probly a dumb t5 queston

['97-2.3L-ranger]

i dont know much about transmisions. i found a t5 off a 88 mustang 2.3. is that what i'm looking for to switch out my current one. are all t5s the same?

[nagelandy55]

Well you don't have a T5 in your truck if its still the stock tranny, but ya any 2.3L T5 would work. You'd just need a hydraulic bell housing so you can hook your existing master cylinder up to it.

['97-2.3L-ranger]

can i use the bell housing off the 88 mustang? t5 comes with the housing

Well you don't have a T5 in your truck if its still the stock tranny, but ya any 2.3L T5 would work. You'd just need a hydraulic bell housing so you can hook your existing master cylinder up to it.

[Redneck86]

Yes.

['97-2.3L-ranger]

Yes.

well based on your guys advise i bought this locally for like 200.00. he stated the trans is perfect no problems.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160344384463&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&salenotsupported

of course i know the block is no good due to it not having a crankshaft sensor. all i want is the t5 and the head. if anybody wants anything else off it let me know. pm me.

[Mercerks]

will the 2.3 t5 handle good power or do you need to upgrade it??? what do you need to do in order to get hydraulic stuff to work?

[Ron83ranger]

all fox body mustangs used cable clutches, not hydraulic. you need a bell housing, clutch fork, and slave cylinder from a 2.3 t-bird turbo coupe t5 for a hydraulic setup. if your creative you may be able to get a pull style hydraulic slave to work with the mustang bell. maybe an 80's to early 90's camaro. or an aftermarket pull type, wilwood, or speedway motors are some. they are either 3/4"or 7/8" bores. and factory ford master cylinders either came as 3/4" or 7/8" bore, you can get both from rockauto.com.

there is another way too. if its a direct pull cable setup(there are 2 different setups) and not the bell crank cable setup, you may be able to use an internal slave cylinder like the ranger setup. they sell those style slave cylinders in summitt, and speedway motors but some ain't cheap.

the 4cyl t5 can handle somewhat over 300hp, only if its in good condition and behind a 2.3. there should be very little movement of the input shaft when moved in and out. 3rd gear synchro wears the fastest since its not a double cone style like 2nd.

you will also need the trans driveshaft yoke from the mustang because t5's have 28spline and i think rangers had 27 spline, not interchangeable. but they both use 1310 u-joints.

[redline490]

ive been reading very many articles about the t5 and i came across one where the tail housing was swapped with another to adjust shifter position forward. any knowledge on t5 shifters lining up with the stock ranger shifter hole? or any adjustments being made?

[Ron83ranger]

there is a thread on here doing exactly that. you use the tail shaft from a T5 out of a S10. you would need the top cover with the shift rail(but you really only need the shift rail but its not easily separated from the top cover). i dont believe you need the mainshaft from inside because Ford T5's and GM T5's use the same diameter mainshaft with different spline counts at the driveshaft yoke, 28 vs 27 respectively. this matters because the bushing in the tailshaft needs to match the size of the mainshaft. now these parts will all be coming from a non-WC GM trans and most Ford 4cyl T5's we use are WC, but this doesn't mean a whole lot with this swap. your not swapping any bearings, just housings.

[Foolee]

Ranger trans have 28 spline slip yokes. You will probably have to get your driveshaft shortened. Your going to have to get a new clutch. T5's are 10 spline input shaft, Ranger 5 spd's are 23? You need to sort out a clutch cable setup. Hydro or
Cable, your going to have to modify your trans crossmember. An stout going to have to do a mid shift conversion on the trans (s10 tailshaft) or cut the floor to fit the stock shifter.

[redline490]

how far back from the m5od shift hole, would you need to make a hole for the t5?


what can be done to the m50d to make it stronger?(sorry if its been adressed, but i just figured i would add it to this discussion)

-thanks

[Ron83ranger]

when i did my T5 install on my truck, which was a 4 speed to begin with, i believe i had to cut 5-6" back. then i made a piece of aluminum to fill in the gap forward of the shifter. i also put in the seal plate from a turbocoupe which wraps tight around the shifter base with rubber bellows.

for most setups, the M50 should be strong enough. there are a few versions of the mazda trans, so you probably could do some gear swapping to gain some strength. thats how the T5's get their strength, from using taller gearing, and stronger gear metal too, but mostly from taller gears.

[Foolee]

There is nothing wrong with the stock Trans. For 90% of people doing builds its will be plenty. The main reason for swapping to a T5 IMO is aftermarket support.