How to: 98 5.0 AWD Auto to 5spd M5R2 and 4406 M

[Nick26]

one more of the alignment tool, bolts and bearings...

 

[Nick26]

At this point I removed the transfer case, cross member, most of the bell housing bolts, disconnected trans harness and shift linkage, and completely removed the trans cooler and lines.

In the pic below what do you guys think I should do with the holes in the radiator where the tranny cooler lines went? Should they be plugged or left open?

Also now I have a perfectly good 4404, front drive shaft, and tranny cooler for sale if anyone wants it.

 

[Nick26]

Well i made some more progress this weekend.. I got the old tranny and flexplate out, installed a new rear main seal, the new flywheel, and clutch as well as the clutch pedal, master cylinder, and reservoir. Getting the old pedal out and the new pedal in has been the biggest pain in the ass so far. I didn't want to have to remove the whole dash so getting tools up behind there and trying to finagle the pedal assembly in and out around the wires and the brake booster took a decent amount of time.

Here's the old tranny, flexplate still on, the engine rear, and a comparison of the flexplate and flywheel I got(they are the exact same diameter and number of teeth so i'm pretty sure I'll be able to reuse my starter.

 

[Nick26]

Here's the old rear main seal being pulled out. I found a trick on a mustang forum where they say to tap a couple drywall screws into and pull it out with channel locks leveraging against the face of the crank.

Here's the new rear main seal tapped in.

New flywheel installed and clutch installed, a first for any V8 explorer that I know of!

 

[Nick26]

Here's the clutch pedal assembly which I ended up buying straight from the dealer for $80 since all the junk yards near me are either closing their u-pick lots apparently or emptying them out. FastPartsNetwork has it for like $66 but there there was like $12 shipping so it wasn't even worth it.

Then I was having a hell of a time getting the master cylinder into the pedal assembly because I couldn't push it and twist it at the same time so I tried clamping it to hold it in and then twisted it from the engine bay and that helped me get it in.

Finally the pedals installed... a V8 explorer with a clutch pedal? :

 

[Nick26]

Also I had to drill out the bell housing holes on the M5R2 from 27/64" to 7/16" (1/64" in size difference). The bolts that held the AOD up were too big to fit in the M5R2 holes.

And lastly I slid the M5R2 underneath to see about where the shifter will come up through and it looks like it might bump into the cup holder area a little bit. I was hoping it would stay right in the area of the pocket below the heat controls, but we'll see. I have to weld up my own shift lever anyway so maybe I'll do some sort of zig-zag thing. Neither an explorer shifter or one off a 92 F150 were right, both fit on the peg but they were both 90 degrees from facing the right way. In other words, as they are the shifters would be jabbing into the passengers leg.

 

[blueka]

subscribing


Si

 

[Nick26]

oh yeah forgot to mention taking apart that center console was a real pain too, it was like working on my audi it was so bad. There were hidden screws and 10 different layers and pieces, and I still couldn't remove the thing even though I took out every screw I could find. Also my truck has rear air which runs right down the middle of the center console so I have to figure out how to re-route that when I'm all done.

 

[CDW6212R]

oh yeah forgot to mention taking apart that center console was a real pain too, it was like working on my audi it was so bad. There were hidden screws and 10 different layers and pieces, and I still couldn't remove the thing even though I took out every screw I could find. Also my truck has rear air which runs right down the middle of the center console so I have to figure out how to re-route that when I'm all done.

The console slides out straight back, along the floor. Four bolts hold it in, two in the center and two in the dash. Pull it straight back, there are hooks in the very back.

 

[Nick26]

The console slides out straight back, along the floor. Four bolts hold it in, two in the center and two in the dash. Pull it straight back, there are hooks in the very back.

haha, i probably had it all unbolted I just wasn't pulling the right way... oh well it should be fun trying to put it back together at the end.

 

[Nick26]

Here's a question I hope some one on here can answer... I was just reading about clutch installs and I saw some people say you need to use the 3 flywheel pins when bolting on the pressure plate because it will make sure the pressure plate is centered and it will keep the clutch from chattering. Does anyone have any experience with this? My flywheel (made by Luk) didn't have peg holes where they need to be for this pressure plate but both of them are made by Luk and both of them are for a 96 F150. So I'm wondering if this is true for all cases? I am wondering if I should pull the pressure plate off and make sure I don't need to rotate it 60 degreees to see the holes? I did see other holes on the flywheel, but I don't remember any of them lining up with the holes on the pressure plate aside from the bolt holes that I'm using now. So far I'm not finding any flywheel pins for a 96 F150 from any parts websites either...

 

[99SportX]

Awesome job so far man! I cant wait to see how this turns out!

 

[downhillpat]

I just posted a link to this on FTE as I am pretty sure some of the guys over there would watch this intently....I could see this turning into a good write-up.

Now all I need is a ZF in my mounty....heh heh heh....mmm...creeeeeper gear....
Even though that tranny is too big...ok I am done now.

For shifter ideas try mating a NP435 or T18 stick to the M5 lower half...might work, just cut it down a little bit.

 

[Nick26]

alright cool thanks, maybe they will have some insight to the flywheel dowel issue.

 

[Nick26]

FYI this is what I concluded with the flywheel:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2251385&posted=1#post2251385

 

[rriddle1982]

I did this on a two wheel drive ranger a few years ago with a late model 302 and an m5 trans out of a 98 f150 with a 4.2. I don't know if you've noticed but you may have to remove the alignment dowel pins in the trans. Both my block and trans had them in the same location. The slave cylinder for a ranger and the master for an f150 great together, just make sure you replace the slave if the trans has been setting any length of time. Both the ranger and f150 take the same slave cylinder, also the same as the explorer sport. The clutch you chose will work perfect too. You may also have to change the starter and the block plate to one out of a 96 f150. I also changed the shifter and ball out out for one out of a ranger. the f150 one was way too long. Of coarse if you like that kinda thing its ok. lol Might be cool with one of those red flashing eye skull shifter knobs looking out the windshield at innocent bystanders..It just bolted in. hope this helps.

 

[damarble]

Kudos for doing what Ford should have! The 302/M5 combo was great in my old F150, I'd love it in an Explorer. I hope the newer ones don't shift so much like an old truck though, I'm guessing it should be like my X, somewhere in between the truck and car feel.

 

[Nick26]

I did this on a two wheel drive ranger a few years ago with a late model 302 and an m5 trans out of a 98 f150 with a 4.2.

awesome, thanks for chiming in... Did you truck start out as a stick? What did you do for ECM? Did you have to do anything special to get your reverse lights working?

I don't know if you've noticed but you may have to remove the alignment dowel pins in the trans. Both my block and trans had them in the same location.

You're right I have the dowel pins on both of mine too. Good thing you gave me a heads up, I probably would have missed that and been like wtf why won't this thing go on, haha. Does that just tap out of the tranny?

The slave cylinder for a ranger and the master for an f150 great together, just make sure you replace the slave if the trans has been setting any length of time. Both the ranger and f150 take the same slave cylinder, also the same as the explorer sport.

Yeah I realized that too, the part numbers are the same for M5R1 and M5R2 slave cylinders. I got a brand new slave too. The one on there looked like it was in decent shape but for $50 it's worth it for the peace of mind.

The clutch you chose will work perfect too. You may also have to change the starter and the block plate to one out of a 96 f150.

I hope not. The block plate from my explorer lined up perfect with the M5R2 and the flywheel and flex were the exact same diameter and teeth so I think my starter should work.

I also changed the shifter and ball out out for one out of a ranger. the f150 one was way too long. Of coarse if you like that kinda thing its ok. lol Might be cool with one of those red flashing eye skull shifter knobs looking out the windshield at innocent bystanders..It just bolted in. hope this helps.

I'm going to weld up my own shift rod out of a 92 F150 shifter stub and some threaded rod once I know how long it needs to be and what angle. A regular ranger stick worked on your M5R2 and was facing the right way?

 

[Nick26]

Kudos for doing what Ford should have!

Exactly... I envision doing this again in the future... some day I would like an 04+ F150 crew cab with the 5.4 and stick.

 

[rriddle1982]

Yes my truck was a stick(m5r1) to begin with and it was a 2.0 carb engine. So I stuck with a carb for now. Its an 88 model. On yours you will probably have to get a wiring pigtail to plug into the red switch on the shifter plate for the reverse lights. It will have to be wired into your original harness. I dont think the revese lights go though the GEM module but I may be wrong. Someone else may be able to help you more with the wiring. Mine just plugged in
The dowel pins do just knock out with a punch pretty easy. I took mine out on my tranny with a little pb blaster and a small punch.
I got that backwards on the slave cylinder thing. I have a ranger master and an f150 slave. I used and original master for my truck and a 98 style slave cylinder and line. My slave looked great too and I made the mistake of not replacing it like an idiot. It caused me to delay driving my truck for a while. lol
Ill check on the starter when I get to work for ya. I work in parts. The block plate looked like it wold work on mine till i tightened it up. Mine was a mustang plate and the automatic one had an extra lip. It made this horrible grinding noise on the flywheel when I first started it. That was one of those things that remedied itself over time.lol I wasnt about to pull that thing back apart. Its possible that mine could have gotten bent a little.
The shifter pivot ball assembly out of a ranger and an f150 are different in that the pinch bolt that holds them on are on different sides. That ball will come directly out of the tranny. Just put it in neutral and take out the 3 t30 screws in the base of the shifter and it all lifts right out. I use a 98 ranger(m5r1) shifter, ball, and even cup holder.
This is a great setup in my truck. Its a late model mustang 302 with a 600cfm holley and a few go fast tricks. With the m5r2 tranny out of a 98 f150 and a 3.08 geared 8.8 out of a 94 ranger. It has great all around driveability and will straight up haul butt on top end. My shifter even comes through the factory hole in the floorboard perfectly.
Good luck. If you have anymore questions Ill be glad to assist!