My trans build questions

[soonerbillz]

I have a 2004 Ranger 4x4 with 3.0 engine.
Manual 5 speed.
I'm currently still driving it and it whines loudly in all but 4th. but still shifts good and feels strong. I need to keep driving for a few more weeks until Ihave time to rebuild it.
I have the M5R1 transmission and I believe it is the 30 tooth 5th. But how do I tell what the tooth count is on the input cluster without tearing the trans apart?
I got a quote from WIT trans parts for a complete kit... they want $1095.00
I see other sites with prices like that too. But I go to Ebay and see this.

Fits Ford M5R1 M5OD Transmission Bearing Kit Rebuild W/ Input Drive Gear Cluster | eBay

Ford M5R1 M5OD Ranger, Bronco ll, Explorer & Aerostar Van 2x2 or 4x4 5spd Transmission Rebuild kit 30tooth 5/R slider W/ Input & Cluster Gear. Cluster Gear 38-34-25-17. The 5/R slider will have 30 teeth.

www.ebay.com

And that kit has a new input shaft and gear cluster. Why is there such a huge price difference? Am I missing something. I don't want to get ripped off but I want a full complete kit so this repair is done and over correctly.

Thanks Scott

 

[Shran]

Yeah that kit is for 2000 and older...sometime in/after 2001 there was a design change to the M5R1-HD as opposed to the older non-HD and some but not all internals changed. Namely there is a 2 piece synchro 2nd gear, top cover is different, etc. That's why the price for the kit you need is so much higher. I know for sure that's true for 4.0 trucks/transmissions, NOT sure if those parts were also used in 2.3 and 3.0 transmissions as well but I think it is safe to assume that they were.

So all that said, the reason there is a difference in the input and countershaft parts is because 2.3/2.9/3.0 transmissions from 88-2000 were geared differently than M5R1s installed in trucks with 4.0 engines.

2.3/2.9/3.0 has countershaft tooth count 38-32-24-16, 23 tooth input shaft
4.0's have countershaft tooth count 38-34-25-17, 23 tooth input BUT different than the other

Your whining noise is a worn or damaged pocket bearing between the input shaft and main shaft, probably caused by low fluid or starved for oil if the oil trough is plugged up. You may be able to get away with just throwing a bearing kit in it and not spending stupid money on the kit that includes all the synchros... or you may end up needing to replace a bunch of stuff! It's really hard to tell without a tear down. I had one that shifted and drove nice but was godawful loud (like yours) and I figured I could rebuild it on the cheap... NOPE... extreme wear on just about every part, I reused very little from that one.

 

[RonD]

Not for nothing but look at car-part.com for 2004 Ranger/Mazda 3.0l 4x4 M/T in your area

These M5OD-R1 transmissions are pretty bullet proof, so used is not a big gamble(present situation aside, lol)

So you could swap your current transmission and still have a vehicle to drive and then rebuild it after disassembly when you can see what you need or want

Then you can swap in the rebuilt and drive a it bit to make sure all is well, then re-sell the used one
I would think it would cost you less than $100 to do this depending on the deal you get on the used one and what you can sell it for after using it, and only 1 day downtime for your Ranger, well 2 days including swapping in the rebuilt, lol

 

[soonerbillz]

Yeah that kit is for 2000 and older...sometime in/after 2001 there was a design change to the M5R1-HD as opposed to the older non-HD and some but not all internals changed. Namely there is a 2 piece synchro 2nd gear, top cover is different, etc. That's why the price for the kit you need is so much higher. I know for sure that's true for 4.0 trucks/transmissions, NOT sure if those parts were also used in 2.3 and 3.0 transmissions as well but I think it is safe to assume that they were.

So all that said, the reason there is a difference in the input and countershaft parts is because 2.3/2.9/3.0 transmissions from 88-2000 were geared differently than M5R1s installed in trucks with 4.0 engines.

2.3/2.9/3.0 has countershaft tooth count 38-32-24-16, 23 tooth input shaft
4.0's have countershaft tooth count 38-34-25-17, 23 tooth input BUT different than the other

Your whining noise is a worn or damaged pocket bearing between the input shaft and main shaft, probably caused by low fluid or starved for oil if the oil trough is plugged up. You may be able to get away with just throwing a bearing kit in it and not spending stupid money on the kit that includes all the synchros... or you may end up needing to replace a bunch of stuff! It's really hard to tell without a tear down. I had one that shifted and drove nice but was godawful loud (like yours) and I figured I could rebuild it on the cheap... NOPE... extreme wear on just about every part, I reused very little from that one.

Thanks for the info and response. I'm hoping mine is not as you described.. I've probably done damage.. it's been making noise for a while.

 

[soonerbillz]

Not for nothing but look at car-part.com for 2004 Ranger/Mazda 3.0l 4x4 M/T in your area

These M5OD-R1 transmissions are pretty bullet proof, so used is not a big gamble(present situation aside, lol)

So you could swap your current transmission and still have a vehicle to drive and then rebuild it after disassembly when you can see what you need or want

Then you can swap in the rebuilt and drive a it bit to make sure all is well, then re-sell the used one
I would think it would cost you less than $100 to do this depending on the deal you get on the used one and what you can sell it for after using it, and only 1 day downtime for your Ranger, well 2 days including swapping in the rebuilt, lol

That's actually a great idea.. and I think I'll do just that.
Thanks!

 

[Shran]

Thanks for the info and response. I'm hoping mine is not as you described.. I've probably done damage.. it's been making noise for a while.

If you didn't run it low on oil for an excessive amount of time you might be OK. I just didn't care, I knew it needed a rebuild since day one and it was leaking a quart every other week or so... just kept filling it up for a couple years while I gathered enough parts to build a replacement.

They are fairly stout, low oil and missing shifter bushings are their main enemy.

 

[RonD]

You can use an M5R1 from a 2001-2008 3.0l 4x4 Ranger or Mazda, they will have the OSS sensor needed for the 2001 and up 3.0l computer(PCM)