thealleyboy Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Hey Guys: Cracked the case on the 5 speed on my 97 2.2 4dr L sedan, and am having a b*tch of a time finding a 4/95-6/98 of any kind. No luck whatsoever locating an exact replacement (TY752VA5AA). Getting lots of conflicting info about which 5 speeds will work, and this is from people I trust. The manufacture dates I listed above are from a Subaru dealer mechanic, who says I should stick to these models only. My question is if there are any other 5 speeds that can be made to work with this car with a reasonable amount of modification. Appreciate any feedback... John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Pretty much any Impreza or Legacy except Outback or GT. Keep with the Base and L models and you're sure to find one. 95 - 99 L model Legacy MT will have the 3.9 final drive ratio you need. For more check the chart here for transmission codes that will work. You have the 5 speed push style clutch. http://www.northursalia.com/techdocs/trannychart/trannychart.html You can even go all the way back to 1990 Legacy if you need to. Only difference is the neutral and reverse light switches need to be swapped and the speed sensor, but the transmission is the same otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 Thanks for the reply!! I wonder why I was getting so many different answers on interchangebility...is it really just a matter of matching up to the correct dif? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 There are some differences in internal gear ratios as you can see in the chart, but the only one that really matters is the diff. Other than that there are some differences in the shift linkage, but thats all external of the transmission. The part that attaches to the shift selector rod on the transmission is easily removable with the trans out of the car. There may be differences in the speed sensors between years, but they all mount in the same place, and are easily interchangeable. Differential output stubs, and the rear driveshaft output are the same. There were some changes made when they switched from cable clutch to hydraulic, but I'm pretty sure the only thing that needs to be changed to make one work on the other is the release lever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 Again, appreciate the info. Still kinda new to the modern era cars, but glad that Fugi hasen't thrown too many wrinkles into the equation!! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted April 9, 2012 Author Share Posted April 9, 2012 Using Fairtax's chart, I was able to find a 5 speed that might work. That particular version was used in Legacy's and Impreza 1.8's, and seems to be fairly common. The gear specs are: (1) 3.545 (2) 2.111 (3) 1.448 (4) 1.088 (5) 0.780 The original 5 speed for my 2.2 Impreza is: (1) 3.545 (2) 1.947 (3) 1.366 (4) 0.972 (5) 0.780 How will these differences affect the Impreza's performance {in practical terms}? Will it lag in the middle gears, or will it be that noticible? I liked the feel of the "correct" tranny, and would be dissapointed if the replacement turned my Impreza into a dog John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 (edited) Only real critical issue is the differential ratio: 3.900 or 4.111; they have to match with the rear diff. Check the TY number in the usmb repair manual against Impreza and Legacy models from '90 (for the legacy) up to '98 for both models. Also, must be a cable clutch (I think for your Impreza) and note whether it's a "pull" clutch or "push" clutch. If I understand it correctly all cable clutches are pull versions and push clutches are hydraulic. If you can't match the rear end ratio, pull the correct rear from the donor car to insure a match with the front diff. On another note, cable to hydraulic or vice versa can be changed, but that's another question you only need to get an answer for if you are stuck with it. Edited April 9, 2012 by edrach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Using Fairtax's chart, I was able to find a 5 speed that might work. That particular version was used in Legacy's and Impreza 1.8's, and seems to be fairly common. The gear specs are: (1) 3.545 (2) 2.111 (3) 1.448 (4) 1.088 (5) 0.780 The original 5 speed for my 2.2 Impreza is: (1) 3.545 (2) 1.947 (3) 1.366 (4) 0.972 (5) 0.780 How will these differences affect the Impreza's performance {in practical terms}? Will it lag in the middle gears, or will it be that noticible? I liked the feel of the "correct" tranny, and would be dissapointed if the replacement turned my Impreza into a dog John 2nd 3rd and 4th are "tighter" so you shift sooner (i.e. at lower speeds). 5th is the same so you'll be at the same rpm for highway cruising. Taller inner gears will result in slightly less pickup but I doubt you'll notice it. More important to you is to match the front and rear differential....Much more important than matching the inner gear ratios. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 (edited) There are some differences in internal gear ratios as you can see in the chart, but the only one that really matters is the diff. Other than that there are some differences in the shift linkage, but thats all external of the transmission. The part that attaches to the shift selector rod on the transmission is easily removable with the trans out of the car. There may be differences in the speed sensors between years, but they all mount in the same place, and are easily interchangeable. Differential output stubs, and the rear driveshaft output are the same. There were some changes made when they switched from cable clutch to hydraulic, but I'm pretty sure the only thing that needs to be changed to make one work on the other is the release lever. The release lever needs to change along with the position of the pivot ball; the hole for the other postion is in the casting, but might need to be tapped to thread in properly. I currently have a JDM transmission for a '95 WRX currently in my '97 US version Impreza that was converted over from hydraulic to cable. Close ratio gearbox along with a 4.111 ratio. Over the life of my '97 Imp I'm on my 4th gearbox. Not that the gearboxes are that unreliable, but rallycross events take a toll on 1st and 2nd gear and ALL my replacements were junkyard pulls with greater than 120K miles on them when I pulled them. The last one was a JDM box with only 47K on it and it's still going strong after 75K since I installed it. My Impreza currently is at 230K. Edited April 9, 2012 by edrach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted April 9, 2012 Author Share Posted April 9, 2012 Great stuff Ed!! The replacement I'm looking at has the same 3.9 ratio, so I won't need need to swap out the diff. I guess the only issue would be external mods to the shifter/linkages. When you talk about the modifications to your 97, are you referring to an "upgrade" to a better (wrx) trans? Mine is the cable type clutch and I'm looking to keep it simple. thanks, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Great stuff Ed!! The replacement I'm looking at has the same 3.9 ratio, so I won't need need to swap out the diff. I guess the only issue would be external mods to the shifter/linkages. When you talk about the modifications to your 97, are you referring to an "upgrade" to a better (wrx) trans? Mine is the cable type clutch and I'm looking to keep it simple. thanks, John The JDM gearbox in my Imp is definitely and upgrade: a close ratio box with a 4.111 diff; more importantly from a WRX which hopefully means it can handle more horsepower (not that my Imp motor is modified for more HP). I was looking for the first two items and the stronger box might mean more reliability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted April 10, 2012 Author Share Posted April 10, 2012 OK: I have got the 97 Legacy L 5 speed lined up, and I am trying to figure out what other parts I'll need to make this work in my 97 Impreza 2.2. I'm planning to swap any sensors as suggested above - no problem there Will the shifter and linkages from the Impreza work as is, or will that have to be re-worked for the new trans? I don't have the replacement in my possesion yet, but it's already been been pulled and sitting on a rack at the JY. I'm guessing that the donor (Legacy) shifter and linkages are not included in the deal, so I may have to improvise if the shift assembly is different between the two cars. Does any one know how close the 97 Impreza and 97 Legacy shift assembly is? Am I going to have to find a Legacy-specific shifter to make it functional in the Impreza? Sorry if these questions seem redundant...Sube parts and donor cars are not so common where I live (ohio) thanks!! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I think that the linkages and such are interchangeable between the Imp and Lego (most years). But worst case for you, use the linkage from your Imp and move it to the Lego transmission when you do the swap. I've done four swaps and the only one that presented any difficulty(that I remember) was the JDM swap since we had to convert from the hydraulic to cable clutch mechanism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 You'll just have to remove the Roll pins that hold this dohickey on. Yours may not look exactly like that but they are all held on the transmission the same way by those two shiny pins. Remove the bolt to separate the linkage and work on those spring pins once the trans it out of the car. Soak it down good with PB/ Kroil/ whatever your favorite penetrating oil is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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