Background:
I picked up a transmission for my 2WD '93 Ranger at a junkyard (M5OD-R2 I believe) that didn't have the shifter attached, so after putting the transmission in my truck, I just stuck the old shifter in there and bolted it on. I'm actually not sure if I have all the parts that go in between the shifter and the linkage below. This is the first time I've ever took out, and put a transmission in.

Problem:
No 3rd gear! It's like it's not even there. When I try to shift it into 3rd, the stick goes up way farther than it should (almost hitting the dash) and nothing happens. No sounds, no resistance, nothing; just like it was in neutral. 4th gear goes down way farther than it should, but fourth gear does work. All other gears work well.

Question:
What would cause this? Could missing bushings, rings, or whatever on the shifter cause this? Could the linkage be messed up? Or could the actual 3rd gear inside the transmission be bad?

Solution:
?

 

I don't have an answer for ya but i have the same problem. did a a4ld to 5 speed swap and no 3rd at all.

 

the trans is an M5OD-R1 please send a pic of how the shifter is mounted. i would try replacing the shifter pack bushings that are located under the three torx bolts that hold the cover on below the shifter. redneckstone did a good write up on this a while back when i replaced the shifter pack bushings in his truck

 

I figured out what the problem is with mine. there are 2 different shifters for the m50d-r1 like 94- earlier and 995-later. The way the shifter bolts to the trans rotates 90 degrees in the later ones. The lower shifter part(which bolts to the transmission using 3 torx bolts) looks the same between the earlier and later years just how the upper shifter bolts on is different. Problem is they are not the same, the 95+ piece is longer below the fulcrum point. I swapped mine out since I had an old style upper shifter and it caused me to have no 3rd and 4th was very low. Swapped them back and now i have 3rd gear again.

So Bad, i believe you got a newer transmission and you need the newer style shifter (both upper and lower) to fix your problem