Just ran into my first issue with my ranger...a 1997 xlt 2.3 2 wheel peel. It has the Mazda M5OD-r1 tranny in it, and the clutch (so I was told anyway) was replaced "recently". It's a beater (314k), but the engine is sound. I had no warning or anything.. No grinding or whining whatsoever, but it suddenly wouldn't engage into 1st or 2nd gear one morning. The shifter is able to be pushed well beyond where it stops in first or second gear, and it won't engage. I don't even know where to start with this problem, but I would assume it's either something with the slave cylinder or the transmission itself. Any ideas would be great! Sure hate to scrap the truck, but a new tranny just isn't in the funds. Thanks!

 

1st/2nd Shift rail fork has come off or is broken, it isn't a clutch issue.

Best to pull the transmission.

The M5OD-R1 is a very common trans but it does have an integrated bellhousing so if you go with a used trans then it needs to be from a Lima engine, 2.3l or 2.5l


This thread has pictures of the shift forks and the gears when looking down at the trans from the top: M5OD Shifter Fork Wear Diagnostics (Pics inside) - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums
There are 3 shift rails, each with a shift fork, 1/2, 3/4, and 5/reverse(different)

When you shift into 1st you push the gear shift forward the 1st/2nd shift fork pushes the 1st gear syncro(gold) this gets 1st gear to start spinning so dog gears can engage output shaft.
Your 1st/2nd shift fork has either had its keeper pin sheared off or the fork itself is broken.
This is why the shifter moves so far now, it isn't being stopped by the fork pushing against a gear.

It might not be an expensive fix, but trans needs to come out to get a good look at what the problem might be.
You could pull back the carpet and remove shifter and floor plate, and then decide if you want to cut a larger hole to remove the top of the trans and see if it can be fixed that way, might be doable.
Pulling out the trans will make it for sure doable, so up to you really.

 

I did notice that the 1/2 fork has a lot of side to side motion, while the 3/4 fork doesn't move nearly as much side to side. Is that normal?

 

I figured out the problem! The pin that connects the 1st/2nd gear fork to the rail fell out! Does anyone know where I can get one of those? Or what, if anything, I could replace it with?

 

Fell out??

Seen them shear off, can't recall a "fell out" before, but all things happen at least once.

It is called a roll pin, and it must be fairly hard steel to avoid being sheared off.
You usually use a "C-clamp" type device to remove and install them, some use a hammer and punch.

 

Yes, it fell out somehow. I got a 3/16" roll pin from local hardware store, but it won't fit. Seems as though the hole for the pin may be worn out? Is that possible? There's no way a 1/4" roll pin will fit.. Unless it really compresses that much? Any way to resolve this? I was thinking maybe try to expand the 3/16" pin to get it a little bigger, but we'll see how successful I am. Thanks for your help so far!

 

Couldn't find the size of the pins, could be metric so inch size will be too loose or too big

 

I managed to expand the new pin to fit really snug in there. Do you know the torque specs for that top cover? Or for the bolts from the tranny to the engine?