how to remove shifter boot

[tomtoc]

can anyone tell me how to get this off? I didn't see any apparent screws or anything to undo.

 

[Lost]

Main tranny ? Pull boot up at bottom there r screws hidden around it. later Bud

 

[tomtoc]

you would be correct

 

[tomtoc]

well since this thread went pretty much nowhere, i'll ask about what i assume is under there.

i've got an M5OD and it's got a bit of a drip - i've noticed a little bit of fluid running down the side. it's not coming out of a drain/fill plug and it doesn't really look like there's anywhere else but where the stick goes in the top for it to leak.

looking from the bottom, it looks like there's plate up there on top that could be leaking. how likely is that? is there just a gasket up there to replace? i just changed the tranny fluid the other day and got the outside of it all cleaned up and i've got a drip or two coming down the sides

 

[john112deere]

I can't remember how similar that tranny is to mine (they share a name, and a reputation), but the Ranger ones are famous for leaking out of some rubber plugs behind the shifter. They dry out, shrink, and leak. You can either silicon 'em back in place, replace them with more of the same (but why?) or replace them with metal plugs.

Not sure how you'd get to them on that truck, or even if this applies to the full-size M5OD, though.

 

[Skandocious]

I can't remember how similar that tranny is to mine (they share a name, and a reputation), but the Ranger ones are famous for leaking out of some rubber plugs behind the shifter. They dry out, shrink, and leak. You can either silicon 'em back in place, replace them with more of the same (but why?) or replace them with metal plugs.

Not sure how you'd get to them on that truck, or even if this applies to the full-size M5OD, though.

I remember lots of guys bitching about those plugs going south on the M5R2 (real name for your transmission Tom). The M5R1 is the Mazda trans in the ranger--- M5R2 is the bigger one in the full size trucks.

 

[tomtoc]

cool - well, not cool. but cool that it sounds pretty easy to deal with. hopefully that's the case. i'll look around and let you guys know

 

[Old_Paint]

It ain't that bad ...

well since this thread went pretty much nowhere, i'll ask about what i assume is under there.

i've got an M5OD and it's got a bit of a drip - i've noticed a little bit of fluid running down the side. it's not coming out of a drain/fill plug and it doesn't really look like there's anywhere else but where the stick goes in the top for it to leak.

looking from the bottom, it looks like there's plate up there on top that could be leaking. how likely is that? is there just a gasket up there to replace? i just changed the tranny fluid the other day and got the outside of it all cleaned up and i've got a drip or two coming down the sides

Some do it, and some apparently don't. You have the M5R2, same as mine. Mine has 155K and has no known issues besides old age (like me).

I wish there was a way to transfer a write-up that I did on the "other" site over here, which is a step by step description of R&R of the M5 to replace a leaking rear main seal.

Apparently, though, you can do the repair in truck, however, it's a total PITA because you do so much by feel-a-vision. You can't really see everything you're trying to reach. I'm not real sure that the top of the box can come completely out without dropping the tranny either. This would obviously affect how clean you get the sealing surface.

It isn't a technically hard job, and about the only special tool needed was the collet release for the hydraulic line for the slave. I made one from a piece of stainless steel with a dremel tool, so it ain't that bad. It does take some muscle, though, because all of the gusset and crossmember bolts have vibration proof nuts. You WILL be tired when you get them all out unless you remove them with an impact wrench. If you do the impact, do not pick them up. They will be HOT. I dropped mine out on a Friday night, and had it back in the following Saturday afternoon.

You will need a good transmission jack, though. A plain floor jack might work, but a tranny jack can be secured to the tranny and will avoid the obvious problem with gravity if the tranny decides to roll. It is not necessary to drain it either. Just keep the tail-shaft high, and all the fluid will stay in the box. I used duct tape to close off the end of the tail-shaft in case I did tilt it back, which saved me a huge mess. It does require removal of the driveshaft, so make sure your P brake works, and lock that sucker down.

That would be the perfect time to inspect the slave, disc, pressure plate, etc, too. If you don't know when the clutch was last replaced, at minimum, I'd have a new disc waiting. Mine when 130K on the original, though, so I'd have to say they're reliable clutches. When it went, though, master, slave, pilot, EVERYTHING went at one time.

You'll need to raise the truck at least a foot, so some ramps and jack-stands will prove useful. (Assuming it is 4x2 and doesn't have a lift). A 6-pack and a buddy to wiggle the tail while you pry the bell loose from the block will be pretty useful too. I used a piece of 5/8 round stock stuck in the hole in the block flange and a crowbar to push the tranny off. The dealership that put my clutch in apparently used a BFH. Do NOT hit that bell housing with anything you wouldn't want to be hit with.

Here's a photo of the tranny shifter boot and stick removed. Roll the soft rubber of the boot back at the edge of the plastic, and you'll see the screws that go in the holes of the floor pan.

Good luck with it, and fix that leak. These things have been known to throw all the fluid out on long trips when the shifter cover starts leaking like that.

 

[tomtoc]

...but the Ranger ones are famous for leaking out of some rubber plugs behind the shifter

i got the boot off and couldn't see much more than what the pic above shows. i poked around with a mirror and a flashlight and couldn't see anything obvious either.

the fluid is coming from behind the shifter (towards the back of the tranny) and on top somewhere. anyone have a pic/diagram of where these plugs would be?

 

[mrfixit]

Here ya go:

Take a look at #47... I believe that one is rubber but wasn't listed on the parts list. # 117 is the steel plug.

ALT219-1135 Top Cover Plug (Front) set of three
ALT555-108 Top Cover Plugs, Steel (Rear)


http://www.drivetrain.com/transillm5r1_m5r2.html

 

[tomtoc]

well, sort of an update. i'm getting tired of seeing little red puddles wherever i park, so i just tried again to locate pesky #47. no luck, but the good news is that lots of red puddles haven't amounted to much b/c when i pulled the fill plug, i still had fluid seeping out.

i think i'm going to just take it to this local place and have them look at a pile of problems i don't feel like dealing with (especially with a 105 degree heat index)
1) this leak
2) fuel tank ground
3) blinker ground issue i hate electrical
4) installing my "new bumper huge pry and a 25lb hammer and i couldn't get 1 of the 12 rusty bolts loose
5) cruise control doesn't work
6) vac leak
7) adjust the parking brake

they charge like $30/hr for labor, so it should be dirt cheap to do all that....and i'll be happy

 

[Skandocious]

Holy crap! Only $30/hr?! Round here the going rate is upwards of $80-90! Good luck with that. Make sure it's a semi-reputable shop so you don't get a botch job.

 

[tomtoc]

Holy crap! Only $30/hr?! Round here the going rate is upwards of $80-90! Good luck with that. Make sure it's a semi-reputable shop so you don't get a botch job.

yea, it's really cheap. everyone i work with takes their cars there. it's a 1-guy, 1-bay operation that keeps costs really low. really nice guy.

i figured my list is all pretty simple and straigh forward. you just need someone a little more mechanical than i to fix the stuff

 

[tomtoc]

bump

i never did take it in to get the stuff above fixed, and my red puddle of fluid was pretty big. i just put in 1.5 quarts...ouch. i need to fix that plug.

so looking at this image:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t181/mrfixit64857/m5r1_p2.jpg[/IM
G]

[B]am I right that #47 is on it's side[/B], behind the shifter? i was looking before for something that popped in the top.

has anyone done this? when i took the shifter boot off before, i couldn't find anything that looked like it leaked at all. seemed like from underneath that part was near impossible to get to. any tips?

EDIT: found a good how-to article at the first link on this search
[url]http://www.google.com/search?q=m5od+rubber+plug+leak[/url]

sounds like a lot of work, just to get to those plugs... but having to pull the carpet back makes sense on why i can't see anything with that little boot removed

EDIT 2: after reading 30 posts on google on the same subject, how has this not been a recall? not dangerous enough?
o, and if an admin wants to name the thread something more appropriate, go for it

 

[tomtoc]

just an update

i took it somewhere and got this fixed. they charged $300. they dropped the tranny. odds are it's more than i should have paid, but i was having to fill it up in the cold on a gravel driveway once a week, and i wouldn't drive it on the highway. the price was worth it for piece of mind.