First time Transmission flush questions for an m50d manual

[Schnitzel]

Hey guys I absolutely love my 96 manual explorer and have done a ton of work to it this year and would love to keep it. Since I bought the truck 6 years ago I've always had a hard time shifting into 1st especially when it's cold or hasn't been driven for a bit. Lately my other gears especially 2nd were getting really hard to shift into. I took it to a shop and they "Suspect shift forks worn and pressure plate is starting to collapse" and want $4,000 to replace the transmission with a used one. They also wanted to replace the clutch and slave cylinder but those should be good as I replaced them in 2019 and barely have 4k miles on them. They topped off the trans fluid and it's back to feeling fine shifting except into 1st.

I'd like to get as much life out of the current transmission as possible as I just don't have $4,000 to fix the transmission right now and they also wanted $2,000 to fix the 4x4 issues I'm having by replacing the transfer case. I work from home and don't drive the explorer more than a couple of times a week and to go camping.

Do you guys have recommendations for stuff I can do/fix myself? I was thinking of doing a transmission fluid flush as it's highly probably it has never been done but info for the manual M50D transmission is really hard to find.

It's my first time doing a transmission fluid change and I need some help. I put my vehicle info in Amazon and it's showing the manual is a 5-speed M50D, is that correct? All the videos I'm finding are for automatic transmissions where they pull the transmission pan to change the fluids and filter. I can't seem to find that on my xploder but I do suspect that is the drain plug in the first pic with the yellow paint on the right side of it, right? Does the manual transmission also take Mercon V (I've purchased 10 quarts already)? Does the manual have a filter I should swap and where can I get the gasket for the pan if it exists? What's the best way to replace the fluids and how do I measure when it's full? I don't have the tow package or trans cooler.

Thanks in advance,
Justin

 

[RangerX]

Flushing is for auto transmissions.
Your shifting issue sounds clutch related. Bleeding it correctly might help, or you may need a new slave (again), depending if you replaced it last year with a quality brand or a parts store cheapie.
If that shop wants to replace the trans and charge $4000 based on their suspicions, I would run from them.

 

[Schnitzel]

Flushing is for auto transmissions.
Your shifting issue sounds clutch related. Bleeding it correctly might help, or you may need a new slave (again), depending if you replaced it last year with a quality brand or a parts store cheapie.
If that shop wants to replace the trans and charge $4000 based on their suspicions, I would run from them.

Yeah I'm getting that feeling too the mechanic. I got the clutch and slave put in by a shop in 2019 and it felt exactly the same after the repair so I doubt it's that.

 

[410Fortune]

don't doubt it
Just because a shop put it together does not mean they are up with all the nuances that this hydraulic system can have

First up to flush and fill
Remove the drain plug, drain out the old fluid
Fill with new Mercon III through the fill plug. When it starts coming out, install the fill plug, remove the shifter and add another 1/2 quart

Drive for 500-1000 miles and do it again
Drive for 500-1000 miles and do it one more time

Now for the hard to get into 1 and R:
now other gears are acting up, you need to make sure it is not a trapped air bubble
The way the master cylinder is designed there is a spot where a tiny bubble of air can get trapped, I'm talking the size of a ball point pen tip, can cause you to not get that last bit of clutch action needed.

Luckily for us this problem has existed for many years now and because people are awesome there are solutions.

Overview of the system:


Quick down and dirty fix


Gotta love the information age!!!

I love your headlights, well done!! Way to stuff a 5x7 in there.......

Happy New Year (bye bye 2020)

 

[RangerX]

Fill with new Mercon III through the fill plug. When it starts coming out, install the fill plug, remove the shifter and add another 1/2 quart

Drive for 500-1000 miles and do it again
Drive for 500-1000 miles and do it one more time

Jamie, what’s the purpose of the three fluid changes. Never heard of doing that on a manual. Not doubting you, just trying to learn.
Also, what’s up with the extra 1/2 quart? Haven’t heard of that either. Thanks.

 

[gmanpaint]

Are you sure that's a 96? Going by your picture, I see a 97 up front axle without the cad housing.

That drain plug your talking about sure looks like the engine oil drain plug to me. Both drain and fill plugs are in the side of the manual trans, if I recall correctly. There is no pan to remove, thus no gasket to replace.

Besides the possible air issue, the shifter might need to be rebuilt. Kits are cheap, and easy to replace from above, going thru the floor.

 

[Schnitzel]

Are you sure that's a 96? Going by your picture, I see a 97 up front axle without the cad housing.

That drain plug your talking about sure looks like the engine oil drain plug to me. Both drain and fill plugs are in the side of the manual trans, if I recall correctly. There is no pan to remove, thus no gasket to replace.

Besides the possible air issue, the shifter might need to be rebuilt. Kits are cheap, and easy to replace from above, going thru the floor.

That’s super interesting I and my buddy I bought it from always thought it was a 97 until about 6 months ago I looked on the title and it said it was a 1996. I wonder if they just put the wrong date on the title.

yeah I’m dumb that is the oil drain in the first pic. I’m still looking for the trans drain but I’ll try to find it again when I’m not freezing my ass off with snow on the ground.

what can I search to find the kit to rebuild the shifter? Not something I’ve ever done before but if it’s cheap and doesn’t require crazy tools I’d be super interested in trying that.

 

[Schnitzel]

Jamie, what’s the purpose of the three fluid changes. Never heard of doing that on a manual. Not doubting you, just trying to learn.
Also, what’s up with the extra 1/2 quart? Haven’t heard of that either. Thanks.

don't doubt it
Just because a shop put it together does not mean they are up with all the nuances that this hydraulic system can have

First up to flush and fill
Remove the drain plug, drain out the old fluid
Fill with new Mercon III through the fill plug. When it starts coming out, install the fill plug, remove the shifter and add another 1/2 quart

Drive for 500-1000 miles and do it again
Drive for 500-1000 miles and do it one more time

Now for the hard to get into 1 and R:
now other gears are acting up, you need to make sure it is not a trapped air bubble
The way the master cylinder is designed there is a spot where a tiny bubble of air can get trapped, I'm talking the size of a ball point pen tip, can cause you to not get that last bit of clutch action needed.

Luckily for us this problem has existed for many years now and because people are awesome there are solutions.

Overview of the system:


Quick down and dirty fix


Gotta love the information age!!!

I love your headlights, well done!! Way to stuff a 5x7 in there.......

Happy New Year (bye bye 2020)

Sweet thank you. The shop said my fluid was black with metal flecks so I was hoping I could do something to help it last longer.

yeah the headlights were a fun project. I’m just sick of breaking all the plastic brackets whenever I touch the headlights. I’ve replaced them 3 times already because of those crappy brackets. I figure just welding up a new surround to hold 5x7s would work well and I’m loving it. Way better light with that modern tech.

 

[410Fortune]

3? heck you can do 4!
The point is this trans only holds a little bit of fluid and if it has been neglected since 1996 of so, the fluid has only been changed once or twice it is time to get it all out and get some good fluid in there. By draining it a few times over the course of a few months you are "flushing" all the chips and debris, varnish, carbon, dirt, whatever has built up inside your fluid. After 2-3 fluid changes the fluid will be clean and ready to lube for years to come. There is no filter on these things so the only way to get the crap out is to add fresh fluid and drain. One treatment may not get it all and mercon III is not expensive...so the more changes the better!!
We all know ATF loses its ability to cool, lube and work as a hydraulic fluid when its gets hot and old...so fresh fluid is your best bet

Recently Brett has been rebuilding these M5OD's and he has found that they really benefit from another 1/2 quart of fluid.
Brett is a transmission guru so I do what he say's!!!!
He said something about even when full to the fill plug there are times when there is not enough lube hitting this part and that part, so another 1/2 quart or so should be a part of all fluid changes on the M5OD R1 and R2 (small block ford full size trucks)

 

[C420sailor]

Yeah, I would be extra sure that you don’t have any air in the system.

Does it make any noise going into gear?

How does the linkage feel?

 

[gmanpaint]

I would 100% bleed the slave master first. Those videos are perfect for that job. If you think you can handle it, then just give it a try. do a search here for more tips on this job. Lot's of info already here at your disposal. Same for the fluid change procedure.

As far as the shifter goes... do you feel it has got sloppier at all overtime? The slop will make it harder to get into first and reverse properly. The shifter bushing kit helps remove any slop, is made by many, and can get one at your local parts stores, E-bay, Amazon, Rockauto, etc...

Here is a Dorman brand kit from AutoZone:

Dorman Manual Transmission Shifter Repair Kit 917-551​

https://www.autozone.com/drivetrain/manual-trans-shifter-repair-kit/dorman-manual-transmission-shifter-repair-kit-917-551/237499_0_0?spps.s=6870&cmpid=LIA:US:EN:AD:NL:1000000:GEN:71700000069889792&gclid=CjwKCAiArbv_BRA8EiwAYGs23PLvIFwIjCuYdt1hB16NEWkLjCrlXzFDTF5nQJKYd746NXmn2g_vvRoCLQgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I can get that trans rebuilt for $750 at shops here, if I brought it to them loose. I can R&R it myself in half a day. If I wanted them to R&R it as well, add $500 to the rebuild charge. There is no way in Heck, I would ever consider $4k for that. These are simple slush box units. That shop is insane.

 

[masospaghetti]

For sure, bleed the clutch system really well to rule that out. One trick that can help is using a plastic syringe (I got a couple from the Target pharmacy) that fits perfectly into the hole at the bottom of the clutch fluid reservoir. Fill the syringe with fresh clutch fluid. When you open the bleeder on the transmission, use the syringe to force fluid into the master cylinder to dislodge a trapped air bubble.

2nd thing - be sure to use regular MERCON not MERCON V, and not MERCON LV or any fancy Redline / Mobil fluids. This is based on a lot of trial and error over multiple transmissions (I've had 2 M5OD Explorers, and between them about six transmissions). There is a big difference in shift quality. Get the regular Mercon stuff! It just so happens to be the cheapest anyway.

Edit: You can also try "GM Manual Transmission and Transfer case fluid", which the best I can tell is the same thing as Dex/Merc.

The shifter rebuild is a good idea, cheap insurance anyway.

Lastly, $4,000 for a transmission R&R is pretty steep. I just got a Zumbrota transmission and with shipping/return shipping/core/tax it was about $1,000 net. Of course, I installed this myself which isn't a trivial job, but I would do it all day every day for $3,000. A OEM clutch/pressure plate is about $100 so that is not a big deal. Maybe you'll need a flywheel? Anyway, the shop is charging too much.

 

[Blackhawkxx]

The first gear synchronizer can wear out. My wife's car (not a Explorer) has that problem right now. Some times it will go into first gear easier than other times. In my case, it has nothing to do with the clutch or the slave cylinder.

​

 

[Schnitzel]

I would 100% bleed the slave master first. Those videos are perfect for that job. If you think you can handle it, then just give it a try. do a search here for more tips on this job. Lot's of info already here at your disposal. Same for the fluid change procedure.

As far as the shifter goes... do you feel it has got sloppier at all overtime? The slop will make it harder to get into first and reverse properly. The shifter bushing kit helps remove any slop, is made by many, and can get one at your local parts stores, E-bay, Amazon, Rockauto, etc...

Here is a Dorman brand kit from AutoZone:

Dorman Manual Transmission Shifter Repair Kit 917-551​

https://www.autozone.com/drivetrain/manual-trans-shifter-repair-kit/dorman-manual-transmission-shifter-repair-kit-917-551/237499_0_0?spps.s=6870&cmpid=LIA:US:EN:AD:NL:1000000:GEN:71700000069889792&gclid=CjwKCAiArbv_BRA8EiwAYGs23PLvIFwIjCuYdt1hB16NEWkLjCrlXzFDTF5nQJKYd746NXmn2g_vvRoCLQgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I can get that trans rebuilt for $750 at shops here, if I brought it to them loose. I can R&R it myself in half a day. If I wanted them to R&R it as well, add $500 to the rebuild charge. There is no way in Heck, I would ever consider $4k for that. These are simple slush box units. That shop is insane.

Thanks man this is really helpful.

I liked this shop in the past because they took photos of what was wrong and it was easy for me to get a thorough overview of what was wrong. Sometimes I would take it to smaller shops to do the actual work though

for example here’s the inspection

AutoServe1 | Report

 

[410Fortune]

The first gear synchronizer can wear out.

YES!!

As a mechanic it is my job to eliminate things as the cause of the issue before we buy any parts
So after you have checked the shifter bushings for wear and inspect the clutch hydraulics to make sure there are no slave cylinder leaks and no trapped air, it is then time to turn our attention to the trans itself.
Drain the fluid, sample some in a clear jar, and do a wipe test (wipe some fluid on a clean white rag). Any bits of metal in the fluid? We call them "shine" any shine in the fluid?
If you know the shifter bushings are good and the hydraulic system/clutch is in good order, then we start to suspect the synchros/gears in the transmission itself

 

[C420sailor]

$4k for a trans removal/rebuild/install is completely insane.

 

[410Fortune]

I charge $500 to remove and replace a 5 speed transmission
The rebuilt transmission can be had for $1000-1500
A new clutch is about $250, hydraulics another $150, have flywheel turned for $50, + fluids and a t case gasket
so $2500 is more like it for all new everything

$4000 is insane even on the high end
Its all right though a shop will throw a huge number at you if they just really do not want to do the job
Shop around

 

[masospaghetti]

The first gear synchronizer can wear out. My wife's car (not a Explorer) has that problem right now. Some times it will go into first gear easier than other times. In my case, it has nothing to do with the clutch or the slave cylinder.

​

Synchros can definitely wear out (I had my 2nd gear synchro wear out), but obviously you should make sure the problem is internal before you drop the transmission and rebuild it. Would hate to install a new/remanufactured transmission and have the same problem...

 

[Schnitzel]

I charge $500 to remove and replace a 5 speed transmission
The rebuilt transmission can be had for $1000-1500
A new clutch is about $250, hydraulics another $150, have flywheel turned for $50, + fluids and a t case gasket
so $2500 is more like it for all new everything

$4000 is insane even on the high end
Its all right though a shop will throw a huge number at you if they just really do not want to do the job
Shop around

Cool thanks for these numbers. That’s more in mind with what I was thinking too. Definitely not going back there for the work