4th Gen Auto 5R55 to Manual M5OD - progress (not a How-to)

[engineeering]

Hmm. .. im stumped. We did fool the 4x4 module...

 

[engineeering]

I took it for a long drive on the freeway today. Drove great... just no speedo. I used my torque app and my phones gps with digital display... quite liked it. I almost am considering deleting the big speedometer side of the cluster and putting in air/fuel and boost gauge instead... then get an aftermarket digital speedo...

That will be the work around if I can't figure it out. But I think I still gotta solve this to get the Trac control working properly (and tuning things like cruise fuel shutoff requires vehicle speed signal) dang...

 

[engineeering]

I also noticed the truck seemed to be geared much higher. In 5th at 2000 rpm I was going about 100km/hr. (@2400 I was doing 125km/hr)

Gonna need lots more torque... or lower geared diff. For now it will do.

 

[engineeering]

Solved.


Turns out the vehicle calculates the speed based on ONLY the OSS sensor (output shaft sensor). This was my first guess so I hooked up the Ranger sensor to ONLY the orange/yellow wires. THIS WORKS!!! (but the first time around I had the polarity wrong on my Ranger sensor since I did not have a wiring diagram for it). I went backwards for a bit trying different sensors and combinations.

OK!!! Now EVERYTHING works. The vehicle DOES ready HALF speed as expected. All I had to do was change the "number of holes in OSS" option in the tune from 24 to 12. All good now!!!

I no longer get the Ccode when scanning.... just 4 auto transmission errors.

Still get my traction control light ... but the more I think about it... I hate traction control. Who wants a cpu deciding when to relieve your throttle anyways? That's like having throttle babysitter.

ONLY TUNING CHANGES REQUIRED (there are OSS adapters available as well if you do not have tuning software!!):
-change OSS sensor's number of holes in the tune from 24 to 12 (if the Ranger rear tail housing on the manual transmission is used).


PS. I no longer have ANY rev limiting issues. I think this had something to do with the speed sensor but I have no way of confirming. Either way... I don't like rev limiters anyways. So I changed them ALL to 6500. This is also optional as I did a few pulls in 2nd to 5000 and no issues before the tune change.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE HELP. ESPECIALLY [MENTION=292133]08Exploder[/MENTION]. Big shout out for 08Exploder! Couldn't have gone this smoothly without the help!!!!

 

[08Exploder]

Anytime glad to help! I would keep traction control if it was me cause I believe advance trac is incorporated into it and 06-10 explorers are open diff explorers it uses brakes to limit slip to each wheel!

Glad speedo is working and rev limiter gone! That prob solved a lot of problems all at once

Tom

 

[engineeering]

OK.. so I called SCT today and they are adding all the unavailable DTCs to their database now. This will now be available for ALL explorer owners using the SCT Advantage software from this day hence So if any of you want to do this swap... you won't have to deal with any check engine lights!

 

[engineeering]

... just purchased some fiberglass and other materials to start customizing my console to accomodate the new stick shift. I'm also gonna change my brake pedal pad to a skinnier one. For every 100 or so clutch pumps, my foot grabs the brake pedal (since it is wider unlike the stock manuals). So that's gotta go....

 

[engineeering]

some quick pics...

got my new hitch and basket on and first sunny day in like 2 months

got the stick all put together! now for gearing. Feels really guttless and would like a bit more torque in the bottom. Was thinking going with lower gears but i'm gonna supercharge first and see how it goes. Got a 1995 ported thunderbird supercharger and a moddbox supercharger kit in the garage ready to go on.... time to have a bit more fun!! Lets see how the new manual 5-speed holds 300hp! LOL

 

[willied]

Dang, that is looking awesome! And a supercharger...you're going to have one of the coolest 4th Gens for sure (maybe only bested by that Sport Trac with the 5.0/6 speed swap from a Mustang ).

 

[engineeering]

Thanks willed! It will be a fun truck for sure when it's all done for sure !!

 

[08Exploder]

Looking sweet! You can gear it prob to 4.10 since it was offered on older explorers! But you will need a case spreader for the diffs! And while your in there install lockers or torisions or lsd in the rear and front lol the supercharger thing sounds scary on a 4.0?sohc motor especially because of the timing chains it prob won't handle it and you would have to lower the compression to be able to get a good boost that's a big project at that point I would do what he^^^^ said and put a 5.0 engine in it bore it and stroke it to the 347 and build it to extreme lol and then put a 6 speed behind it lol should only cost around 6k if you do it yourself lol good luck

Tom

 

[engineeering]

... the supercharger thing sounds scary on a 4.0?sohc motor especially because of the timing chains it prob won't handle it...

Tom

Good ideas for sure. Definitely still considering 4.10 gears but will first see how the supercharger pulls. Would hate to have to cruise at 3500 rpm when there is more than enough power (expensive on fuel).

As for SC option... I'm definitely not worried about the chain. I also don't want big displacement. The supercharger&4.0L will be better on fuel (at cruise) and the bottom end torque will probably be better (see torque curves on moddbox dyno). I've done a tonne of research on forced induction, the 4.0L cologne, and the forced induction kits. This engine can safely handle about 10-12psi with proper cooling and fuel with stock compression. I'm also planning to go maybe 9-10 psi and will methanol inject/intercool and safe tune. Maybe I'll back off to 5-8psi later once it's dialed in as I will be towing lots with it.

That said, regarding the safety... there are several kits (procharger, explorer express, rp castor, moddbox) that boost this engine to around 10psi without issue. If you search around there are tonnes of positive build blogs on the Ranger/Mustang/Explorer sites for the moddbox kit (this forum included). I think for the time of install (1 full day), overall cost, and best bang for buck... the supercharger is the ticket. After scoring a 95 tbird blower on craigslist for $350... probably be around 2600 all in.


next things.... porting the moddbox manifold to match my ported 95 blower... exhaust headers.... and some exhaust modifications.... then should have this thing the way I want it!! Will probably be tweaking the tune for a few weeks but should have it all sorted out by early March.

...but time for another thread for this I think. I should also write a "how to" for the manual swap when I get around to it.

MANY THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL WHO CONTRIBUTED!!! EVERYONE WAS A BIG HELP AND MADE THIS PROJECT A LOT MORE FUN TOO!!! (nobody likes working on things alone)

RE: MANUAL SWAP - 4TH GEN MO5D-H1 MANUAL (FROM RANGER)
All-in-all... I bet someone with a good tutorial (wiring diagrams/etc) could do the manual swap in 4 days work if they had all the parts/tools on the shelf. That would not count the interior console and other wiring preferences.


ps. With all things completed on this truck... the Ranger manual, 4.0L engine, explorer stock parts, and all other parts are very easy to come by. In future.... I will not have any problems finding parts. Can't believe how cheap the 4.0L crate engines are these days.

 

[engineeering]

ok... easy one for you guys... wrapping up the last brain buster on this dang project.


Just reverse lights now. Got it working great with the lighted switch but this circuit keeps popping my 10A fuse as soon as I power the relay with the reverse switch. sigh.... tried a new relay and spent too much time trying things I don't remember what I did now... here's the current setup... don't know what else it could be wrong with it.

ps. I ended up putting the relay in the ground wire (usually like the relay in the powered side) BUT it kept popping my fuse and I had a hunch the transmission was grounding the switch to the trans when it was activated... .so hence ... the switch is in the ground.


pss. I wired 3 other relays today without issue....... 1- intercooler pump, 2-methanol injection pump, and 3-accessory fuse panel. Can't figure this one out... might be related to the lighted switch... very stumped.

 

[engineeering]

For those who didn't know... the last issue with this thing was a TOUCHY THROTTLE, SENSITIVE ADVANCED TRAC, and 75MPH SPEED LIMITER!!


I FINALLY SOLVED MY SPEED LIMITER ISSUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ONLY TOOK ME 1 YEAR AND 4 MONTHS! HAHAH. SO STOKED RIGHT NOW

I did a tonne of tune changes over the weekend and FINALLY solved my speed limiter issue. I wanted to give you feedback in case anyone encounters this again. NOTE... THIS WILL PROBABLY AFFECT FORD DRIVE BY WIRE VEHICLES WITH MANUAL SWAPS HAVING A DIFFERENT (LOWER) NUMBER OF HOLES IN THE VSS/OSS SENSOR!

The problem turned out to be an issue with the change in the OSS holes (in the manual sensor). My auto had 24 holes. The manual had 12 holes. The vehicle speed could easily be corrected by changing this number; however, I believe the calculated error inadvertently went out of range (this is my best guess). I accidentally started thinking this when I LOWERED my speedlimiter by accident by uploading another old tune that did not have my MustangSpeedcal changes in it and I FINALLY got my PCM to give me a code.... a P062C.

Only way to solve this, is to INCREASE the OSS hole number from 24 to something like 32 (you would expect that changing to 12 is correct)! This is the OPPOSITE of what you want to do (increases the error of the odometer ... shows around 30-40% of my speed). I corrected the odometer by manually changing the sensor signal using the Mustang Speedcal (to manually change the sensor signal BEFORE it goes to the PCM). I believe this reduced the error calculated in the VSS and stays below the ceiling. This worked. Minor changes for axle and tire sizes where managed using the SCT handheld or in the tune the conventional way. This increased my "error threshold speedometer" from 75 mph to presumably 100 mph (ratio of 32/24).

(for more info on the attempted changes in the SCT tune to solve this... see my other post here: Auto>Manual Swap. OSS 24-hole>VSS 12-hole. Speed Limit Issue - EECTuning.org)

Thank the Lord almighty. I was ready to drive this thing off a cliff. Couldn't even make a pass until now.... hahha. Will probably take me a while to get used to as I am SO accustom to expecting a hard speedlimiter while just pulling on the freeway. LOL.

Thank you all for you help in supporting my thought process. Hope this info helps someone else in the future!

 

[Hickman98]

I'm glad you figured it out. The manual swap in my 08 explorer wasn't bad until I had to deal with the electronics. I actually took the VSS ring out of an old 5r55 that I had and welded it on the rear drive shaft. Then made a bracket to to use my stock sensor. I have the sensor in my M5OD R1HD but I don't use it. The advanced track and start with key have been a royal pain even with SCT Advantage 3 software. Congrats on getting yours finished.

 

[engineeering]

As for the start with key... an manual way to trick the PCM is to wire it up as follows... see the TAB 5 for more info.

I actually wired in a "normally closed" push button switch to "break" the wire with the resistor. This way the transfer case motor can only be engaged when I "hold" the button (to trick it into being in N only when button is held). Before doing this... when going to 5th if my hand slipped I could bump the 4x4 low button... you DO NOT want to engage that when going into 5th. LOL. So this was nice fix.

You also need a jumper wire (or paper clip or something) to close one of the DTR wires for the signal to the starter. There is more info on this earlier in teh thread. Another nice addition is to wire in a Ranger's clutch switch to this same wire. This way you cant engage a start without your foot on the clutch pedal (a nice addition if you ever lend it out to your wife or something to drive. haha).

Here's the DTR trick for the N gear (the main plug going to the floor shifter)

cheers.

 

[Hickman98]

As for the start with key... an manual way to trick the PCM is to wire it up as follows... see the TAB 5 for more info.

I actually wired in a "normally closed" push button switch to "break" the wire with the resistor. This way the transfer case motor can only be engaged when I "hold" the button (to trick it into being in N only when button is held). Before doing this... when going to 5th if my hand slipped I could bump the 4x4 low button... you DO NOT want to engage that when going into 5th. LOL. So this was nice fix.

You also need a jumper wire (or paper clip or something) to close one of the DTR wires for the signal to the starter. There is more info on this earlier in teh thread. Another nice addition is to wire in a Ranger's clutch switch to this same wire. This way you cant engage a start without your foot on the clutch pedal (a nice addition if you ever lend it out to your wife or something to drive. haha).

Here's the DTR trick for the N gear (the main plug going to the floor shifter)

cheers.

That is very helpful, thank you. I have a ranger clutch pedal switch I planned to wire in once I fixed the issue of having to basically jump the starter. I am going to try to get to this today, it's funny how you can miss little things like just turning the key to start your vehicle lol.

I also like your idea on a switch to keep from being able to engage low range on accident (or my wife who likes buttons lol.)

Side note
I made a custom linkage and shifter that allowed me to use the hole from the factory shifter. I didn't have to modify my console cover at all. It keeps my hand further from the dash and has a nice short throw. I'll try to put a few pictures of it on here later today.

I know first hand this was no easy project and not for the faint of heart. You have a ton of information and research here, I know I have benefited from it.

 

[engineeering]

Glad to hear it. And congrats on getting as far as you did. The free Wilson wiring diagrams are very useful... I would never have completed this without them. Lol.

I'm loving my EX now. Drives like a manual Ranger only supercharged.

 

[Shane Scurr]

G'day, I know this is an old thread. I am about to do a manual conversion as well, my donor vehicle is an Aussie Ford Courier same as a Mazda B4000 2005 model into my 2004 XLT 4.0 SOHC . I have the gearbox, tail-shaft, flex-plate, pedal box and wiring loom from the donor and am getting a new master and slave cylinders, new clutch, new starter and new gearbox mount from Rockauto. I will be taking the truck to the local tuning shop to do that part.
My question is did you do the "How to" I have been looking and can't find it?