April 3, 201411 yr Can I put a 97 forester transmission in a 98 forester? They both are auto transmission and AWD. Sorry if it is a dumb question I'm not very knowledgeable on cars. I bought a 98 forester and I need to replace the transmission.
April 3, 201411 yr The answer is probably yes. They should both be Phase 1 transmissions of those years. Is it automatic or manual?
April 3, 201411 yr Make sure the gearing is the same, otherwise swap the diff original to the donor trans. The forester may have a lower gear, search the charts. otherwise it will swap and plug in the same as do 2.2's and 2'5's between 95-98 legacy, 95-98 impreza, and 98 forester, give or take an egr valve.
April 3, 201411 yr i got your PM - in the future post a link to a thread i can post in. Can I put a 97 forester transmission in a 98 forester? They both are auto transmission and AWD. Sorry if it is a dumb question I'm not very knowledgeable on cars. I bought a 98 forester and I need to replace the transmission. First year of the Forester is 1998, so by "1997" do you mean a 1997 Legacy or a foreign market transmission? 1998 forester is 4.44 final drive ratio. The transmissions you can use in a 1998 Forester: 1998 Forester 1996-1999 Outback 1996-1999 Legacy LSi, Legacy GT, and Legacy SUS 1998 Impreza RS search on www.car-part.com Subaru transmissions are robust and therefore it's easy to find a cheap transmission at a yard that's in excellent condition. it's done all the time. There are likely others. If you're wanting the cheapest possible option or to expand your search options you can expand that, with a little extra work swapping the rear differential as well, to include almost any vehicle from 1995-1998. Edited April 3, 201411 yr by grossgary
April 3, 201411 yr Economic feasibility is a current favorite of mine. Transmission price + labor to install plus buying price should not be more than the current low owner pricing on the market in your area. If the total drifts up to dealer lot asking price you are over your head financially. If you plan to cut the labor by doing it yourself, include the costs of tools and equipment you have to buy if you can't borrow them. That would include four tall jackstands, not the little ones most have, because the bellhousing won't fit under a car easily and certainly not on the transmission jack you will definitely need. If it's an automatic you must be extremely careful and not depress the pan so much the pan magnet crushes the solenoid they deliberately placed it under. Also check carefully that the front CV shaft seals can be pulled out directly, unscrewing the differential preload plates to get to them is chancy. If you have someone else do it, those are all checkpoints to cover to see if they are knowledgeable enough to prevent damaging things and making it worse. There is also the assumed diagnosis of "it needs a transmission." BTW - the Forester's first year of production was 97 in Japan only, 98 for the US. Was this transmission imported? They can be found in local salvage yards for $500, I recently finished putting one in my 99. Comparing the TZ numbers is important to ensure you get compatible features. Edited April 3, 201411 yr by tirod
April 3, 201411 yr They can be found in local salvage yards for $500 your 99 may be a special beast - 99 is a transition year with Forester and Impreza going to Phase II engines, Legacy and Outbacks having phase II blocks but Phase I heads, and i think they all get Phase II transmissions....so often 99's i think are listed as "single year" transmissions...prices go up and selection is limited. that being said...i wonder if 99 Outback and Legacy transmissions should be avoided? same engines as the 98 forester electronically so i think it should be fine. otherwise $500 is high end for 98 and earlier non-turbo 4 cylinder automatics. i've gotten those range EJ transmissions for $150 before off of www.car-part.com i would be aiming for like $250 in my area, but some areas like the PNW and Colorado command a premium too.
April 4, 201411 yr Author The answer is probably yes. They should both be Phase 1 transmissions of those years. Is it automatic or manual? They are both automatic transmissions.
April 4, 201411 yr Author Make sure the gearing is the same, otherwise swap the diff original to the donor trans. The forester may have a lower gear, search the charts. otherwise it will swap and plug in the same as do 2.2's and 2'5's between 95-98 legacy, 95-98 impreza, and 98 forester, give or take an egr valve. How do I find these said charts?
April 4, 201411 yr Author i got your PM - in the future post a link to a thread i can post in. First year of the Forester is 1998, so by "1997" do you mean a 1997 Legacy or a foreign market transmission? 1998 forester is 4.44 final drive ratio. The transmissions you can use in a 1998 Forester: 1998 Forester 1996-1999 Outback 1996-1999 Legacy LSi, Legacy GT, and Legacy SUS 1998 Impreza RS search on www.car-part.com Subaru transmissions are robust and therefore it's easy to find a cheap transmission at a yard that's in excellent condition. it's done all the time. There are likely others. If you're wanting the cheapest possible option or to expand your search options you can expand that, with a little extra work swapping the rear differential as well, to include almost any vehicle from 1995-1998. I'm not sure it must be forgein market because the owner of the salvage yard told me it was a 1997 forester.
April 4, 201411 yr A build date of 6/97 or later would make it a 98 model year. junk yard officials should know this
April 4, 201411 yr bstep, back up and tell us what you own, 99 forester? and what is wrong. you are much more likely to get a good solution that way, than if you ask specific questions without any background info. plus, look for used parts here, www.car-part.com sort by zip code.
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