manual tranny swap

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Graham Ritter

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i have an 02 autmatic 4x4, and i want to get a manual tranny swapped into her. besides cutting in the floor and changing the consol, what would i have to do? i figured i would need a tranny, t case, driveshaft (front and rear?) along with the clutch and all that, would i also need to get a tune on my xcal3 to change the computer? i was thinking if i could find a donor trac from a salvage yard around here it would be a pretty straight forward setup, but i dont know... anyone done this or have thoughts or input?:smile0015:
 
It's possible, especially with a donor Trac or Sport, but for the work and cost involved I'd say just trade yours in on a 5 speed model....or sell and buy.
 
If you have a public auto salvage auction in your area the price of a donor would be better. The salvage YARD buys them at the auction and they're going to make their money off of you. Around here one would expect to pay $1200 to $2000 for a Gen 1 total. The Explorer Sports go for less and "most" swap parts are interchangeable. Finding one with reasonable mileage will be a challenge. At least buying a total loss vehicle will give you a lot of other spare parts.



Good luck!

Take a trip over to Explorer Forums. com. A lot of those guys do some heavy modding to their Explorers. You might even luck up and find what you need.



BTW, I like that center grill guard you have. I want one!:smile0006:
 
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Alsio have to change the Dash to do it right to remove the PRNDL..... and then you have the odometer issue if that is watched in your state..



The hydraulic clutch in the ST is junk.... you may regret doing the work.....



Todd Z
 
Todd..please explain the "hydraulic clutch is junk". My 02 with almost 97k miles is a manual and we haven't had any issue with the hydraulics of the clutch. We did replace the clutch, but that was because we basically burned it up trying to get the boat out of the lake.



Since I'm no machanic, I may be missing the connection here...hence the question.
 
I have an 03 with a manual and I had the entire clutch assembly replaced once already. The master/slave cylinders tend to start leaking causing all kinds of issues. So I had both cylinders, clutch, pressure plate, all replaced already.
 
Kim,



The stock stuff can not Handel a lot thrown at it, Fast shifting, towing, Off roading....



I know the ONLY reason i would do a manual is for fast racing, off roading, towing, things that I know would break the OEM stuff...



If he does it, I WOULD NOT use Junk yard clutch components... That stuff should be all NEW !!



That will add to the cost.....



To do the conversion " just to have it" Is not something worth doing...



I contemplated doing that BEFORE installing my 4:56 gears......

The time, Effort and other factors ( the way i drive) would destroy the OEM manual...



Don't get me wrong, i have converted Many cars and would love a manual in my ST.... Had a Manual in the mustang and BII and loved them...



But my driving style cooked the hydraulic components and just was not worth it..



Todd Z
 
You would need to have programing done to the P.C.M. (power control module ie engine computer) or swap to a manual explorers computer that IS COMPATIBLE with your engine (OHV or SHOC). It controls the auto transmission and with out that the computer would trow a code.



From what I have read the transmission to use is the M5OD-R1HD which is different than ranger M50D's the "HD" is for its use with the v6 engines as in the ranger edge. It is suposed to be better than the regular M5OD -R1 regular "light truck" and R4 (2002-03 explorer). The M50D-R2 is the strongest as it is used behind the 5.0L 302 and was used as the manual on f150 trucks, however it is not compatible with the 4.0 engines unless used with an adapter.



It is my opinion that if you where going to use a ford transmission you should use the M5OD-R1HD and look into what common mods people do to make it stronger. If you where to use an adapter to make another transmission fit such as a M5OD-R2 than I would opt to use a Toyota truck transmission that's popular with off roaders.



I recommend on doing some research and spending some money on a strong a reliable transmission if you are going to spend all this time doing a swap...

-Don D.

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-2257.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=9012996
 
Todd & Don D,



"hydraulic clutch is junk"
Click to expand...



What hydraulics do you recommend? I ask this because after having a new "OEM" slave clyinder & master cylinder put in, our manual tranny ST, I still ocasionally have trouble shifting. Had the tranny rebuilt twice. What makes the "M5OD-R1HD" different? How can I make sure our manual tranny meets "HD" specs? Thank You.
 

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