zonkola

Anyone have experience with this transmission? They originally came in '88-'96 F150s, among others.

I ask because they're cheap and the shifter is in the perfect location for my roadster (unlike a T5, which ends up underneath the bench seat).

deleted3

I'm thinking these are Mazda sourced trannys. Not much torque capacity as I recall...

zonkola

I believe you're right, the M5R2s were sourced from Mazda. They came in V8-powered Ford 1.5 ton trucks though, so it seems like they should be able to handle some torque...

deleted3

Rated for somewhere between 200 and 250ftlbs...

knifeman85

what does the torque for that mean? can a car with like 400lb/ft torque at the wheels run something like that? is the torque rating take at the flywheel...i'm lost...

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\'67 coupe, wimbelton white. 331 stroker backed by a T5 and 4.56;1 9\" detroit locker. not sure the horsepower or torque but i know it\'s fun, when it\'s running.

deleted3

In a word, "no". These are flywheel torque #'s which is what the tranny experiences. The Mazda spec tranny was designed for the lower torque V6 trucks.

BuiltFordTough

So, if it was designed for a 1.5 ton truck... and could only take 250 lb-ft, shouldnt you also take into consideration that the truck weighs about 3 tons?

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When In doubt.. Floor it and scream!

deleted3

Maybe I'm wrong here, but they didn't come in heavy duty F250/350 trucks. They came in V6 powered F150's. They weigh no where near 3 tons... I'm not saying they were bad tranny's, just not for heavy duty use.

zonkola

The M5R2 came in F150s and F250s with 302 V8s from '88-'96. Some also came packaged with 300 ci six cylinder engines.

There was also a M5R1 transmission that was a lighter duty model that I think only came with sixes and fours...

zonkola

I don't know that anyone cares about this transmission--heck, I don't think I do anymore either--but in case it helps anyone here's what I found by poking around the web and asking some questions at http://www.ford-trucks.com...

The M5R2 transmission seems to have two main problems:

1) They leak from some badly-designed rear seals--that can be replaced with better ones--causing the transmision to become extremely distraught when the lubricant drains out

2) Most guys who use them say they just don't shift very well, and that it's a very unsatisfying transmission for those of us who enjoy rowing through the gears

So, no M5R2 for me. That leaves me with a choice between a T5 modified for a forward-mounted shifter, or a Tremec 3550 set up for the same.

[ This Message was edited by: zonkola on 3/21/03 4:40am ]

deleted3

Contact www.moderndriveline.com. They custom built a T5Z with the midshift mounted tailshaft for my comet. Bruce does fantastic work and really stands behind his product.

zonkola

Thanks FXComet!

Duffy Floyd

Very old post I know but......the M5R2 tranny also came in the Thunderbird Super Coupe (89-95 3.8 L Supercharged engines) and certainly had a higher torque rating than what has been quoted here....heck the Super Coupes had 315 ft/lbs of torque stock (or more in the 94-95) the the tranny had to be able to handle it. The SC version was similar to the truck versions but had the shifter mounted at the rear of the tailshaft housing using internal shifter rods to couple to the shifter forks.

JoshS26

I have a '95 F-150 with the 4.9L I-6 engine. I believe what these other good folks are talking about when it comes to torque ratings is that these bigger sixes and the small eights produce more torque than the tranny can handle over extended periods of time. I called a guy about rebuilding the tranny and from what he and my college instructor (I'm in an auto program at the college here) said, a common problem is that the engines will tend to warp the transmission case over time due to the fact that it's made out of alluminum and can't handle excessive torque. I don't know why they would design a tranny out of aluminum other than to reduce sprung weight and increase fuel efficiency. In any case, you'd have to find a shop with a very specific machine that heats up the case so that they can re form it and then rebuild your tranny. I'm currently looking into seeing what a new one costs. Anyone know of any good replacements that will work in my pickup? My instructor tells me it takes as few as sixty or eighty thousand miles to produce this problem in the tranny.

bmcd66250

Are you aware of how many trannys have aluminum cases?

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70 Maverick Grabber, 5.0 (Performer RPM 2.02/1.6 heads, RPM intake, Comp XE266HR roller cam, Holley 650 DP, long headers), "Z" T5 w/Steeda TriAx shifter, 9" "N" case Trac Loc w/3.89:1, 31 spline axles.