looking at a 97 ranger with a 5 speed im thinking about buying everything is pretty solid except im not sure bout the trans. it is hard to shift into 1st, but all other gears are fine , the guy said he took it somewhere and was told it is the syncronizers. also the clutch is very tough . the truck has 107K, im trying to figure out if the trans will shift smoother with a new clutch, or if all the rangers have a touch clutch. the car does not pop out of gear. also what is the life expectancy on these trannys i have hurd they arenot very long, i appreciate any feedback i get thanks - matt

 

you are probably looking at a weak master cyl, possibly a weak slave. If you go for the slave you will probably find a bad pilot bearing in there also. Mine shifts a little hard at time from N-1st. Found if you wiggle the stick towards 2d then go to first it slides right in. Had to R&R the trans at around 100K as the previous owner evidently had the plugs leak and burned up the 1st gear set and mainshaft. This is a very common problem with the rubber plugs. If ya get it have them replaced if you R&R the trans. OD went out at about 140K so had to R&R again, bought an autozone clutch set the 1st time and they gave me a new oner the 2d time no questions asked, so when I had the trans out R&Rd the clutch also put new slave in since it is in the trans and didnt want to have problems with the slave when I put it back in. Found that the pilot bearing had gone bad in that 40K it is a piece of crap, very small needle bearings easy to tweek upon reinstalling the trans.

Now what is the life expectancy cant say, I ve done my trans 2x already for different reasons. guess I could have had the OD R&R the 1st time but the guy said it looked ok then. so go figure. anyhow now have 185K on the truck, and its great, but does occasionally shift hard into 1st from a stop.

 

I have a 1997 Ranger with a 5-speed. The tranny is original, with 216,000; and is hard to shift N-1, and requires patience, skill, and double-clutching to smoothly and easily shift in the other gears. I know it will need to be replaced soon, but for now I am just babying it and trying to get as many miles as possible on it. The clutch in my truck is light, like a car (and always has been according to my friend, who I got it from) so I would guess there is something wrong if it is really hard.

 

The 5 speed in my 93 F150 (M50D)had a shift problem. In the shift tower are the shafts, springs and steel ***** that make it click and stay in gear. These will get indents in the shaft from the steel ball, and will cause it to hang when you try to put it in gear. The shafts have a natural machined indent to lock the shaft in place. As you shift it, it pushes the steel ball up in the hole with the spring to let the shaft move past, and just before the ball enters the hole, it makes a sub (smaller) indent just below the lip on the shaft. I replaced mine for just under a $100, and it shifts like brand new again.

 

Mine 96 has 298k.... its shifting kinda hard, especially into 1st from neutral.... I changed a nylon bushing in the shifter that seemed to help, but I'm sure the fork is worn as well as the syncros so I'll let it ride till it won't shift no more. Oh this is the second clutch and slave cylinder (new pilot bearing with clutch)... I wonder if the master cylinder might be weak and causing some of my problems????

 

thanks for all the replys still considering the truck, but have a funny feeling in my but thanks - matt

 

Had the same problem with my 91. Replaced the clutch and it is now fine. Before I had to jam it into 4th and then quickly throw it to first in order to get it into first at all. I guess putting it into 4th stopped the guts of the tranny from turning, allowing it to go into 1st.