I had posted about my 91 Leg LS automatic dying on the commute last week. Shop says the tranny died. They want $1600 to replace it, or $500 in labor if I supply the new one.

 

The car only has 122K mi and I've already replaced a slew of stuff so I'm reluctant to junk it for now.

 

Instead, I'd love to swap it out with a manual transmission. I've got a friend who would do it for me for cheap. Now, does anyone have a manual transmission that will fit into a 91 Legacy LS wagon 2.2 liter? Any guesses what shippping would cost on something like that?

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Brian

Tucson, AZ

Just talked to a salvage yard in the area. they quoted me $400 for a used manual 5-spd tranny but said it'd be near $2k for all the equipment to swap from auto to a manual (pedals, wiring harness, computer, cross-member, changing axels is a possibility - they said.)

 

Does 2K sound right for a tranny swap? If so, I don't think the car may be worth that much.

 

Another option would be to find a used automatic tranny ($400 also?) and have the shop install that for $500 = $900, a little better.

 

Brian

i'd install an auto or find a manual trans vehicle that's wrecked/rusted to swap parts with. you could probably find a manual trans vehicle for 500 that would have all the parts you need. swapping is annoying, i've pulled all the parts for it before. the pedal cluster swap is no fun, the shifter is different, the driveshafts are usually different, the clutch linkage, the rear diff is probably a different gear ratio and needs changed out. i'd buy a manual trans vehicle before trying the swap myself.

 

if your friend is willing to do the manual trans work, why can't he swap the auto trans in for you? swapping an auto trans is much easier than converting auto to manual. have you checked around on that $500 install price, that could come down a little.

post in the marketplace for the trans you want (auto or manual swap) - be sure to include FWD or AWD and Turbo/Non Turbo.

 

thanks, the advice sounds good. i bet my friend would install the new auto trans for me. and thinking of all the changes that would have to be made, i probably would hold off on the swap. i didn't realize that was such a big job.

these guys have two of what you need (AWD auto non-turbo) for $325, maybe you can talk them down and into shipping from colorado.

 

1866 356 3924

 

might be good to see if any other 4EAT trans will bolt in, plug and play. i think yours is a tough one to find, but some newer more popular 4EAT's might be easier to find, i just don't know if they will plug into your harness.

Thanks, yeah, they would come down on shipping some. The trans has 170k miles on it but maybe that's not as important as the engine miles.

If you want to do the swap, I'd suggest finding a cheap first gen legacy to swap all the stuff over from. It'll be much cheaper to buy the whole car then to get all the parts piece-meal.

I've decided not to do the swap - too much time and money right now. I am interested in replacing the broken auto trans with a used working auto transmission.

 

The shop that looked at it just said, "it's broke." I asked specifically what is wrong with it and they just said that trans fluid is coming right out of the transmission. They admitted that it may be a broken seal or a broken pump, but said they'd have to take the whole transmission out and get it on a bench and look at it. I didn't see what was wrong with that if you're going to pull the whole thing out to replace it anyway. I'd rather take it out and find out that I can replace a part on the inside rather than replace the whole thing. Especially since the only working transmission I've been able to find is in Colorado and would cost $400 to buy and ship.

 

Brian

The shop should be able to put the car up on a lift and determine where it's leaking. I think that would give you a pretty good idea whether it's a seal or something seriously wrong with the transmission.

Hey Brian -

 

Sorry I didn't get on here a lot sooner. Busy busy you know.. I was wondering if you've come to a conclusion what you are planning to do with that. Or if you've done something already? Do you want me to see what kind of transmission I can source around town for you? I know the EJ series stuff is a little newer but I did an auto-manual swap on an ea82 for ~$500.. You just have to know how to talk to those Junkyard guys..

 

Also.. if we could figure out a way to get your car onto my concrete over here I could get in there and see exactly why it's leaking.

Let me know!

-Eli-