M5od I.D.

[OldRedB2_84]

I have 2 m5ods and want to know what year they are, does any one know how to decode the data sticker?

These are the numbers, 1st trans: E87A PF 143850, 2nd: F17A RA A143790.


Thanks
-Nick-

 

[kunar]

if the info in this link is all correct, the first is from an 88 ranger and the 2nd is from a 91 ranger.

 

[holyford86]

Mazda transmissions are pretty easy to identify, if it came out of a ranger and it doesn't have a pan on the bottom of it, and the shifter can be removed via one bolt going through the shifter, then its an m5od

 

[stegomon]

dont forget that the bell houseing is part of the cast

 

[kunar]

unless i misread his post, he already knows they are m5od's, he just wants to know what truck they came from

 

[AllanD]

I think he's looking for just a little more specificity

But the PN isn't necissarily revealing

What EXACTLY do you want to know and I'll tell you what to look for....

AD

 

[OldRedB2_84]

Well I pulled the first one from a 87 B2 that was 2 wheel drive with the dummy t-case (The door sticker had the trans code M, which is the m5od) and the second was from a 91 4x4 4 door Ex. I was wanting to know the year of the trannys cause i know the one from the Ex isnt the one it left the factory with, it had 36k written on it in grease pen and the casting is somewhat different from the 87 tranny around the bell-housing.I knew you could help me AllanD, I was hoping you would see this post.

Thanks
-Nick-

 

[AllanD]

You mean the little square recesses around the rim of the bellhousing on the 4.0 trans?

They are original and they are a visual identifier to workers on the line to instantly identify a 4.0 Vs a 2.9 Mazda trans.

ALL 4.0's have those recesses
All 2.9 tranmissions don't.
"E8" is 1988

"F1" is 1991, so it is more than possible it is a trans that's original to the
Explorer.

as for the E8 and "F1" numbers, the number is an
"Engineering number", not a model year number

 

[OldRedB2_84]

Cool, thanks. Do you know whats different internally? I was just wondering, i heard there is something different about the reverse idler gear.

Thanks
-Nick-

 

[Gotta_gofast]

You mean the little square recesses around the rim of the bellhousing on the 4.0 trans?

They are original and they are a visual identifier to workers on the line to instantly identify a 4.0 Vs a 2.9 Mazda trans.

ALL 4.0's have those recesses
All 2.9 tranmissions don't.
"E8" is 1988

"F1" is 1991, so it is more than possible it is a trans that's original to the
Explorer.

as for the E8 and "F1" numbers, the number is an
"Engineering number", not a model year number

Touche

 

[AllanD]

what exactly is different?

The 4.0 trans has a different input gear, cluster gear and different
main shaft cogs for 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear.

this is because the 4.0 trans has different ratios
1st 3.40:1, 2nd 2.05:1 & 3rd 1.31:1
The 2.9 trans will have
1st 3.72:1, 2nd 2.20:1 $ 1.50:1 3rd

In addition there MAY have been changes made to the transmission
if it had even been apart, the later reverse and 5th gear
(changes to the synchro assembly, gears themselves and fork
that make it less dammage prone)


The 4.0 trans almost certainly has the 1st improvement to
the 3rd gear synchro assembly (identifiable by the "webed" teeth
on the brass ring) which the 2.9 trans probably won't have.

Remember theMazda trans has been in production for 21years now
and a number of changes have bene made over the years...

1) the revised 3rd gear synchro for the 1991 transmissions
2)the mid 1992 "coarse tooth" synchronizer for 5th and Reverse
3)Revised "tall" top cover and longer shift finger for 1994
4)additional revision to the shift lever (And a change to the stub)
for 1988
5)Assymetrical cut synchro teeth and composite synchronizer friction
surfaces for 2nd, 3rd & Reverse rear (sometime after 1998)

a number of these changes require other parts to be changed with
them for compatibility

AD

 

[OldRedB2_84]

Thanks AllanD! Thats exactly what i needed, do you know the torque specs for the top cover, tail-housing, and bellhousing to block bolts?

Thanks
-Nick-

 

[AllanD]

Do you want the official torque specs or what I tighten them to?

I just finished assembling my own trans today but my specs are
a little "off" by the book, mainly because I am a Heli-Coil fanatic....

So pondering it for a bit I'll give you the book specs:

top cover 12-16ft/lb
Tailshaft housing to main case:24-34ft/lb
Bellhousing to Engine 28-38ft/lb
and even though you didn't ask,
on the flywheel to engine bolts 47-52ft/lb


Personally I go 40-45ft/lb on the tailshaft bolts,
45-50ft/lb on the bellhousing bolts
and 55ft/lb on the flywheel-to-crankshaft bolts.


the tailshaft housing gets tightened to 35ftlb after sealing it with "Ultra grey"
silicone but after the sealant has several hours to cure I remove the bolts
one at a time, apply never-seeze and reinstall them. after I have never
seezed them all I retighten to 40ft/lb

Please note that six of the eight tailshaft to maincase bolts are "through holes"
meaining that the tip of the bolt sticks out through the flange on the case
this means that the steel bolt in contact with the unprotected aluminum can
get wet (road salt!)




On Bellhousing to block bolts, People must not tighten these because
from my experience (and rboyer will likely confirm) it is common to go
to pull a trans in the junkyard and find half of them missing.

the bolts holes I ALWAYS heli-coil are the bolt holes for the starter mount
(ever had a dead starter and a seized bolt at the same time? trust me it's ugly)
And the two holes for the transmission mount on the tailshaft housing.

Everyone gets those holes helicoiled for free
(aggrevation prevention, MY aggrevation, not theirs.)

It saves me from having someone whining about stripping one of them
(usually the one on the passenger side) because they over tightened them

On my OWN transmission I helicoil all twelve bearing retainer bolt holes
Typically with self-locking coils (it turns the bolt hole in an elastic stop nut)
and saves me the use and mess of Loctite, and I put a special O-ringed
crush washer (called a Stat-O-Seal) under the front bearing retainer
bolt heads.

And most of the helicoils are not the same standard length crap that
people buy in their local auto parts store

Front bearing retainer takes 16mm long 8mmx1.25 coils
and the top two must be shortened by one turn.

the rear bearing retainer will accept the standard length 8mm coils (12mm long)
coil but again the top two must be trimmed.
the mount for the slave cylinder gets a 20mm long 8mmx1.25 coil

the starter mount takes two 10mmx1.5 coil 30mm long
And the tailshaft takes a 1/2"-13 (english thread) coil
(I forget the length offhand)

Oh I would do all this for other people, but with helicoils averaging
$12 per hole and the stat-o-seals being almost $2 each not many
people are willing to spring for it...

Right about now some people should be getting a clue why I only
break "the weird shit" on my truck...

You should see what I do to front axle shafts before I'll use them

AD

 

[rboyer]

Gotta love when you go to pull a trans and half of the bolts are missing and the other half are loose.

 

[OldRedB2_84]

Thanks AllanD! Thats what i needed.

-Nick-