Designed and built by Mazda for use in the 2002 – 2003 Ford Explorer and 2002 – 2003 Mercury Mountaineer, the M5R4 / M5OD-R4 transmission is a 5-speed manual gearbox that was only paired with the Ford 4.0L SOHC V6 engine. It was considerably different than the previous M5R1 transmission, and featured a number of really unique design elements. So let’s take a closer look at the M5R4 / M5OD-R4.
What Transmission Do I Have?
M5R4 / M5OD-R4 Transmission Applications
| Model |
|---|
| Ford Explorer |
| Mercury Mountaineer |
M5R4 / M5OD-R4 Transmission Technical Specifications
The M5R4 / M5OD-R4 transmission starts out with pretty standard stuff like an aluminum case, a detachable bell housing and helical cut gears. But the internal design of this Ford 5 speed manual transmission is more akin to a transaxle than it is to a RWD transmission.
The reason for this is because Mazda chose to mount the gears onto the input shaft starting with 5th gear, followed by reverse, 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Typically gears are mounted front to back. i.e. 4>3>2>1.
Ultimately, not too many copies of the M5R4 transmission were produced. Ford decided to drop it from the options sheet after only a year, simply because a significant majority of Explorer and Mountaineer buyers preferred an automatic transmission.
What Transmission Do I Have?
M5R4 / M5OD-R4 Gear Ratio
1st = 3.38
2nd = 2.06
3rd = 1.30
4th = 1.00
5th = 0.79
R = 3.70
