New Whip. $500 96 Ford Ranger 2.3 5mt

[cajunfj40]

Hello hayden55,

IIRC, you have a Mazda M5OD-R1, for a 1996 truck. Here's a good resource.

The manual for the trans is also on that site. (PDF)

I just replaced the shifter ball supports on an M5OD-R1HD, which is nearly identical to the M5OD-R1, just has an extra bolt hole to mount to the 4.0 SOHC V6 and reportedly slightly stronger syncros and such for the higher power rating of that SOHC engine. Cover is on the top. Everything shifter-related is accessed through the top. Transmissions for the 4-cyl and 3.0 V6 are identical, and the 4.0 OHV V6 has different gearing and bolt pattern but might share parts like the main shafts and shift rails and such.

Go ahead and fix the rubber shift rail plugs, too. If you pull the top cover, you'll have it on a bench to get to easy.

If you need room to fish the cover out of the truck, remove the rear trans mount and lower the back end of the trans. That'll get it further away from the body. Be wary of mashing wires/A/C lines between the engine and the firewall, though. Engine will only tilt so far until it hits. I didn't hurt anything - I think...

Good luck!

[hayden55]

Truck so far is returning fantastic mpg's. I've been getting 26 at 55 mph and 22-30 mpg around town depending on how many stop lights I hit and if I choose to idle or kill it and re start and of course i dwb and png as much as possible.
I have noticed that if I start it and stop it a couple times it really sucks some energy out of the battery. Notice I only restart with the key if I had to full stop at a stop light. Every other event will be a half clutch kick, then rev it up and put it back in gear.
I assume either: a. The big body 130A 3g alternator needs a rebuild, b. the all incandescent lights really suck some power, and/or c. The what I assume 200+ Amp starter is really sucking on the brand new walmart battery I installed yesterday.
Future plans may be a deep cycle Odyssey battery, LED lights everywhere, and an alternator rebuild with quality parts.
But past that the charging voltage sits at 14.5V and the truck runs well if I do not kill the engine.

[JRMichler]

Your charging system is designed for people that never kill the engine to coast. When I was commuting 3 miles each way to work, a good part of each trip was engine off coasting. I found that I needed to put it on a charger once a week to top up the battery. I learned this after a dead battery episode. A 2 amp charger is large enough if you use it often enough.

If the voltage is holding over 14 volts, the alternator is working correctly. If you monitor the voltage when on a charger, the charging voltage will gradually increase to 14.8 volts, hold there for a while, then drop to 13.3 volts and maintain at the level. That's what is needed to fully charge your battery.

[hayden55]

Originally Posted by JRMichler

Your charging system is designed for people that never kill the engine to coast. When I was commuting 3 miles each way to work, a good part of each trip was engine off coasting. I found that I needed to put it on a charger once a week to top up the battery. I learned this after a dead battery episode. A 2 amp charger is large enough if you use it often enough.

If the voltage is holding over 14 volts, the alternator is working correctly. If you monitor the voltage when on a charger, the charging voltage will gradually increase to 14.8 volts, hold there for a while, then drop to 13.3 volts and maintain at the level. That's what is needed to fully charge your battery.

It seems crazy that it works like that doesn't it. On my old 96 civic I eoc with clutch kicks if I kept moving to restart, and I would restart at stop lights and I never noticed any battery issues. The Prius also EOCs a lot but has a yuge charging system. I have been pretty pampered to this point with those examples. 😂

[wriley4409]

Having owned a '96 Ranger for about ten years, here are my thoughts:

1. This engine LOVES full synthetic oil, and it makes a measurable difference in fuel mileage. My favorite was always Mobil1.

2. I didn't have good luck with killing the engine to coast, but coasting in neutral gave me awesome mileage though.

3. This engine doesn't make enough power to reduce the rear axle ratio or run over sized tires.

4. Anything that you can do to reduce the effort to get this truck moving or keep it moving will make a noticeable impact on your mileage. Converting to an electric fan, pumping up the tire pressure, full synthetic fluids everywhere, lighter wheels/tires, aero improvements, etc all make a big impact.

[hayden55]

Camper shell make any difference? I think this would be sweet to adapt a 5k btu window unit to for overnight camping with the boat. haha.

[wriley4409]

A camper shell would probably hurt mileage somewhat, mostly through poor aerodynamics. It would certainly be fun though.

[WyrTwister]

I could / would not tolerate the bad tranny . I would start searching for a replacement + clutch + pressure plate + throw out bearing + pilot bearing + alignment tool .

If the clutch is hydraulic , I would check it and service / flush the fluid too . If not , examine / lube the linkage .

God bless
Wyr

[Clev]

Check to see if there's a recall on that truck. There were some Rangers that were recalled because the cruise control switch could overheat and cause a fire. Sounds like yours is already on its way.

[hayden55]

There is definitely a recall. I'm just hoping the truck will burn down and I can get a new truck! Just kidding. In reality besides the day I picked it up I have only drove the truck a couple times so far for testing fixes and things. Now that school is out an I just have the 8-5, maybe I can finally get more time to work on it.
Progress:
1. Bilstein shocks have been installed. Much improved. The rear is still very stiff. (not bouncy anymore though. Before if i hit a sewer cover the whole truck would lose contact with the ground).
2. Odometer gear replaced, and leds and lights fixed in the dash.
3. bluetooth head unit installed. 6x8 door speakers installed.
4. dual usb charger with voltage gauge installed where the old cig lighter was previously.
5. Interior has been pulled and cleaned with soap and the water hose. Just waiting on things to dry.
6. New cruise control buttons put in.
7. Junkyard rubber floor liner pulled and ready to go in to replaced the ratty carpet.
8. New wheels and tires installed.
9. Parts received waiting for install: 0w-20, filter, Mercon V ATF, shift forks, coolant, drivers door lock, floor liner, spare tire, ignition lock, keyless remote kit, etc...

Should be very clean when finished!