$500 '92 drivetrain fits my '95?

[FliesLikeABrick]

Hi,

My neighbor has a vehicle graveyard on his property, and amongst the vehicles he's looking to have towed to the junkyard soon is a 1992 Ranger (manufactured 3/92 based on the door sticker) 4x4 that has been rotting away for a number of years. 4x4, v6, M5OD -- exactly the same description as my 1995 Ranger.

His axles are code 91 (3.27) whereas mine are 86 (3.73), so in reality I would like to keep mine for slightly better towing behavior but I imagine there are plenty of parts that would be worth having - or the whole axle in case something catastrophic happens.

I was thinking about buying it from him for $500 (what the junkyard is offering him per-vehicle that has a drivetrain). Should I expect everything from it to be viable drop-in spares for my '95's drivetrain? I put a new engine in the 95 but the transmission needs at least a 2nd gear synchro and I think my rear diff needs at least a bearing. I was wondering about inspecting/overhauling his transmision and front/rear axles to swap into mine at some point if the rabbit hole goes too deep on mine.

Any gotchas, or should these parts be more or less drop-in compatible? What would I need to do for the speedometer, a new speedometer gear that is correct for the new ratio if I swap the axles in?

If even a few major drivetrain components are as compatible as I think they should be, I imagine it is worth $500 and a bit of time to drag it over with the tractor.

edit: hmmmm. It sounds like the 92 may be a 4.0 so I'll think twice about this all. Thanks everyone for their input so far

 

[FliesLikeABrick]

What is the engine in your 95 and the engine in the 92? Ranger was obd1 until 94 and 95 is the first year of obd2, big changes in the wiring and the difference in the cabs and interior. Always good to have a truck for a few parts. The transmission and suspension is the same 2wd or 4wd until 97 when ford changed to that hideous a-arm setup in the front. For 500.00 i would buy it.

The same 3.0 v6 in my 95 as in the 92. Is it still all the same engine, just maybe different sensors or wiring in the same mechanical ports? Or would there be a revision to the engine between these years that would make it more of a replacement than a crate engine?

 

[scotts90ranger]

Whole bunch of interchangeable parts, if you have the space and $ and plan on keeping the '95 for a while I'd do it... I just recently bought a parts rig for my '90 but had a friend interested so will just look for another over time since I didn't need the parts I thought I might need

'92 had a D35 up front and with 3.27's it should be a real D35 not a hybrid (that was a '93-97 thing anyway from what I remember).

 

[RonD]

The M5OD-R1(M5R1) transmissions are ENGINE SPECIFIC
If its a 2.9l V6 4x4 then it won't be an M5R1 trans
3.0l and 4.0l V6's 4x4s have M5R1s but are not interchangeable, in any year

M5R1s do not have detachable bell housing so each is made for a specific engine

 

[FliesLikeABrick]

Whole bunch of interchangeable parts, if you have the space and $ and plan on keeping the '95 for a while I'd do it... I just recently bought a parts rig for my '90 but had a friend interested so will just look for another over time since I didn't need the parts I thought I might need

'92 had a D35 up front and with 3.27's it should be a real D35 not a hybrid (that was a '93-97 thing anyway from what I remember).

This fits my understanding as well. I need to check again whether my 95 has the hybrid or not. I know the TTB body is the one used on the D35 but can't remember what exactly I saw when I pulled the fill plug to look. I don't off-road anyway, just use the truck around the property and occasionally use 4lo to pull/drag something.

Thanks for your input

The M5OD-R1(M5R1) transmissions are ENGINE SPECIFIC
If its a 2.9l V6 4x4 then it won't be an M5R1 trans
3.0l and 4.0l V6's 4x4s have M5R1s but are not interchangeable, in any year

M5R1s do not have detachable bell housing so each is made for a specific engine

the 92 as well as my 95 both have the 3.0 v6, so it should be interchangeable?
huh. I just double-checked the VIN decoder for the 92, it's a 4.0. so I won't be able to use that transmission without using the engine too (and from what the neighbor said, that engine is tired enough I'd probably need to rebuild it first). Thanks for prompting me to double-check. I knew it was a v6 and under the hood I recalled it looking identical to my 3.0. I'll have to walk over and double check just in case it has been swapped to a 3.0 at some point in its life, but my neighbor didn't mention that it had.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Yep, transmissions are the same if both are 3.0L, might be a different slave cylinder but that's easy, just get the right one for your year...

The true Dana 35 differential housing will have some fins on it, the hybrid will just be smooth, easiest way to tell, from the sounds of it you'd be fine either way, if you swap one axle though with different gear ratio's you need to do both, the only odd thing between a '92 and '95 is the rear axle is 1" narrower on the '92 but otherwise completely identical...

 

[FliesLikeABrick]

Whole bunch of interchangeable parts, if you have the space and $ and plan on keeping the '95 for a while I'd do it... I just recently bought a parts rig for my '90 but had a friend interested so will just look for another over time since I didn't need the parts I thought I might need

I was mistaken, from the VIN the 92 is apparently a 4.0. Are the guts of the transmission identical, it's just the housing/casting that is different?

 

[Shran]

I was mistaken, from the VIN the 92 is apparently a 4.0. Are the guts of the transmission identical, it's just the housing/casting that is different?

The guts are not even the same. 4 cylinder/2.9/3.0 transmission have different gear ratios than 4.0 transmissions. However, you can take all of the guts from that one and put them in yours and vise versa.

 

[FliesLikeABrick]

The guts are not even the same. 4 cylinder/2.9/3.0 transmission have different gear ratios than 4.0 transmissions. However, you can take all of the guts from that one and put them in yours and vise versa.

Hm thanks, this is sounding somewhat less compelling of a purchase as I've been prompted to dig into everything:
- The 4.0 is tired, and I put a rebuilt 3.0 in my ranger a couple years ago after I bought it
- The trans will be different guts/ratios, probably taller gears worse for towing?
- the axles in his are lower ratio, also would be worse for my towing and hauling usage
- the transfer case may be the only drop-in part, and that alone isn't worth $500 to me. I'll see if he can part with the xfer case, or if that's missing will the junkyard pay him less for the truck.

 

[Shran]

Yeah I'd probably pass on it as well.