:

If I can't find one local soon enough, I will give you a shout. Thank you very much!

Click to expand...

Now problem. Just let me know. Im at the junkyard pretty much every weekend looking around. lol

I'm confused: Are you putting the manual 13-54 from the '99 into your '95? If so, the lack of a output shaft speed sensor in the t-case is going to be a show-stopper. The ECU won't know how fast you're going....

Wait... Are you swapping the trans too? That could be an even bigger challenge, with the 5-speed/4-speed swap.... PCM/GEM/etc. will be *fun*...

Also, I would have expected a 99 Sport to have a 44-05, not a 13-54... They didn't go back to a 13-54 in the 2-door Sport until the 2001 model year, and even then, they were only electronic-shift. I'm quite confident that if it's a 99 Explorer Sport, it's neither a manual shift nor a 13-54. I've never seen a second-gen Explorer with a manual case in it from the factory.

gijoecam said:

I'm confused: Are you putting the manual 13-54 from the '99 into your '95? If so, the lack of a output shaft speed sensor in the t-case is going to be a show-stopper. The ECU won't know how fast you're going....

Wait... Are you swapping the trans too? That could be an even bigger challenge, with the 5-speed/4-speed swap.... PCM/GEM/etc. will be *fun*...

Also, I would have expected a 99 Sport to have a 44-05, not a 13-54... They didn't go back to a 13-54 in the 2-door Sport until the 2001 model year, and even then, they were only electronic-shift. I'm quite confident that if it's a 99 Explorer Sport, it's neither a manual shift nor a 13-54. I've never seen a second-gen Explorer with a manual case in it from the factory.

Click to expand...

Ok, the 99 Sport is a donor rig that I have not yet seen. It was an advertised roll over for sale. The owner had told me it is a 4.0 OHV-5 sp manual-manual shift transfercase. Said it was the M5R1-1354 man t-case.

I just called and asked to dbl check everything for me, and awaiting a call back. This rig is 2.5 hrs away in a diff state. If you don't think that this will work, or, that model does not have what the owner says it does, you might have saved me a lot of trouble. Thanks for that.

I will post back when I hear back from the owner.

Just got off the phone.

Just like you thought Joe, this guy wasted my time.

Now he says, it is a 3 liter 2 wheel drive. It turns out is not his, it is his dads, and was not sure of everything till he talked to his dad.

So, the hunt is on again for a 95 to 97 donor rig. I really want to get rid of my crappy trans (4R55e) and the crappy 4405 t-case.

gmanpaint said:

Just got off the phone.

Just like you thought Joe, this guy wasted my time.

Now he says, it is a 3 liter 2 wheel drive. It turns out is not his, it is his dads, and was not sure of everything till he talked to his dad.

So, the hunt is on again for a 95 to 97 donor rig. I really want to get rid of my crappy trans (4R55e) and the crappy 4405 t-case.

Click to expand...

3 liter? that would make it a ranger, not even an explorer.

When I heard him say 3.0, I felt my blood starting to boil..lol.! When I said that they didn't come with a 3 liter to my knowledge, he started stuttering. That's when I told him thanks, but no thanks. Click!
Oh well, it was a good thing I didn't waste a day and a couple tanks of gas to find out the hard way.

techieman33 said:

3 liter? that would make it a ranger, not even an explorer.

Click to expand...

Ditto...

gmanpaint said:

Just got off the phone.

Just like you thought Joe, this guy wasted my time.

Now he says, it is a 3 liter 2 wheel drive. It turns out is not his, it is his dads, and was not sure of everything till he talked to his dad.

So, the hunt is on again for a 95 to 97 donor rig. I really want to get rid of my crappy trans (4R55e) and the crappy 4405 t-case.

Click to expand...

If I was looking for the swap you want (manual trans, 13-54 t-case), and wanted a direct bolt-in, I'd say you're SOL. If you don't mind doing some wiring, however, I'd be looking at an early-to-mid-90s Ranger with the combination you seek (manual/manual). There weren't many of them out there though....

You *might* be able to find a manual trans 4x4 Explorer (there were some of them out there in the late-90s) for the donor 4x4 trans, then use any 13-54 t-case from a first-gen Explorer or Ranger. That *should* work for you. The rub will be the wiring... Depending on when yours was built, it could be relatively simple or a royal PITA to get the systems to play nice. I'd think about swapping out your PCM and GEM for a 4-door 2WD setup. That way, the PCM won't know the t-case is there, and shouldn't have any issues.

Now, that being said, I wonder what the impact would be on the low range shifting characteristics? I don't know on that one... May need to stick with the 4x4 PCM and GEM after all... The 13-54 swap gurus will know more about that one than I would...

gijoecam said:

Ditto...
Now, that being said, I wonder what the impact would be on the low range shifting characteristics? I don't know on that one... May need to stick with the 4x4 PCM and GEM after all... The 13-54 swap gurus will know more about that one than I would...

Click to expand...

Low range shifting characteristics? Shouldn't the shift characteristics depend on the driver, since he is putting a manual in it?

black91EB said:

Low range shifting characteristics? Shouldn't the shift characteristics depend on the driver, since he is putting a manual in it?

Click to expand...

Oh, yeah.... Good catch. With an auto it might be an issue, but not with a manual.

Gregg,

Seems to me you want to find a manual trans and manual shift xfer case from a '97 or older Ranger (or an '02 - '03 FX4, but they are rare) or '94 or older Explorer.

Scott B. said:

Gregg,

Seems to me you want to find a manual trans and manual shift xfer case from a '97 or older Ranger (or an '02 - '03 FX4, but they are rare) or '94 or older Explorer.

Click to expand...

Do the FX4's with the manuals have the speedo sensor in the t-case? I thought they eventually did away with those on the Rangers too... (Admittedly, I haven't looked yet)

-Joe

I think like 97 would be the last year of a manual t-case with a speed sensor in it and it would be a ranger t-case. 99-01 rangers only had electric shift. the 02-03s do not have a speed sensor in the t-case it is located in the rear axle like the explorers.

Greg, you will not need the rare tail housing for your transmission. That is for 02-03 rangers with an Output Shaft Speed Sensor (OSS)

Another thing pick up the front driveshaft as well.

I think the advice about the 97 down ranger or the first gen ex is the best route. First gen ex's with manual trans are pretty common, and a manual case isn't too hard to find either.

If you need any pics or part numbers, I can take some off of my '95 M5R1 and BW1354 manual.