i had to replace my 80,000 mile 5 spd due to bound-up syncros, when i went to exchange trannys the top covers were slightly diffrent. mine had a port on each side for a switch, while the rebuilt unit only had a port on the l.h. side. im pretty sure the l.h. swicth is for back up lamps, but what would the other one be for? something to do with the 4wd? mine is the electric shift, could the rebuilt gearbox have had a manual t-case and therefore not had a need for a drilled swich port on the r.h. side? i exchanged top covers and kept mine, not knowing if the r.h. switch was important or not. my shift forks were still in good shape. the only bad thing is mine has the plastic plugs and the rebuilt had steel plugs, nothing silicone wont fix! the haynes book doesnt tell me much. got new clutch goodies to put in also "while im in there" gona be a busy weekend, why does this stuff happen in the dead of winter? if it had just been overdrive lost i wouldnt have bothered, but i lost 2nd altogether and it was difficult going into 1st. and another funny thing, the rebuilt tranny had written on it "10w-30 motor oil" everything ive read has said to use mercon, ive already bought 4 qts of mercon-V to put in it.

 

***bump***

 

I would look for a number on the transimssion and perhaps check with the parts guys at your local dealer if they are knowledgable regarding the 10W30 requirement. Did you transmission come from a same year vehicle? Check with a transmission shop as well. They may be able to guide you on this.

When I pulled the tranny out of my daughter's 97 Ranger, the plugs in the front of the shifter looked to me like they were plastic but they turned out to be steel. Take a closer look, you may have steel plugs in there. When I came across this, I checked with the parts guys and they told me the front plugs only came in steel, no plastic available. The rear plugs on my daughter's are rubber. I did replace those while I had it apart. There are also some wave washers and teflon washers in the shifter you may want to replace while you have it out. The dealer should have them as they replace a lot of these. Made a big difference in how the tranny shifts. Total cost for the parts was less than $10.00 at the dealer. Good Luck.

 

can you elaborate a little more on these wave washers and teflon washers? where are they located? are they easy to change?

 

These parts are located in the transmission cover as part of the shifter mechanism. Part numbers are as follows:

Part Number Description
E8TZ 7E018 A Shim
1L2Z 7Z120 AA Washer
1L2Z 7228 AA ST-TR

I really need to get a scanner. I have a print out of the parts blow-out view of the transmission that show these parts. If someone would like a copy, please PM me with a fax number and I can send them that way.

There are two of each of the above parts in each transmission. Mine was a 97 Ranger with the Mazda 5-Spd.

PN 7277 is a rubber boot that is bolted to the top of the transmission cover and may need to be replaced as well. This piece had failed on my transmission and transmission fluid was actually leaking out of the top of the transmission in small quanities. I learned of the other parts when I was at the dealer purcahsing the boot. Parts guy told me that the replace quite a few of these and also replace the washer, shim, and the other part identitfied as ST-TR. He stated that they usually replace the top and the bottom parts. I only replace the top because I did not feel like tearing apart shifter in the transmission cover as would be required to replace the bottom pieces.

My desciption may not be very clear but should become clear once you tear into it. My daughter had a problem with synchro's grinding going into 4th gear before I did this work. I have no idea if the shifter work fixed the problem or if replacing the tranny fluid did the trick. May have been that the fluid level was a little low. In any case, the tranny works great now.

 

so, it is inside the transmission, yes? would i be able to change those three parts without dropping the tranny?

 

Actually, yes you can. But you will have to remove the seats, carpet, and floor panel around the shifter. Then you should be able to get right at it.

 

the truck is a '93, the rebuilt trans is a '95. got it and the new clutch kit in today. tommarrow i finish and put the y-pipe, transfer case, driveshafts, ect back on. 1,500 dollars later i'll be back on the road!