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Ford Explorer Community - Maintenance - Modifications - Performance Upgrades - Problem Solving - Off-Road - Street
Explorer Forum Covers the Explorer ST, Explorer Sport, Explorer Sport Trac, Lincoln Aviator, Mercury Mountaineer, Mazda Navajo, Ford Ranger, Mazda Pickups, and the Ford Aerostar
One thing you will need that I can see you are missing on your list is a Manual Trans Starter. The auto and Manual have something like a 1/4" difference or something silly like that.
In terms of flywheel choice, It might cost about $50 to resurface, while at the same time, I got a brand new one at Napa for just over $70. I think this is one of the areas it is worthwhile to spend the little extra for piece of mind.
I will probably get a new one, unless I know 110.3% that the one from the donor is new. Aside from the bolt patterns (6/8 bolts), are the flywheels the same? You know, thickness, diameter, tooth count, etc.?
OK, I just want to make sure I understand completely. I can grab any 5 Speed manual transmission from any Ranger, Mazda, or Explorer as long as it is 4X4 and has a 4.0L engine (OHV or SOHC), and everything will bolt in the stock locations...right?
Correct. Some of the older Rangers may have a Mitsubishi transmission though. If it's behind a 4.0L it'll work but you don't want one of those, the Mazda's are better. The Mitsubishi may of only come in the smaller engines in the Ranger I'm not sure, so you may not even see one.
The M5ODs in the Rangers or 2DR Explorer Sports that have a SOHC 4.0L are little more beefy internally than the M5ODs in Explorers or Rangers with the OHV 4.0L engines.
I have done this swap twice now and it is truly a bolt in.
in my case I went as far as changing the steering colum to get rid of the shifter .Get the trim piece with both boots for the floor of course as well as the plastic cover for the dash where the 4x4 switch now lives.The wire for the clutch slave is capped and tied to the main harness inside the firewall. On a 91 the transmission harness is pluged into the main harness on the drivers side inner fender,just unplug the auto and plug in the standard/manual harness from a donor (no resitors or cutting neccesary) .The pedal assembly can be reworked when the steering colum is out,the clutch pedal pivots on a shaft which turns inside the shaft (tube) that the brake pedal uses.The harness for the electric shift transfer case is just pushed back up through the floor under the drivers seat and on the standard there is a rubber gromet/plug for this hole.As far as which is a better trans? look in the trans/transfer case forums,I would guess it is at least 95% a4ld questions/problems with very few m5od.
The manual starter is 1/4" shorter at the bendix so must be changed ( in a pinch make a shim from the flywheel dust cover from the auto to move the starter back till you get a new one).
The dust covers are clearly marked automatic but there is not much difference,I changed it anyway(had a complete donor)
There is a very basic thread for rebuild in THE RANGER STATION tech forums.
The thing with manuals is that even when you have a problem it will usually get you home or at least back to pavement.
As far as codes go I must say I have never felt the need to look,I get about 20 mpg on the highway on 33s which is what I got with the auto so IT must be Happy.
There is no reason to use the auto computer, you get slightly more aggressive time curves and injector shutdown during engine braking, I don't understand why everyone is so dead-set on keeping the auto computer when it takes 5 minutes to swap.
Correct. Some of the older Rangers may have a Mitsubishi transmission though. If it's behind a 4.0L it'll work but you don't want one of those, the Mazda's are better. The Mitsubishi may of only come in the smaller engines in the Ranger I'm not sure, so you may not even see one.
The M5ODs in the Rangers or 2DR Explorer Sports that have a SOHC 4.0L are little more beefy internally than the M5ODs in Explorers or Rangers with the OHV 4.0L engines.
There is no reason to use the auto computer, you get slightly more aggressive time curves and injector shutdown during engine braking, I don't understand why everyone is so dead-set on keeping the auto computer when it takes 5 minutes to swap.
I wouldn't say people are dead set against it.. but more like its optional.. Just like changing the PRNOD21 plate to a manual trans one or changing the steering column/cover to get rid of the shifter.
If you have the money you can do the conversion completely.. But for some, they don't need to go complete..
For example.. when we put in the 700r4 in our truck I did remove the PRNOD21 plate and put in one from a manual trans since we had a spare instrument cluster from a manual trans truck. For the shifter I literally took a cutoff wheel to the old auto trans shifter. Sure I could have done it the "right way" and replaced the column/cover, but for us, what we did was more than enough..
I am still wanting to do this swap. My A4LD is still leaking at the front seal, but it isn't slipping or anything. I just keep topping up the fluid (about a pint every couple of days). The M5OD transmissions are a little harder to come by at the pick a part yards here than I would have expected.
Oh yea I know what you mean when I stripped a gear in my trans the first time I checked all my local u-pull-its and all I came up with were a few two-wheel drive M5ODs, I wound upfinding one at a place that specializes in Ford parts.
That's all I've seen too. Now I have a silly question. Can I pull a 2wd M5OD and swap the tail shaft off a different trans. If I can, does the tailshaft have to be from a M5OD?
Umm yes and no. You can swap the tail shaft from a 4 wheel drive trans onto the two wheel drive trans but I believe you will also have to swap the output shaft which requires disassembling the trans. And no it has to be one from an M5OD.
That's kinda what I thought...I'll just keeping topping up the fluid 'till I can find a 4X4 one cheap (at the u-pull). The only plus to having a trans leak is that my fluid will stay clean. LOL.
