Hey everyone, new member to the site, but I have a lot of experience on my 2000 f150 2WD. Did a bunch of work as kind of a hobby in my spare time, fixed every issue it had cheaply. Truck has paid for itself.

Now I need to make it more fun to drive, so I can put another 50000 miles on it.
Over the next 6 weeks I am looking to find parts and swap a 4.6 manual transmission into this truck.
I will put effort into the forum post updates from start to completion if this is something positive for the forum.
Also, let me know if Im way off with this:

Parts that I need to find: If you have anything, message me or post, im located in RI.

• 99-03 4.6 m/t from a rwd truck + new output and input seals + engine rms
• Driveshaft has to be from an identical manual truck or just the same wheelbase? (reg cab long bed)
• Clutch assembly/flywheel/pilot bearing/fork
• New slave cylinder/ clutch master cylinder and hoses.
• Shift linkage and ****
• Cut a hole in the floor
• Put a tachometer on the dash from the auto ecu directly or send it without one
• Manual pedal box
• Hydraulic clutch lines and reservoir
• Wiring:
  • Neutral. Which pins on the ecu, and where is the best place to wire in a switch. on the trans wiring or to the ecu directly? This will let me start the engine and I don't know without a schematic.
  • Reverse. Which pins on the auto trans harness go to the ecu for reverse lights. Any ideas for working reverse lights?

Will the engine be fine with the auto computer? My argument is that I can rev it in neutral and park, so it will be fine if I just trick the ecu into thinking its in park/neutral via a switch.

 

Welcome to the forum!

You might be better off finding a donor truck so you have everything you need in one place.

The wiring is where you're going to run into issues. I believe you will need the PCM/harness from the manual truck for everything to work like it should but I could be wrong. I'll have to let someone else chime in on that.

The rear end in your truck should work but I believe all M5OD trucks came with 3.55 gears.

Some 4.6's have a 6 bolt crank and some have 8 bolt cranks so make sure you check before sourcing a flywheel.

Because your truck is a 2000 and is equipped with PATS your gauge cluster is tied to the PCM. In order to swap it out you will need to have the PCM and new cluster reprogrammed to work together. The cluster will also need to be from a 99 or newer truck.

The clutch is hydraulic and uses a separate fluid reservoir.

I would add a new slave cylinder to your parts list, they are prone to failure. I've owned two manual F150's now and have had the slave fail on both of them.

Also the M5OD is limited to 3000 lbs when towing, it wasn't really designed to be used in a full size V8 truck.

 

Thanks for the advise, Erik, a parts truck is my most likely course of action. What are my options for a parts truck, and transmission options, because If i find an identical parts truck to mine with a manual, i can just swap everything over. I have a REG cab and LONG 8' bed.

The m50d is the tranny from the 6 cyl 4.2 litre am i right? if i'm going to be using it for hauling, ill have to put in a tranny cooler and tranny temp guage setup so the temp stays low

I dont necessarily need to swap out the guage cluster, because I can just judge engine rpm by ear or get an aftermarket Tachometer and put it in the dash, correct?

Which wiring do I need to modify/ use resistors/ splice together so the motor will start, even if there is no tranny in the car at all?

Once it runs with no trans attached, all i have to do is the mechanical stuff getting the manual trns/ ds/ clutch to work, correct? Ill worry about the brake lights and crap later, because my state gives 0 fox about inspections.

 

A M5OD from a 4.2, 4.9, or 5.0 will not work due to different bellhousing bolt patterns. It must be from a 2WD 4.6.

No, you can't put a cooler or gauge on a manual transmission. There's no pump in the thing, it's strictly immersion and splash lubed. You should NOT tow or haul more than about 3000# with a M5OD no matter what you do to it. The weak point is the input shaft and bearing, not much you can do about that.

 

Thanks for the input, glc.
I initially planned on needing an exact 4.6 m/t and a m/t driveshaft from an identical truck, thanks for helping me avoid the uncertainty.
The truck is 100% not going to be for towing because it doesn't have a solid hitch that i'd trust with a car on it, only the bumper hitch.
I'm solely going to put the M/T in it and drive it and haul less than 1000lbs in the bed periodically for short distances.

Idk why i even said that about the cooler, i must be a little green around the gills this morning.

Most older manual trans ive worked with have 0 wiring, is that the case with the m50d?
Is any identical body style (manual 4.6) truck from 97-03 a direct-swap doner vehicle?

 

I could find out at a dealer possibly. Is there any way to find this out before I pull the tranny off.
If i buy a parts truck, i'd like it to be matching as well.

 

The M5OD has no wiring except for the backup lights. However, your 4R70W does, and when you disconnect it, the PCM is going to have issues. The only wiring that you don't have that you need is for the clutch pedal safety switch, it has to be floored to start. I don't know exactly how it senses it, but if you touch the clutch pedal the cruise control disengages.

97-03 is a direct swap mechanically, 99 or newer preferred.

There are 2 styles of 4.6 - a Romeo and a Windsor. Look at the 8th character in the VIN, a W is a Romeo and a 6 is a Windsor. Romeo valve covers have 11 bolts, Windsors have 13. Romeos have 6 bolt flywheels, Windsors have 8.

I personally would buy a new flywheel and full clutch kit (pressure plate, disk, slave cylinder/throwout bearing) instead of using used parts, also change the rear main seal and pilot bearing while you have the tranny out.

 

Here is the part for the clutch pedal switch -

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo....354586&jsn=526

I replaced the switch on my 99 because the plastic deteriorated and it fell apart. I zip tied it together so I could drive the truck but as glc noted, I was unable to use cruise control until I replaced the switch.

Here is the factory clutch kit, only $130 -

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo....sn=451&jsn=451

 

That's not a complete kit. You would also need a slave cylinder/throwout bearing and a pilot bearing. As I said I recommend a new flywheel and rear main seal. Of course, you are going to need a master cylinder and associated plumbing.

Why do I recommend a new flywheel? I had a clutch job done on mine several years ago and the shop only sanded the flywheel - well, the clutch chattered from day 1. I lived with it for a while then took it to Ford and had it done right.

 

I actually do not have factory cruise control, nor do i plan on wiring a legitimate clutch safety switch.
I want to retain the auto PCM at all costs, because its exponentialy easier and cheaper imo. Correct me if i'm wrong.
I plan on using a switch that just convinces the engine that it is in neutral and park respectively.
So neutral will be for driving, park will be for removing the keys and making sure there isnt any power draw.
Wiring info would be awesome. I assume ill be exending wires on the trans harness and wiring a switch between the correct ones to achieve this. Any input?

 

Awesome info! Thanks for sharing, glc. Now when i buy parts, i can be certain its the right crank for my clutch kit. And i can know that the potential parts truck is a match without even looking at the thing up close!

 

The automatic PCM controls the auto trans through a multi lead harness and operates solenoids within.
The PCM monitors all the leads full time.
The automatic selector switch tells the PCM what shift position you put the shifter in.
.
The trans Park and Neutral part of the switch has 'no' input to the PCM in Neutral or Park.
The PCM has no need to know this.
Its only to control the starter circuit so the motor cannot be started in any gear.
.
Keeping the auto PCM will result in a bunch of codes and a CEL light on full time because all these leads are open circuit. If it matters to you.
You will also experience a high idle issue when coming to a stop with the clutch in because the signaling is different on a manual trans setup.
Save your self a lot of hassle by using all the Manual parts including the PCM from the donner truck. That's why they are different.
Good luck.

 

Bluegrass, thank you for your input. This is exactly the information i was looking for.
So... the key to doing this swap successfully on a budget with the least hassle is having a donor vehicle that shares an identical body style to mine. (2000 4.6 donor vehicle with manual trans, and matching # of crank bolts (either romeo or windsor) Then i will have 95% of the parts besides the new parts i might find, just will have to do the actual task swapping everything the truck needs.
The search for a parts truck continues.....

 

Romeo/Windsor doesn't matter if you buy a new flywheel as I have suggested. NEW flywheels are only about 60 bucks.

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/f...,flywheel,5348

Any year donor 99 or newer that has coil packs and plug wires should be fine - the PCM will have to be flashed for your VIN and PATS anyway.