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The ZF5 comparison thread

27K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  86turbodsl 
#1 ·
So I have a dead E4OD in my truck and have been planning on swapping to ZF5 for some time. Now that my hand is forced, it's moving forward.

I bought a ZF S5-42 from a junkyard over ebay for $350. It's an 88 model, and has the typical cracked / broken case. I figured i'd weld the case up, but it's too far gone.

So I got a S5-47 front case over at pirate. Figured I'd detail some of the differences in cases here for anyone caught in my position who has to mix/match cases in future.

The extension housing had a big crack around the upper 3/4 of the output shaft / flange. We welded it up at work, my buddy did a great job.

The two individual gear stacks fit the case fine. Need to reset preload, but there's no significant length changes from 42 to 47.

The shift selector shaft is different from 42 to 47. The pocket depths have changed from 42 to 47, this will require either cutting down the 42 shaft or getting a 47 shaft.

There's some ribbing changes from the 42 to the 47. The case around the shift tower moved up on the 47, which should increase the torque capability some.

The input shaft retainer is different on the two cases. The 42 has a press in retainer from the inside, the 47 is a 3-bolt affair. Lengths appear same.

The gearsets are different from 42 to 47, different ratios. Allegedly, the 42 has a nicer ratio set for towing. We'll see.

Drain plugs are different 42 to 47.

(I'll put the photos up as soon as I can get them downloaded.)

Anyone want to contribute more photos and measurements to complete this thread?
 
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#2 ·
Ok, since I can't edit my post, I'll add some photos here.

Side by side, they look almost identical, but there's some subtle differences

the S5-47 insides

The S5-42 insides


The Cases are ribbed a bit different:
47 here, softer radiuses keeps stress less localized

While the 42 has some sharper areas

Shifter rail towers


Shifter areas - 47 has different detent mounts

The 42 has pipe plugs, the 47 has cup plugs

The 42 case with the selector rail bottomed.

The 47 case with the 42 selector rail bottomed. About a 1/4-1/2 inch shallower

The 42 front retainer is pressed in from the inside, difficult to change seals.

The 47 has a bolt in front bearing retainer, allowing easy seal changes.

The extension housing had cracks, one of my buddies welded up the cracks and tried to reinforce it.



If anyone has more photos of the different 47 parts, add them and let's make this a good resource for guys to save a couple of bucks.

I can post photos of the gears once I start the rebuild.
 
#4 ·
great info I'm sure I;ll be in the market for another one at some point:doh:
were there only 2 differant diesel zf5's, or are there more?
 
#5 ·
Only two that I'm aware of. Two gearsets, both close ratio, but different:



S5-42 4x4, ZF


ZF S5-42 – 5 speed manual transmission has an aluminum alloy main gear case and tail housing with the bell housing integral to the case.

The ZF S5-42 is built in both a 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive version with gas and diesel designs

ZF first introduced the S5-42 in 1987 and was used in the Ford F250, F350, F450 and Super Duty trucks until 1994.

All gears on the S5-42 are fully synchronized with an input torque rating of 420 ft-lb

Standard gear ratios on the ZF S5-42:
Close Ratio
1st Gear: 4.14
2nd Gear: 2.37
3rd Gear: 1.42
4th Gear: 1.00
5th Gear: 0.77
Rev Gear: 3.79

Wide Ratio
1st Gear: 5.72
2nd Gear: 2.94
3rd Gear: 1.61
4th Gear: 1.00
5th Gear: 0.76
Rev Gear: 5.24
The ZF S5-42 main case cast number is “1307”
S5-47 4x4, ZF


ZF S5-47 – 5 speed manual transmission has an aluminum alloy main gear case and tail housing with the bell housing integral to the case.

The ZF S5-47 is built in both a 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive version with gas and diesel designs

ZF introduced the S5-47 in 1995 and was used in the Ford F250, F350, F450 and Super Duty trucks.

All gears on the S5-47 are fully synchronized with an input torque rating of 470 ft-lb

Standard gear ratios on the ZF S5-47:
Close Ratio - 7.3L Diesel
1st Gear: 5.08
2nd Gear: 2.60
3rd Gear: 1.53
4th Gear: 1.00
5th Gear: 0.77
Rev Gear: 4.66

Wide Ratio
1st Gear: 5.72
2nd Gear: 2.94
3rd Gear: 1.61
4th Gear: 1.00
5th Gear: 0.76
Rev Gear: 5.24
The ZF S5-47 main case cast number is “1317”​
 
#13 ·
Only two that I'm aware of. Two gearsets, both close ratio, but different:



S5-42 4x4, ZF


ZF S5-42 – 5 speed manual transmission has an aluminum alloy main gear case and tail housing with the bell housing integral to the case.

The ZF S5-42 is built in both a 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive version with gas and diesel designs

ZF first introduced the S5-42 in 1987 and was used in the Ford F250, F350, F450 and Super Duty trucks until 1994.

All gears on the S5-42 are fully synchronized with an input torque rating of 420 ft-lb

Standard gear ratios on the ZF S5-42:
Close Ratio
1st Gear: 4.14
2nd Gear: 2.37
3rd Gear: 1.42
4th Gear: 1.00
5th Gear: 0.77
Rev Gear: 3.79

Wide Ratio
1st Gear: 5.72
2nd Gear: 2.94
3rd Gear: 1.61
4th Gear: 1.00
5th Gear: 0.76
Rev Gear: 5.24
The ZF S5-42 main case cast number is “1307”

S5-47 4x4, ZF


ZF S5-47 – 5 speed manual transmission has an aluminum alloy main gear case and tail housing with the bell housing integral to the case.

The ZF S5-47 is built in both a 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive version with gas and diesel designs

ZF introduced the S5-47 in 1995 and was used in the Ford F250, F350, F450 and Super Duty trucks.

All gears on the S5-47 are fully synchronized with an input torque rating of 470 ft-lb

Standard gear ratios on the ZF S5-47:
Close Ratio - 7.3L Diesel
1st Gear: 5.08
2nd Gear: 2.60
3rd Gear: 1.53
4th Gear: 1.00
5th Gear: 0.77
Rev Gear: 4.66

Wide Ratio
1st Gear: 5.72
2nd Gear: 2.94
3rd Gear: 1.61
4th Gear: 1.00
5th Gear: 0.76
Rev Gear: 5.24
The ZF S5-47 main case cast number is “1317”
So isn’t the zf5s-47 the small block Ford variant ?
 
#8 ·
Yes, you can, but you might need to re-shim the gear stacks. That part is quite expensive. Do you have both parts still that you can get them welded back together?

That brings up another point. I think the ZF5 design is weak in that area. Even light aluminum and magnesium transfer cases seem to stress it. I think a large brace from tranny to transfer would be helpful in all but the mildest of applications. I'm working on a NP205 / ZF5 swap, I'll have to add my design to the site when I'm done.
 
#11 ·
If you have both parts and it's not deformed to where the parts don't fit together well, you can take it to a very good welder and get it put back together. It's almost certainly broken behind the shaft mounting point, so it shouldn't affect the end clearance. Every ZF5 I have bought has been cracked on the tailhousing due to transfer case stresses. I always get them welded up. You can see that in my photos above.

Welding usually results in the welded area being stronger than original material.
 
#12 ·
Digging up an old thread here. Does anyone know how long a 2wd ZF5 is? I would like to know the overall length from bellhousing mounting surface to the center of the u-joint cup mount.
 
#19 ·
New to the forum and ford trucks, but I have a 96 f350 7.3 4x4 cclb with a zf5 47 that cracked and I need a new transmission asap. The only tranny I can find within a few hours of me is a 42. Can I put that in my truck until I can find a 47 or is that not an option
 
#20 ·
Welcome to PSN... Old post to dig up. Short answer is yes the diesel ZF5 42 will bolt to the back in place of the 47. I have done it myself. Used a 42 out of a 86 F250 with the 6.9.

Cj
 
#22 ·
Um... I don't think the pilot bearing is different.. If there is a bushing then I would replace the bushing with an actual ball bearing. As long as you keep the shift tower your good to go. There are internal differences between the 2, but external it was unbolt the 47 and bolt the 42 on.

Cj
 
#25 ·
You can mix and match case parts, but you will need to be real careful about shift rod lengths. You will have to make some changes to that. the pocketing for those parts on the case is different
 
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