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List of Useful Threads Everything I know about the M5OD-R1 & BW1354M

BonesDT

Elite Explorer
Joined
July 12, 2002
Messages
1,074
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City, State
Westchester, NY
Year, Model & Trim Level
Red '99 Sport SOHC 4x4
I believe I have a wealth of information on this topic and have been wanting to share it for years (and record it in one place for myself), but I could never get myself organized enough to do it. So I am finally getting the ball rolling, better late than never, and will slowly fill everything in. Please be patient.

The Mazda M5OD-R1 (a.k.a. M5R1), and it's upgrade, the M5OD-R1HD, are the manual transmissions that will bolt up to both the Ford 160hp 4.0L OHV and the 210hp 4.0L SOHC V6 engines.

The Borg Warner 1354 Manual is the manual 4x4 transfer case that will bolt up to the Ford 4.0L V6 manual or automatic transmissions.

I am a "manual" connoisseur. When car shopping in 1999, my two criteria were truck and manual transmission. This brought me to the Wrangler and the Explorer. A test drive sealed the deal. When signing the paperwork, the dealer broke the bad news that the manual, at the time, was only available in the fully stripped down version with the weaker OHV engine. I settled.

With the help of this forum, I converted my SOHC engine to a manual transmission and it was the greatest thing I have ever done in my life. I am now in the process of converting my BW 4405 electric automatic transfer case to the manual.
 



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Part Numbers

LMC TRUCK IS SELLING A LOT OF THESE PARTS NOW

Ford
Flywheel Single-Mass for OHV..........................................................................................F77Z-6375-BA $117
Flywheel Dual-Mass for SOHC...........................................................................................? $800+
Clutch Disc for OHV..........................................................................................F87Z-7550-AA $114.09 + $7 core
Clutch Disc for SOHC.....................................................................................................? (see Luk below)
Pressure Plate for OHV.......................................................................................YL5Z-7563-AA $140.18 + $20 core
Pressure Plate for SOHC..................................................................................................? (see Luk below)
Pressure Plate to Flywheel Bolts (at least for OHV) (need 6, washers attached)........................N802096-S2
Slave Cylinder - YL5Z-7A508-AA $86.82 (according to Luk's Tech Bulletin ref Ford bull #06-23-13 revised slave 6L5Z-7A508-AA)
Slave Cylinder to Transmission bolts (need 2).....................................................................N605907-S103 $1.44 each
Steel Plate between Engine & Trans Bellhousing (diff from auto)............................................1L5Z-7007-AA $35.66
Clutch & Brake Pedal Assembly.........................................................................................3L2Z-2455-DA $51.32
Manual Trans Starter (diff from auto)..............................................................F87Z-11002-BARM $162.08 + $75 core
Clutch Master Cylinder (comes with black reservoir).............................................................F87Z-7A543-AA $92.18
Separate Clutch Reservoir (clear plastic)............................................................................lost number
Master Cylinder to Slave Cylinder Plastic Tube....................................................................F87Z-7A512-AA $88.54
Clip (and fastener?) securing Plastic Tube to underneath floor pan...................................just use a zip-tie, Mr. ****!
Clutch Pedal Position (CPP) Switch...................................................................................1L5Z-11A152-AA $38.62
auto or man Ext Housing to elec or man T-Case Bolt (need 5)................................................N605804-S100
auto or man Flywheel/Flexplate to SOHC Crankshaft Bolts (need 8).........................................F77Z-6379-AC
Flywheel to Crankshaft Bolts for OHV (need 6) (I'm unsure if the OHV is different here) ...............E69Z-6379-A
Ext Housing to T-Case Paper Gasket............................................................................E9TZ-7086-A $6

Standard Black Transmission Shifter.....................................................................................F87Z-7210-BA $92.29
FX4 (02+) Transmission Chrome Shifter...............................................................................1L5Z-7210-BC $106.36
(apparently superseded by 6L5Z-7210-BA $300 http://www.ranger-forums.com/showthread.php?t=121639)
FX4 (02+) Transmission Ball for Chrome Shifter.....................................................................1L5Z-7213-AA $85
The shifter pinch nut tends to vibrate off (fell thru onto the road on the highway). I picked up an extra 2nd nut at Home Depot to back onto the primary nut to lock it on.

M5R1 Extension Housing w/ man t-case linkage bosses, w/o OSS sensor hole.............................?
M5R1 Extension Housing w/o bosses, w/ OSS sensor hole.......................................................?
FX4 (02-03) M5R1 Extension Housing w/ bosses, w/ OSS sensor hole (uber rare!).......................1L5Z-7A039-CA ($223.57)
Extension Housing seal for both w/ & w/o OSS......................................................................? (written on seal)
1-piece OSS Sensor (I think it comes with the bolt)..............................................................1L5Z-7H103-AA $23.10
2-piece OSS Sensor with metal retainer...............................................................................unknown

Standard 1-Piece T-Case Shift Linkage................................................................................F0TZ-7210-A ($316)
Standard Black Rubber T-Case Shift Knob.............................................................................unknown
T-Case Shift Linkage Bushing..............................................................................................3L5Z-7335-AA ($7.19)
FX4 (02-03) T-Case Chrome Upper Half Shifter (comes with 2 bolts?).........................................1L5Z-7210-AD ($159) (not confirmed yet)
FX4 (02-03) T-Case Ball for Chrome Shifter............................................................................1L5Z-7213-AB ($108)
FX4 (02-03) T-Case Lower Half Linkage for Chrome Shifter........................................................2M5Z-7210-AB (having a tough time with this one, but this is the best I got so far)
T-Case Shift Linkage Smaller Rear Boss Bolt............................................................................56538-S100 (3/8"-16 x ~1.0")
T-Case Shift Linkage Larger Pivot Forward Boss Bolt (also needs 2 piece plastic washer bushing)......unknown (9/16"-12 x 1.0" with 1.5"x0.75" unthreaded shaft)

Manual Transmission, Electric T-Case Shifter Floor Plate............................................................F87Z-7479-BA $68
Manual Transmission, Electric T-Case Inner Rubber Shift Boot (for both Ex & Ranger)......................1L5Z-7277-AB $22
FX4 Dual Shifter Rubber Inner Shift Boot & Plate.......................................................................2L5Z-7479-AB (not confirmed)

Upper Steering Column Shroud Black (without auto shifter hole, but with key lock button hole).........F57Z-3530-B ($20) (def works for a 98 Ranger & 99 Ex)
Instrument Panel Block (replaces P R D 2 3 letters and blocks light)...............................................F57Z-7B100-A $7.34

BW 13-54M VSS (comes with metal retainer).............................................................................E3AF-9E731-AB



Aftermarket
Luk OHV Clutch Kit...............................................................................................................07-139
Luk SOHC Clutch Kit.............................................................................................................07-167
Luk Slave Cylinder (w/o throwout bearing) (replaced revised 6L5Z-7A508-AA)................................LSC003
Luk Master Cylinder (1999)....................................................................................................LMC346
Luk Master Cylinder (2003)....................................................................................................LMC374 (difference?)
Luk OHV Single-Mass Flywheel...............................................................................................LFW155
CenterForce OHV Dual-Friction Clutch Kit (Luk makes the Pressure Plate & Clutch Disc internals).......?
Centerforce SOHC Dual-Friction Clutch Kit...............................................................................?
AutoZone Duralast Gold Manual Trans Starter (New, Not Rebuilt & Lifetime warranty. highly recommended) ...... DLG3232S $145 +$25 core
3" Shifter Extension for PA Body Lift.......................................................................................PRA-3700 (SE3700)
LMC Truck Reverse Light Switch Socket Connector (splices into auto harness for clean install, but fit is poor)......47-0901 $3.95
Motorcraft Reverse Light Switch Socket Connector ...................................................WPT826
LMC Truck Reverse Light Switch (in case you lose the one that came with the trans).....................47-0862 $14.95
Autel MaxiDiag US703 Diagnostic Scan Tool (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, only sub $1000 scanner that scans ALL FORD CODES, yes ABS & Airbag codes)...................................................................................................................~$145 on Amazon.com

Steeda 17mm (11/16") Driveshaft Spacer 555-7707 or JEGS 555-60620 (designed for Mustang 8.8 axles - used to make up the 1" difference between the BW4405 & BW1354 t-cases instead of lengthening the driveshaft)

VINs
The dealerships can find parts easier if you give them a VIN. My trick is to search craigslist.com and ebay for a vehicle for sale that has the part you need. I did this a lot for Ranger FX4s with twin chrome sticks. Use the free craigspal.com to search for vehicles for sale across the country. I looked at the interior pictures to confirm that the truck had these shifters. Then contact the seller, pretend to be interested in buying their truck, and ask for the VIN so you can do a background check for major collisions. I've done this successfully to find really uncommon part numbers like the FX4 chrome shifters and the upper steering column shroud.

Did some research on www.fordparts.com:
All 7210's are "Auto Trans Shift Lever"
1L5Z-7210-AB "Genuine" Ranger 4x4, w/ FX4 Off-Road Package; Transfer Case, Lower Control Lever Asy
$354.38 Fits at least: 02 Ranger
1L5Z-7210-AD "Genuine" Ranger 4x4, w/ FX4 Off-Road Package; SHIFT LEVER BEZEL; use together with
the round 2L5Z-7277-AC transmission lever boot and the oval 2L5Z-7277-AD transfer case lever boot
$175.98 Fits at least: 02 Ranger
1L5Z-7210-AE All Diesel - South America only; Gear Shift Lever
$111.47
1L5Z-7210-BB All Diesel - South America only; Lever & Extension Asy.
$200.00
1L5Z-7210-BC Gas Engines, w/ Manual Transfer Case (Genuine Ranger, FX4), Upper Lever & Extension Asy, Manual Transmission; refer to"7003" transmission parts list for Lower -
$292.40
1L5Z-7210-CA Gas Engines, w/ Electric Transfer Case; Upper Lever & Extension Asy, Manual Transmission; refer to "7003" transmission parts list for Lower -
$141.15
2L5Z-7210-AC "Genuine" Ranger 4x4, w/ FX4 Off-Road Package; Transfer Case, Upper Control Lever Asy
$367.07
F8YZ-7210-AA Electric Ranger program; Incl. boot an knob
$56.82
XL2Z-7210-BA Lever assembly - includes 7210, 7213, 7G550, 7A214, 3513 (upper), and 14A163
$46.72

All 7213's are "Auto Trans Shift Lever Knob"

All 7277's are "Auto Trans Shift Lever Boot"

All 7479's are "Auto Trans Gear Shift Blanking Plate"
 






Flywheel Compare.jpg
Flywheels

The 160hp OHV engine, using the M5R1 trans, used a standard single-mass flywheel. A single-mass flywheel can be resurfaced by a machine shop (I paid $55, but I think this is on the high side). The flywheel is about $90 brand new from Luk.

A warning about resurfacing flywheels. The pressure plate bolts to the face of the flywheel, and the throwout bearing attached to the slave cylinder presses up against the back side of the pressure plate. So if you think about it, the more surface you take off the flywheel, the closer the pressure plate is going to move towards the engine, but the slave cylinder is bolted to the transmission and is not moving forward. I suspect this could be a problem with some people whose clutches aren't fully disengaging when they push the clutch pedal to the floor.

Later, the 210hp SOHC engine, which uses the R1HD trans, uses a dual-mass flywheel (which I think contains springs or something inside). These are typical on heavy duty manual diesel pickups. This flywheel ranges from $400 to dealership $800. Apparantly, these flywheels can't be resurfaced, which means everytime you replace your clutch, you'll need $800 for a brand new flywheel. Have fun with that.

I have the SOHC engine, the R1HD trans, but I refuse to pay for the dual-mass flywheel. I noticed a company actually sells "single-mass conversion" flywheels for the diesel pickups since this is a common issue. The rare SOHC manual Ex/Rangers are left in the dust.

Unfortunately, I have confirmed that the SOHC pressure plate does not bolt up to the OHV single mass flywheel. If you want bolt-up'ness, you will have to use the OHV clutch kit with the OHV flywheel. The dowel pins line up, but not the bolt holes (why Ford? why???). Next time I replace my clutch, I will drill & tap new holes in the single-mass flywheel so I can benefit from the stronger pressure plate and larger clutch disc designed for the SOHC dual-mass flywheel.

I was fortunate enough to find a store with both Luk kits in stock and have the load specs and side-by-side pics to follow.

This pic is the Auto's Flexplate (between the engine & the evil torque converter, used as the gear for the starter) and it's spacer next to a single-mass flywheel. This flywheel was purchased from the dealership and came with the pilot bearing pressed in.
 






Hydraulic Assembly.jpg
Bleed Diagram.jpg
More on clutches

Here I'll talk about bleeding the Ex/Ranger hydraulic clutch system. All Ex/Rangers used a hydraulic clutch release system (and probably the same part numbers) as opposed to a cable system like the Mustangs.

The Ex/Ranger setup is one of the, if not the, most difficult clutch systems to bleed. The problem lies in that the master cylinder is mounted at a ~45 degree angle, with the pedal pushrod on the high end, and the bottom of the master cylinder, where both the reservoir tube and the pressurized tube leading to the slave cylinder, live. This creates an air trap at the high end of the master cylinder that is difficult to bleed.

Luk's Tech Bulletin references Ford bulletin #93-12-19 for bleeding procedure.

I would love to see a cross-section of this master cylinder to fully understand how it works so we can really evaluate the best way to bleed it, so if anyone has an old one, please cut it open for us.

You can read posts until your eyes bleed about the best way to bleed this thing, but here's my easy approach:
Buy a Motive Power Brake Bleeder. This thing is great, you need it anyway. You will need the European brake adapter (i.e. for a VW) for the clutch, not the Ford adapter for the regular brake cylinder.
Without having to open up any of the lines, use a flat head screwdriver and pry the pushrod off the clutch pedal. From the wheel well (if you still have Tupperware, remove and throw it out. Exposed rusted exhaust headers is the new craze), push the master cylinder into the truck and twist 45-degrees to unhook it from the pedal assembly base, then pull out with the rubber firewall gasket, taking care not to break the lines. Let the master cylinder dangle upside down. Use the Motive power bleeder to force-push brake fluid through the bleeder valve. Reinstall the master cylinder. This works in theory in my head.
 






Manual Transmission Side.jpg
The M5OD-R1 and M5OD-R1HD

The 5-speed Mazda M5OD-R1, also referred to as M5R1. The OD stands for OverDrive (the 5th gear). This is a different transmission from the M5OD-R2 aka M5R2. Up until later years (somewhere above '01), the manual transmission was only offered on the weaker 160hp OHV 4.0L V6, so if you wanted the more powerful 210hp SOHC, like I did in '99, then you had to get the automatic.

Finally, Ford decided to offer a man trans for the SOHC. It beefed up the trans with the upgraded M5OD-R1HD (HD for Heavy Duty). The HD had the OSS sensor hole in the extension housing.

M5OD-R1 for 2.3/3.0L engines........................3.72 2.20 1.50 1.00 0.79
M5OD-R1 for 4.0L engines.............................3.40 2.05 1.31 1.00 0.79
M5OD-R1HD................................................3.40 2.05 1.31 1.00 0.79
(Source: http://www.vibratesoftware.com/html_help/html/Ford/Ford_Transmissions_Main.htm)

The output shaft is 25-splines.

This HD trans is hard to get your hands on. It's been said the regular R1 could hold up to the SOHC just fine, but I was fortunate enough to find the HD.
 






Extension Housings

Here's the deal with the M5R1 4x4 Extension Housings. Later manual transmission Ex/Ranger SOHC's (somewhere above '01) required an OSS (Output Shaft Speed) sensor, which is located in the 4x4 extension housing. I believe this was the vehicle speed sensor for the speedometer, that was moved from the rear Ford 8.8 axle for some reason. So, if you do not have the sensor in your rear axle, then you will need the special extension housing. This special extension housing, especially the super-special one with the bolt bosses to work with a manual transfer case, is extremely rare. It's even questionable whether you can get one from the dealer (I've provided the part number above. Good luck.). This is your #1 concern when considering dual sticks in a late model Ex/Ranger.


My '99 SOHC, fortunately, does not require the OSS. I was able to find a brand spanking new M5OD-R1HD (made for an ~'02 Sport-Trac), which happen to come with the OSS hole in the extension housing, but without the bolt bosses (why Ford?, why???). Be aware, that even if your vehicle doesn't require the sensor, you still need to get it and install it to plug the hole because trans fluid will pour out (been there).

So I sourced an extension housing with the bolt bosses from a '91-'94 Explorer (any M5R1 extension housing from those 4 years all came with the bosses, whether the vehicle was equipped with a manual t-case or not). Of course, the OSS sensor hole is not there. Well, I don't need it anyway, so problem solved, right? No, interestingly, you can not just simply swap the ext housing from a R1HD with an old R1. There are subtle differences. The HD has an additional cog in there, which is what the magnetic sensor reads off of. The transmission output shaft is also machined differently to accommodate this cog. The ext housings with the OSS sensor hole have a deeper tunnel in that location to accommodate the cog, so with the cog in place, an old non-holed ext housing will not fit.



To do things textbook perfect and replace the output shaft is out of the question just about for anyone. You can remove the c-clip, cog, and the little ball bearing underneath it.


Your almost home free, but there is a groove in the output shaft that happens to land right above the lowered ext housing rubber seal and will rip apart the seal when you install or remove the older ext housing. I wrapped a single layer of blue painters tape around the groove, so that the bottom edge of the tape ever so barely extends over the bottom of the groove.


Then installed the housing (don't forget to install the liquid gasket first!), then peeled the tape off. Works perfectly. If I ever have to remove the housing for some reason, I'll probably rip it off and just replace the seal.
 






The BW1354M

The Borg Warner 1354 Manual is the bolt-up manual transfer case for the 4.0L V6s. It also came in an electric version, which was offered for older 4.0L Exs, but was replaced with the BW4405 Torq-Trac, which is an electric t-case that replaces the straight 2wd selection (and the neutral tow position) with an automatic 4wd selection, which uses a computer and clutches to engage 4wd while you are driving. I don't like computers making decisions for me.

The BW1354M designed for the 02-03 Ranger FX4s is slightly different from the BW1354Ms made for the 91-94 Exs. First of all, the earlier 1354s used a gear-driven speed sensor located near the rear output flange of the t-case. The later computer systems (i.e. for the 02-03 Ranger FX4s) did not require this sensor, so the hole was welded up. No big deal.

Second of all, the later Ex/Rangers started using real CV cup joints on the front driveshaft when the older 91-94 Exs used double-cardan u-joint front driveshafts (see the driveshafts discussion), so the newer 1354s had a different front driveshaft flange, which is a big deal because these external flanges just don't swap back and forth without opening up the t-case and changing major parts like the shafts.

My '99 used the fragile CV cup joint, but my older 1354 case has the double-cardan flange. It seems double-cardan is thought of as more durable (but probably slightly less smooth), and let's face it, it looks and sounds a lot cooler. So my best, and easiest option, will be to change my front driveshaft over to the 91-94 double-cardan version. I just have to confirm the lengths of these driveshafts are the same.
 






shifters.jpg
swtnlow97-97ranger-manual-w-fullconsole.jpg
Short Boot.jpg
Shifters

All Ex/Rangers came with fugly black transmission and transfer case shifters with even fuglier black rubber knobs. Leather power seats and all, and your truck still has 1980's style disintegrating rubber knobs (that's right, knobs, not balls).

Enter the 2002 Ranger FX4. This was the first year for the FX4 package. Contrary to popular belief, not all FX4's had manual transmissions and even fewer had dual-shifters. Even further contrary to popular belief, not all manual transmission FX4's had the exotic chrome shifter, this was a further option on top of the FX4 package.

The Ranger was offered with a manual transmission from 2002-on (or at least ended in the recent years). So the special chrome transmission shifter is fairly readily available online or from the dealership.

However, only the 2002-2003 Ranger FX4 Rangers were offered with the manual transfer case. No Explorer past 1994 or Ranger past (1994?) offered a man t-case except 2002 & 2003 FX4's. In other words, a manual transfer case was never offered for the SOHC engine except these two years, and those Rangers with the FX4 package. Hence the extreme rarity of the SOHC extension housings (requiring the OSS) with the bolt bosses to accomodate the transfer case linkage. There are only a handful of these dual-stick Rangers roaming this country. Another special feature about this chrome transfer case shifter, is that, unlike all other (91-94 Ex) transfer case shift linkages, this linkage is a 2-piece design, with the lower half identical (rustable) to the lower part of the older 1-piece linkage, but the top part is a bolt on chromed out round shift handle.

Some good info here on a Ranger forum: http://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2/f6/f82/82479-rangers-manual-t-case-swap.html

Center Console
Exs with auto transmissions were offered with a full center console option (probably went hand in hand with leather seats, etc.) This console covered the bare carpet area between the arm rest and directly under the radio. It routed the climate control to the back seats and also gave the back seats audio controls. It also housed the 6-CD changer if you got that option too. All Exs with the full console had two flocked (felt) pockets, except for the Limited, which replaced the pockets with a digital climate control computer.

Exs with the manual transmission were always bare bones. The full console was not offered for any manual transmissions. Coincidentally, if you unbolt the flocked pockets, the transmission shifter will fit perfectly through the hole. This full console mod for man trans is so popular that RedlineGoods.com makes outer leather shift boots just for this setup. You can get them in the short version to show off your chrome FX4 or Hurst shifter (3rd pic), or in the long version to hide the standard black shifter.

You will have to cut out the ducting for the air conditioning to have the shifter go through, so this will delete your rear seats A/C. I'm working on a mod to route tubing around the shifter (to the right because the t-case shifter will be on the left) so my friends can be cool.
 






1-Piece T-Case Shift Linkage.JPG

More on shifters

BW1354M Shift Linkages Compared
 






Driveshafts

The BW1354M is about 1.0" shorter than the BW4405 from extension housing surface to rear driveshaft flange surface. This means the rear driveshaft needs to be, or extend, 1" longer. Not sure if my 2-door Sport Rear Driveshaft, along with my 1.5" Warrior Shackles rear suspension lift, would be able to handle that extra inch. I'll get back to you when I try. I wouldn't mind swapping my single-cardan shaft for one of those double-cardan rear driveshafts that came on certain year 2-door Sport Ex's.
 






Pedal Compare.jpg
Extra Reserve Post

Auto & Manual Transmission Clutch-Brake Pedal Comparo
 






manual_t-case_stuff.jpg
Extra Reserve Post

Below is a great picture of some super rare FX4 parts that were on sale...very briefly. That is the uber-rare FX4 version of the BW1354M; note the CV cup front driveshaft flange, and the wider shift arm (not sure the reason for that). You can also see how this uber-rare t-case shift linkage is 2-piece, with a chopped off rusted lower linkage but a beautiful round chrome handle upper piece. Also are, not 1, but 2 silver plastic FX4 twin stick bezels. That black plastic box with a strip of tape on it is another uber-rare piece that covers some comp on the Rangers right under the center dash.

I'm particularly interested in the black rubber coated shift plate. Unlike the steel shift plates and separate inner rubber boots like the older twin sticks, this FX4 plate and rubber boot seals are one piece. If anyone knows this part number, please let me know! Getting a rubber inner shift boot for your shifters is clutch (no pun) because it blocks out a lot of road noise as opposed to a direct hole in your floorpan. Right now I'm using a beach towel wrapped around my shifter.
 






Wiring Harness Mods:

Here's what you have to do to your Auto wiring harness to get the truck running perfectly smooth without making any mods to the Engine Computer (PCM):

First of all, I extremely recommend the Autel MaxiDiag US703 handheld diagnostic scan tool. It is a mere $150 on Amazon. I can not say enough about it, and it pays for itself the first time you use it. It is the ONLY scan tool on the market that picks up Ford specific codes. That's right, you can diagnose your ABS & Airbag dash lights too! I don't know of any other scan tool, including ones raping you for $1000's of dollars that can guarantee they read these Ford specific codes. It's been said, before the US703, that only the actual monument-sized computers in dealership shops could guarantee accurate reading of all codes. Dealerships charge you $85 just to plug their computer in once and tell you what the code is. It's priceless to have your own to connect multiple times while using trial-and-error fixes. The US703 will serve you well during this Auto to Manual trans swap.

The steering wheel column auto shifter cable led to a big black box switch ("Digital Transmission Range (DTR) Sensor") bolted to the outside of the 5R55E Auto trans. Cut the connector off of the harness' wires and splice the wires as such:

The M5R1 comes with a different reverse gear switch connector (red in color). For a proper job, splice LMC Truck's 47-0901 ($3.95) connector into the Auto harness' Violet/Green and Black/Pink wires. P.S. the reverse switch is also what activates your auto door locks. Interestingly, Ford wired it up to the reverse lights, because whenever you leave the Park gear on an Auto, you always pass through the Reverse gear. However, now with your manual, you're doors won't automatically unlock if you don't shift to reverse when you get going. Edit: LMC Truck's 47-0901 has a crappy fit. It still fits, but I just came across the official Motorcraft Part WPT826 if you want to spend more for a better fit.

Short circuit the Pink wire and Tan/Red wire. This tells the starting system the "Auto trans" is permanently in Park and/or Neutral so you can start the engine.

Short circuit the Red/White and Black wires. This tells the General Electronic Module (GEM) that the "Auto trans" is permanently in Neutral. Not sure if this is necessary or why the GEM would care when the trans would be in Neutral, but I did it this way and it works.

Connect the White/Black, Yellow/Black and Gray/Red wires all together. Then connect that bunch to the Light Blue/Yellow wire using a 270 Ohms resistor (probably need to use a combo of resistors in serial and/or parallel to get this number). Leave the Light Blue/Black wire disconnected (seal it up with tape/shrink rap to prevent it from shorting & corroding). All of this tells the PCM that the "Auto trans" is in neutral. Why neutral? I don't have a good answer, but you have to deal with these wires somehow, it is mandatory to get the engine running smoothly. I just chose neutral as the default signal. Maybe it would work if you told it it was in 1st or Park or Reverse, I don't know. I just figured Neutral would be the least freaky for the PCM to comprehend. I don't know how it would feel if it thought I was flying down the highway at 70 mph in Park.


Part 2 is the solenoids. Rip the 6 solenoids (4 shift solenoids, Torque Converter Clutch (TCC) solenoid & Electronic Pressure Control (EPC) Solenoid) out of the 5R55E Auto before you sell/trash it! Also rip out the Turbine Shaft Speed (TSS) Sensor. This will require opening up the 5R55E.

Keep the 6 solenoids and TSS Sensor connected to the 5R55E harness (the solenoid harness is separated from the main transmission wiring harness by a large box connector with a metal retainer. keep this connected. this connector needs to be removed during the 5R55E surgery performed above). Zip-tie the solenoids to the hole in their connectors because the weight of the solenoids may disconnect them from the harness during driving (that's how I lost my EPC solenoid, which is expensive to replace). It would be a good idea to encase the solenoids in something to protect them from dirt and water, but I think they get hot, so you can't use a balloon or late glove, etc. I can't really think of anything good to use and I haven't had any problems yet, but it's something to think about.


I left the Output Shaft Speed (OSS) Sensor disconnected and open circuit. I think I was prepping the wires to connect to the new R1HD's OSS Sensor, but forgot if I ever tried that or not. In any event, everything runs fine with it disconnected.

I see in the diagrams there is supposed to be a Transmission Fluid Temperature (TFT) Sensor. I did not notice this in my wiring harness, it doesn't seem like it existed in my setup. I also note that the wire colors on the solenoid harness in the diagram are all wrong.

Bundle everything up with tons of zip-ties and electrical tape. strap the solenoids close and tight to the wiring harness (everything is close to the exhaust pipes, you don't want the wires touching them). Plug the harness back into the truck (2 large connectors on each side of the engine above the trans bellhousing) and don't forget to plug in the O2 sensors and reverse switch. Use more zip ties to strap the wiring harness (especially the heavy parts with the solenoids) to the top of the transmission. I have a 3" body lift, so I strap everything to the very top of the transmission. There's a nice lanyard hole on the top of the passenger side of the M5R1. Make sure you keep everything clear from the base of the shifter though.

After losing my EPC solenoid on the road (btw, the truck essentially breaks down by severely cutting power when the EPC solenoid is disconnected!) I tried to see if there was a cleaner way to wire without the bulky solenoids. Solenoids are output devices, but obviously the computer looks for a signal from them because it knew there was an open circuit. It seems the PCM looks for a resistance from the solenoids, which I've found in the manual to be 22-48 Ohms for the 4 Shift Solenoids, 8.9-16 Ohms for the TCC Solenoid and a mere 3.10-5.7 Ohms for the EPC Solenoid. 10 Ohms was the lowest I had available and it seemed to trick the PCM for a brief time until the resistor burnt to a crisp (I used a skinny resistor). I put an end to this experiment because 10 Ohms is just very low and I feel like I'm short circuiting things. There's EPC Solenoids on ebay for $40 shipped, so I'll stick with the makeshift dangling solenoids approach. I figure I'll never be able to simulate these solenoids better than the actual things anyway.
 






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Here's a summary of how to do the 5R55E to M5OD-R1 swap I prepared for someone:

I don't have any pics off hand. You should definately buy one of the factory CD manuals off ebay for a few $s - they have all the diagrams you need. It's best to get one for the 99 Trucks. I forget if the M5R1 is in the 99 Truck CD, I believe it is, but to be safe, it's good to get a 2002 Truck CD to look at the Ranger FX4 using the newer M5R1-HD or a 1994 Truck CD to look at the Ex's with the regulard M5R1. You can usually find a good deal on ebay they will sell you like 4 years of CDs for just a couple of bucks. These CDs are GOLD when working on fords.

Not sure what you mean about what goes on which side of the plate. The plate is basically a sheet metal gasket between the engine and bellhousing surfaces. The auto and manual are slightly different. Remove the Auto Trans, then the Torque Converter, then the "Flex Plate" which is a skinny sheet metal'ish flywheel with the gear teeth on it for the starter. The flex plate is bolted into the crankshaft with several 12-point bolts. When all that crap is out, the auto plate should fall off the engine face. Replace it with the manual plate, then bolt on the manual flywheel where the auto flex plate was. Your new flywheel should already come with a pilot bearing pressed in to hold the end of the manual input shaft. From there you install the clutch plate and pressure plate. Then mount up the manual trans (make sure you got your internal slave cylinder bolted to the inside of the bellhousing).

That's it. Not a lot of pieces in that area. I forget if the flywheel-to-crankshaft bolts are different from the flexplate ones, might be longer, check my thread for the part numbers. Sometimes it's 6 bolts, sometimes it's 8, best to tear apart your truck and inspect it before you order. You also need the 2 bolts for the slave cylinder-bell-housing. You also need the bolts to bolt the pressure plate to the flywheel. You also need new trans-to-engine bolts. You can make some of them still work. The M5R1 has thinner/thicker bolt holes in some areas, so the bolts need to be different lengths. I think after mix and matching the original auto bolts, in the end I had to buy about 2 longer ones towards the top.

The manual starter is different. Buy a brand spanking new Duralast Gold from AutoZone. I've been going through starters once a year or at most every other year. Don't even bother with OEM. The DM Gold is brand new, not rebuilt, and pretty much the same price as all the rebuilts ... and it has a lifetime warranty. The 2 of us together will single handedly put AutoZone out of business now! I'm pretty sure you can reuse the 2 starter bolts from the auto. The starter is identical other than the lip on the very inside which is compatible with the new plate/gasket.

Everything from the rear of the manual transmission is identical to the auto. Same trans mounting to the cross member, same mount (with gasket) to the transfer case.

The only slightly complicated stuff is the hydraulic clutch nonsense. Good luck swapping pedal assemblies. Bolts should be the same. You'll have a stiff neck for months. Then mount the master cylinder in the pedals, I'm pretty sure it goes through the same firewall hole the old auto shifter cable went through. The master cylinder comes with it's own rubber grommet. The reservoir mounts to the inside of the driver side fender. There's a ton of spare holes in that area, just move the reservoir around until you see where two holes line up with the two holes in the reservoir. The black hard plastic twisty-turny pressurized clutch tube goes from the master cylinder through the hole in the trans bellhousing and into the quick-disconnect mount in the slave cylinder. there's a little hole in the body sheet metal by the sharp-u-turn in the tube where you mount the tube for a little extra support. OEM is a bolt and little plastic bracket, this is probably the one OEM thing I did not waste my money on - use a zip-tie.

Now for the fancy stuff. There's a little block that replaces the gear number in the instrument panel, i think it's worth the couple of extra bucks. You can also get the manual upper steering column shroud which eliminates the gaping hole from the auto shifter. You should get the clutch switch that mounts on the master cylinder and wire it up to the starting circuit. I speak from experience, I had the switch, but never bothered to wire it up and my girlfriend tried to start the car from the passenger seat to listen to the radio and I had no parking brake and had it in reverse instead, and it backed into a Lexus. Try to get the plate that covers the big shifter hole and the thick rubber inner boot. this inner boot makes a huge difference in blocking road noise. You'll have to splice the auto wiring harness for the reverse backup light sensor. LMCTruck.com now sells the electrical connector for the manual trans, so just splice that in and you have a clean connection.

***See above post for exactly what to do electrical-wise***
What's your plan for the computer? I kept the auto comp, but I had to do some less than ideal tactics. First, there are three places where you jump the auto harness to say the auto trans is in neutral gear, 2 of those places you can jump with a paper clip, the 3rd place you need to jump with a resistor of specific ohm'age. This is where the factory CDs are necessary. I also ripped out all the solenoids (roughly six of them) and sensors (about 2 to 3, one for input shaft speed, output shaft speed, maybe something else) and bundled them up, zip-tied them up and zip tied them to the top of the trans (I have a 3" body lift so I had some room there) then left them plugged into the harness. This was necessary for some reason to keep the engine from bucking. Drives like a dream like this. I had my check engine light on for years, I thought for obvious reasons, but then I just recently scanned my codes, found out it was just an O2 sensor and no check engine light anymore! Maybe it never goes off, maybe the trans codes go away after the computer gets used to it. I just pulled the light bulb from the instrument panel for the "O/D Off" this will constantly blink now.
 






wow, this really is a lot of great information. I genuinely thank you i vote this to be a sticky
 






Thank you. Please ask me any questions, it will help me fill in the posts.
 






Alright do you have any pictures of the OSS cog on the ranger, I recently aquired a 1354m but then found out the extension housing thing. Just wondering if I could extend the oss to the back of the 1354? (Problem would be magnetic pickup to gear drive if I am not mistaken)

Then have any sources for the extension housing? :D
 






Alright do you have any pictures of the OSS cog on the ranger, I recently aquired a 1354m but then found out the extension housing thing. Just wondering if I could extend the oss to the back of the 1354? (Problem would be magnetic pickup to gear drive if I am not mistaken)

Then have any sources for the extension housing? :D

Yes, I took pictures of the cog, but it's on my other camera so I will try to post those soon.

Do you have an auto or manual transmission (and did it come that way)?

If you have the 5R55E auto trans, then I would guess you have the bolt bosses. My '99 5R55E auto trans had the bolt bosses (but no sensor in the ext housing). I have no idea whether 2003s were suppose to have a sensor in the extension housing or not.

The first thing you should do is crawl under your truck and confirm whether you have bolt bosses or not.

If it's a manual, since you have a 2003, your engine computer requires the OSS in the 4x4 extension housing, at least for the manual transmission. Since you want to convert to the manual transfer case, you also need the bolt bosses on your extension housing.

If this is true, your best bet would be to locate the uber-rare 02-03 Ranger FX4 twin stick extension housing. I have posted the part number 1L5Z-7A039-CA (remember this part number is only for the manual transmission, it will not fit the auto), which I got from someone on a Ranger forum who apparently purchased it for $223.57 with no problem from a dealership recently. Also, amazon.com lists all these rare part numbers sold by Troy Ford Inc., but suspiciously do not include pictures or better descriptions.
1L5Z-7A039-CA on Amazon
I don't know if it's the real deal or not, but you can be the first to tell us by calling Troy to talk it out.

You have an interesting point about using the 91-94 1354M's gear driven sensor in place of the magnetic sensor in the extension housing. It's worth investigating and I'll post what I know about each sensor (cog teeth, sensor outputs), but I doubt everything will be equal. You will also run into a problem when you shift to 4-Low.
 






I thought about the 4 Low issue but that is not a big deal to me. I saw the extension housing on amazon but I dont know about it.

I have checked mine and I don't have the bosses.

Another interesting question, I have RABS and I know the explorers used a VSS on the rear but I am not sure of the sensor difference (RABS vs. VSS) and the possiblity of "fooling" the computer to use the signal from the rear axle.

Another thing if the output between the gear drive and magnetic pickup is off by a constant (say by a factor of two) I should be able to correct that since I have and Xcal 2 already, different gears and bigger tires.

This is awesome. I am glad somebody else has looked into this and found out about it as I was trying earlier (and unsucessfully) to get info on the OSS in the tailhousing. Thanks for the help Bones!
 



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So do you have an auto or manual trans?

Only Rear ABS on a 2003 and not 4-wheel ABS?? I guess because it's a pickup.

I don't really understand the OSS sensor in the extension housing. Since it doesn't affect me, I never really studied it. I believe I've read that the VSS (for the speedometer) is in the rear axle for the older gens like my 99, but that was removed in favor of the ext housing OSS sensor for the later gens. Then why is it called "OSS sensor" rather than "VSS"? Also, how would it translate your speedo speed when you switch to 4-Lo? And why would they even make this switch, it doesn't make sense. I would think this ext housing OSS sensor is more for the comp to figure out what gear you are in and can manipulate stuff like fuel curves accordingly and your speedo VSS is still in your rear axle. You tell me.

That's why I brought up the 4-Lo issue. You wouldn't really care if your speedo wasn't accurate or you had less-than-optimal fuel economy for those rare times you go into 4-Lo, but I'm just saying, I don't know if your whole engine would shut down if you went into 4-Lo. If you're brave, try disconnecting your OSS sensor and drive around and see what happens.

I do know the 91-94's used the VSS in the back of the T-Case, and then that was moved from there to the rear axle, which doesn't really affect much since they are both basically detecting rear driveshaft speed, but I'm guessing Ford did this because the Ex's rear axles were always 8.8's, but they had a couple different t-cases.

(I couldn't quickly find my other camera last night, it might be sitting in an oil puddle somewhere, I'll get you those pics.)
 






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