No 3rd or 4th gear

[lub997]

I just replaced the 5 speed Mazda M5OD transmission in my 1990 2WD Ranger with one out of a 1997 Ranger that I got from a salvage yard, and the original shifter from the 1990 transmission seemed to have so much play that I couldn't shift into any gear. It would go all the way forward to the dash and all the way back to the bench seat without catching anything. I took it apart and examined it more carefully and put it back together, and now it works just as it should in 1st, 2nd, 5th, and R, but still the same problem in 3rd and 4th. I can't figure out what it could be. I don't suspect the shift bushings because the shifter worked fine in the old transmission and the old transmission was replaced due to being burned up from fluid loss not because of anything to do with the shifter. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[AllanD]

Am I understanding that you are using the shifter assembly from your 1990 in a 1997 transmission's top cover?


IF So:

the "stub lever" in your original trans is shorter than what is REQUIRED fo a 1994 or later transmission.

the "tower" where the stub lever mounts is 10mm taller on the 1994-up transmission

So you need one of the '93-97 stub levers (your 1988-93 hand lever will still fit)

Your other option is to et a 1998 stub AND hand lever
(These MUST be used together as a set)

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[lub997]

Yep, you understood me correctly. I am using the original 1990 shifter on the 1997 transmission. Thanks for telling me about the differences. I never would have guessed that since the towers look identical on both transmissions. I think I will try to get a 1994-up stub lever as you suggested. That sounds like the easiest solution. What you said makes a lot of sense too, because it's only the gears in the middle of the shifter that aren't engaging, so I kind of got the feeling that the stub lever wasn't going deep enough in the middle of its range (3rd and 4th). I think that's almost certainly the problem.

Some further advice I would give in addition to changing the stub lever if anyone else ever attempts to swap a pre-1994 transmission for a 1994-up transmission with the 4 cylinder M5OD is that you also have to use your old clutch slave in the new transmission instead of using the 1994-up clutch slave that comes in the newer transmission. They are nearly identical, but although the quick connects on the clutch line look identical, the 1994-up quick connect has a recess just a few millimeters longer than the recess on the pre-1994 quick connect making the new clutch slave incompatible with the older clutch line. I didn't know that and had to take the new transmission all the way back out and swap clutch slaves because of this very minor difference, so just a word of advice if anyone else ever tries this. Luckily the older clutch slave will bolt right in to the newer transmission without any modifications needing to be made; only two bolts. You want to use the bolts from the new transmission as they are a slightly thinner diameter than the older bolts, but they fit perfectly well in the older clutch slave and with a little effort the older clutch slave fits fine in the newer transmissions. Those are the only things I have found that were incompatible though; just the clutch slave and the stub lever on the shifter. No other incompatibilities that I have found.

 

[LittleHorse]

i believe what you stated about the clutch slave connection being different actually applies to 93 models as well.

I discovered this on mine after I ended up with a 93+ slave cylinder that I couldn't return or exchange. Rather than buying another, I just bought a master cylinder w/ line from a 94 so it's all new.

 

[lub997]

I got a new stub lever today that was a little longer from a transmission shop in town, and that fixed the problem right away. Everything works great now. They just had me bring in the one that didn't work and matched it up with one exactly like it that was just a little longer, and that fixed it. I didn't have any luck with auto salvages. They all just told me they didn't have it without even bothering to look it up when I had already searched their websites to make sure they had the right transmission to take it from. I called about 10 of them that were likely to have one based upon their parts searches on their websites, and only one place even bothered to look for one. I found the local transmission repair shops to be a lot more helpful. Anyway, problem solved. The stub lever was the solution.

 

[AllanD]

glad to hear you got it working.

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