Is there a replacement transmission for the stock M5OD / M5R1 transmission in a 2WD 4.0L Ranger/Explorer? The input shaft bearing is gone in mine and I am afraid all of the shards of metal have ruined everything else in the case. Are there alternatives since the M5OD transmission is a piece of junk? Something without an internal slave cylinder perhaps?

If there are no alternatives, I don't think I would trust any used unit so what is the cost of a new M5OD? Are new transmissions even available?

Any information would be appreciated.

 

No definitive answers for you, but some pointers in the right direction:

Advance adapters stuff can hook anything up to anything, for a price. You could probably drop in a tremec 5 speed and find an adapter for it.

You can buy a replacement tranny from a couple places. Try looking on ebay. A place called Phoenix hard parts sells reman trannies. Their warranty looks good, but I have no personal experience.

FWIW, I've had good luck with two M5OD's now. My current one has 150k on it, and still shifts great. No leaks, either. My old went with my truck when it got wrecked. I think it had about 125k on it. It shifted good, but leaked. I just hadn't gotten around to fixing it. I did quite a bit of towing with that tranny, too.

 

I will check with my local trans part supply house. I hate to order something from Phoenix when I can get it local. This transmission leaked but was plugged. Unfortunately that input shaft bearing started growling a little intermittently about a month ago. We had no idea how long it would go like that b4 failure. When I drained the fluid at that time there was a ton of metal on the magnet and it had just been serviced a year ago. I am just waiting to see if the transmission will last long enough to bring it 40 miles home today.

A direct replacement will be easiest but it may just be better to scrap it out. It is a 94 with ~140K miles and has been nothing but a pain since we got it.

 

Well the tranny made it home today so I can start looking at it and trying to find out what is wrong instead of relying on my daughter's "noise" interpretations. The transmission shop where they sealed it up thought it was the input shaft bearings. I guess I will find out.

 

Well, the M5OD tranny on my 'ol 94 went TU at 109K and I only got at most 15 miles of notice/suggestion/warning that it was time. It was quiet in only forth gear and, well, sorta reverse but all other gears displayed evidence of a failed bearing. In the end, it was a failed bearing; I had all bearings, syncros, seals, and of course the shift rail plugs replaced. And no, this tranny was not a victim of leaky shift rail plugs that sometimes cause tranny failure on the M5OD.

I'm not positive that there is a substitute tranny out there for yours but my advice would be to either rebuild or find a good donar. You'll save about $300 if you R&R the tranny yourself. This tranny has been around for oh so long that you should be able to score a used one for a reasonable price. If you have the time to do the work, the parts are really pretty cheap' IMO this would be the road to take if it fits your schedule.

While you are in there, I would suggest replacing the slave cylinder. It will set you back about $110 for a new name brand one. I have my old one (109K miles); if you don't plan on keeping the truck for an extended period of time and if yours has a ton of miles on it, I'd be happy to send you my spare. I don't have a use for it anymore. It was simply replace at 109K due to miles. There was no evidence of problems with this slave cylinder.

 

Thanks for the info. I have no idea how long I will keep this vehicle. I tend to keep vehicles until they fail completely. There is some evidence the slave cylinder is leaking but in any event I would be replacing the clutch and slave cylinder anyway. I will probably get an OEM slave cylinder from my local Ford dealer. The parts guy there gives me real good prices. I have had a number of experiences with aftermarket parts that have failed when the OEM parts worked perfectly. I will be doing the work myself. Changing a tranny out is easy, -just bolts!

Whatever tranny I get will get metal shift plugs!

 

It seems to be the pilot shaft bearing in the flywheel. Do these trucks have a bushing or a needle bearing?

It is making a hell of a racket. If I put it in gear or neutral and disengage the clutch it howls, worse in gear. It is not the throwout bearing because I can depress the clutch part way and it does not make noise. I have had bad throwout bearings before. If the clutch is engaged the noise goes away. The transmission generally shifts smooth. I would blame the little bit of stiffness it seems to have on the pilot bearing turning the input shaft.

I will still have to R&R the tranny to fix it so the clutch and slave cylinder will get replaced. I have not checked the price at Ford yet. Advance Auto wants $158 for the clutch kit and $56 for the slave cyl (unknown brands). Does anyone have a recommendation on the clutch as to brand or type?

What was really scary was A-A wanted $1505 for a reman tranny with $375 core.

 

Look into the NV3500. About the same size, but more durable in the smaller trucks. I put one in a 67 Bronco three years ago ind it is holding up great. The guy that owns it wheels it all the time.

Chris