M5R1 won't go in, WTF?

[Natedog]

M5R1 won't go in, WTF? Been solo wrestling this pos for an hour and I can't get the bellhousing past the cross member that the radius arms bolt to. The top of the bellhousing keeps hitting the tranny tunnel and the shifter stub is hitting it at the rear! Tried tilting it one and the other front high, rear high, rotated....?

Any tips?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

you pulled the exhaust i assume?

i usually unbolt those 4 bolts in the middle of the radius arm crossmember to allow the two halves to "sag". gives you a few more inches to work with.

 

[Natedog]

you pulled the exhaust i assume?

i usually unbolt those 4 bolts in the middle of the radius arm crossmember to allow the two halves to "sag". gives you a few more inches to work with.

Heck no! Do I have to? The old a4ld came right in and out a couple different times with exhaust and crossmember installed. I can't even get it up over the crossmember...let alone think about the exhaust yet.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

ya, pull those 4 bolts off and let the crossmember halves sag. you'll have to pull the exhaust (those cat converter bolts wont be fun).

 

[Natedog]

OK I'll pull the four crossmember bolts and let it sag in the middle. Should I lift the tranny up level, front first or? Standing upright or tilted on it's side kinda? Are you sure I have to pull the exhaust? I've done the a4ld several times without pulling any of this stuff apart.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

you can certainly try it with the exhaust in place...but many people have tried (myself included) and failed. it really needs to come out. keep the tranny upright...with the back slightly lower (untill the shofter stub clears the floor plate).

if you compair your A4LD bellhousing to the M5OD's, you'll see why it doesnt fit...the A4LD is alot "flatter" along the bottom.

 

[Natedog]

So I gotta pull the head pipe off at both exhaust manifolds? That's kinda what i was thinkin about the tranny shape...but my a4ld was sold for scrap several weeks ago along with a bunch of other crap that I was tired of tripping over...LOL!

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

yes, you have 2 (15mm i believe) bolts on each side. the good news is that these bolts are large enough and protected enough that they usually dont snap due to being rusted. you will have to work to get them out though.

if you can weasle the exhaust out of the way with it still bolted to the converter then that'd be handy. if not...the two bolts that hold the y-pipe to the converter arent fun to remove at all.

 

[Natedog]

Crap. Why is the bottom of the bellhousing so weird shaped? I have three bolts that hold my converter to the y-pipe.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

Crap. Why is the bottom of the bellhousing so weird shaped?

and non-removeable for that matter.

forgot there were 3 bolts at the converter flange. my trucks been cat. deleted (shhhh!)...so i havnt seen that flange in a while

 

[Natedog]

and non-removeable for that matter...

Yeah that too. I got a couple cats...one hammered out caause it was plugged...ran better that way but a lil louder than I like. I like em nice and stealth quiet these days. Used to like em open-header loud.

This makes this tranny officially the biggest pita tranny to R&R that I've ever done...and I've done several swaps.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

yep, ranger tranny's (or any small truck really), are no fun.

 

[4x4RangerGuy]

On my 98 Ranger (different x-member obviously), the M5OD can be slid past the cat. converter/exhaust. It just takes a LOT of coercing and bending down the heat shield. I eventually got it past the exhaust and just had to cut the shield, hammer it back to shape, and welded it shut. So far it's been great.

 

[Natedog]

Even my Toyota 4x4 with 5 speed and dual tcases ALL bolted together is way easier to R&R than this.

4x4rangerguy, which heat shield did you end up cutting and welding on yours?

I just finished a late dinner and will go back out there, unbolt the center crossmember bolts (and the sway bar mounts....lol) and wrestle this thing a lil bit more. Have to at least try to get er in without removing the exhaust....lol.

Wicked_sludge, Thanks for your fast replies! I'm hip deep in the grease and dirt out there in the driveway. Thank God it's not raining yet.

 

[michowski]

ive found it easier to pull the motor with the trans myself. I fought the first time doing this for hours and ended up just taking the motor out, do what needs to be done, put it all back together as one peice and drop it all back in. I can have the motor/trans in and out in a days time. Nothing hard about it, just a little time consuming