Tranny Swap

[Karma]

My last tranny hit the bricks this fall so I just bought a 1990 Galant VR4 tranny. It has a 22 spline transfer case so no problems there, my question is; will I have to change the shifter base, and shifter cables to make this work? Or will it go into every gear.
I have a 1990 awd

 

[toybreaker]

The galant vr4 was only imported into the us for the 91 and 92 model years.

They did make the vr4 in 1990, but it was for the jdm and other markets, not the us.

The transmissions installed in the jdm cars often has a different final drive ratio than the us versions. If installed in a usdm vehicle, the different ratio in the transmission versus the rear axle will bind up the driveline/break something important.

Please pull the transmission number off the bellhousing. It's located on a flat spot, on the upper part of the case. (The donor vehicles vin is usually found there as well.)

It'll be a number like W5M33-2-NQBK, (91-april 92 production.), or W5M33-2-NBQM (may 92 till the end of 92 model year)

I can dig up the specs, if you can give me that number.

You can use the usdm vr4 tranny, (above numbers), as it's final drive is also 3.545, but I think the gear ratio's are shorter in the transmission itself, so you'll turn more rpm out on the highway.

(^^somebody please correct this if it's incorrect^^) I researched this last year, and it's the best info I could find.

Untill you've positively identified it by part number, and matched it for final drive ratio's, I'd be very carefull about buying/using it.

People swap trannies and rear ends around all the time in these cars, and you've got to be really carefull with matching trannies to pumpkins.

By the way, that transmission may be worth more to a vr4 owner than you paid for it.
There's a lot less vr4's running around, and the parts for those cars are rarer, and more expensive. The total production for the us version vr4, (91 and 92 model years) was around 3009 cars.

As far as the shifter goes just compare the length of the linkage levers, and if they're different, you'll have to change the shifter, and the cable brackets on the tranny to match.

The good news is that the cable brackets and shifter ratio for the usdm vr4 tranny are the same as the later 1g T/E/L usdm cars, so you can score them from a local boneyard.

Good luck, and shoot us that number

 

[Karma]

Its a JDM tranny. And I don't understand how the final drive's can bind your rear end. Im a heavy duty mechanic so I know my rear ends. Essentially its just a crown and pinion in the rear end, and no matter what the gear ratio is in the tranny, it will only effect the speed your traveling, but only slightly. The rear end doesn't care how fast the driveshaft is spinnig. As with the transfer case its a 1:1 90 turn. Filled with bearings and an oil seal. And the tranny is already in the mail.

Although I totally see where your coming from with the final drive and rear end ratio clahes. Ill do some reading.
Ill get the vin numbers to you when I get it aswell.
Thanks alot for your help, hard to find someone who know's what they're talking about.

Sorry for the crappy grammer, im a mechanic, not a journalist

 

[Karma]

Alright, I finally clued into why the final drive on the tranny matters. AWD much?
Needless to say I feel pretty dumb.

Ill grab that number asap

 

[toybreaker]

No worries ,

I didn't make that distinction very clearly in my post. So, you shouldn't feel bad about not getting what I was saying, because I didn't say it well.

( I couldn't spell diffawrenshul, err, diffarenshal, ummm diff, p ) and the spell checker didn't even know what I was trying to say so "diff" got culled from the sentance.)

It is a conflict between the front and rear diff drive ratios that might be a problem

If you can get us the numbers off the bellhousing, we can decode it, and see what ratio is installed, and go from there