problems with 2010 pk ford ranger

I had a Mazda BT50 2010 model which is almost identical to the PKRanger. I have done a few things to it but do not experience any of the problems Matthew G3 speaks of.
Mine has done 75,000 kms. Is regularly serviced by a 4 WD place and not dealers. It has towed a 1900 kg Kimberley Karavan for at least 50,000 kms
I have replaced the clutch with a solid one and ditched the dual mass one it was fitted with.
The front wheel drive now has a switch that can disengage the front diff and so enable L 2WD to be used for reversing. Both diffs have extended breathers to inhibit water ingress.
There is a 125 litre Longranger fuel tank in place of the original along with a Safari snorkel. A dual battery system is also fitted. A 10 l air tank is fed by an ARB compressor mounted inside.
Basically, I am very happy with my BT50 and am about to set off on another long trip dragging the Karavan.

Many manufactures run ATF in the box. I had a Nissan that left the factory with ATF in the gearbox and gear oil in the transfer case.

You could run either according to the manual, I ended up going with gear oil as it was one less bottle to buy.

But those mechanical and automotive design engineers, what would they know?

" it's a bit concerning if they run auto fluid in a manual transmission"

------------------------------------------------

Why? Both boxes are full of steel gears. I agree with Hoyks, ATF has been used in many manual boxes and so has engine oil.

All you have to do with any car is use whatever oil and grease the manufacturer specifies and it will work. The time to try something different is when you know more than the engineers who designed it.

i have been doing some research and they run a full synthetic gear oil 70-75 viscosity so it's closer to auto fluid than gear oil.
hoyks i have just sold a nissan and would not go near one again they are rubbish

671 actually auto and manual transmissions are very different automatic transmissions are part hydraulic pump part gear box that's why they run auto fluid it's much lighter and can get pumped around easier
I have not stated in any of my comments that I know more then mechanical engineers
I said it was concerning in that the servicing cost will be higher as the oil will need changing more often
Having worked for almost 20 years in very remote areas around trucks heavy earthmoving equipment and vehicles fixing and servicing them all I have seen what happens to oil in high temperature heavy load conditions
I asked a simple question and if you don't have a constructive comment to make don't comment

The Mazda manual gearboxes (and the Ranger is basically a Mazda - it's called badge engineering) are like most Japanese 4WD manual gearboxes - finicky, highly stressed, and prone to expensive problems.

They are tightly engineered with very close tolerances and lightweight bearings, and especially needle roller bearings - particularly the needle roller where the clutch shaft fits into the mainshaft.

Many of these gearboxes require special oils, specifically designed to improve lubrication to these heavily-loaded bearings and to improve gear shifting ability.
In addition, these gearboxes run very hot under high speed and heavy towing applications, because the amount of oil they hold is barely minimal - and therefore the oil should be changed in them frequently.

Many owners think they should never have to change gearbox oil, thinking from the days of old Holdens and Falcons when a gearbox fill was for life.

However, Jap manual gearboxes behind diesels, need to be treated with care - regular oil changes (which also enables you to see internal damage appearing, by examining the oil drained) - no heavy towing in 5th (overdrive) - and limiting engine power increases by chipping or turbocharging to no more than 10 or 15%.

Regular oil changes also solve the problem of oil quantity reduction caused by slow leaks, which can seriously damage gearboxes.

One BIL backed his '99 Hilux (about 200,000kms) out of his garage and his reverse idler gear popped straight out of the side of the gearbox!
It turned out the gearbox had a slow leak, he hadn't been checking it - and it ran the reverse idler gear bearing dry - which promptly seized - and this broke a chunk out of the gearbox housing, and spat the idler gear out the side!

It was nothing that $2500 didn't fix, as he ruefully related to me later.

Cheers, Ron.

I asked a simple question and if you don't have a constructive comment to make don't comment
----------------------------

You started by saying it is bit concerning without explaining why. You give people the wrong idea when you do things like that.

Yes I do know how auto transmissions work. Apart from TAFE lessons, I have completed a couple of General Motors training courses on them.

Ron n you should see some of the oil that comes out of troop carriers that work underground and that if they have any oil left in them

Swampfox sounds like you have had some drama
Sounds like ford behave like nissan promise the world until you sign on the dotted line then when you have a genuine problem talk to you like your a retard and deny everything
My old man had a navara that had leaking injectors from day one to the point you could not see are car behind you at the traffic lights at night the sump would be 1-1.5 litres over full at each service
The only way we got them to put new injecters in was sit out the front of the showroom on an open day with about 100 people in there and rev it it until the showroom was filled with diesel smoke
Funny how helpful they were after that