95 4.0 Ranger to 99 Explorer tranny swap

[tahiti429]

I have a 1995 Ranger with a 4.0 and the original M5OD-R1, 5 speed manual tranny with 250k + miles on the clock. Needless to say the tranny is on its last leg. I bought a transmission at the junk yard out of a 99 Explorer sport with 115 k and thought I was in good shape untill I noticed that there is no place to connect the speed sensor. Apparently the Explorer that i pulled the tranny from uses a different speed sensor location like the abs sensor in the rear end or ???? My question for anyone that cares to reply is : Can I swap the tail of the tranny easily or is that something that a tranny shop will have to do? Are there any other issues I might run into? Any helpful suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[Earl43P]

That would require a complete disassembly.

I'd say just use a GPS for your absent speedo, but you will have ABS and engine issues with no speed signal at all. I KNOW the rpms will drop like a rock between shifts without a speed signal. You also get good engine braking on deceleration without it, but it can also make it stall a lot.

If it were me, I'd tap into the rear axle VSS wires and connect that to the signal generator wires from the original trans mounted VSS connector, see if that works. 95 didn't use a cable to drive to the speedo, right?

If you haven't installed the tranny yet, I'd try to find one that has the speed sensor port. Maybe they'll work you a "deal" on trading it.