M50D Noise

[1993Ranger4x4]

1993 M5OD 4x4

118K Miles

It does need a new clutch and has since I bought it.

Since I bought the ranger, there is a quiet ticking noise coming from the transmission. All gears, have not noticed it in revers. Seems to be loudest in 4th (1:1 Ratio) Trying to diagnose this problem. HAve had the ranger for a year, and have only put 3000 miles on it. The noise has not gotten any louder. It is constant click/tick noise, only when in gear, most noticible during acceleration. Does not do it while in gear with clutch in.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

 

[06RangerXLT]

that sounds exactly like pinging. try running higher octane gas in it, i bet it will go away. also could be an exhaust leak at the cats or headers.

 

[Explorin94]

U-joints?

 

[1993Ranger4x4]

The noise is definitely coming from the tranny. Not the engine. I tried runnning 93 octane in the past and it did not affect the noise the tranny was making.

 

[kevinsranger]

The noise is definitely coming from the tranny. Not the engine. I tried runnning 93 octane in the past and it did not affect the noise the tranny was making.

did you drain the oil and check the magnet on the drain plug? that will at least tell you if you have a big chunk of something missing to rule that out

 

[tandangerranger]

I have the same noise that you describe coming from my m5R1 tranny. I think I am going to pull it this weekend to see whats going on. It has been making the noise since I installed it used 4 years ago. It just now is starting to make more noise. If I pull mine this weekend I will let you know what I find.

 

[Explorin94]

Check the CV joint in front and rear shaft if it has one at all. They will click when bad.

 

[tandangerranger]

The clicking noise on mine just started. The noise I have heard for the past few years was a whining noise, which sounds like noisy bearings to me. The whining didn't worry me because it still shifted fine. The clicking just started and now it grinds when downshifting to 3rd. Maybe the sychros are going out. When I get off work today I am going to pull my trans and see whats going on. If there is gear damage, should I replace the bad parts and a bearing and synchro kit or just get an used transmission?

 

[tandangerranger]

I didn't get to pull the transmission this weekend due to having to work. I did notice that the clicking noises went away. The whining noise changes pitch when i wiggle on the shifter (My shifter has alot of play in it), so I ordered new bushings for the shifter. Would worn out bushings cause noise?

 

[tx3nc]

Doubtful. I had similar symptoms in my 93. I'm just finishing up putting new bearings in it. It wasn't difficult at all, if you have a dry place to work. I spent $200 on a harbor freight 20 ton press and that tool made a big difference in being able to service the transmission. What I found in mine was a lot of metal shavings in the trans fluid when I serviced the trans right after we bought it. Decided to make a project of it with my kid who's going to be driving it. When we opened the trans, it had a lot of gunk from fine metal shaving as well as some not so fine particles. The rear bearing on the main output shaft was filled with the shavings and that's where the noise was coming from. Thing damn near won't turn by hand.

If you do it now, you could likely get away with just a bearing kit. I did a bearing and synchro kit and added the third gear needle bearing as well because of the crunch going into third gear. The pocket needle bearing between the input and output shaft is included in the kit as that's where most of your wear is in this trans. The oiling system for this bearing is susceptible to contaminants. Keep the trans fluid fresh and clean and it shouldn't be a problem. Mine was filled up with the sludge I found throughout the trans.

Should be driving the beast tonight if all goes well. Looking forward to it. I landed right in the middle of the land of Might-As-Well with this project. Pulling the trans? Might as well replace the clutch. Flywheel looks bad, might as well replace it. Leak on the back of the engine, might as well replace the rear main seal. Oil pan gasket is pooching out the back, might as well replace it. Oil pan's rusty, might as well get a new one. Drive shaft is out and I have this new 20 ton press, might as well replace all the U joints. Brake lines look pretty rusty, might as well replace all of them.......

Kid better appreciate the truck after this.

 

[tandangerranger]

Doubtful. I had similar symptoms in my 93. I'm just finishing up putting new bearings in it. It wasn't difficult at all, if you have a dry place to work. I spent $200 on a harbor freight 20 ton press and that tool made a big difference in being able to service the transmission. What I found in mine was a lot of metal shavings in the trans fluid when I serviced the trans right after we bought it. Decided to make a project of it with my kid who's going to be driving it. When we opened the trans, it had a lot of gunk from fine metal shaving as well as some not so fine particles. The rear bearing on the main output shaft was filled with the shavings and that's where the noise was coming from. Thing damn near won't turn by hand.

If you do it now, you could likely get away with just a bearing kit. I did a bearing and synchro kit and added the third gear needle bearing as well because of the crunch going into third gear. The pocket needle bearing between the input and output shaft is included in the kit as that's where most of your wear is in this trans. The oiling system for this bearing is susceptible to contaminants. Keep the trans fluid fresh and clean and it shouldn't be a problem. Mine was filled up with the sludge I found throughout the trans.

Should be driving the beast tonight if all goes well. Looking forward to it. I landed right in the middle of the land of Might-As-Well with this project. Pulling the trans? Might as well replace the clutch. Flywheel looks bad, might as well replace it. Leak on the back of the engine, might as well replace the rear main seal. Oil pan gasket is pooching out the back, might as well replace it. Oil pan's rusty, might as well get a new one. Drive shaft is out and I have this new 20 ton press, might as well replace all the U joints. Brake lines look pretty rusty, might as well replace all of them.......

Kid better appreciate the truck after this.

Yeah, it sounds like you have your hands full. I was thinking about ordering a bearing and synchro kit, or just buying another used trans. I will probably go ahead and buy the kit, because I don't want to end up with another old abused transmission. As for a press, I can use the press at my school so I wont need to buy one, although I can always use new tools. Thanks for the info, and let me know how your project turned out. I will go ahead and order the parts and maybe get it done by next week.

 

[tx3nc]

Yeah, it sounds like you have your hands full. I was thinking about ordering a bearing and synchro kit, or just buying another used trans. I will probably go ahead and buy the kit, because I don't want to end up with another old abused transmission. As for a press, I can use the press at my school so I wont need to buy one, although I can always use new tools. Thanks for the info, and let me know how your project turned out. I will go ahead and order the parts and maybe get it done by next week.

Thanks. Last night we were going to finish the project, but the kid broke the clutch master cylinder rod at the pedal. I was trying to check the master cylinder for air and he didn't understand it wouldn't go to the floor like usual. So he kept pressing harder. Oh well, now the entire clutch system will be new.

When ordering parts, you need to know how many teeth are on the reverse gear synchro. Check with your bearing supplier if a 94 only came with one type. Or you could just order the kit and if the reverse synchro is wrong reuse the old one. Waiting to order the kit when you actually know what you need will add about a week to your down time. But you could be disassembling and cleaning parts while you wait. I used ziplock bags and masking tape to organize the parts as I took them apart. I xeroxed the service manual pages so I had something to make notes on and didn't get oil and grease all over my book. A couple of clipboards to hold the procedure also helps to keep it organized. Good luck with your project.

 

[tandangerranger]

Thanks. Its always a learning experience the first time taking things apart.

 

[tandangerranger]

Well, I put the new shifter seat and spacer kit today. It actually got rid of some of the noise. There is still a chatter noise at low rpm's in all gears. I don't know what the chatter is from, but I think its internal in the trans. The clutch seems to be functioning correctly. There is no slipping. The only way I can describe the noise is like a diesel engine noise, but coming from the transmission. It definitly sounds like something is loose. Does anyone know what it could be? I still plan on getting a rebuild kit next month, but I hope it will cause the noise to go away.

 

[tx3nc]

I'm thinking it's bearing noise.

Did get mine on the road last week. The clutch engages right off the floor. First and second shift beautifully. Third------ grinds horribly. 4th and fifth were ok. So I pulled the trans again, split it back apart and put the old third gear blocking ring (synchro) back in. After I got it back together, I saw a 2 sentence paragraph buried in the shop procedure about unsing ink or dye to checkthe wear pattern of the new blocking ring on the gear. If they don't mate up correctly, you have to use lapping compound to mate the parts together. It makes sense, but I've already got it back together and in the truck. So I'm going to try the old synchro now. If it doesn't work, I've got a third plan (lap the synchro) and the knowledge of experience in R&Ring the transmission.