ok i've got a bum 92 f-150 flareside parked in my yard. 5 speed will pull the truck but first and second are not engaging. There's no grinding when i put it in those gears and when you slide the shifter up and down between those gears it is similar to the feeling of just side to side in neutral. I've taken the top panel off the transmission and am inspecting the shifting rails and the forks. I've had problems in the past with this part where i ground the shifting forks down so far that they weren't putting the trans all the way in gear. Is there an obvious fix that i'm missing being's im not a mechanic. Can i just buy a new top side shifter rail fork assembly and put it on my transmission or should there be more that is wrong and would be causing my problem. My mechanic seems to think the only way to fix a transmission is to replace it with one that works. That route cost me about $1200 last time and i'm not gonna do that again.

Also i read in one place this transmission is a M5OD and in another that it's a M5R2...which one is it. It's a 92 flareside 4X4 with a 302. IF i have to replace whole components what will fit . I"m very interested in upgrading and have heard good comments about the ZF transmissions. what's involved with the switch....i know I know...search...but i'm lazy i'll search in the morning i'm just asking if it is a feasible swap.

Thanks in advance.

 

Nobody???? BUMP

 

thanks...a bunch...really

 

It's always hard to diagnose things for sure when your not there looking at it, but it sounds like the shift fork has worn all the way through. F-150 M5OD's are real bad about that. You can compare the thickness between 1-2 shift fork with the 3-4 fork to see if it is worn through for sure. Sometimes it's hard to tell because it wears through so smoothly. If this is the problem it's not real hard to replace. You can buy a new 1-2 fork from ford part# F1TZ-7230-A or you can find a gear supply store and get one from them too. If you don't want to tackle this yourself just take the top plate and fork to a mechanic and let them do it for you. If you decide you want to do it and you think you need a walk through let me know and I'll write some instructions for you. Hope this helps you some!

 

thanks!! the forks look fine. yea i have already come across this problem. i've had the forks replaced once already. there's some wear on them but not enought to cause this. i believe the problem is higher in the rails. is there any locks or nubs that would keep the rails from sliding? I'm a pretty stout dood and i can't seem to get the more rearward fork to move. the front one requires moderate force but the back one i can't get to move at all. i dont' even know which one is which as far as gear movement and i'm getting to think i made a big mistake in takin the darn thing apart to begin with. would you recommend me going to a junk yard and taking the top of another tranny off and seeing if it makes mine work??? or what. thanks for the reply i was beginning to think i was outta luck for finding any help.

 

Oh okay. I didn't understand that you couldn't get it to move at all. The stuck fork towards the rear your talking about is infact the 1 and 2 gear shifter. Well first of all make sure that all 3 rods are even at the front part of the top. This means that the top is in neutral. Only one rod can move at a time to keep you from shifting into two gears at once. Now the fork should move. If it still won't then I'm not sure what could be wrong, and you probably should just try to find another. Only thing is that chances are the replacement you get will probably have a bad fork in it too. It is possible that the last guy who put the fork in let some pins fall out that keep the top from shifting in two gears at once. If that happened then the remaining pins could be causing the lock up. Other than that I can't think of what would cause a problem like that so suddenly. Let me know whatcha find out!

 

would the shifter be able to move forward and back even though the fork doesn't? i can put the stick in line wiht 1 and 2 and move it up and down but there's no engagement of gear.

 

Just checked in saturday night all drunk smoking the green in the cab... I got to playing with the gear shift and my gear got stuck in 2nd.... I pried on that old thing and it wouldnt come out... so I took the shifter off and checked it out.. somehow the second gear position went over the actual rod place and wouldnt allow it to come out. so I placed the shift fork slider piece into neutral again, put the piece back in for the shift tower...Ran it went in all gears, took it for a test drive. Reverse out the driveway. First to pull away second to keep going then stop sign. First again, clutch out nothing, second clutch out nothing. Third clutch out, stall. Start, third, clutch out got home with that but it wont go into first or second, same problem you have. I burnt the clutch all drunk and stupid trying to get up a hill in second, but I had no choice. So the trans has got to come out to get the clutch so here goes... Keep you guys posted.

 

If the shifter pole jumped out of it's place this is usually caused by the fact that there is supposed to be plastic bushings on the top and bottom of the ball on the shift pole. They always disintigrate with age. Be sure and get some before you put your transmission back in.

 

I have found that my 1-2 fork is significantly more worn than the 3-4 one. causing me to have no first or second gear. Is it just a matter of loosening the set screw and sliding the rail out to change it? is it recommended to replace both forks?

Thanks

 

What can cause my 1-2 rail to push through the plug on the forward size of the assembly? and how do I fix it. Same as most above. Trans locked in second gear, pulled rail housing reset to neutral, test drive, reverse out of driveway, no 1st or 2nd. use third to get back into drive. Shifts through the positions, but does not engage

 

I don't know if you've already fixed it yet, but I would wager it's a worn out shift fork. Like I said in one of my earlier posts, the fork can get worn all the way through and will not engage the syncro sleeve. It will also allow the shift rail to overextend and punch out the plug.