oops wrong fluid

[Larue]

I just bought a 4x4 with a 2.9. I was driving just fine minus a slight vibration coming from the rear end (I suspect a drive shaft or joint problem). After a few days I noticed a small oil spot in the driveway. It was under my tranny so I checked the fluid level and found it low. I miss-identified the tranny out of the manual and wuond up putting in gear oil (it was about a quart low) instead of ATF. I test drove it afterwards and it imediatly started making a slushing/bubbling sound when th egears were engaged. The test drive lasted about 4 miles. I brought it back home and realised the mistake I made. I drained the fluid and replaced it with the proper ATF. Now the noise has mostly gone away. It still makes the noise in 2nd, 4th, and reverse but at a lower volume. Is there a way to flush the tranny to get any remaining fluid out or does it sound like a more serious problem?

 

[MAKG]

"Flushing" a manual transmission is exactly equivalent to draining and refilling.

The gears you are describing suggest a linkage issue. There is nothing else that connects those three gears together.

 

[Larue]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm not to savy on transmissions, what kind of linkage issue would you think it is and why only after adding the fluid? I'm stumped.

 

[MAKG]

You won't find out what the issue is without removing the top cover.

And I don't think this has anything to do with the fluid change.

 

[kevinsranger]

You won't find out what the issue is without removing the top cover.

And I don't think this has anything to do with the fluid change.

i might be confused but i think they have auto trans and put manual trans gear oil in it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

i might be confused but i think they have auto trans and put manual trans gear oil in it.

Vice versa, some manual transmissions require automatic transmission fluid.

 

[90rangersuper]

Vice versa, some manual transmissions require automatic transmission fluid.

the m5od is the manual that requires the ATF fluid

 

[Larue]

The noise didn't start until i put the wrong fluid in it after i bought it (I put gear oil in a m5od). That's were I drew the conclusion that it was related to the fluid. If I take off the top cover what would I be looking for. I've done a lot of shade tree wrenching in the past but i've never opened a tranny. Is there a site that would show me what to inspect for.

Thanks

 

[MAKG]

Unfortunately, no.

You would be looking for whatever got chewed up, or whatever is loose or binding.

Before doing anything, though, I'd check for "floppy stick syndrome." It may be as simple as you not putting it all the way in gear, because the stick flops all over the place. There are a couple of replaceable bushings in the shift tower that can break and cause this. Since it's a new-to-you truck, you may not realize it isn't normal. Happens periodically.

There really isn't much inside the transmission itself (aside from something wacky in the linkage) that makes all the pull-to-the-rear gears screw up and none of the others.

 

[289-tiger-]

In 4 miles operation with gear oil(mixed) in a manual transmission, I don't think you broke anything.

Drain it again and refill with correct fluid. Warmer is better getting gear oil out.

85W90 keeps my old toploader spinning.

 

[rboyer]

You wouldn't believe how many Mazda transmissions i've seen with gear oil in them! It is not an uncommon mistake and nothing to be ashamed of when you do it the first time. I don't think that the gear oil damaged it just running it for a little bit like that, you could actually get away with running gear oil for a decent amount of time before doing any real damage.

 

[Larue]

Thanks all for your help and reassurance. I'll be digging into it today. I'll post again if I find the culprit. Thanks again.

 

[Larue]

Took apart the shifter linkage like y'all suggested. I found the rubber bushing almost disentigrated and several, what appeared to be shims, lying loose around the ball joint. One of them was actually cramed down into the transmission itself and is slightly chewed up. It was quite a pickle fishing it out (thank god for rare earth magnets). At the bottom of the recess that the shifter sits in I found what was left of a plastic ring of some sort. I forgot to mention that this is a push button 4x4 so I didn't have enough room to remove the top cover for further inspection. Hopefully this will be the only problem. I really don't have the time now to drop the thing to dig into it.

Thanks All

Just looked at the exploded view diagram of the shift linkage. I'm minus a lower bushing and one of the metal washers. Looks like I'll be dropping the transmission. If not it will bug me not knowing if that washer is floating around in the fluid.

 

[rboyer]

Get a flexible magnetic pick-up tool, remove the drain plug and slide the pick-up tool in there. It may possibly save you from having to drop the transmission just to find that metal washer (or what's left of it!). Also if you still have a top bushing you may want to relocate that to the bottom for now just so that it's easier to shift the truck. You can make do without the top bushing for now, but lacking the bottom bushing is what causes most of the slack.

 

[grnrngr]

Just to toss a little spin on it, the T-K5 is supposed to have gear oil in it, the guy I bought it from had read somewhere that Rangers and B2s were supposed to have ATF in the trans so thats what he put in it...it was a little quieter after I refilled it with gear oil..