97 Ford Ranger Splash 4x4 Trans Question

[ddsmith1958]

HELLO EVERYONE,
I have a 97 ford ranger 4x4 4.0 Splash with the 5 speed with OD.
The trans makes a noise in third gear but does not slip and goes into grear easy.
Is it ok to drive it and skip third gear and go to 4th for a while untill I get it fixed ?
Also is it very hard to rebuild the 5 speed myself ? I have built motors and was just thinking about rebuilding the trans.
Last thing- does anyone have a 5 speed for a 97 that they want to sell ?
Thanks for all your help and if anyone knows what the 3rd gear is doing please let me know, it makes a little rattle but nothing bad. the rest of the gears are great.

 

[Falkyn1]

Sounds like you might have something wrong with that particular gear teeth or maybe the synchronizer. The only way to fix that is to rebuild the tranny. As for how easy, that all depends on if you have the right tools or not. It can be a big PITA if you dont have the tools to do it.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

drop in a junkyard trans. easy to find low mileage units and they are extremely common and cheap. these transmissions rarely fail, so even a high mileage unit would probably be alright.