I am once again looking for a transmission at the wrecking yards for my Subby. What year/models are compatible with my '90 Legacy 4eat? I've read that a problem with the transmission was fixed in '97, would a post '97 transmission work?

the auto trans changed a good bit in 1998. they have a screw on filter on the side. i wouldn't gamble on that unless someone tells you they will work for sure.

 

not sure about these "problems" that were fixed after 1997 though. i've never heard of serious issues with the 4EAT's. they are quite reliable for automatic transmissions. i'd look for a good unit, install an aftermarket transmission cooler and make sure all your tires match. with those things in place i would be surprised if you had any problems with it. heat kills transmissions, on a 1990 vehicle it is likely the radiator, water pump or some other component of the cooling system failed in the last 17 years. that would cause the coolant to run hot and the ATF to run hot...not good for transmissions. that's also 17 years of possible tire mismatching as well...all of these are likely causes of AWD transmission failure. the ATF cooler ($30) and matching tires should keep you runnning fine.

 

i have some 4EAT's from 1991 XT6, they may be compatible with the legacy 4EAT's? i don't know. not sure where you are either, shipping might be counterproductive.

I'm in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Shipping would be costly and I am pretty sure the transmissions are not interchangeable.

 

I am looking for a transmission as my TCU is throwing the error codes for the Duty B and C. I had one about 15 minutes from being dropped at the wreckers, but couldn't get the tower nut off the end of the halfaxle. I came back the next day with the appropriate socket and they had crushed the car about an hour before that!

the najor changes to the auto tranny happened in 2000/2001. a 97 tranny should work, but beware of the final drive ratio. You should get the rear diff from the same car you get the tranny from, to avoid problems. The other big gotcha is that perhaps the wiring changed slightly over the years. This would be in the form of wires not going to the same pins on the plugs as they did in previous years. I recomend getting the wiring diagrams for both auto transmissions to compare the pinouts. Those are the biggest concerns you will face.

4EAT's aren't really that bad. Just the SVX ones suck because of their crappy gearing. If anything, I'd go with an MT swap. But..that's me.