Shifter Won't Stay in 5th Gear

[Norrin]

Recently, my '91 Explorer has been popping out of 5th gear. I would throw it in 5th, be in there for a few mins, and it would just pop out. Last couple of days, the only way it will stay in 5th gear is if I hold it there while I drive. Otherwise, it pops out. All the other gears work fine, no problems. No clutch slippage or anything. Any ideas of what's going on? Anything I can try to fix? Help me out guys, this sucks. Thanks in advance.

:fire:

 

[Ray Lobato]

Sounds like one of the shift forks in the tranny is bent.

 

[Norrin]

You think that would require a new tranny, or is that something taht can be fixed? Expensive?

 

[Ray Lobato]

Well I have never worked on a tranny, but I'm sure it can be done. I just don't know how much has to be taken apart to get to the part you need to replace.
I don't even know how much it would cost on a manual tranny, but I would bet not as much as an automatic

 

[slow-demon]

I have repaired a few of these transmissions (mazda R1). The 5th gear fork or synrconizer is the problem. The good thing is that the trans doesn't have to be completely disassembled to fix this. The 5th gear is located in the rear of the trans beneath the extension housing.

 

[rmmiller2050]

Come folks someone knows more than this!1???, I am having same exact problem, '91 4 liter, 400k+ miles, clutch josb a coupl eof months ago, drive it 150 miles each day, all else works but just started poppin out of 5th , at pretty much any speed or loading. Its not synchros, no problem engageing in any gear, fwd or rev. Is it just simply worn out? No particular noise except a bit of whine in 3rd. (400+k on sam eshort block-never touched except repalced intake manifled(corrosion) and heads( cracked between valve seats-). Have alwasy driven it like a rented mule.

 

[IAmTodd]

I had this same problem. My fifth/reverse slider was badly worn on the fifth side. I replaced that and it stays in. The shifter still moves about so it might be a syncro/fork issue but the $40 slider fixed my issue. When/if it happens again I'm just going with a newer trans. This one has 230k miles on it and is from the junk yard.

 

[rmmiller2050]

I AM therefor I repair

Thanx so much IAM. If i am interpreting the photos correkly i can shelve off the ass-end of the trans and get at the 5th gear fork and slider--no need to pull entire unit?

 

[4pullingGM]

I had an m5OD that you had to hold it in third when decellerating. On mine, the shift fork was worn paper thin so it wasn't fully engaging the gear. When you were on the gas it would hold it in, let off the gas and it went to neutral. It was an easy fix, I had an extra trans laying around so I just swapped out the whole top, forks rails and all.

 

[IAmTodd]

Thanx so much IAM. If i am interpreting the photos correkly i can shelve off the ass-end of the trans and get at the 5th gear fork and slider--no need to pull entire unit?

Correct. The hard part is getting those two big nuts off the output shaft and counter shaft. The HORRIBLE part is getting the bearing off the output shaft. I slowly and carefully worked it off with a crow bar and then gently put it back on with a punch.

 

[rmmiller2050]

forchunitly i have a spare trans so I can practiss, I see that the nuts and shaft can cause major difficulty(well if that aint the story of my life). I think i will use a small angle grinder to "undo' the staked material and the nuts ot to spin right on offa ther, these look like right ha nd threds, is that right?