Any concensus on fluid for M5OD-R1?

[jseely]

Hey guys, I've read this thread: http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9270 a million times and have now changed my fluid twice with poor results. I bought my Aero used so I have no idea what was in the trans, but it appeared to be trans fluid (reddish, but pretty brown). Shifting was getting worse so I drained and filled it with Valvoline Maxlife LV. Shifting was ok but not great, got more grinding into 3rd.

Decided to go with factory recommendation and drained and filled with Castrol Dex III/Mercon. Shifting is considerably worse than even the old fluid and LV -- very hard to shift cold, have to double shift about every other time, downshifts are sometimes impossible, and the trans is considerably noisier.

Other ideas I've read are full synthetic Mobil 1, Penzoil Syncromesh, and 5w-40 synth motor oil. Any one of these more likely to work than the other? Any new info since the 2008 thread?

Thanks... trying to avoid putting a trans in a $1000 van as long as I can.

 

[Transman304]

This is what goes in all my rebuilds when they go out the door.
View attachment 21275
Damage may already been done with the use of the LV fluid. Not compatible with materials on syncros. Worth a try. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[jseely]

This is what goes in all my rebuilds when they go out the door.
View attachment 21275
Damage may already been done with the use of the LV fluid. Not compatible with materials on syncros. Worth a try. Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks! I know the LV I put in there was only in there for a few days, but I have no idea what was in there when I got it. Should have probably drained and filled right away, but the color looked good. Good to hear input from someone who works on these.

 

[jseely]

This is what goes in all my rebuilds when they go out the door.
View attachment 21275
Damage may already been done with the use of the LV fluid. Not compatible with materials on syncros. Worth a try. Good luck and keep us posted.

Got an update and some good news. I got the Redline fluid in last night and took her for a spin, and the trans felt noticeably better though still had some issues from 2 > 3 and 3 > 2 and 2 > 1.

Today I decided to bleed my clutch, since god knows when/if it was ever done. Fluid level has always been perfect, so I never touched it before now. I pulled the cap, and my fluid was absolutely black.

I pumped nearly an entire bottle of fluid through the system to the point where you could see a clear line in my 10ft clear hose where the clear, new fluid met the old black fluid. After that went thru the factory bleed procedure and took her for a spin. The clutch was MUCH lighter, and I had much less "notchiness", zero grinding, no problem on downshifts and less "grabbiness".

So, thanks for your help the D4 was great and I am sure its going to be a better choice in the coming winter months... last winter was a challenge some mornings!

 

[Transman304]

Got an update and some good news. I got the Redline fluid in last night and took her for a spin, and the trans felt noticeably better though still had some issues from 2 > 3 and 3 > 2 and 2 > 1.

Today I decided to bleed my clutch, since god knows when/if it was ever done. Fluid level has always been perfect, so I never touched it before now. I pulled the cap, and my fluid was absolutely black.

I pumped nearly an entire bottle of fluid through the system to the point where you could see a clear line in my 10ft clear hose where the clear, new fluid met the old black fluid. After that went thru the factory bleed procedure and took her for a spin. The clutch was MUCH lighter, and I had much less "notchiness", zero grinding, no problem on downshifts and less "grabbiness".

So, thanks for your help the D4 was great and I am sure its going to be a better choice in the coming winter months... last winter was a challenge some mornings!

Thanks for the update! Glad it is working out for you.

 

[Shran]

I have been using synthetic 5w-30 engine oil in M5OD's for years. First tried it in my old 96 Ranger that had issues with grinding when shifting into 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Kid you not, just the change from ATF to engine oil made a world of difference! Every shift was smooth, no more grinding.

I am currently using it in my Explorer and my 88 Ranger. Didn't notice much difference in the Explorer, the Ranger showed a slight improvement. I just rebuilt the transmission in that and there are a couple gears that don't engage smoothly, especially when cold, but I'm hoping that the new synchros will eventually get broke in and it'll go away.

One other thing I noticed with engine oil is how clean the inside of the transmission is after running it for a while. The one I took out of my 88 Ranger originally was full of ATF that looked like chunky black sludge. I ran engine oil through it for about 10k and changed it a couple times. I pulled the top cover when I replaced it, and it was amazingly clean inside! No sludge, chunks, metal shavings, nothing. I think the detergents in the engine oil really clean them up.

 

[jseely]

I have been using synthetic 5w-30 engine oil in M5OD's for years. First tried it in my old 96 Ranger that had issues with grinding when shifting into 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Kid you not, just the change from ATF to engine oil made a world of difference! Every shift was smooth, no more grinding.

I am currently using it in my Explorer and my 88 Ranger. Didn't notice much difference in the Explorer, the Ranger showed a slight improvement. I just rebuilt the transmission in that and there are a couple gears that don't engage smoothly, especially when cold, but I'm hoping that the new synchros will eventually get broke in and it'll go away.

One other thing I noticed with engine oil is how clean the inside of the transmission is after running it for a while. The one I took out of my 88 Ranger originally was full of ATF that looked like chunky black sludge. I ran engine oil through it for about 10k and changed it a couple times. I pulled the top cover when I replaced it, and it was amazingly clean inside! No sludge, chunks, metal shavings, nothing. I think the detergents in the engine oil really clean them up.

Interesting... I'm still not super happy with my 2nd gear shifts. It's hard going in 1 > 2 without grinding. 2 > 3 is better, but 3 > 2 is pretty tough at times and 2 > 1 as well. If it bugs me enough, I might try engine oil eventually.

On a side note, how hard was it to rebuild the trans? I've never attempted anything like it, but I'm pretty mechanically handy.

 

[Shran]

Might be worth a try. The rebuild was super easy, the only special tool you really need is a caliper for measuring bearing shims. Helps to lay it all out in order of assembly on the bench. And the slider rings only work correctly in one direction but can be installed backwards.