new fix for leaking shift rail plugs

[kevinw70]

hey guys, i've been doin a lot of research on how to fix the very common problem on ranger transmissions. the dreaded shift rail plugs that leak on just about all rangers. i wanted to repair the leak without having to pull the trans. so i was leaning on doing the rtv trick. easy enough if.......... the plug comes out without breaking all to pieces from being so brittle. also, on the inner end of the rubber plugs, they have two ears that actually hold the plug inside the trans. problem two..... if you are able to get the plug out, more than likely the ears inside will break off. so i put my mind to work (which is not very often) and came up with a quick easy fix. and you can do it without pulling the trans. purchase 3 rubber turn-tite plugs. they look like boat plugs with nuts on them instead of a handle. i purchased mine from fastenal. they are 5/8 in plugs that are 11/16 in long. same as the original. remove the old plugs and insert the new turn-tite plugs. tighten them up and presto. done in 30 minutes and no leaks.

 

[PlumCrazy]

I thought about using those. But I just gooped them up and shoved them back in. I even have a set of the press in freeze plugs laying there, I was too lazy.

20k miles later.....no leak.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Your shifter seal is gunna blow out.

The rail plugs are meant to be the vent for the transmission, that's why they leak.

The proper fix is steel freeze plugs, with a barb installed in one with a piece of vacuum hose vented to the engine compartment, or into the airbox lid.

 

[PlumCrazy]

Your shifter seal is gunna blow out.

The rail plugs are meant to be the vent for the transmission, that's why they leak.

The proper fix is steel freeze plugs, with a barb installed in one with a piece of vacuum hose vented to the engine compartment, or into the airbox lid.

I tapped a hole in my top cover and ran s hose up to an old clutch reservoir (empty obviously).

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Captain Ledd]

I still doubt they are vents.

When they go bad (dry out and shrink and crack) they leak. IF they were vents, air (and consequently oil) would be free to move around them ALL THE TIME. Yet, when they're new, they don't leak. That's because they create a seal that doesn't let anything past them.

Plug them up with aluminum freeze plugs. That way they won't create a bunch of galvanic corrosion against the case.

Speaking of freeze plugs (and along the same lines of thought), they're not actually freeze plugs, they're "core plugs". Their whole purpose is to cover the hole used to make the internal passages of the engine block. But it just so happens that they often pop out if the owner didn't mix enough anti-freeze into it, sometimes (but not always) sparing the engine.

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Ok then where does an M5 vent?

 

[kryptonitecb]

Ok then where does an M5 vent?

The shifter?

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

 

[Captain Ledd]

The shifter?

That's what I always thought.