Transmission Failure in Burley, ID

[NotaFordMech]

I have a 92 Ford Ranger 4.0, 4x4, manual 5 speed transmission. The transmission gave out in the middle of nowhere ID and I got towed to Burley.

If anybody knows where I can get a transmission now, let me know. If not, I may have to sell. On my way to TX to a new job and didn't plan on getting stuck here.

If anybody can help, I would be grateful. If anybody local to Burley has a place I could work on my truck other than the super 8 parking lot, that would help too.

The truck was rolling along fine and the a noise, and then it started slowing down. When I got under the truck, the tranny was wet with fluid and was hot, as in about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. So I do not believe it was just a clutch problem.

 

[Spott]

I live close to Idaho Falls, about 120 miles from Burley. There's a great pick'n'pull nearby and/or a major transmission supplier. I have a lot of basic tools, and can borrow just about anything I don't already have.

If you can provide some money for gas, I can tow you up here, and you can use my driveway (and garage, if you can fight your way in). I can ferry you back and forth to a hotel in IF (about 15-20 mins away) and I can help you wrench on your truck, as I'm on furlough from my job right now.

I've also rebuilt a transmission before.

Call me if you're interested.
Scott

 

[NotaFordMech]

Thanks for the offer. After a good nights rest, I have decided to sell. Hate to see it go to a junk yard so I will post an ad on here. So if you are interested in buying it, let me know.

I will post a for sale ad in a bit.

Thanks again for the offer.

 

[AgPete139]

Dude, that is an amazing offer and shows the generosity and camaraderie in our forum!

Spott, you're getting rep'd!

NotAFordMech, good luck in your endeavors. What part of Texas are you moving to?

 

[txgocartB3000]

Spott, very kind of you.

You sure you weren't born in Texas?

Ray

 

[AgPete139]

Whoop! Texas hospitality & kindness.

 

[Will]

It's those damm plugs. Many, many of those early 4.0 M50Ds died from them.

Nice offer and congrats given, but what's going on now?

 

[NotaFordMech]

Scott. I didn't not properly express my gratitude for your offer. Such an offer is amazing and almost unheard of these days. Thank you very much.

AgPete. I am moving to San Antonio.

To anybody who cares. The story ended like this. My wife drive 700+ miles to come rescue me. Can anybody say Keeper? I rented a storage unit and left the truck there until I can make arrangements to retrieve it.

 

[Spott]

No problem, I'm sure you were (and possibly are still) pretty busy and stressed.

I'm gonna take my phone number down to prevent abuse.

 

[AgPete139]

Ha, probably just stressed. Hope it works out for you, NFM. PM me when you get down here.

 

[AllanD]

Once more the rubber plugs can be left ON YOUR WORKBENCH and they won't cause a transmission failure.
(at least not in less than weeks)

Very often they get bathed in oil from above by the leaking stub lever "Boot"

Most often the failure is from small chips of plastic that are the result of ground up
pieces of the plastic cup washers (ford calls them "Springs") that the stub lever pivots in...

these pieces because they are lightweight get swept along with the oil and eventually find themselves getting swept into the input "pocket bearing" oil feed holes.

The bearing overheats and superheats most of the oil goes "overboard" as VAPOR.

The end result is the same, but the cause is not as commonly stated.

The other thing that causes failures is the little seal on the output shaft
and the purposeless drain hole from the "dead space" between the T-case and the back of the trans.

As other problems develop that seal fails and instead of half a pint of oil becoming trapped in the "Dead space"
it is allowed to drain cleanly overboard and the traces of this are concealed by the minor (nearly irrelevant)
leakage from above...