My Grandpa has an 88 Ranger 2wd with the 2.9l V6 and a 5 speed, I believe, M5od. I was driving down the highway when I heard a noise. I tried throwing the tranny in neutral but when I pressed the clutch pedal in, I had no pedal whatsoever. Engine took awhile to restart. It'd turn over a little almost as if a rod was bent or something of the sorts. Eventually the engine started and would stay running as long as the clutch was pressed in (disengaged). The engine dies no matter what range the transmission is in,neutral included unless the clutch pedal is depressed. It Will die when the clutch is released in any gear with no forward movement that is noticeable. I can spin the tail shaft with the driveshaft installed and all gears in neutral but the input does not spin at all. Input shaft wont spin at all, period. I originally thought the slave cylinder was KIA but now Im very confused on what the problem could be? Is there a bearing the input shaft rides on that may of seized?


I pulled the tranny last night and took the top cover off. Yes, I made sure it was in neutral when I removed the cover. I can manually shift the collar to all gears by hand, 5th and reverse included.


I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here and have no idea where to go from here. I have bought a new clutch assembly and slave cylinder.


This truck was bought by my Grandpa brand new in 1988. It has 98,000 miles and everything is original.


I did forget to mention that there was very little oil in the trans when I drained it and it appeared to be gear oil vs ATF.


Thank you all in advance and sorry about the long winded thread.

 

No one has any ideas? I'd like some direction before I start tearing the tranny apart

 

Well, I just tore down the transmission. The input shaft is trashed and was the input shaft bearing. I didn't need any special tools to tear this tranny down. If this is your first transmission to tear down don't be afraid just look up a disassembly on it or a good book like the astg series if that's the right acronym

 

Sorry no one responded, but it's great that you figured it out. Good luck on your repair. I would recommend you replace the clutch while you've got the transmission out. Also, pull the drain plug & get the old fluid out of it. If the transmission uses ATF like all M5OD's are supposed to, use fully synthetic transmission fluid. Post back when you've got it fixed, if you feel so inclined.