Automatic Transmission Swap

[ekneeland]

I have a 96 Esteem. My automatic transmission has died and am looking for a used tranny...

All of the used parts places are telling me that I can only use a transmission from a 95 to 98, but everything that I am reading on various sites on the internet is that I have the AW60-40LE (AF13) 4 speed automatic transmission which was in all Esteems (95-02) regardless of whether it was a 1.6L or 1.8L.

I also have seen this transmission listed for the 02-03 Aerio with the 2.0L.

Are they all interchangeable??

I have read that the 1.6L and the 1.8L have the same bolt pattern, I am just wondering if anything else might be different.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

[jim_naisium]

I would go by what the parts places are telling you, someone somewhere already went through all the research to verify what is compatible with what. I'm not sure what the differences are but the two obvious ones are going to be electrical connectors and flywheel diameter.

From year to year the electrical connectors can change with advances in (or giving up on) technology to the point where a tranny will physically bolt up like it is supposed to but when you go to plug things in none of the connectors are compatible with each other.

The 1.6 and 1.8 engines are probably going to have different sized flywheels due to the differences in the weight of the crankshafts (1.8's is going to have slightly longer throw arms and heavier counter-balances) this is going to mean that in the tranny the torque converter's bolt holes are going to be further out and further apart than the tranny for a 1.6.

Beefier tranny casing castings for the added horse power/torque of the 1.8 might be an issue where a 1.6 thinner casted tranny would break with the torque of a 1.8 engine.

There may have also been a change in the computer code of the engine computer to where after the 1998 model year it could no longer talk to the transmission computer unless it was also a 95 to 98.

Just some suggestions, but again I would go by what they are telling you.

[ekneeland]

Thanks! I knew deep down that there had to be something that would be different!