94 3.0 manual tranny probs
 

i have a 1994 Ranger XL 3.0 5 speed manual 4X4. the transmission does not shift right, except into fourth gear. the transmission also sounds like it has a grinding noise all of the time. the previous owner said that the transmission locked up on him twice going down the road. i have heard that this is a common problem and that it is actually the overdrive. my question is what is most likely the problem and does the tranny need to be overhauled?

How long ago and with what fluid was it drained and refilled? Is there even any fluid in it ?

since i have had it i have not drained and refilled the tranny. i received the truck cheap last may, but i have not driven it and the truck sat in his yard for about 1 and a half years. the truck runs perfect and everything else is flawless.

Has the slave cylinder ever been replaced? That is one of the biggest problems the ranger has . Generally you will have a hard time shifting into first gear while sitting still when the slave is on it's way out.

i don't believe it has ever been replaced. would this also be a cause of noises in all gears except fourth? the noise is at its worst when in overdrive.

seriously, does anyone know what it could possibly be. or is it definitely the slave cylinder.

I hate to say it but if all gears EXCEPT 4th are having issues then the tranny is pretty well done for... $th is a direct drive gear and tends to be the only one left working when an M5OD tranny actually goes. Thankfully for you a 3.0L 4x4 5-speed is a VERY VERY common tranny and should be about 300 bucks for a good unit from a junk yard locally. You can use one from any 3.0L 4x4 ranger regardless of year, there was only 1 5-speed ever used in a ranger behind the 3.0L with 4x4. The tranny is a relatively easyish repair if you're OK with hand tools. If you replace it definitly replace the slave cylinder and you may want to think of replacing the clutch and having hte flywheel machined while you have the tranny out. And refill the t-case and new tranny with Mercon ATF.

how easy is it to rebuild a manual transmission? would it be worth it for the price, because i am not scared of tearing anything apart. the closest tranny i found for this ranger was $500, and with 176,000 mi on it. so i am leaning toward rebuilding it.

remember, you can look for one from a 90-07 ranger with the 3.0L and 4x4. Honestly after going through and inspecting all the hard parts in your tranny and replacing the damaged shafts and gears and then buying all new soft parts like the synchros and having to dissassemble and reassemble everything perfectly you would be over the 500. keep looking around a bit more and try http://car-part.com and do a search in your area. go ahead and search different years too to see if it comes up with anything different. If you look around you are bound to find something for a good price, the biggest thing to check when going to pick it up is how much play the input shaft has up and down. A tiny bit of play is normal but anything more than that is worn. These transmissions are actually quite robust and last a LONG time as long as they are not run low on fluid. They tend to last over 250K miles when kept full. Look around some more and you may be able to find a fully rebuilt tranny for around 600 bucks but a good junk yard one for around 200 bucks isn't too hard of a thing to find either.

thanks so much. i haven't found any answers from anyone until this site in the last few days.

I found a 96 3.0 4X4 tranny, the guy at the junk yard insisted that it will not fit. is there anything that needs to be swapped from the old tranny to the new?

If it is from a 3.0 4x4 then yes it will fit, it will actually be the exact same part... as long as they are both 3.0 4x4