They're actually really tough. If you look into it you'll find theres a whole pile of guys over in Aussie land that run them behind small V8's in Holdens and such. I haven't had any issues out of mine so far...running 7 or so pounds of boost on an 8v with 39's. The only minor issue I have is dealing with it being a vacuum modulated trans in conjunction with a boosted motor. It will not shift under boost...so you have to have it in the right gear before you hit an obstacle. I've seen slight mentions of people building a manual valve body for them, but haven't seen any HOW TO's yet. I'd love to track down a trans mechanic that has worked on postal vans and might have a little more hands on knowledge that he could share.

If I need wheelspeed I typically put the tcase in hi range and put the trans in 1st and go to town. Typically this requires holding the brakes to build a little boost and then lettin her rip...

 

They're actually really tough. If you look into it you'll find theres a whole pile of guys over in Aussie land that run them behind small V8's in Holdens and such. I haven't had any issues out of mine so far...running 7 or so pounds of boost on an 8v with 39's. The only minor issue I have is dealing with it being a vacuum modulated trans in conjunction with a boosted motor. It will not shift under boost...so you have to have it in the right gear before you hit an obstacle. I've seen slight mentions of people building a manual valve body for them, but haven't seen any HOW TO's yet. I'd love to track down a trans mechanic that has worked on postal vans and might have a little more hands on knowledge that he could share.


If I need wheelspeed I typically put the tcase in hi range and put the trans in 1st and go to town. Typically this requires holding the brakes to build a little boost and then lettin her rip...

Good to know. From the stuff I have read the aussie trans has stronger factory internals. If shifted manually will the trans shift under boost? I have stock t-case gears and 5.29s, 37s. Not sure if it will pull hills in 4H or not. I have a stand alone ecm so i can always program in some antilag . Hear it is horrible on the turbo though.

 

with stock tcase gears you'll be fine in 4lo then. i have 6.5's and 5.29s so im a little on the low side with the auto.

no, the trans will not shift if done manually with the shifter. the modulator is what allows it to shift...if it doesnt see vacuum it will not allow the shift. I've been reading up on this and the other idea ive seen is possibly pulling the modulator and somehow setting it up so that it is always in the "full vacuum" position so that when you shift it manually with the shifter it will shift. This was going to be a curiosity project of mine, but i haven't come across a trans in the pull a part to try it out on.

 

Transco makes a shift kit. Transtar my supplier has them . I have a 4speed auto in my sami running 5psi and it shifts under boost all the time. I have duel cases and 6.5 in rear 5.29 r&p

 

The 4 speed is a completely different animal. It's electronically controlled unless you have one of the full hydraulic variants. I had thought about going this route but for the price i am picking this trans and swap parts up for i couldn't pass it up. $200 for everything.
clemsonjeep, are you running the 4x4 or 2wd version? I am curious about the intermediate shaft lenth/angle. The rest will be fabricated (again...)

 

You're right about the 4spd. Although if I'd given the turbo any thought prior to the trans swap I might have gone that way. Then again I got a smoking deal on my setup too.

Mine is the 4wd version. Liked the idea of the slightly longer intermediate shaft.

 

I also like the idea of a longer intermediate shaft but for what i have into it and my current platform i have a bit of flexibility to make changes. My decision to go the 3 spd route is that i had already seen the aussie stuff even though its somewhat more durable. i had also seen the gearing advantage (auto vs. manual diff ratio). If it gives me issues it will get an AW4 (or variant) and dana 300. Honestly i feel like the weak point will be the transfer case. I am surprised the 5 spd is still in one piece considering it gets beat like it owes me money. not to mention more than double power of factory suzuki 1.3 at this point. thanks for the help folks. much appreciated :beer:

 

How are you guys keeping the trans cool, especially in crawling situations?

Starting my turbo 16v 4spd auto swap this weekend. Pretty excited about it honestly

A little concerned about being over geared. 39.5 iroks, 529's and 6.5's. Considering going back to 410's.

Rich

 

I'm gonna want to see that

 

I never ran boost with it but i know they take lots of abuse. Never lift n to drive to reverse to drive. Yank on the shifter with it bouncing of rev limiter hole time. Never missed a beat. I had a couple not shift when cold, guessing sticky valves in valve body till warm. I ran small trans cooler along with factory radiator cooling. My tracker is 5speed with dual tcase but will prolly swap to 3spd once i put lower gears in sami case.

 

I'm running a Derale cooler fan combo I bought on amazon for pretty cheap. I've never gotten a solid answer on appropriate temps for this trans but mine seems to like to run at 180 or so at crawling speeds. If I don't turn the fan on it'll creep up to 200+ when it's getting beaten on.

 

Running one in my buggy for the last 4-5 years now. Pushing it hard behind a 1.6 16V. It moves the 37" sticky BFG's just fine. I did have mine rebuilt by a local guy that is very familiar with them as he does a lot of the postal vans. He was able to machine something down inside and add clutches to make it a 5 clutch pack instead of the normal 3. Holds solid. I run full synthetic amsoil ATF in mine and run it about 1 to 1 1/2 quarts over full. NO issues to date, does fine at extreme climbs and side angles without issue. I did extend my breather vent into the engine bay with a catch can on it.

I run a stock torque converter as the custom ones are high dollar. No real issues with that. Would be nice to get a custom one dialed in so I can have a better launch, but not for the money involved.

Temps like to be in the 160-180 range on these. Depending on fluid type, your safe up into the low 200's. Run synthetic atf if you can.

Wire the torque converter lock up solonoid to a switch if you plan on street driving it, otherwise remove it and plug the hole. Those solonoids like to leak out of the plug end holes and well, just like to leak.


Notes that I was given on these. The vacuum modulator is very important on these in regards to holding fluid pressure. I guess bad vac modulators or incorrectly working ones will let this trans burn itself up in short order. There are 3 types of "striped" ones. Green, black and purple I think. I don't really know the differences however. I just went with an adjustable one and let my trans guy adjust it with his pressure gauges hooked up.

Run it manually. Meaning shift it into 1st, then second etc, instead of just plopping it into D and driving. Guess the 1st gear setting uses 1st and 3rd bands and is stronger, but just in D uses the 3rd gear band only or something like that. I have it written down somewhere.

I do plan on a low boost turbo in the near future, and I don't have any worries this trans will take it. I believe you will be OK with your decision.

David

 

You guys inspire confidence :mr-t:, catzuk, is yours 2wd or 4wd trans?

 

i'd kill for a manual valve body in a 3l30

maybe do an electric shifter for a 4l30e?

 

Mine is the 2wd. I made a custom short intermediate shaft and stock samurai t-case with the 6.5 gears, rockrat's spine with additional supports I added to custom t-case arms.

 

picked it up yesterday morning and put it straight in the parts washer
here it is bolted up. looks like my intermediate is gonna be two yokes welded together :homer:also chopped my entire tunnel to freshen things up and make acces easier. tunnel will be removable.

 

another question, how critical is the TV cable in an offroad rig? I will hook it up if need be but the cable is too short to get to the throttle body, came from a 1.6 8v.

 

TV cable is required - it increases line pressure at WOT.

No need to run it up to the throttle body - I've set up a couple to the firewall so the last bit of throttle pedal travel pulls the TV cable. Works well.

 

I want some one to go back to a manual and sell me there bolt in auto and tuned setup ☺

 

I just finally got my buggy going with the 8v 1.6l and 3 speed auto. I took it for a drive and it was good in 1st and 2nd but when it his 3rd it fell on it's face. Literally NO acceleration available. I am sure I will do 5.29 gears and a turbo in the future. But right now with 36" tires it is a 45mph rig only. Also, mine does have a slight vibration from the intermediate shaft. It is almost a u-joint on u-joint...maybe a few inches of tube. It is almost perfectly straight and it still has issues. I hope yours goes well!

 

not extremely satisfied but no other options. on a side note... the output shaft of this thing has quite a bit of slop. is this normal or am i gonna be tearing it down before i even get to use it?

 

I made a stubby intermediate shaft as well. same basic yolk to yolk similar to what you did. Mine has 5 years and lots of high speed and road miles on it and its vibration free. My flanges and yolks were in real good shape and used the higher dollar oem style ujoints in mine.

Since my motor was from a manual trans kick, I had to go to u pull it yard and find a double pulley part to attach to the throttle body so my tv cable can be hooked up. Length wasn't any issue. Its just getting it adjusted correctly so it functions properly that takes some time.

I also used the stock kick shifter. I also filed down the reverse gate so I can hit reverse quickly when needed. And it has its fair share of times used. I simply made a little box to cover it.

 

I also need that double pully for the throttle body, i re-routed the cable up over the shift cable on the trans so it is plenty long now. i may still fab a bracket on the gas pedal for the TV. The tail shaft on mine has some slop in it, is this normal? is the shaft supported by the slip yoke on the intermediate?

 

txzuki1988 run the biggest cooler you can find a place to mount it.

 

i picked up a 11x7x3/4 cooler and bought a fan just for it. gonna mount it passenger side dash(if you wanna call it that). need to re-tune microsquirt for the increased load at idle. hope this 170K mile trans can handle 10psi and a heavy right foot . finished fabbing the trans mount last night. still need to do TV cable and second half of my tunnel. will post some more pics of progress later

 

I'm running a trans cooler with a dedicated fan attached to it, full synthetic ATF and stock new(well, new when I rebuilt the trans. Not the same Original stock) torque converter. No heat issues even in 100 degree days. As for gearing, I'm on 37" BFG's and 3spd trans, samurai t-case with 6.5 gear set in it and 5:38's in my axles.

Torque converters wear out. Not very expensive to replace them. They wear out, fluid gets super heated quickly, then shortly after that, kills transmission either from failed fluid, temps or debris from falling apart TQ. Don't be a cheap ass and leave the stock one with 130,000+ miles on it and expect it to last. (just a general statement to all those thinking of this kind of swap).

As for the slop, The splines on the transmission should be fairly tight and not move much at all. If you able to move things around with the intermediate shaft in there, then its the splines in the slip that are worn. You still should be OK, but may seep some fluid out of the seal every now and then. Just have to keep an eye out for a less mileage track/kick to get another slip yolk out of. You'll notice most stockers are sloppy after 80K miles.

 

Good deal...looking forward to what you figure out in regards to the boost and the vacuum modulator. I've considered several different options, but still haven't come up with anything that seems to make sense to keep the trans shifting correctly when under boost.

Maybe I'm not remembering how it works correctly, but I swear that the last time I had mine out when I'd manually shift it from 1st to 2nd while under boost that it still wouldn't shift...until I let out of the pedal momentarily.

 

from what i have read, i saw a post where a guy installed a T fitting at the trans. boost would blow through the fitting (check valve) and when under vacuum the check valve would close. might try it. gonna see what mine does when hooked up and go from there. The torque converter in mine was replaced right before i took ownership of the trans so i should be golf=den there. I still have the stock tracker driveshaft he gave me which looks mint compared to my sami intermediate shaft, at least on the slip yoke.

 

I tried a check valve from the VW Passat that I pulled my turbo from. I installed it inline with the line from the intake to the trans and at first I thought it was good to go, but when under boost...same deal...wouldn't shift. Maybe the valve wasn't operating exactly right.

I'd also thought of T-ing into the line and putting the check valve on the line coming off the T so that it would close under vac and open under boost. I'd think you'd also need a valve in the line going to the trans to make sure the boost is dumping out of the T line.

Might try that this weekend...sure would be nice to get it working properly.

 

I think we are on the same page there, dump the boost so the trans doesn't see it.

 

since this thread is about the 3sp auto, have any of you guys put one behind a 2.0/2.3L?? I have a 2.3L that currently has a 5sp manual/6.5tc out of a sami and want to switch to the 3sp/kicker3/6.5tc combo I have sitting on the floor. Tydes is running a stock rebuilt auto in his sami but went with a higher rpm converter, said it wasn't too expensive.

I currently have trail toughs kit to put the 5sp manual sami trans behind the 2.3L; maybe the adapter will work and I just need to get an 3sp auto flexplate machined to the 2.3L crank pattern and switch to 1.6L starter from auto equipped vehicle?

 

I currently have trail toughs kit to put the 5sp manual sami trans behind the 2.3L; maybe the adapter will work and I just need to get an 3sp auto flexplate machined to the 2.3L crank pattern and switch to 1.6L starter from auto equipped vehicle?

I don't think you would need the adapter at all with the auto. My tracker 5spd bolted straight to my 2 liter. I had to have the flywheel machined but the trans bolted straight to the motor...there is no real reason the auto wouldn't be the same. Once the flexplate would bolt up everything else should work without issue.

 

got a little done tonight, nothing spectacular. gonna have to modify the original shifter hole to make the tracker shift base plate fit. I may inset the rear some so the shifter is angled more toward me. I can reach it harnessed in but it's a stretch. I was gonna put it in the center tunnel but that would leave no room to mount my switches. not a huge fan of the stock shifter really but it was free with the trans. after i get the tunnels finished and bolted in gotta mount the cooler and fab the TV cable bracket and that should about do it. can't wait to get this thing back out!

 

I had read somewhere that someone was changing their vacuum modulator and the pin had fell out without their knowing, and the Trans had pretty much acted like it had a manual VB.....I've yet to try this on my diesel Sami project but if someone wanted to experiment......

 

I've yet to try this on my diesel Sami project but if someone wanted to experiment......

Is that a turbo diesel? If so...how does it handle shifting under boost?

 

Are you using the stock orifice off the donor engine? The stock orifice has a tiny pinhole in it, too much vacuum will cause it to not shift or not shift correctly.

Also make sure the flexplate is straight and not warped.

Last but not least the handle of the stock shifter can be curved to suit your taste as long as you don't get too carried away, it is just a straight piece of thin tube with a small rod that runs down through it. I think I used a conduit bender on mine.

 

Are you using the stock orifice off the donor engine? The stock orifice has a tiny pinhole in it, too much vacuum will cause it to not shift or not shift correctly.

That may be a good piece of information right there. Do you have pictures of this orifice...any measurements? Might need to swing by pull a part this afternoon and see if the tracker they have still has it installed.

I'm assuming it's in the port on the intake manifold?

 

I also came across some information that I saved when doing my swap. I know I'd asked Myron about it as well and he confirmed this was correct...

The modulator (vacuum controlled ) is responsible for downshift on light throttle application. When the manifold pressure drops below the threshold due to engine load the modulator will open a valve that can cause the transmission to downshift. Once manifold pressure has increased above the threshold the modulator closes the valve and the transmission can upshift. The manifold pressure drop at 3000+ rpm is typically not sufficient to cause the gearbox to downshift. The kickdown switch/cable is used to open a similar valve at full throttle regardless of engine load.

Note that the kickdown cable moves a spool that cuts off the Modulator controlled oil supply line to over-ride that function and force kickdown.

Because the Modulator spring pressure also controls the point at which the light throttle loads change-down occurs the adjustable spring pressure Modulator valve allows this actual point to be adjusted.

The confussion arises when people consider the Aisin-Warner type auto trans; in which the oil pressure is modified by the Throttle Valve cable (looks the same and hooks up via cable to the trottle ...) - The TH180 Kickdown cable does not modify oil pressure it is 'just' a kickdown cable so no harm comes to the trans from high or low oil pressure when it is disconnected

I removed the cable from mine and put a rubber cap over the aluminum fitting at the trans with a cable tie to cinch it down. Haven't had a leak and since I only use my rig off road the kick down feature isn't something I need...or want.

I also did a little looking and read some posts about the restrictor needing to have a hole size of .020"...will keep looking for more info or parts to confirm this.

 

Here's another bit of information that I saved when I was doing the swap...

I run my vacum line for my auto above the blower but under the carb butterflys.

Where there is forced indution there is also suction.

You have a few options.

Im guessing you have a blow through setup so you cant do the same as me.

But you can Buy an adjustable vacum module if your box doesnt already have one ( they have a tiny screw inside vacum hole) And adjust it all the way out. and conect it to your air intake just before turbo. Plus install a tee piece in vacume line and intall other line to manifold with one way vacume valve. ( this would be a fit and fiddle to get just right.)

The way i would do it it would be to remove vacume soliod and jam it in its full vacum position, and then just go through the gears manualy 1st 2nd ect. it will then upshift straight away and olny when you let it. I belive you can remove spring and pin from behind this valve for the same effect, ( BUT ask an auto builder first about removeing these parts.) But it should work as auto will think it always has full vacum. It would be a very quick cheap fix over a fully manualized BOX.

Maybe I should try hooking the vacuum source up before the turbo intake...