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

[Maginley]

Hey I'm gonna eventually do this swap most likely over this summer. Do you have any idea on what the whole total cost was?

 

[BonesDT]

Hey I'm gonna eventually do this swap most likely over this summer. Do you have any idea on what the whole total cost was?

Do you know where you are buying the actual transmission? Are you going to buy the smaller parts new from the dealership or do you have a donor Explorer?

 

[Maginley]

i was going to save and get it brand new from fordparts.com unless i can find a good condition one for a good price and rebuild it.
im reserching alot of the parts you mention it the second post on page one and making a spreadsheet now. mines a 99 xlt 4door. the trans i have now is the 4r55e i believe and its starting to go ive been wanted to do the swap for awhile and now i have a solid reason to do it i know im going to need the m5r1 hd . my friend is helping me hes on the site as mr. truckles we're going to work on gathering parts in a few weeks. any advice as to where to get parts and also tips on how to do the actual swap?

 

[thefatman]

It depends on what all you are gonna do... mine was about $1500 but I bought everything new minus the trans and I did headers exhaust cold air with the swap! But I can tell you its well worth ever dime you spend! And everything is plug and play... only took me 20hrs in 30° weather!

 

[thefatman]

Bones! Are you still enjoying the BW 1354 swap? I kept my 4405 and it has been fun but I really miss being able to do cookies in the snow and mud... what did you snag your 1354m out of?

 

[BonesDT]

i was going to save and get it brand new from fordparts.com unless i can find a good condition one for a good price and rebuild it.
im reserching alot of the parts you mention it the second post on page one and making a spreadsheet now. mines a 99 xlt 4door. the trans i have now is the 4r55e i believe and its starting to go ive been wanted to do the swap for awhile and now i have a solid reason to do it i know im going to need the m5r1 hd . my friend is helping me hes on the site as mr. truckles we're going to work on gathering parts in a few weeks. any advice as to where to get parts and also tips on how to do the actual swap?

Be wary of sites like fordparts.com. Just cuz they let you add to cart & enter your credit card and check out, doesn't mean they actually have the part. I've been there with dodge equivalent of sites. They send me an email later returning my money.

The first step is to list out all the parts you need & double-confirm you can get them. I struggled getting some of these parts from the dealership many moons ago. By now, some parts could be extinct or marked up insane prices.

Sure, parts like the clutch kit may be easy. In fact, you should go aftermarket, I recommend Luk. But stuff like the pedal assembly you can only get from the dealership if at all; otherwise, you're stuck with junkyard or donor. Don't underestimate other little parts, say the flywheel bolts for example.

Obviously donor is the way to go. Good luck and let us know what you find about updated prices & availability.

 

[BonesDT]

Bones! Are you still enjoying the BW 1354 swap? I kept my 4405 and it has been fun but I really miss being able to do cookies in the snow and mud... what did you snag your 1354m out of?

It's alright. It works perfectly well. I still have to make a bracket to lift the shifter higher for my 3" body lift as well as move it inwards slightly to fit in my full console.

Honestly, I miss my 4405. 4wd High combined with my TT lift makes even moderate turns grind the CV axles to hell.

The auto feature on the 4405 is nice because the second your rear wheels think about slipping, 4x4 kicks in just long enough to get you back on track & you don't even notice.

With all manual, it's basically impractical to drive in 4H until you are actually STUCK.

+1 for burnouts & donuts though! Then again, the Brown-Wire Mod will enable this feature too.

 

[thefatman]

Sweet thanks man! brown wire mod it is then

 

[thefatman]

Maginley I just did my swap 2 months ago the parts are out there, the only thing you need from ford parts is the metal plate that goes between the engine and trans... everything else buy after market or pull it from a junk yard... things like the bolts and pedal assembly don't go bad or break to often... you can get the pedal assembly out of any manual ranger or explorer no matter what motor they have... as for the rest of the stuff hit eBay and amazon... I ordered a banoff stage one clutch kit from eBay for my swap whole kit cost $167 it came with the pressure plate LUK clutch disc and a nice alloy slave... the fly wheel is on amazon for $80 along with the master cylinder for $75... and the trans are pretty solid as well I got mine used for $400 with 120,000 miles on it ripped it open and there was no wear at all inside on the seals,gears or bearings... and you can just give ford $150 bucks to reflash your pcm to manual settings or spend $600 and buy the delta force commando tuning kit and delete the auto trans from your pcm... shifter boot and lever are $20 at most junk yards or $200 from ford...

 

[BonesDT]

and you can just give ford $150 bucks to reflash your pcm to manual settings or spend $600 and buy the delta force commando tuning kit and delete the auto trans from your pcm

That's some crucial news! Did you actually have Ford reflash your computer? I would have dropped that $150 a long time ago!

 

[thefatman]

Well maybe not $150 in your area... they charge 1 hr labor the stealership by me was $110/hr but yeah they can do it... it is just a drop down menu selection in fords ids. just make sure when you setup the appointment that you find out if they use Ford IDS to reflash pcms and tell them you have to talk to the tech before he works on your truck let the tech know what you have done and what you need done... most of them are cool as **** and will be helpful... but if you have pats you have to have 2 keys! you can also get real gutsy and just buy 1 of the Chinese vcms out there for $230 and have ford ids for yourself! I paid ford because there are so many mixed reviews on those things, some buy them and use them for years others burn up after the second time they use them...

 

[trophygirl]

Have you acheived an understanding of transmission codes? Say for example I didn't know which vehicle a transmission came from. Could you decifer the ID tag?

For example:
F87A-CA
1L54-GB

Thanks, Keri.

 

[overkill_6616]

ok so is there a way to keep away from dangling sensors off the trans? if I unhook all of them and run open clips and have ford flash my computer over to a 5speed will this make the o/d light go off?? will the truck run tip top after the flash just as good as if I still had the sensors plugged in? and does this have any effect on gas milage either way would it be better to just get a ecm out of a manual ex would the reverse lights clip be included in that harness

 

[tjsxplodr]

Need to know the size of the fill and drain plugs on the M5OD's. Need to check fluid level on mine and cannot for the life of me remember the size!

 

[tjsxplodr]

Never mind I found it.

 

[Varsity]

I finally got around to installing my BW1354. The BW1354 is 1" shorter than the BW4405 and your rear driveshaft (at least 2-door) will definitely not fit. It's probably best to get your DS lengthened at a shop, but I used the Steeda 17mm (11/16") Driveshaft Spacer 555-7707 (marketed for Mustang 8.8s). JEGS also makes a version of the spacer..

Ok, I need a little clarification or update on this if possible. If I am reading this right, in order to put the 1354 manual t-case in a Sport, I'd need some sort of spacer or shortened rear driveshaft?

 

[BonesDT]

Double post.

 

[BonesDT]

Ok, I need a little clarification or update on this if possible. If I am reading this right, in order to put the 1354 manual t-case in a Sport, I'd need some sort of spacer or shortened rear driveshaft?

Close. You will need the spacer or LENGTHENED rear driveshaft. The Mustang spacer only lengthens the ds by 11/16", so it's recommended to have the ds professionally lengthened by the full 1" instead.

I'm still just running the spacer AND I have the 1.25-1.5" Warrior lift shackles (so technically I would even need MORE than 1" length), and have had no problems. The concern is if you fully bottom out the rear axle, I'm not sure, but it might over stress the ds. Again, hasn't happened to me, but something to worry about if you choose to do the spacer.

 

[Varsity]

Thanks for the speedy reply!! Hmm that's definitely something to consider. May just have to go the electronic t-case route then

 

[BonesDT]

Thanks for the speedy reply!! Hmm that's definitely something to consider. May just have to go the electronic t-case route then

The electric version of the BW1354 is likely the same length as the manual BW1354 (1" shorter than the auto electric BW4405); so if you originally have the 4405, then your going to run into the driveshaft problem when swapping in a 1354, be it manual or electric.

Don't be discouraged. The spacer should be fine and DIY bolt in.

Honestly though, the 1354 made my Ex a lot less streatable, which is bad cause it's my daily driver. So unless you need the durability for off-roading or you just have to have the extra stick shifter (like me), stick with the auto t-case, much nicer for rainy/snowy highway driving and tight turns.