5 sp Rebuild

[oharris]

I am about to rebuild my 5 sp manual trans for my '94 Explorer. Has anyone done this? Do I need any special tools? Any tricks I should be aware of? TIA

Oliver Harris

 

[lonestar]

well how did it turn out? Obviouslly you didn't get any help from anyone. I'm thinking of rebuilding mine also because its beginnning to leak. Is it that bad?

 

[oharris]

Damn, I'd forgotten all about that post.

It turned out great. No special tools required. Got rid of the whine and it started shifting better too. Unfortunately my pilot bearing is all wadded up again so I have to go back and fix that.

A leak is definately a bad sign. Accdording to others on this board, they don't last long without oil. There are some rubber plugs on the top and in the back that tend to rot and fall out. Someone had previously glued mine into place, but the rebuild kit came with new metal plugs, so I used those.

 

[lonestar]

Originally posted by oharris
No special tools required.

Thats good to hear. Its also good to hear that someone on this board has tackled this job. I've been seaching, and most just say take it to the shop for around $1500. Not me! I would just let it drip at that price.
I've read about those rubber plugs, I haven't notice any fluid running down the side of thr trans though, I think it may just be the gasket at the output shaft end. I may just pull off that cover and reseal it.
Would you mind listing the basic steps after removing the trans? Where is a good place to get a rebuild kit? Does it come with all the seals, bearings and synchronizers? About how much, seems like around $200.
This may become a useful thread fo many. I'v seen many threads start off with the intention of rebuilding and it ends up going to the shop.
Thanks for the reply, I know its' been awhile.

 

[oharris]

Screw that $1500 nonsense. I would rebuild it though. If you forget to add oil to it and it explodes you'll have no other choice.

The kit I got was $175 and included all bearings and seals. The synchronizers were $10 a piece. There are 6 of them, including one for reverse. There is a difference between early and late trannys that requires a different synchro depending on what you have. In my case the synchronizers were fine so I took them back. I got all my parts from A-1 Transmission & Parts CO,
870 West Costilla Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80905, 719-442-0564. They were really great to deal with and very helpful. They did tell me to make sure all the plastic pieces (new ones are included in the kit) go back where they came from. They are essential for proper lubrication. The only real wrestling match I had was getting the main shaft out. It took a little trial and error, but it eventually came out.

 

[lonestar]

It's me again
I'm really looking in to doing this myself and have been looking around. I did happen to find this place selling rebuilds on ebay for $700, but you still have to pay $180 in delivery fees and hope they send it.

So does the rebuild kit come with any instructions, or is it pretty simple, take apart and put back together, no hidden tricks....

Thanks

 

[oharris]

Nope, no instructions. I just identified all the parts and took it apart enough to replace them. If you're just replacing the bearings and seals so you don't have to disassemble it completely. I had rebuilt a manual trans before, just not this particular model. They're pretty easy to understand once you get in there, at least I think they were. Sometimes they're just a little tricky getting them apart and back together again, you have to do things in a certain order but it's pretty easy to figure it out by trial and error.

 

[lonestar]

I don't think it will be to hard, I've just always had this fear of trans though, mostly autos. I just felt like I might be openig a box of worms and springs will go flying all over the place. Right now it's fine, but like I said, it is leaking, and that just gets on my nerves. Just trying to get some info, for a rebuild in the future.

What about torque specs?

Also, if you wouldn't mind taking the time, maybe you could post the basic overall procedure in a thread. I'm sure other members would find it beneficial. $200 and a few hours sure beats shelling out $1500 and wating for the repair shop while you drive around some crappy Saturn rental. Right guys.

Thanks
Sorry for digging this up again

 

[Rick]

This is a good thread I have a "spare tranny" sitting in my shed waiting for a rebuild. I'm going to pick up a rebuild kit and do it myself now that you gave us a good source for the parts

 

[oharris]

Don't know about the torque specs. Most of the bolts hold the case together or held the input bearing retainer etc. I torqued them tight enough so they would seal, but no so tight that they would crush the gasket just as I would any other assembly that had a gasket. There are two nuts on the end of the counter shaft and the reverse idler shaft. They had a lip on them that you banged into a slot on the shaft to keep them from backing out. You have to bend it back to take them off. Going back together, I just tightened them up as much as I could without getting out the breaker bar. The nuts ended up in nearly the same place by looking at the place where they were bent down so I figured I was good. I hasn't given me any problems since.

I would like to do a writeup, but it would mainly be from memory. I did take some pictures so I'll see what I can put together. Rick, when you do yours, maybe you can help fill in the gaps.

 

[Isotrip®]

I think I am gonna tear apart the 5 Spd. I just took out of mine this weekend. I never took it back to get my core money back so if I can dig into it and replace the broken parts somewhat cheaply then I will have that "back-up" tranny! But I think I may have busted a lot of stuff up in mine as it only had 4th gear left in it. But hey it is something to do that doesnt require a Keyboard!

 

[lonestar]

Any progress

 

[Jason94sport]

lonestar
I got my tranny from that place on ebay. Great service, tranny fit fine. About 7K miles later, & no problems. Looked brand new too, all parts were correct. Didn't have a problem with them.

 

[lonestar]

That's nice to hear, good service and the right parts. I would still like to rebuild it myself though. Not only would it be considerably cheaper, $200, I would have self satisfaction of rebuilding my own trans, knowing it was done right and learn something new in the progress. I like working on and learning new things.

Thanks for the assurance that their not a dead beat company, just incase. How much was all the shipping charges, both ways, for the core charge?

 

[Jason94sport]

Shipping was $60 each way, so $120 total. I saved alot of money though compared to the rebuild cost.

 

[mxstatic]

For those looking for MD05 instructions..

Dead Link Removed
PDFs of Instructions (You'll need Acrobat reader or similar).
Source: Ford Manual CDRom purchased on eBay.

Onto my second MD05, I cooked them both. They get really hot when the fluid leaks out through those damn plugs. The first was replaced by AAmco at a very high price (got jerked). This time I purchased a rebuild from drivetrain.com (~$900.00 + $250 core + $120 shp'd round trip).

I considered rebuilding myself but had very little time between being a 'good' Dad/Husband and moving. I did the disassembly and removal based on the instructions and found these quite helpful.

I hope this helps.

BTW: Regarding the rebuild. The rubber plugs are sealed in place with RTV sealant. Thoughts on whether I should still replace with metal plugs would be appreciated.

-Matty X

 

[Jason94sport]

The rebuild I got had the metal plugs in it.

 

[DasFrem]

I've gotta revive this thread for a few questons, (that and it's a good thread). My 3rd and 5th buzz and the 4th gear syncro is all messed up so much so that I just don't use 4th anymore. My fluid got low, and of course that's what gets it. I havn't heard of anyone busting these things with anything other than just low fluid.

oharris, do you have access to a bearing press or did you find another way to press them on? I found a nice kit on EBay that seems to have everything I need/, a new Input Shaft and Cluster Gear and a complete Bearing Kit w/ Synchro Rings. But since I don't have access to a press I was wondering if you put them on another way.

Thanks!

 

[Gladi8r]

Great thread!!! I have a 93 with the 5-speed and I have saved the pdf files for future reference. Thanks a bunch

 

[Mbrooks420]

There is a 5 speed rebuild kit on e-bay If anyone is interested .http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2412415515&category=33733
It is $285 and ends tomorrow.