I did the rear main seal installation on the truck this weekend. (See Drooling Rear Main in my gallery). I managed to spill a few tablespoons of fluid out the tail of the tranny while I was working. It didn't look so good, but I knew it's been a while since the last change, possibly 40K or so. So, today, feeling ever so benevolent toward my truck for going back together so nicely, I gave the old M5OD a blood transfusion at the local Express Oil Change. Hey, take a plug out, drain it, put the plug back in, take another out, fill 'er back up. What can go wrong, right?

You probably don't want to know, but I'm gonna tell ya. Big ugly chunky metal bits that look like they've gone through the gear teeth stuck to the mag plug on the bottom. This is NOT a good sign. But, alas, not a new one either. At about 60K, when I had the fluid done, the first chunk came out. This time, at 148K, there were at least 3 sizeable chunks of steel on the plug, and a LOT of the normal flakes and dust from normal wear that may be getting a little abnormal. Looks like some of my traffic jam temper trantrums have come back to haunt me. The pieces look like part of a bearing cage. They didn't look like gear teeth, for sure. I'm a bit worried about a bearing coming loose (if it hasn't already) and wiping out the gears completely. Could be they already have enough wear to be unusable for rebuild anyway.

Here's the interesting part. NO gear noise, NO shifting issues, NOTHING to indicate she's close to failure. But, metal bits shouldn't be on the plug, and it can't be a good sign if they are. Well, other than the fact they're not in the gears. The ONLY indication I've ever had of a problem is that it jumped out of reverse backing up a hill the other day. I keep saying to myself that I just didn't put it in good enough.

Here's my idea. Go find another M5OD, and TOTALLY re-build it (mostly for the fun of it, right?). I mean bearings, synchros, all of it. Put that box in, and rebuild this one for resale to help recoup some costs, assuming there's actually teeth left on the gears. First of all, I've been told there may be some special tools needed on this box for rebuild. If so, can they be had from anyone but Ford? Secondly, I haven't priced a rebuild kit for it yet. Thirdly, am I going to need a press to do the work? What would be a fair price for a salvage M5? (I don't wanna hurt the junkyard's feelings).

The tranny's not giving any indication that it's dying, but that and the big metal pieces coming out are exactly what worries me. I'm worried that it's gonna happen hurtling down the interstate at 80 mph. I want to try to take care of this before it totally self destructs. I don't wanna be out there on the interstate picking up souvenirs from a truck I love. I figure I can do the swap in an afternoon, now that I have a jack, and experience at dropping the M5. I'm just wondering if anyone's done a M5 rebuild, and how long can I expect it to take doing it as a hobby job and weekend work, yet doing a 100% rebuild? I'm gonna need a rebuild manual too, I know. Forget the Haynes book. Good exploded views of the T18 and ZF in there, but NOTHING on the Mazda box.

Approximate cost would be nice to know for each rebuild, but that I can dig up when I price re-build kits. Any other helpful tips/tricks on M5 upgrades would be appreciated as well. I don't want or need the granny in the ZF, and certainly don't want to drop to a T18 4 speed. Mine's a highway truck, and I don't mind the extra shift from 1st starting out with the M5 in front of the 3.08 dif.

I'm not interested in giving one red cent directly to Ford, who coincidentally wants well over $1200 for a "new" M5, which we all know would be a reman anyway. This time, I'm going head first at it myself. That way, I got nobody but me to be mad at if something goes wrong or isn't done right to begin with.

Oh yeah, while I'm at it, I'll also be in the market for an AOD to go in the T'Duck behind the 3.8V6 for now. Gotta get that mini-van for Mrs Paint so I can have my bird back for the upgrade project. AOD first, then 5.0 SO EFI conversion down the road. Don't want a super rod that's gonna pass everything except the fuel pump. Want some fuel economy, yet a lot more grunt in the 'Bird.

 

Personally, I'd put in a C-6 (with the corresponding driveshaft) with a floor shift and call it a day. It would be much less expensive than finding the Mazda-type trans and rebuilding it.

 

$260 for the kit on ebay. Mine grinds downshifting to second, had a few chunks, also, pull the floor panel and remove the trans top plate and clean out the fluid trap that oils the front input bearing.

 

So source a good C6 and a driveshaft. Right. What if the C6 needs to be rebuilt? He's no better off than now. At least with another Mazda 5 speed the driveshaft is the same. These things are all over the place, so I don't think it will be too hard (or expensive) to buy another Mazda 5 speed and rebuild it.

 

ford doesnt overhaul manuals , they are brand new .you need to get as late of a model as possbile for a used one to make sure you get one with updated forks and gears. or this could cost a small fourtune

 

There are places all over the country like Transmission Exchange in Seattle. With a jobber discount from a shop buddy. The price is well within reason. To the point that you can keep your old one and rebuild it to recoup some funds. I use them for clients when I am to busy to do the rebuild myself. And this is with freight charges from Seattle to Alaska. Check into it. Transmission Ex will ship by Gray Hound also.

 

Seattle to AK is a long way, but Seattle to B'ham, AL is a little further, I think. But, there's lotsa yards around here, and one of them oughta have a M5. I have a manual in my truck for a reason, and OD for a reason. I'm not fond of giving money to oil companies any more than I am about giving it to Ford. I like my Fords, I just don't like the dealerships around here. They're all licensed bandits.

Even if it isn't in tip-top shape, there should be some record of mileage on the unit from whatever vehicle it came out of. Changing the fluid alone will give me some pretty good indications about how well the unit was taken care of. If the fluid comes out in reasonably good shape, and there ain't too much stuff on the mag plug, I may just swap 'em out and run the used unit until I can rebuild mine. Like I said, now that I know how, it shouldn't take more than an afternoon to swap 'em out. It ain't rocket science. Just takes a bit of elbow grease on those vibration proof nuts on the cross-member.

jk89cat, if you don't think Ford dealerships reman parts, perhaps you should look at the photos in my gallery. The pressure plate and clutch disc pictured were installed by a dealership service shop from their parts department. If they'll reman a pressure plate and disc, I'd be willing to bet they WILL put a reman manual tranny in their parts house. At this point, it would be hard to convince me that ANYTHING from a dealership parts department for a vehicle over 10 years old will be "new".

 

They are not that hard to rebuild (if you follow the manual) and kits for an overhaul are less than $100 down here. Down here it is hard to find a Mazda 5 speed (go figure) but AOD/C-6/E4OD transmissions are all over the place......

 

Pull the top cover. You will quickly be able to get an idea of trans condition.

 

I'm pretty much gonna stay with the "If it ain't broke..." postulate for now. It ain't making noise, and ain't giving me any problems shifting, so it ain't "broke" (yet). But, it is mortally wounded, I think. Chunks of steel the size I saw the other day can't be good coming outta ANYTHING. Like I said, I like my manual. The manual tranny kept my ex outta this truck, so that's why it's in the good shape it's in at 148K and 14 years later. I don't mind shifting, and actually don't like automatics in anything besides luxury cars and mini-vans. I'd have to add a cooler, blah blah, so no thanks on the extra plumbing either. No cooling lines or jackets in the radiator, so apparently there was a difference in the radiators for the manual and the auto. I've NEVER had a coolant leak on this truck, and I ain't gonna start one by monkeying around with the cooling system. Believe it or not, it's still got the factory hoses on it. Coolant's been changed once in 14 years. It just stays clean and full, so I leave it alone. What can I say? I have a manual, gonna stay manual. I'd consider the ZF, but don't want to step down my diff because of the granny 1st and starting off in 2nd. No way the clutch would last me 129K again starting off in 2nd gear with a 3.08 screw in it. Don't need the granny. I wanna keep it geared as high as possible for highway travel and fuel economy, because I travel a lot for work. If I need to pull something, I can always find a lower gear. If I'm pulling something heavier than my VW (about 900 lbs, 1000 max), it's a rare moment. Some motorcycles are heaver than my Baja. I forget it's back there when I tow it, because it's so much narrower and lower than the truck, there's no wind drag from it. I usually ****** the rear axles outta the Baja if I'm pulling it over 100 miles anyway, and turn it into a 4 wheel trailer. The only time I feel it back there is when I'm starting off or passing someone on 2 lane road. That's what 4th and 3rd gears are for. Well, there is the stopping part too. My tow bar has about a 10 inch downward offset, which tends to make the nose of the baja dive when I stop, which in turn lifts the back end of the F-150 up a bit. It's best not to stop too fast.

My general intent is to keep driving this one until I can get another M5 built. Swap 'em out on a weekend, and start building my original. I might even put it back in if my first re-build is successful, and sell a proven and known good tranny. If it hasn't been run before, and it's a new rebuild, I get just a little nervous until I get some time on it.