Tranny Fluid Question
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Joined: Oct 2004
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Tranny Fluid Question
Alright guys...check this out.
I was with my mechanic...getting all the fluids flushed on my 97 ranger..4 cyl.
He informed me that my manual tranny took auto tranny fluid instead of gear oil. Now this sounded funny to me but i trust the guy being that he has serviced my family's vehicles for more than a decade. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Also...my shifter seems really notchy. Now i know trucks are more stiff than cars..but is it supposed to be notchy?
Thanks guys
I was with my mechanic...getting all the fluids flushed on my 97 ranger..4 cyl.
He informed me that my manual tranny took auto tranny fluid instead of gear oil. Now this sounded funny to me but i trust the guy being that he has serviced my family's vehicles for more than a decade. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Also...my shifter seems really notchy. Now i know trucks are more stiff than cars..but is it supposed to be notchy?
Thanks guys
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,940
Likes: 2
From: Eastern WA
The mechanic is giving you good info. Many vehicles have been using ATF in manual trannies for over 20 years now. I too was a little surprised when I first ran into this..............back in 1987.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,436
Likes: 117
From: Virginia
Everyone has said it..... Chances are "yes" it is ATF. As el conquistador pointed out, if it is a Mazda 5sp it takes Mercon-III ATF. If you have the Mitsubishi 5sp then that one does take gear-oil. You should assume that your mechanic knows which trans you have. The Mazda is the most popular
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 145
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From: Prescott USA!
From my understanding of it the m5od is a very notchy tranny by nature, and from the reserch ive done its very prone to shifting complaints especially 3rd gear, you wanna see complaints check out www.f-150online.com some those guys got this tranny in there full size, and they have alot of complaints with em.
ive found with mine, if i push in the clutch and wait a second before i shove it into first it almost slips in, (at a stop), its pretty tough to downshift into 1st or 2nd, and if i kinda just flip the shifter with my fingertips using wrist strength it seems to slip in a little smoother (all gears but 3rd).
i really thought mine had a bad syncro problem, but i feel a little better since i drove another ranger, the only difference was his second gear which was a bit smoother than mine. mines decent till its warm, then it gets a little crunchy/clunky, and every now and then it gets anoying.
im still pretty new to my ranger so thats what ive figured out so far
-Sam
ive found with mine, if i push in the clutch and wait a second before i shove it into first it almost slips in, (at a stop), its pretty tough to downshift into 1st or 2nd, and if i kinda just flip the shifter with my fingertips using wrist strength it seems to slip in a little smoother (all gears but 3rd).
i really thought mine had a bad syncro problem, but i feel a little better since i drove another ranger, the only difference was his second gear which was a bit smoother than mine. mines decent till its warm, then it gets a little crunchy/clunky, and every now and then it gets anoying.
im still pretty new to my ranger so thats what ive figured out so far
-Sam
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 759
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From: Omaha
I thought mine had a syncro problem too. I havnt drove another ranger yet to compare but im waiting to some time. Mine is hard to get into 2nd and my 3rd is fine.
Down shifting is rough though in 1st and 2nd gear in mine though. I replaced the clutch it helped a little but not as much as I hoped. In the morning is the worst for shifting. I dont see how some one can screw up a manual soo bad its simplier than a auto.
Down shifting is rough though in 1st and 2nd gear in mine though. I replaced the clutch it helped a little but not as much as I hoped. In the morning is the worst for shifting. I dont see how some one can screw up a manual soo bad its simplier than a auto.
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Senior User
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 145
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From: Prescott USA!
any of you guys ever tried using a different fluid in your tranny, i know its a dumb idea to go against whats called for, but im wondering if type f would improve things any, its a lil thicker and has different or no shift modifyers in it so it might help the syncros, im sure gear oil is out of the question too thick and wont circulate, what about 10w-40 or 20w-50 oil?
i tried dumpin my fluid and using synthetic merc. v and it didnt really change the shifting any
-Sam
i tried dumpin my fluid and using synthetic merc. v and it didnt really change the shifting any
-Sam
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Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2003
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when i put royal purple in my tranny it didnt change much right away. after like a week or two i could tell that the shifting was smoother and easier. my dad even noticed, so it was just in my head. if it were me, i wouldnt experiment on a tranny since they cost so much to service, but thats just me. good luck
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 145
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From: Prescott USA!
well today i dumped my fluid and tried out the b&m slick shift stuff in my tranny, (it was blue!) it definately made a difference the shifts are a bit notchier and clinky in sound maybe even a bit stiffer but it definately is a bit easier to downshift, took it for a pretty long drive before and after and it is quite a bit warmer today then its been so im gunna give it a week befor i decide to keep it in there or not, but i think i liked it better with the mercron
-Sam
-Sam
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,979
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From: central ohio
i tried gear oil once in a manual that was supposed to have atf ('85 jeep CJ-7) was o.k. in warm weather but once winter came it was hard to shift when cold, tranny was noisy the next spring, i may try a synthetic atf some day but i would never use gear oil in place of atf ever again.
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