manual tranny questions...

[bobgagt1.0]

after reading several threads here and in other forums I have a few questions about doing a manual swap...


1)- will any 5 speed tranny from any 87-94 cavalier or beretta equipped with a 3.1 or 2.4 ltr engine be a direct mount to my 3400sfi/ auto tranny equipped 2000 grand am?

2)- I see references to GETRAG 282, H282, and HM282 trannies... are these the same tranny or are they different? if they are different what are the differences?

3)- when going from auto to manual do I have to do anything to the axles or the differential to make them compatable?

4)- are the gear ratios different from year to year and if so which years are best for my 2000 GA?

5)- what other trannies will work in my car?

6)- which trannies are best? - will handle the most HP

7)- which trannies are generally the cheapest?


I'm sorry, I know this is a lot to ask all in one shot but I am not a mechanic and I want to get this right the first time with a minimum amount of issues and I had to get these questions out before I forgot them.

I also want to apologize just in case because if there is a better place for this question than this section I did not see it.

and thanks in advance for any help anyone can give me.

[robertisaar]

2. anything that says 282, such as muncie 282, getrag 282, etc... all the same tranny. just watch out for the damn isuzu 5 speeds that people try and pass off as 282s, they are MUCH weaker...

[gar70614]

and it has to be from a 3.1 or 2.8. 2.3s and 2.4s have a diffrent bell housing.

[Superdave]

and it has to be from a 3.1 or 2.8. 2.3s and 2.4s have a diffrent bell housing.

It's just the 2.3 Quad 4 HO/W41 engine that came with the HM282. 2.4's never had them because they didn't make enough power to need them.

For your application i'd just find a V6 trans and work with that. the W41 trans is useless with anything more than a stock 3400.


Now for the fun part..

'90-'92 are external slave and are the "better" trannies.
'93-'94 have internal slaves and seem to have more shifting issues.

you'll need to grab the entire clutch pedal assembly/system from the donor car as well as the shifter and cables. the shorter axles probably won't work so you may have to look up what others have done to put together custom ones. a few have done the swap on www.grandamgt.com


you will most likely have VSS issues, I'm not sure how VSS constants are handled in OBD2 but if it's like OBD1 then it shouldn't be hard to fix. a '90 trans will need a '91 sensor to work with your ecm. a '92 trans can only use the 92 sensor and will work with your ecm as well.

[bobgagt1.0]

This is all great info guys, thank you. I really appreciate all the help.

please, don't be afraid to keep the info coming tho.

[bobgagt1.0]

What do you mean by VSS issues?

[Superdave]

What do you mean by VSS issues?

the VSS in the 1991 trans outputs 4000.43 PPM while the 92-94 sensor outputs 24015.46 PPM. You'll need to figure out what the sensor in your stock trans outputs to know if you'll have to change that constant in the tune.

[bobgagt1.0]

okay, thanks for the explanation. I understand the concept of that but I am not a mechanic and have never done this sort of thing b4 so I have 1 question... what is VSS? what do the letters stand for?

[Superdave]

vehicle speed sensor

[pocket-rocket]

This should help you with sensor abbreviations, names and functions.

http://60degreev6.com/content/Detailed_Sensor_Descriptions

[bobgagt1.0]

This should help you with sensor abbreviations, names and functions.

http://60degreev6.com/content/Detail...r_Descriptions

thank you! this does help... alot!

[Ericcec]

you could use too a 95-02 2.2 ohv cavy or sunfire tranny . 00-02 is a getrag and are much stronger than 95-99. I have a grand am 2002 v6 with 3.5 swap and a 2002 cavy non-ecotec tranny and she bolt right on my block.