Very basic question from newbie - trans capacity?

macx · Oct 21, 2011

Proud new owner of a 93 80k Ranger that, sadly, has been neglected.
(Got my car stolen 6 weeks ago right out of a gated apartment complex,
so just wanted something inexpensive as a backup vehicle to my bike)

Being of the persuasion that "it aint' right unless it's right" I'm going thru it
from stem to stern. Changing ALL fluids - incl the Mazda 5 speed.

I know it takes Mercon V or whatever the new replacement is, but
HOW MUCH?

I just scored an oem 2 volume service manual but don't have it yet and
I need to get the truck on the road. It "might get a bit chilly" riding my
motorcycle to work here pretty shortly. :-/ AMAZING how darn cold
it can get in the Mojave desert at 5:00am! (building a solar-steam
power plant south of Vegas)

Thanks!!

adsm08 · Oct 22, 2011

4 quarts will do you. I think it takes 3 and change, but manuals are really easy to fill to the right spot. You put it in the fill hole until it starts coming back out, then let it run until it's just a dribble and put the plug back in.

fix_or_repair_daily · Oct 22, 2011

If you're changing the fluid, now would be the perfect time to check/fix the shift rail plugs before they start leaking. I cleaned my plugs and the holes they go in the best I could with lacquer thinner and put a layer of orange rtv on them and put them back in. Others use freeze plugs to replace the rubber ones, but either way will work.

Josh

macx · Oct 22, 2011

Thanks to both of you for the info - I'm a many-years wrencher but a newbie to this particular vehicle.

I asked for the quantity so I didn't buy significantly more than I need. Guessed conservatively, so it looks like I'll go back for some more.

Re the shift rails - that may wait awhile. Looks like I'm going to have to remove the
trans - I have an engine oil leak seeping out from between the trans and the engine.
Didn't leak when it was parked nose down on a sloped driveway. Must be the rear
main? And me 1700 miles from home without most of my tools! Sounds like a trip to
Harbor Freight for a cheap trans jack is now on the list. I've picked small trans out
of vehicles by hand, and R&R a number of full size automatics with a plate I made for
my floor jack, but that's all at home, but that one just looks heavy and is larger than
I thought it might be. Oh, well, that's one thing I've done without for some time,
so it's probly as good a time as any to get one.

So with 80k miles and from what I've read on this forum already, it's probly ALSO a good
time to replace at least the clutch disc and the clutch slave cyl, and at least check the flywheel surface.

And one more thing to do with the trans - the reverse synchro is weak. If I take the trans out, I might as well do that while I'm at it. I've rebuilt many manual and auto trans, so don't see it as a technical barrier, it's more like "how many tools do I have to buy to do this when I've got everything I need at home 1700 miles away".

I do have a decent set of medium & smaller metric tools with me for my bike at least.

I'll throw up another post to ask about all this, but thanks for everything so far!

adsm08 · Oct 22, 2011

The M5OD isn't actually all that heavy. I can pretty well man handle mine in the truck with the transfer case attached. With the t-case off I can bench it easily if the truck isn't on top of me too. Under the truck it gets harder because of the angle of my arms. The whole trans except the hard guts is made from aluminum.

macx · Oct 23, 2011

Yeah, I could see the aluminium, but I guess it just looks big from underneath.

I've been actually needing a trans jack for some years, anyway, and do have a
couple more vehicles that I'll be R&R the trans in when I retire, so might as well.
Harbor Freight is right in town, so no freight.

In my younger years I've wrestled an AOD up into position myself, but that WAS
"several" years ago. I'm 64 now so have had to learn to get realistic about my
abilities, esp with a bad back.

I'd hate to get it out and then be unable to get it back in!

But thanks for the info!!

Very basic question from newbie - trans capacity?

macx

New Member

adsm08

Senior Master Grease Monkey

fix_or_repair_daily

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macx

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adsm08

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macx

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