Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and - Joined
- Jan 13, 2021
- Messages
- 78
- Reaction score
- 28
- Points
- 18
- Location
- montana
- Vehicle Year
- 1987
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger
- Engine Type
- 2.9 V6
- Transmission
- Manual
- 2WD / 4WD
- 4WD
- Total Lift
- stock 4wd
- Tire Size
- 31x10.5R15
*This isn't too much of an 'asking for help' thread, as I plan to simply replace the fm146 with an m5od, but I figured I'd share the story*
several months ago I bought a sight-unseen 88(listed as 87) 4x4 5 speed 2.9l
it was lacking the dash/interior, no exhaust after the manifolds, hood was bent to hell, windshield was mostly ventilation, but a lot of work was done like rewiring and fuel system and what appears to be a clean junkyard replacement 2.9, and it had cool, original "sport" graphics down the sides.
the thing hadn't really been driven since about 2000, but was a project until previous owner ran out of space and interest.
I paid the guy and drove it as-was about 70 miles thru Dallas traffic to my dad's house, where I would visit for a couple days at a time and fix the ranger up.
now when I first bought and drove the truck, it was pretty hard to hear and assess things with the complete lack of exhaust or cab insulation, but i could tell the transmission wasn't too happy. it was one of the Mitsubishi boxes, should be the fm146 I believe.
the previous owner had apparently just replaced the clutch and slave cylinder, but retained the old transmission instead of swapping a Mazda. right off the bat, my long-term plan became an m5od swap.
this past week, I figured I finally had it ready to drive up to Montana, with my uncle along for the ride. I put an extra set of tires and the rear axle from a 99 explorer in the back, strapped a BMW engine in a crate to an old boat trailer, then began the 1500mile trek.
I found gears 1-3 to be generally loud/rough with some variation depending on who knows what at any given time on the road, but 4th was smooth and quiet. 5th, rarely even tried, would make a high-speed whining metal noise. thankfully, 4th gear was where the truck was happiest with the ~1000lbs or so in tow
once we got out of the city and a couple tanks of good gas in(with Lucas cleaner every time, and a noticeable improvement) the truck seemed to be happy enough cruising in 4th at 40-60mph, if slightly under-powered on climbs.
after many hours and miles, I began to notice the trans would occasionally slip out of 4th if decelerating in gear. if I passively held the stick back, it stayed in just fine. sometimes, not enough to get good trend data, it would grind just a touch going into 4th.
at the end of the first day, some 700 miles up the road around Limon CO, the truck decided fairly suddenly to stop going into 4th gear. my uncle was driving at the time, but he's savvy. It would feel bumpy and grindy but not grab anything where 4th gear should be. there was nothing at the floor plate obstructing the travel of the shift lever, just no bite from 4th.
over the course of a mile or so he tried getting it into gear, double-clutching, running in 3rd or 5th for a while then reattempting, all to no avail. at one point, he told me the clutch pedal completely lost return pressure.
we limped into the town of Limon and parked at a hotel to assess and regroup. I checked the engine bay and found a light layer of oil coating most of the components from the block down, all the way back to the trans, and the engine was about a quart low (had been clean and not lost a drop before this). the fluid in the clutch reservoir was completely full, and no leaks could be found on the lines or at the master.
about this time the wind had picked up to around 30mph, the temp was 25, and it was starting to snow(not to mention at night). so we got a room at the hotel and began working on the several elements that would comprise plan B.
the next morning, with plan B at least 74.9% figured out, I drove the truck around the parking lot. all gears except 4th were just as they had been, 4th was still unusable. clutch felt OK and no more oil had been lost overnight.
my assumptions are these: the engagement spacing is off somehow, and with my [limited] understanding that 4th is direct drive on a constant mesh transmission, 4th was improperly engaging with a different problem than the other gears. while 4th wasn't working, I figure the trans overheated causing the clutch fluid to give up, then work again after cooling. The engine oil, I'm hoping was from over revving and over pressurizing the crankcase. perhaps this is a foolish hope, but I cant tell where exactly the oil was coming from so that's all I'm working off of.
presently, the ranger is stored in a lot there in Colorado for way more money than an actual storage unit would be, but I should be able to drive another rig down and tow the whole mess the rest of the way in a week or so. I still plan to swap the transmission and revive the truck once I get it the rest of the way to Montana.
I'll try to add a few photos and update if anyone is interested in my halfway failed adventure.
feel free to chime in with questions or comments about the predicament.
several months ago I bought a sight-unseen 88(listed as 87) 4x4 5 speed 2.9l
it was lacking the dash/interior, no exhaust after the manifolds, hood was bent to hell, windshield was mostly ventilation, but a lot of work was done like rewiring and fuel system and what appears to be a clean junkyard replacement 2.9, and it had cool, original "sport" graphics down the sides.
the thing hadn't really been driven since about 2000, but was a project until previous owner ran out of space and interest.
I paid the guy and drove it as-was about 70 miles thru Dallas traffic to my dad's house, where I would visit for a couple days at a time and fix the ranger up.
now when I first bought and drove the truck, it was pretty hard to hear and assess things with the complete lack of exhaust or cab insulation, but i could tell the transmission wasn't too happy. it was one of the Mitsubishi boxes, should be the fm146 I believe.
the previous owner had apparently just replaced the clutch and slave cylinder, but retained the old transmission instead of swapping a Mazda. right off the bat, my long-term plan became an m5od swap.
this past week, I figured I finally had it ready to drive up to Montana, with my uncle along for the ride. I put an extra set of tires and the rear axle from a 99 explorer in the back, strapped a BMW engine in a crate to an old boat trailer, then began the 1500mile trek.
I found gears 1-3 to be generally loud/rough with some variation depending on who knows what at any given time on the road, but 4th was smooth and quiet. 5th, rarely even tried, would make a high-speed whining metal noise. thankfully, 4th gear was where the truck was happiest with the ~1000lbs or so in tow
once we got out of the city and a couple tanks of good gas in(with Lucas cleaner every time, and a noticeable improvement) the truck seemed to be happy enough cruising in 4th at 40-60mph, if slightly under-powered on climbs.
after many hours and miles, I began to notice the trans would occasionally slip out of 4th if decelerating in gear. if I passively held the stick back, it stayed in just fine. sometimes, not enough to get good trend data, it would grind just a touch going into 4th.
at the end of the first day, some 700 miles up the road around Limon CO, the truck decided fairly suddenly to stop going into 4th gear. my uncle was driving at the time, but he's savvy. It would feel bumpy and grindy but not grab anything where 4th gear should be. there was nothing at the floor plate obstructing the travel of the shift lever, just no bite from 4th.
over the course of a mile or so he tried getting it into gear, double-clutching, running in 3rd or 5th for a while then reattempting, all to no avail. at one point, he told me the clutch pedal completely lost return pressure.
we limped into the town of Limon and parked at a hotel to assess and regroup. I checked the engine bay and found a light layer of oil coating most of the components from the block down, all the way back to the trans, and the engine was about a quart low (had been clean and not lost a drop before this). the fluid in the clutch reservoir was completely full, and no leaks could be found on the lines or at the master.
about this time the wind had picked up to around 30mph, the temp was 25, and it was starting to snow(not to mention at night). so we got a room at the hotel and began working on the several elements that would comprise plan B.
the next morning, with plan B at least 74.9% figured out, I drove the truck around the parking lot. all gears except 4th were just as they had been, 4th was still unusable. clutch felt OK and no more oil had been lost overnight.
my assumptions are these: the engagement spacing is off somehow, and with my [limited] understanding that 4th is direct drive on a constant mesh transmission, 4th was improperly engaging with a different problem than the other gears. while 4th wasn't working, I figure the trans overheated causing the clutch fluid to give up, then work again after cooling. The engine oil, I'm hoping was from over revving and over pressurizing the crankcase. perhaps this is a foolish hope, but I cant tell where exactly the oil was coming from so that's all I'm working off of.
presently, the ranger is stored in a lot there in Colorado for way more money than an actual storage unit would be, but I should be able to drive another rig down and tow the whole mess the rest of the way in a week or so. I still plan to swap the transmission and revive the truck once I get it the rest of the way to Montana.
I'll try to add a few photos and update if anyone is interested in my halfway failed adventure.
feel free to chime in with questions or comments about the predicament.
