- Joined
- Aug 7, 2007
- Messages
- 1,733
- Reaction score
- 536
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Costa Mesa, CA
- Vehicle Year
- 2002
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Type
- 4.0 V6
- Engine Size
- 4.0 SOHC
- Transmission
- Manual
- 2WD / 4WD
- 4WD
- Tire Size
- 33"
I have posed before about my problem and thought I had gotten it resolved, but apparently not.
It all stared with having my original transmission looked at because it had nearly 250K miles on it. It was working very well, but did have a very light rattle in 1st gear when cruising slowly with no load. It was determined that it was in very good condition but 5th gear was worn. I told them to replace what was needed and install all new bearings and seals. It worked well (except the slight rattle in 1st as still there) for about a year and then it started popping out of 5th. I took it back to the company that did the work and even though it was slightly beyond warranty, they covered the repair. It was determined 5th gear was worn again and the bottom shifter bushing was totally deteriorated. Apparently, they did not replace the shifter bushings.
The second repair lasted less than a year and started popping out of 5th again. I decided at that point to purchase a remanufactured a remanufactured transmission done by Zumbrota. Once I got it installed I could tell it as working better than my original transmission ever had. They told me to use non-synthetic ATV only or the warranty would be voided, and that is exactly what I used. They wanted my original transmission as a core but decided to pay the core charge and keep it.
I did take the original transmission back to the company to determine why it failed. Again, the 5th gear cluster was worn. This time I asked specifically was was worn and was shown the engagement teeth were worn, not the gears themselves. They told me that they could not get OEM parts for this transmission and they felt the after market gears were just inferior. I suggested I obtain a new 5th gear cluster through my brother's shop at a discount. He always bought from Zumbrota and felt they had the best parts. They agreed and installed them for $300. At least I had a spare transmission now. The M50DR1-HD transmissions are becoming hard to find.
Well, the Zumbrota transmission also started popping out of 5th gear within a year. They took it back under warranty to repair. They did not tell me the cause of failure but I have a good idea of what it was. Fortunately, I had a spare transmission but was getting tired of changing them every year or sooner. I installed the original transmission that was repaired for the 3rd time. I could tell an improvement in the shifting compared to what it was when new. The 1st gear light rattle was gone too. I had high hopes I would not be replacing transmissions again. Once I got the Zumbrota remanufactured transmission back, I put it in storage just in case.
Last week while coming home from a long trip, the third repair of the original transmission started popping out of 5th gear again. This time it lasted more then a year and I thought I had gotten the 5th gear failures resolved. I have not installed the second Zumbrota transmission yet and am considering trying to get a new fifth gear cluster cryo treated to see if that would make it more durable. I have heard good things about improved wear life of gears once cryo treated.
Is there there anything I should be looking for in the transmission that would cause excessive wear on the 5th gear engagement teeth? It seems odd that both transmissions have the same problem. I have looked for external issues that could keep 5th gear from engaging all the way and have found nothing. I was making sure that when I shifted into 5th that it would go all the way in, but I also noticed when I let out on the clutch and put power to the transmission, the shifter would move back a little. I never saw this happen in any of the other gears.
I have a Ford shop manual and am thinking I would like to take on the repair myself this time. I am a very detailed in work that I do and may get everything better spec wise and have better results. I am frustrated with this and want to get it resolved.
It all stared with having my original transmission looked at because it had nearly 250K miles on it. It was working very well, but did have a very light rattle in 1st gear when cruising slowly with no load. It was determined that it was in very good condition but 5th gear was worn. I told them to replace what was needed and install all new bearings and seals. It worked well (except the slight rattle in 1st as still there) for about a year and then it started popping out of 5th. I took it back to the company that did the work and even though it was slightly beyond warranty, they covered the repair. It was determined 5th gear was worn again and the bottom shifter bushing was totally deteriorated. Apparently, they did not replace the shifter bushings.
The second repair lasted less than a year and started popping out of 5th again. I decided at that point to purchase a remanufactured a remanufactured transmission done by Zumbrota. Once I got it installed I could tell it as working better than my original transmission ever had. They told me to use non-synthetic ATV only or the warranty would be voided, and that is exactly what I used. They wanted my original transmission as a core but decided to pay the core charge and keep it.
I did take the original transmission back to the company to determine why it failed. Again, the 5th gear cluster was worn. This time I asked specifically was was worn and was shown the engagement teeth were worn, not the gears themselves. They told me that they could not get OEM parts for this transmission and they felt the after market gears were just inferior. I suggested I obtain a new 5th gear cluster through my brother's shop at a discount. He always bought from Zumbrota and felt they had the best parts. They agreed and installed them for $300. At least I had a spare transmission now. The M50DR1-HD transmissions are becoming hard to find.
Well, the Zumbrota transmission also started popping out of 5th gear within a year. They took it back under warranty to repair. They did not tell me the cause of failure but I have a good idea of what it was. Fortunately, I had a spare transmission but was getting tired of changing them every year or sooner. I installed the original transmission that was repaired for the 3rd time. I could tell an improvement in the shifting compared to what it was when new. The 1st gear light rattle was gone too. I had high hopes I would not be replacing transmissions again. Once I got the Zumbrota remanufactured transmission back, I put it in storage just in case.
Last week while coming home from a long trip, the third repair of the original transmission started popping out of 5th gear again. This time it lasted more then a year and I thought I had gotten the 5th gear failures resolved. I have not installed the second Zumbrota transmission yet and am considering trying to get a new fifth gear cluster cryo treated to see if that would make it more durable. I have heard good things about improved wear life of gears once cryo treated.
Is there there anything I should be looking for in the transmission that would cause excessive wear on the 5th gear engagement teeth? It seems odd that both transmissions have the same problem. I have looked for external issues that could keep 5th gear from engaging all the way and have found nothing. I was making sure that when I shifted into 5th that it would go all the way in, but I also noticed when I let out on the clutch and put power to the transmission, the shifter would move back a little. I never saw this happen in any of the other gears.
I have a Ford shop manual and am thinking I would like to take on the repair myself this time. I am a very detailed in work that I do and may get everything better spec wise and have better results. I am frustrated with this and want to get it resolved.