transmission swap info

[twoshoes028]

i have a 1990 ranger with the 2.3L and a 5 speed tranny does any1 kno what tranny this is and if it is compatible with a 4.0L engine of the same year thanks

 

[4x4RangerGuy]

It should be the M5OD-R1 5 speed transmission, and I don't believe it is compatible with the 4.0 since they have different bellhousings.

 

[MAKG]

They have different bolt patterns. M5ODs do not have separate bellhousings.

 

[jwatembach]

I think it is a M5OD-R1. I have found some sites that have the info, I will post them later. The M5OD is a weak, I mean WEAK tranny. I don't think it would hold up for long.

 

[MAKG]

Umm, M5ODs hold up fine behind even V8s (R2 was behind 5.0Ls) for hundreds of thousands of miles, though ZFs are preferred for that application. It can stand a 2.3L. Or even a 4.0L SOHC.

The only thing that makes them weak is driver error. Like not checking the oil level ever. But no transmission will last long at all with insufficient lubricant.

 

[jwatembach]

The one thing I do know is they can not take down shifting. Down shifting destroys the counter shaft bearings. I just tore through a rebuilt one is 30,000 miles. I did four months of research before I rebuilt it myself and everyone I talked to agreed that they are weak.

 

[TireIron]

I don't know how weak they really are... If you know how to shift it (like a truck, not a double or triple synchro'd sports car tranny) then it will last a good long time even with lots and lots of downshifting. Unless I'm just the exception to the rule getting hundreds of thousands of miles out of M5ODs.

 

[MAKG]

The early transmissions get a little "notchy" between 2nd and 3rd due to a design error (there is a TSB), but I've NEVER heard of an M5OD being done in in this manner. I would imagine you could do a lot of damage with "power shifts." Nearly all the complaints I've seen (including the "notchiness") could be explained by incorrect fluid or oil starvation.

My own has 235K miles, and I downshift ALL the time, including with heavy deceleration (above 4000 RPM). It's an essential and very frequently used skill for mountain drivers.

I guess a lot of people don't shift very well. Further evidence is complaints of clutch lifetime. Mine always seem to last around 150K miles.