manual trans reliability?

[ThreeJs]

I know of, and experienced, troubles with automatic transmissions in Explorers. How do the manual transmissions hold up under normal driving conditions with an occasional off road trek like Mojave Road? What to look for? Possibly thinking of picking up a Ex Sport with a manual trans. Four door manuals seem a little more hard to come by.
Sports only come with V-6's? Which is more reliable/desirable, OHV or SOHC?

 

[4x4junkie]

OHV is the preferred choice for reliability/durability.

The manual trans (Mazda M5OD-R1) is a great transmission excepting for one little flaw... There are three rubber shift-rail plugs at the top-rear of the trans that are known to leak fluid as they age, and only leak during operation, making it hard to spot (which unchecked no doubt can eventually lead to it's demise). Replace these plugs if you get one and you shouldn't have anything to worry about for at least a decade or two.

 

[RangerX]

I can think of one other little flaw - the slave cylinder! I would guess it's the most common problem with the M5ODs.

 

[Anime]

The manual transmissions are, for the most part, excellent, especially in comparison to the automatics. The big issue with the manuals is the slave cylinder. The slave goes and the transmission becomes tricky to shift, and the only fix is dropping the transmission to replace the slave cylinder. The best way to prevent this is to only use a Ford/Motorcraft slave cylinder. I'd say the same for the clutch master cylinder, too. A high-quality clutch is also a headache saver.

Most Explorers have a 4.0L V6. The 2-door Sports never came with the 5.0L V8.

The OHV V6 is simpler and more robust than the SOHC, making it a great choice for someone who works on their own vehicles. There don't seem to be any models that offered the SOHC with a manual transmission, so the manual/OHV combo is all you can get. Best of both worlds anyway.

If you get an Explorer with a manual transmission, it can be a good idea to change the transmission fluid using a good Dex/Merc ATF, inspect and change the shifter bushings if needed, and reach up to feel if all 3 of the rubber plugs are still in the top part of the transmission. Even if they are, it's a good idea to buy 3 of the metal plugs to replace them with the next time the transmission is dropped for a clutch/slave cylinder replacement.

 

[4x4junkie]

SOHC/Manual was a combo offered in Rangers, so you could swap said combo into an Ex that way if one really desires it.

Maybe I've been lucky, but I've yet to have a slave cyl issue on either of mine (however I did have an issue with the master cyl on my Ranger once when it was only 1½ years old, which was replaced under warranty).

I would agree though I do seem to see some number of posts about slave issues.
Has me wondering if maybe they could be sensitive to old or contaminated fluid... People probably rarely (if ever) flush these systems out (brake systems commonly too), then when replacing parts that go bad, they don't always flush out all the old fluid (and any debris that's in there too) from the rest of the system when bleeding it (causing the new part to fail again prematurely). Just a guess anyway.

 

[colintrax]

SOHC/Manual was a combo offered in Rangers, so you could swap said combo into an Ex that way if one really desires it.

Maybe I've been lucky, but I've yet to have a slave cyl issue on either of mine (however I did have an issue with the master cyl on my Ranger once when it was only 1½ years old, which was replaced under warranty).

I would agree though I do seem to see some number of posts about slave issues.
Has me wondering if maybe they could be sensitive to old or contaminated fluid... People probably rarely (if ever) flush these systems out (brake systems commonly too), then when replacing parts that go bad, they don't always flush out all the old fluid (and any debris that's in there too) from the rest of the system when bleeding it (causing the new part to fail again prematurely). Just a guess anyway.

That's a good guess. But if I remember right someone said it's from over extending? Either way the slave has leaked on my truck since I got it.

 

[ThreeJs]

Thanks for the info. A second SUV is on hold for now. Decided to hold on to my Camaro for a while longer. Just registered it but only put just over 1500 miles on it last year.
Hard to justify to the wife having 4 vehicles.

 

[DrivenKeys]

I had a 92 Ranger 4x2 and a 94 Explorer Sport 4x4, both with 5-speed sticks, they felt identical. Both succumbed to the same issue: no longer able to shift into reverse. All other gears shifted perfectly, there were no leaks or strangeness. After reading this, I'm willing to bet that the slave cylinder was going, and reverse needed the longest travel to allow selection. I read somewhere here that it could have been syncros, but I don't feel like that was it.

The Ranger was the 2.3 and lost reverse at about 170k. The Ex, of course, had the ohv 4.0 and lost reverse at 227k. Both trucks had seen only seen regular fluid and maintenance, and aside from the reverse gears, were running perfectly when I donated each. I was constantly pleased by the output of the ohv 4.0, it outperforms its numbers, and refuses to feel old when properly maintained. I really beat the crap out of it, too.

 

[mr cribb]

I had a 92 Ranger 4x2 and a 94 Explorer Sport 4x4, both with 5-speed sticks, they felt identical. Both succumbed to the same issue: no longer able to shift into reverse. All other gears shifted perfectly, there were no leaks or strangeness. After reading this, I'm willing to bet that the slave cylinder was going, and reverse needed the longest travel to allow selection. I read somewhere here that it could have been syncros, but I don't feel like that was it.

The Ranger was the 2.3 and lost reverse at about 170k. The Ex, of course, had the ohv 4.0 and lost reverse at 227k. Both trucks had seen only seen regular fluid and maintenance, and aside from the reverse gears, were running perfectly when I donated each. I was constantly pleased by the output of the ohv 4.0, it outperforms its numbers, and refuses to feel old when properly maintained. I really beat the crap out of it, too.

From what I read on here and my own experience the factory clutches and or slave cylinders start to fade into replacement land around the 170 to 200 thousand mile mark. I had to replaced my clutch in my old 92 explorer at 201 thousand. The clutch stopped pulling, and while I was in there I went ahead and replaced the slave at the same time. I avoided issues by buying a motorcraft slave from the git go.

That has been the only time I had any type of transmission trouble.

 

[DrivenKeys]

Good to hear. I now have a SOHC auto 2wd with 130k that I plan to swap to manual 4wd. I was going to go upgrade and modify, but if the stock unit on SOHC engines is that reliable, I'll just strait swap.