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  #1  
Old 04-06-2016, 10:16 AM
KG5MRD KG5MRD is offline
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Default Old Trucks & Bad Transmissions

This is thread is for conversations about older Rangers that are starting to show their age and rebuilding their transmissions. There are a lot of people out there who have late 80s, early 90s Rangers that the transmissions are going out among other problems, and they're wondering what they should do in their situation.

Here's a conversation starter: I have a '94 4-cyl standard that has 276,000 miles on it. There's no sentimental story about having it passed down from my dad, but this truck actually does mean a lot to me as it was my very first vehicle. Originally picked it up for $1200 because everything ran strong and smooth, and came with another full set of wheels. The transmission recently went out driving down the freeway. It has it's other issues: power steering has a leak, A/C has a bad leak, and the heater only works in medium and high while the fan keeps going even when turned "off". Minor issues compared not being able to drive it.

I am not about to just drop it off at the garage and say "fix it". I am a broke college student that is all about doing it myself. Let's say it's sitting in a paved driveway at a friend's place. What is it going to take to get it running where it sits right now? I have some background with working on vehicles, but it is limited to what little I have learned handing tools to my father. I have a couple of friends who do know what they are doing, and are willing to help.

Aaaaaaand go!
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  #2  
Old 04-06-2016, 12:36 PM
Himecraig Himecraig is offline
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I think you should 'give it up for the ghost'
Id get something that makes/saves money and not sit idle burning your college funds and precious time while you learn how to rebuild a transmission.
Even if you get it moving you got no heat or ac...might as well get a skateboard
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  #3  
Old 04-06-2016, 02:11 PM
Tyler46 Tyler46 is offline
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Pulling an M5OD is pretty easy and the tranny itself isn't very heavy.

Pull one from a junkyard Ranger with 150,000 or less on the clock and slap it in. It's a good transmission, I would trust an M5OD from a junk yard.
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Old 04-06-2016, 04:30 PM
GSF1200S GSF1200S is offline
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Default Re: Old Trucks & Bad Transmissions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyler46 View Post
Pulling an M5OD is pretty easy and the tranny itself isn't very heavy.

Pull one from a junkyard Ranger with 150,000 or less on the clock and slap it in. It's a good transmission, I would trust an M5OD from a junk yard.
^^

There are articles of how to rebuild an m5od, but its not so simple in terms of logistically. Youd have to order the parts, youd need a press for reinstalling a few of the bearings, and youd need to make sure you get everything just right.

As Tyler says, an m5od is easy to swap. Even better, there are TONS of m5ods in junkyards, and since theyre pretty reliable, they are cheap as demand isnt high while supply is. Get a buddy with a pickup or van to run down to a junkyard and pick one up there. You can get one with 100k for like $200. Go on car-part.com, and do a search sorted by mileage of junkyard to you. Then try and find the lowest mileage example for a good price in your area. Thats your best bet.

Now, depending on how your transmission "broke," it might be easy to fix. If a shift fork broke, you can fix that easily by pulling the trans, then pulling the top cover off the transmission. Shift forks are right on the top and easy to change. Other than that, you need bearing pullers for disassembly and a press to reassemble.

Consider this: this could be a LOT worse- you could have an automatic. Automatics are more expensive to get at junkyards, the necessity to get one with under 100k is high since you need it to reasonably last, you need to flush lines, and going rebuilt or reman is expensive and a minefield. It being a stick shift is a blessing for your wallet..
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  #5  
Old 04-07-2016, 06:08 AM
dvrich dvrich is offline
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Default Re: Old Trucks & Bad Transmissions

A "Broke College Student" doesn't need to be pouring time and money into a 24 year old money pit.
276,000 miles is way past the time where things go wrong.
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  #6  
Old 04-07-2016, 06:39 PM
GSF1200S GSF1200S is offline
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Default Re: Old Trucks & Bad Transmissions

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Originally Posted by dvrich View Post
A "Broke College Student" doesn't need to be pouring time and money into a 24 year old money pit.
276,000 miles is way past the time where things go wrong.
A "broke college student" may not have a choice but to throw some money at an old truck. He/she may not have the money to afford dropping 2-5k all at once on some other vehicle with an unknown maintenance history.
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2002 Ford Ranger XLT Supercab, 2.3L Duratec I4, 5-speed manual, 4.10 gears, ~100,000 miles
Power nothing with air conditioning; crank windows for life!
Throttle cable mod, retained accessory power mod, 2006 thermostat w/resistor mod
Headlight relay harness, Philips xtreme-vision bulbs
P235/75R15 Michelin LTX M/S2s
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  #7  
Old 04-12-2016, 05:45 PM
Kick Ashe Kick Ashe is offline
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Just keep truckin'
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