Hey there, I'm going to imagine that this will be a long winded post but I do appreciate your patience. I just acquired this truck for my dad to beat around in and I'm having an issue with the transmission coming out of 4th, and sometimes it won't go into any gear but reverse. Here's a background on what I know.
I have a 93 ranger 2x4 with the 3.0 v6 and a 5 speed. The guy I got the truck off of said he put the wrong fluid in (syncromesh) and then put in transmission fluid after driving it for a while and beginning to notice the shifting becoming more difficult.
I'm assuming there is internal damage in the tranny, as it is difficult to get it into gear when at a stand still or moving.
With all this said, the quick disconnect line has just popped off, so Im wondering if this could be the issue (what I believe to be wishful thinking )
Secondly, I've found a 3.0 2x4 5 speed transmission out of a 96. I'm aware they have an electronic vss after 94... can I swap my tailshaft housing so it will accept the manual cable and is the gear drive still there?
Also is there any other differences I should be aware of?

 

Yes you can swap the two M5OD-R1s(since both bolt to 3.0l Vulcan pattern) and yes you can swap the tail shaft and housing.

Quick disconnect is part of the Slave and Master so may be a good idea to swap both of those as well, unless you can tell which end is bad.

Also the bushing for the shifter wear out on these so pick the best set for use in new transmission.
Read here: TRS Magazine - Shifter Bushing Replacement
MAKE SURE TRANS IS IN NEUTRAL when removing shifter

Also read here about the shift rail plugs, they can leak: Ford Ranger Shift Rail Plug Maintenance

 

Thanks for the info and reply, I really appreciate it. So just so I have my info straight, is it possible to swap the tailshaft housing and have the mechanical speedo work or are the provisions not there on the newer shaft and I need to swap the tailshaft itself. I've rebuilt a couple chevy autos but I have never dabbled in manuals.

 

Actually looking at the years the '97 will probably be able to be used as is.
'95 - '97 still used the gear drive but with only a VSS(vehicle speed sensor) connected, no speedo cable but VSS was driven by same gear setup as earlier years.
In 1998 Ford moved the VSS to rear axle, well used rear axle's ABS VSS for speedo

You should just be able to swap your '93 setup over, not removing of tail shaft housing at all