I'm looking at buying a 99 Ranger 4.0. I have two different co-worker with different opinions on which transmission type will last longer. One tells me that all his friends with early 90's ranger with the 5spd experienced transmission problems. Suppose to be a bunch of info on the web, which I had not really found yet. He also owned a 90 ranger with the tranny problem. I have another co-worker that tells me the 5spd is the way to go because I will be using the truck mainly for pulling a 14' aluminum fishing boat. His argument is that the tow will be too hard on the automatic. I want inputs from the true hardcore ranger fans.

 

from most of my reading (and recent repair) the ford autos, 4speed and 5speed both are weak. From what I can have gathered, the valve body system is too complicated and prone to blowouts of the gasket and the solenoids are prone to fail. Either of these can take the rest of the tranny with it. Look around on the boards and see if there are more people posting about their auto transmissions or manual transmissions. Seems almost exclusively autos. I will give it that there seems to have been a lot less manual transmission trucks made. Problem is that manuals go out, its syncros, clutchs, clutch hydrologics. The autos can be anything and require a lot of work to figure out.

 

It totally depends on YOU. Either one can give you trouble if you beat it, if you take care of it they should be trouble free. Greg

 

I've had 6 rangers and only one has been an auto. I've never had any tranny problems from the manual.

 

The automatic is 'best' for towing because it does not use a dry clutch, per most manufacturers. On the other hand, a 14' aluminum boat does not weight that much, and is less mass than you can load into the bed. I'd vote for the 5-speed because I prefer to shift myself, and it is easier to repair if there are problems.
The only thing I have heard about are rubber or plastic plugs that deteriorate over time and allow the lube to leak out. Transmissions don't like that. One model is weaker than the other, but I can't remember the details.
Keep a manual full of gear oil, shift reasonably, and it will last. An automatic does its own thing, and the only input you have to how it works is your foot on the gas pedal.
tom

 

I've had a 92 2wd with the M05. Now I own a 96 4wd auto, I'm not sure of it's ID? By neglecting the fluid in the Mazda trans it eventually failed! My fault! I had it rebuilt and with better maintenance it served me well? The manual transmission uses automatic transmission fluid which I'm told has a greater evaporative quality than your regular transmission fluids? I can't swear to this but it's what I was told?

 

I have nearly 180,000 fairly rough miles on my '99 5-speed, and have had little if any trouble. When I first got in '01 the synchro from 2nd to 3rd would grind a little, but I think I was just trying to shift too fast. It has stopped that altogether. I love the manual, and could not imagine driving this truck as an automatic.
The sticks are fine unless you do like my old buddy with his '95 that would run every gear out to the rev limiter before shifting. This actually blew out his tranny when it shaved off 3rd gear.

 

I'd like to prefere manual for towing. Better MPG. If manual fails it is much easier and cheapper to rebuild it.

And following recomandations to use 4th (direct) gear to accelerate and 5th to keep high speed and use 4th to pass someone I think it is possible to avoid 5th gear surface overheating causing grinding sound.

Try not to use full power of engine. Auto limits torque, manual use full torque of engine at any engine speed, that's why manuals are faster. But agressive ride is stress for powerltraine, engine mounts, UJs. Just an example rev engine before releasing clutch lets accelerate like race car burning tires, but M5OD was designed for "civil' cars, and first application was 4-cyl engines. With 3.0 this tranny is reliable, but 4.0 SOHC may kill 3rd and 5th gears.

 

The auto can be comparable in reliability if upgraded, but in stock form they can quickly overheat in overdrive. If you avoid the use of overdrive and get a good tranny cooler (I recommend the plate type from B&M), it will keep the heat down and the tranny will last much longer, but they are also correct, the manual is cheaper to repair if something breaks. Long term, it is also cheaper to maintain, while the auto really needs a fluid change every 30,000 or so.

 

One more thing why trannies fails. 10-15 years ago clutch was a weak point. Clutch was like a fuse saving more expencive wiring. To agressive driving killed disk (usually) ore not so frequantly pressure plate, but now clutch lives much longer and may pass higher torque and "engine has ability to kill tranny". There are very good and reliable trannies, like T5, GAZ-53, Mercedes tranny for OM 904-906 engines. With 4.0 SOHC Ford now use M5OD R1HD instead M5OD R1 now and this tranny is reliable. But there were early rangers and explorers with 4.0SOHC and M5OD R1. It is not a reason to avoid them, but if you know it drive truck more smoothly and you'll probably newer see your tranny inside.

Crazy driving kills more strong trannies then M5OD. I have GAZ tranny in aerostar and ones it failed after I red lined engine, put it 2-nd and released clutch. She started in clouds of blue smoke.... I won this crasy drug race (Aero vs Mazda 6), but I had to rebuild tranny next week.

 

Pablo paid for his fun
but both trannys are good. Your post says boat, to me that says an auto would be the best way to go. Sticks and boat ramps don't mix too well, the bigger the boat the bigger the pita recovering them. My ride is a stick so I am speaking from experience owning a jonboat, too. A BOAT RAMP IS HARD ON A CLUTCH.
Sorry, wasn't trying to shout.

 

a boat ramp is killer on a clutch, but with 4wd select low range and it cures that issue real quick. no bigger than that boat is a manual would work just fine, wouldnt be much of a workout for a auto either. but myself, id pick the manual.

 

How big is boat. Usually boats are not so heavy, like they look. Average boat weight is about 500 kg. 500 kg boat + 200 kg trailer... I do not think it is so big weight to tow. I used to haul 1300 kg in aerostar with 3.0.... Both tranny and engine are still alive. My friend had '86 2.3 Cargo Aerostar with M5OD R1 and he hauled 1300 kg every week from Moscow to Lugansk. M-4 Don highway has many hills, especially in Rostov province. Yes, he did tranny rebuild periodically but not too frequantly and it was not too expencive. He sold his aero for parts after he hit semi (she needs new hood, headlamps, bumper, fenders... ).

 

If you read the boards for boosted Rangers, you will find the nearly all the boosted guys driving autos have had transmission problems, and virtually none of the guys driving manuals have.

The autos tend to have valve issues as has been stated earlier. There is a pretty good thread on here about how to take care of that problem. The autos need to have the atf stay cool and really like synthetic better to keep the shifting working properly. Even with all that, they are still torque limited. If you really want to know about the auto trans, google 'frankentranny' and read the forum thread that comes up.

The manuals can have clutch issues, but that is largely the fault of the operator. (Boat ramps are hazardous duty for clutches.) Old clutches tend to not fully disengage, and that is hard on synchros. As long as you keep oil in the manual, it isn't very likely to fail, and it will handle more torque than the auto.

The bonus for the stick is you will get better mileage, which is more important every day. The disadvantage is you have to row the thing through traffic, which gets old pretty quickly for me...

 

I live in hilly country, so catching a light on an uphill grade can be a real pita. Timing lights becomes an art form after a while, with the added advantage of improved mpg's. A simple trick at a boat ramp is putting a small block of wood behind a rear tire. That eliminates the need to overuse the clutch when pulling away. I shut my truck down when launching due to the fact that it is a stick. I can either leave the block for the next person or retrieve it while draining the boat and doing the necessary tiedowns.