M5r1 should I rebuild it found "shavings"

[Jackrabbit88]

Hello everyone, I have a 95 with a 2.3 and 2wd. It's got 127000 miles on it. For the last year ive had some some problems shifting. Downshifting at a stop I have to go into second before 1st. And when I start the truck I have to wait a few seconds otherwise it'll grind or slam when I put it in gear. Off and on problems not continual. But got worse as time went on. Anyway a week ago it started getting really hard to go into any gear so I jacked it up and am waiting for a helper to her here to lower the trans and am going to change the clutch. I'm hoping it's the clutch or slave or something in that assembly.

Anyway, when I drained the trans there was a 1” black Philip screw stuck to the drain plug. There was also some small shards of shavings. From a hair to pencil lead in size. Trans fluid was black

 

[franklin2]

That transmission is not hard to pull out is it? Since it's not bad to pull out, I think I would fix the clutch and stick it back in with new oil and see what happens. It may last a year, it may last forever. But usually it will start having louder and louder noises if it's on it's way out. You can then plan on pulling it again and doing something about it. I believe you are on the right track and all your shifting problems are the clutch and the clutch activation system.

 

[RonD]

+1 ^^^

Shifting issues does read like clutch not transmission

Darker fluid means it was heated up in the past or currently, depends on how long since it was last drained
The metals bits and pieces are not a big concern, the screw is puzzling, lol

You could look for a replacement, needs to be an M5R1(M5OD-R1) 1988 to 1997 from a 2WD 2.3l engine, 1998 and up wont have speedo hookup
1994-1997 Mazda B2300 2WD will also work

A used M5R1 is not a big gamble as these transmissions were very reliable

 

[Jackrabbit88]

Thank you,
So I'm mechanically inclined but no real idea as to what I'm looking at. Just watched a bunch of videos before jumping in. The transmission was easy to drop.(only one I've ever dropped but not bad) got the clutch off. Don't know what I'm looking at but the Clutch looks fine and don't see any damage on the Pilate bearing. No leaking from the slave cylinder. Never had to add fluid so that was expected. The throughout out bearing has some play up and down and the new one does not but they aren't designed exactly the same. Does this clutch look bad to anyone or should I keep using it and just swap the pilot bearing for safe measure? Thoughts on the slave cylinder?

 

[Jackrabbit88]

Not sure if it's normal but mesuring across the front face of the transmission the input shaft has a 1/16 of play side to side.

And yeah, very puzzling, thinking someone might be screwing with me. Lol

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Check inside the master cylinder. There is a large black rubber gasket that if fluid goes missing will get sucked down tight. If you dont know about it you might add fluid and think it's good again, but the system still won't work. Ask me how I know this....

 

[franklin2]

Check inside the master cylinder. There is a large black rubber gasket that if fluid goes missing will get sucked down tight. If you dont know about it you might add fluid and think it's good again, but the system still won't work. Ask me how I know this....

So that has gotten you too? It has me a couple of times. The only way I can tell is take a pencil or small screwdriver and poke down in the fluid.

To the original thread starter; What does the flywheel look like? Fairly smooth with minor scratches? No cracks or blue marks? No worn down area where the disc was riding?

 

[4x4junkie]

Hard to tell from your pic how much depth is left on the friction material on your clutch disc... I would suggest that if it's the original clutch, go ahead and replace it since you got everything apart. Things to replace: Clutch disc, Pressure plate, Pilot bearing, Release (a.k.a Throwout) bearing, Slave cylinder, and (if no cracking, deep scoring or heat discoloration) resurface the flywheel (but replace it if it has any of those issues). Many of these items (slave & bearings) are simply preventative measures since they do go out occasionally and are relatively cheap compared to the amount of work (or if you were paying someone, labor) it takes to pull a transmission. If you buy a complete clutch kit, most of these items will already be included (I recommend Luk for a replacement clutch or kit).

1/16" of wobble of the input shaft is normal. That end of the shaft is normally supported by the pilot bearing.

I'm drawing blanks on what internally would have a 1" philips screw (though it's been some time since I've been inside a M5OD)... I'd say pull the top cover off the trans and see if you can find anything obvious where it might go. If nothing found (and everything rotates smoothly in all gears), maybe it's fine. As said above though, these units are pretty reliable, a used one at a wrecker isn't that risky of a gamble if it comes down to that.


When you buy fluid, be sure to get what is called (specifically): "Dex/Merc", or "Multi-Vehicle ATF" from a reputable brand name such as Castrol or Valvoline. These are fluids that match the original Mercon specification for your '95 trans (and will state so on the bottle). I say this because many places will try to tell you "Mercon V" is an equivalent (backward-compatible) fluid... It is not. My conclusion is that the additive package it uses is too slippery for the synchros in a manual transmission to function correctly, and itself can cause hard shifting.