Since the Ranger boys don't have a good tech site like LS1tech, I came here in search of tech wisdom. I have a 2000 Ford Ranger 3.0L V6 with a 5 speed transmission 2wd. I was driving down the highway yesterday and went to downshift out of 5th and the trans locked in gear. The clutch would engage/disengage fine, but the shifter wouldn't move. I pulled over, pulled the shift lever off and puller the shifter out. I used a screwdriver to pop it back loose. I reinstalled everything and it's shifted fine the two times I've driven it. I had removed the transmission when I got the truck to change the oil pan gasket (don't ask). Naturally, I drained the fluid. I went back with some Valvoline Max Life. It says it is formulated for Mercon and Mercon V specifications. However, the owner's manual from the truck says that Mercon and Mercon V are not interchangeable. The fluid looks just as thin as the stuff that came out of it.

Any thoughts?

 

I beleive you can go up with the different types of Mercon and be ok, but you can't go down. For example if your tranny calls fore Mercon I you can use Mercon IV, but you can't do the opposite.

 

Mercon III is recomended.

 

I have a suggestion if it's a 5spd manual... Shift fork "dogs" or sliders, whatever they call 'em. That, or a bent shift fork can cause a locked shifter. I'm not really familiar with the trans in that, but I think this is a probable issue.

 

I missed this because I don't log in here much anymore, due to a certain member, with no life, steadily ridin' my ******* with the "Ford guy" BS (I couldn't break it to him that I usually drive a Chevy) and it got old.
The first thing I would say is RPS has a large member base (for reference; they have over 48,000 [here, we have over 101,000 for four sites combined) and many good tech articles and all the information one could ever need to know about the Ford Ranger. If you can't find it by browsing, do a search. If you can't find it by searching post up and someone will usually answer.
If your five speed has hung in gear, it is likely that there is a problem with the shift fork. It could be bent, or (most likely) the dogs could be worn out. It could be a bent rod, but that is not likely.
I haven't been in the transmission repair business for years, so I can't say any more about the fluid than the next guy.
I can tell you friction modifiers are not all the same from one fluid to the next, so it is possible that a newer fluid, with a different modifier, can cause a problem with the synchronizers' papers.
I've seen this damage countless times.
Don't forget, when it comes to tranny fluid, newer usually means thinner. That isn't always good. The GL rating is very important and thinner fluids often have a lower GL number.

 

What is a dog? I'm not familiar with that term. I've dealt with winch dogs on the the industrial winches we install at work, but never a transmission dog. It could very easily be worn out. This truck was a delivery truck. It was pulled behind big utility trucks to deliver them and then the delivery guy would drive the Ranger back home. As such, it shows high mileage and was not well-taken care of, but the non-drivetrain parts show very little wear. However, the trans and rear have a true 160k miles on them so something could easily be worn inside the trans. Could you explain the dogs? I am familiar with basic trans and gear design, just not that word.

Thanks

 

No problem. Basically, it's a bushing. It's called a shift fork dog, for reasons unknown to me.
They're plastic (I don't know what particular plastic, but it's not too wimpy).
And they're on both "ends" of each shift fork. They are the part that contacts the slider.
The way they are installed is nothing more than pushing them onto the shift fork and they just snap into position.
The problem is, when they wear out, they can fall off. And even if they don't fall off, the fork can twist out of position and get hung.
I'm still a bit concerned about the fliud, though. If the paper wear/falls out, it can allow the synchros to become askew. If the blocking rings and synchros aren't straight, that can cause it to hang in gear too.
I'd be thinkin' about pullin' that tranny and doin' a quick rebuild (bearings, dogs, synchros and shims) to tighten it back up and go with the MerconIII to be safe. It might take a day of you life and $200 of your money. But, that beats the hell outta findin' out, with no warning, that it's time to fix it. It's pretty much warning you now.
An overhaul cost much more than a rebuild.