420a trans

[HPfreak]

ok ive been reading through the forums and i heard people are taking the 5 speed neon transmissions and bolting them onto their 420a eclipse, now my question is, is there any difference in the transmissions, and what are the benefits. thanks

 

[GUY]

Hmmmm, I always thought they both shared the smae transmission. They share the same motor. Anyways I have previoulsy owned 2 neons and I know they have fairly strong transmissions, atleast stronger than a turbo DSM's tranny. Thats not just me sayin that though, I have heard this from other people aswell as seeing many articles about the strnegth of them at turbododge.com

 

[Rax2]

The 420a DSM NV-T350:
Gear Ratios
1st 3.54
2nd 2.13
3rd 1.36
4th 1.03
5th 0.81
Final Drive 3.94

The Neon NV-T350:
1st 3.50
2nd 1.95
3rd 1.36
4th 0.97
5th 0.72
Final Drive 3.55

Since the Neon is geared lower, it will have a greater top end in exhange for less low end torque.. Being a boosted FWD, you probably aren't too concerned about low end torque anyway, (nothing but more wheelspin) so it's a good upgrade.. As far as the longevity of each go, they're both fairly solid if the right fluid is used..

 

[rs-t eclipse]

thanks for the info i didn't know that.

 

[the_red_pooch]

Hey! I've been trying to get this answer for a few weeks now in another thread ... Not to hijack, just a quick question. I have a 99 Eclipse RS, will the tranny from my 96 Plymouth Neon 2.0 SOHC fit in the Eclipse?

 

[Rax2]

If it's running a 420a block, yes.. The bellhousings are slightly different, but doable..

 

[the_red_pooch]

How can I check to be certain its running a 420A block? You say the bellhousings are a little different, how different? Enough to cause a few complications? Thanks!

 

[the_red_pooch]

Has anyone done this swap? I'm curious as to how possible it is to do because my tranny is going downhill, fast!

 

[Rax2]

Wow, seems to be a lot of interest in this subject..

The difference is that the main bell housing on the 3.55 tranny is equipped with a cable actuated clutch release fork.. You can either swap the bellhousing with your current T350 housing, or swap to a cable clutch setup.. Other than that the trannies are identical..

Before you run out looking for a SOHC neon to steal the tranny out of, note that ALL 1st gen neons came with cable actuated clutches.. So that means that the 3.55 you're looking at in the junkyard may actually be a 3.94.. Don't worry though.. I got the hookup on that as well.. ;-)

http://www.neons.org/forumdodge/trans.htm

You'll notice that the 01-04 neons come with a hydraulic clutch.. I'm thinking these will require no modification at all, but don't quote me on that.. The newer years also gain 30ft/lbs on the torque rating.. I'm not sure why, but that's another plus if you can get one cheap..

Since the trannies are the same, your clutch, shafts, mounts, and hydrualic system can be retained *if you don't switch to cable*....

 

[the_red_pooch]

AHHH! Thanks much! The neon I'm looking to tear apart is my own, I bought it for a winter vehicle to beat around in, only spent $600 on it and its a 96 so I didn't think it was too bad of a deal. So I just take the bellhousing off and replace it with the one that I'm currently using and thats it?! Just bolts right in? This may be done very soon if so. Is the torque rating the same on the tranny thats in my car right now? Just out of curiousity. Thanks very much for the info though!

 

[Rax2]

If your 96 neon is a SOHC, it will be the 3.55... Any other model for that year will be a 3.94.. They have the same torque ratings for all models until post Feb 2000.. All you have to do is exhange the bell housings and you're set.. Good luck with the swap..