May 9, 200718 yr Are there any automatic transmissions, FWD Subaru style or otherwise that would bolt up to an EA81 without fabrication? It would be cool to have an automatic Subaru that was reliable. OK I admit it, I just like the tall chrome shifter.
May 9, 200718 yr The 3AT is offered in both 4WD and FWD. It would bolt right up... but reliable? probably not.
May 9, 200718 yr Author The 3AT is offered in both 4WD and FWD. It would bolt right up... but reliable? probably not. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Automatic transmission from a manufacturer with expierience in making a proper automatic transmission, ie not Subaru. Like a good old Ford C6 or something
May 9, 200718 yr Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Automatic transmission from a manufacturer with expierience in making a proper automatic transmission, ie not Subaru. Like a good old Ford C6 or something I dont think there is a good reliable AT tranny out there anymore...The C6 was an amazing tranny....nothing is made like it used to be..shame too...Its bad when you see one of your friends have to have the tranny replaced in his 06 Leg GT wagon ...after less then 20K miles
May 9, 200718 yr I HIGHLY doubt it... your best bet would *possibly* be to try and source a RWD nissan trans, and make a custom adapter plate; sort of like the plate you would need to use if you were swapping an EJ into an EA car, but keeping the EA driveline... Anything FWD would be impossible, unless it were from another FWD car with the engine mounted like a RWD car... If you are going to fab up costom adapter plates and some sort of crossmember and driveshaft, you could probably find a way to use ANY RWD automatic trans.. but as for bolt-on or nearly so, i cant imagine that you have any options. Thats just my thoughts on the matter, though; I could CERTAINLY be wrong.. Come to think of it, you may have major input shaft and torque converter difficulties, as well; using just any old RWD auto might be more difficult that I have set forth here. If you are ruling out the Subaru EA 3AT, then you have probably ruled out an automatic transmission, period. In my book, thats the way it SHOULD be. You wanna trade transmissions? I have a 3AT in mine that runs great, just needs a governor gear
May 9, 200718 yr 2wd XT6s and some of the 4cyl XTs used a 4EAT, that would bolt right up. Also 2wd legacies have a 4EAT but you'd need an adapter plate.(Available here on the board from a few places) I personally think the 4EAT is a great, smooth, dependable trans. Espescially the early legacy ones. But this would require installing the TCU unit and doing that in an old cared car you'd be minus the TPS to control it. It does have a failsafe mode, so it would still be fuctional to some degree without any electronics at all. I've driven with one completely unplugged.
May 9, 200718 yr SOME loyale bodies came with a 4EAT, BUT in i think 88 they widened the transmission tunnel of the GL/loyale body specifically to take the 4EAT.. my 87 GL-10, and I would imagine also the ea81 cars, would need significant work with a BFH or maybe even cutting torch to have space to take that other automatic trans... I want to clarify something. I said "nissan transmission" earlier simply because I know that nissan used hitachi gearboxes, as well as hitachi differentials.. and I know that subaru used hitachi differentials.. SO I figured that there stood a good chance that a nissan trans *just* might be a simpler swap than many others... it was TOTALLY conjecture on my part.
May 10, 200718 yr 2wd XT6s and some of the 4cyl XTs used a 4EAT, that would bolt right up. Also 2wd legacies have a 4EAT but you'd need an adapter plate.(Available here on the board from a few places) Unfortunately, the adapter plate allows EJ engine to EA trans, not the other way around. This is because an EA trans' bell housing is half inch shorter than the the EJ, so you're making up the half inch with the half inch plate... Using the adapter plate the other way around would leave a gap.
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