A4LD to M5OD

[megillet]

Here is the deal. My buddy just bought his first Explorer last week. 1992 4 door Eddie Bauer with the A4LD. Very similiar to mine except I have the M5OD and the XL trim package. Anyways, to make a long story short, his A4LD tranny blew already even though it was rebuilt 20,000 miles ago. Shops here in the Kalamazoo, MI area are quoting about $2000 to rebuild the A4LD. I have heard that a few of you have in fact swapped out the A4LD and put in the M5OD so these questions are directed to those of you that have done the swap or know someone firsthand that has done this swap. (My intention here is to receive firsthand information, not someone telling me to do a search for this, which I have already done and have not found sufficient information)
1st question
Apporximate price of all parts with part numbers if you have them
2nd question
Did a shop perform the swap for you or did you do the labor yourself? (If a shop, how many hours of labor was involved?)
3rd question
Is the flywheel a bolt on operation, or does the crank need to be pulled in order to make clearance for the new bearing on the flywheel?
4th question
If you had the choice to do it all over again, would you? Or are there any things that you would do differently?

Thanks all, and I'll get him registered here ASAP. If we end up doing the swap ourselves, expect a detailed thread with pictures explaining the process involved.

 

[Hotweels]

I too am very interested in this swap, While i am not a authority on the subject i will try to enlighten you.
First YES IT IS A BOLT IN SWAP if you can find a explorer in a wrecking yard with the 5speed you are in damm fine shape, All you need is the steering colum, clutch and brake pedal, all cables and wiring hmmm what elese? Oh ya the tranny with the shifter, dust boot, clutch master cylinder now the fun part.
I have pulled a 4.0 from a 5 speed before, it was pretty ugly in there the flywheel was cracked and burnt VERY BADLY and i was told this is normal in junked vehicles so look at buying all new clutch, flywheel, pressure plate etc. I hope this helps a bit maybe when i get a bit of extra $$$ i can do this swap too.

 

[BislamJoe]

Just a thought - If you're going to the trouble of swapping an auto for a manual, why not get a stronger transmission than the Mazda? I've heard that it's a little stronger than the A4LD, but still hardly ideal. Maybe a T5? I have no idea how difficult going to the Mazda 5 is, much less how difficult a T5 swap would be, but in my warped little mind, it seems to make a lot more sense. Especially if he'll be 'wheeling his X, or towing anything. Just a thought... :smoke:

 

[megillet]

David,
Yeah, a stronger tranny would be nice, but my buddy has a time and money budget. He can't afford to have his truck down for that amount of time to get it right, plus then he'd have to get new driveshafts, tranny cross member brace fabbed, etc. He went ahead and had the A4LD rebuilt. His grandfather paid for it so it was his decision as to what to do since he was paying for it. Elliott (my buddy) is going to save some money though for the next time it blows, then we'll throw in a M5OD.

 

[BislamJoe]

I understand about not being able to have the truck down for that much time. But about the driveshafts - I had been led to believe that if you use the adapter to keep the stock t-case, that the driveshaft length didn't change. (you didn't say whether his truck was 2wd or 4wd, but since you said "driveshafts" i'm guessing 4wd) Do a search on this though - I'm pretty sure that it's been done more than once, and I'm almost positive that there's been plenty written about it. :smoke:

 

[megillet]

Possibly, but...

David,
If the transfer case ended up in the same exact spot (or even give or take an inch maybe two) then yes the same driveshafts would work, but the question wouldn't be with the adapter from the tranny to the t-case, it would be the tranny itself. I say this because the tranny would probably not be the same length as the M5OD, but I could be wrong. This would put the t-case forward of aft a few inches if it was a different length. And yes, its a 4wd. Wouldn't even consider buying a 2wd Explorer here in Southwest Michigan.