I hope i'm not going to start a flame war with this becuase I understand that transmission choice is a little like a religous choice.

I've always whorshipped at the manual altar. I've always felt that manual transmissions are simpler and less likely to break down than autos. Plus being a car/truck control freak, I always enjoyed the additional control that the stick and clutch provided. Now I'm thinking about a new F150 ( ) and that cannot yet be purchased with a stick.

I've looked at this group and there are posts regarding problems with both. And I recall that my '83 F150 had a crunchy 1-2 shift as does my '95 F250 (2-3, when cold.) So I wonder if I'm really giving anything up regarding reliability and durability if I settle for an auto.

My usage is driving on the road and occasional light off road. I don't have a trailer, but occasionally pull a friend's 18" boat. I also once pulled a rack of canoes. (Wow! Hundreds of miles with the pedal to the metal and no worries about 'driving awards.')

Of course my views are tainted because my son borrowed a car when his '01 Ranger developed a serious fluid leak and had to be repaired. (leaking modulator? IIRC) And the last time I rode with him, we're going down the street and he shifts to neutral, turns the engine off, restarts the engine and shifts back to drive.

"What's that all about?"
"Trans warning light."
"Huh?"
"If I stop and restart the engine, it goes away."



But anyway... Am I justified in avoiding the auto for reliability reasons or am I about as likely to have problems with a manual?

thanks
hank

 

I'm like you in that I prefer a manual transmission. I like my F150 but the M5OD leaves alot to be desired. I believe that I can achieve better fuel economy with the manual. I also think that once I get past first gear I can do a better job of controlling the power onset.

There are weak points of the M5OD. The syncro issue comes up frequently. Yes, we have a fully syncronized transmission but the syncros are too slow. They don't mesh all that well. Maybe if Ford offers another manual transmission in the F150 it will have syncros that do a better job. The clutch isn't the strongest either. I would guess it could last a long time, if it never has to tow, and also if the engine is left at stock power levels. I've never towed with my truck but I have modified the engine. The increase in torque caused the clutch to wear quickly. Well not so much wear, but the pressure plate wasn't strong enough allowing the disk to slip.

So, my F150 in a manual. For work I drive an E250. I'm driving an '03 right now. I believe it has the 4R70W. It shifts ok for a non performance vehicle. I get frusterated sometimes because it feels like a dog, and doesn't shift the way I think it should, but then I guess I'm a bit spoiled by my F150. Before the '03 we had a '99 E250. I believe that had the E4OD. That thing was sloppy. It was always searching for a gear. I wouldn't shift untill too late on hills. It slipped too much. Driving that van really made me hate automatics. I think the '03 is giving me a more accurate representation of what an automatic should feel like.

Based on what I've seen here, I would say it's a tie between the manual and the auto. I think longevity depends mostly on proper maintianance and driving habits. Either way you go, you probably won't have something that you are completely satisfied with, but will have something that will do what you want it to do.

So there you have it, my $.02

Good luck!

 

Hank,

It looks like it will be a while before a stick is added to the new model F-150. If I had to I would opt for the 5.4 and install a shift kit to firm up the shifts. It will extend the life of the tranny by reducing the slipping during shifts. A better tranny cooler would also be on the list. On the way home from the dealer I would be on the cell phone with Mike Troyer discussing a chip or a tuner for the truck too. This summer I will be replacing or rebuilding the tranny and I will be adding a Center Force clutch. You see I am biased.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

 

I have had absolutely zero trouble with my manual.. I read post of people complaining about the syncro's & I wonder if people treat them more like sports car's instead of trucks

I pull around 3000lbs for 2 years now & it seams to do fine.. I hope that my manual is better then some people seam to indicate here on this forum..

 

Something funny; The 2000 Ranger 4x2 manual tranny 4.0L Supercab has a maximum trailer weight of 3400 lbs. The 1998 F-150 manual Supercab 4.6L has a max trailer weight of 3300 lbs. The 4.6 auto has a max of 7000 lbs. Goes to show you something is wrong with the Manual tranny.

JMC

 

I'm pretty sure they will not offer the manual in the F-150 anymore, I seem to remember reading that somewhere.

G

 

wich is very hard for me to belive..

 

Here is my OPINION on the issue. Ford wants to save money. They own part of Mazda so they have them build a tranny.
Mazda makes the tranny for the B2000 and Ranger. They beefed up the little Ranger tranny and stuck it on the F-150.
ZF makes the Superduty tranny. They put it in the 250s and up. The ZF costs more and the profits from this tranny don't get back to Ford via Mazda so they kept Mazda. The M5OD may well be suited to light duty towing but it can not take the stress of big loads like the ZF tranny. I don't think the ZF would even fit. The other weak link is the clutch. I have been in situations off road where the engine would not stall and the rear wheels would not turn. Result; the clutch slipped. If the clutch would have been stronger the engine would have boged or stalled. It is a lot easier to restart an engine or down shift to a lower gear than to replace a clutch. There is not a large market for manual trannies so that is probably why Ford is dropping the manual. Too many headaches with reliability and fuel economy fora manual. Why do you think the Lightning doesn't have a manual? There would be Mazda parts all over the road.

JMC

 

Hey all,
Haven't I seen in the description of the next-generation ('05?) Lightning that it will have a 6-speed? I'm almost positive it did. I remember thinking, finally! It almost has to, seeing that the new Dodge SRT-10 gets one out of the Viper. Anyway, I just thought I'd throw that out. Maybe Ford is planning on putting a manual in the new style non-Lightning trucks at some point?? Hope so. 'Til then I'll hang onto my '98 2WD Lariat SuperCab 4.6 5-speed (the last of the manual Lariats). Later!

 

My automatic with a FTVB is as quick as a 5-speed. For daily a daily driven truck, I would only stick with the auto.

 

For a full sized truck I like the Auto.

Car and driver was raving about the SRT-10 and its 500 hp,and manual tranny , But still only ran a 14.2 in the Quarter. I rather have the 380 hp lightning and be a half of a second faster and not have to shift.

But it mostly depends on what you prefer..