Gathering information to rebuild my transmission.

[rebelrider.mike]

Well, where to start? I have a 99 Ranger with a noisy transmission. I've had it in to the mechanic, who figures it has some bad bearings. He did change the transmission fluid, but warned me beforehand that it would probably make no difference. It didn't. But there were no alarming things coming out of the transmission. Just old fluid.

The transmission functions perfectly. While if 5th gear, it makes a terribly loud noise who's pitch depends on the speed of the truck. Also louder when accelerating. 3rd gear has also started making a moderately loud noise. Same behavior. I've also been told that the clutch slave cylinder is leaking, though I've not seen the fluid go down yet.

Normally I'd say "fix it, fix it fix it; shut up and take my money!", but in this case, it would cost over $6k, and I don't have that much to spare. Oh, he also said that it should be ok to drive the truck until I can't stand the noise anymore. In the meantime, I've put some medical restrictions on the truck: no hauling or towing heavy objects, no long distance travels, no more using 5th gear, and don't go over 60mph.

I normally stick to small engines. Motorcycles, lawn mowers, that sort of thing. But that price tag though! Makes me sorely tempted to try to tackle this myself. I've done lawnmower transmissions. Automotive manual transmissions are larger with extra parts like syncros, but otherwise pretty similar, yes?

So here's what I think I know so far:
I have a manual 5 speed with electric selection between 2WD, 4-Hi, and 4-Low. I think that makes the transmission an M5OD.
It's a 99, so it's also an M5OD-R2, or M5R2? I'm a bit confused on that one.
Removal seems pretty strait-forward. Disconnect the battery and starter motor, electrical wires, hydraulic clutch line. Remove a cross-member, and a mounting bracket, remove the drive shafts, and the 4WD gear box (I forgot what that's called), remove the shifter arm in the cab, and remove the bolts from the bell housing. Let gravity do the rest.

I've collected a few things from around the internet that I think pertain to the project:
https://www.therangerstation.com/te...ford_m5od_manual_transmission_shop_manual.pdf
https://transpartswarehouse.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?cat=9641&q=standard ford m5r2&p=2
https://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/pdf_documents/ToyoKoygoMazda.pdf

Have I got anything right so far?

I'm thinking I'll buy a shop manual for the truck. Maybe I can buy one specifically for rebuilding the transmission? I really like the ones with pictures. I'm not afraid to read articles, so if anyone has useful links to share, I'd love to see them! I probably won't be starting this for another couple of months, so plenty of time to gather info.

 

[pjtoledo]

are you in the rust belt?
we "rusties" often find getting the exhaust system out of the way is worse than the actual transmission work.
putting it back in is not fun either.
by the way, Y-pipes are no longer available. separating the Y pipe from the cats can be a point of no return that may require welding & fabrication to fix.

 

[RobbieD]

I've put some medical restrictions on the truck

I like that.


Do yourself a favor; buy the shop manual. I like paper manuals myself (either for just nostalgia, or in case of a TP shortage I guess), and I'd suggest watching eBay, as the manual sets (usually they are two big books) come up very reasonably if you're patient or lucky.

The electrical manual, the EVTM, is also well worth having.

The Ford manuals I have, through 1994, cover the transmissions pretty well. 1999 should be the same deal.

 

[600$04Ranger]

Find a transmission jack if you can. It makes the job of lining up the bell housing bolts and the input shaft much easier. I took my manual transmission apart to rebuild it once. It was quite challenging. Requires a pretty good hydraulic press for the bearings. I was able to do this at a friends machine shop. As for disassembly of the transmission it's helpful to take many pictures and have a large table or two where you can lay out your parts in the order they are removed so you can work backwards to reassemble. Definitely agree with the previous comment about your exhaust. Make sure and spray all fasteners with penetrant a day or two before removal. The job of removing and reinstalling the transmission usually takes me about 8 hours doing it without a lift and alone without anyones help. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[rebelrider.mike]

I live in Washington. We generally use sand rather than salt in the winter time. But it does rain here a lot, and I don't have a garage. So we'll see what happens. I forgot about the exhaust. If it defeats me, I can go to the muffler place down the road. The fellow there will weld up whatever is needed.

I definitely want a shop manual. And a transmission jack. I've got a 25 year old son who can help, as well as a hydraulic press, and a few other gadgets that might make the job easier. I also don't mind building my own tools if I have to.

Documenting my projects is one of my hobbies. Also, I forget most of what I learn in a couple months, so I kind of have to. I'm happy to share here if you all are interested.