I had an epiphany the other day. It went something like this… “if you’re having trouble with the transmission, why don’t you change the transmission.” This may not be a revelation to everyone, but it was a new way of thinking about the problem for me.
So I booted up the computer and searched around. If I was going to swap out the transmission, it was going to be a 2 wheel drive, standard, and it had to come from either a 1.6 litre engine or a 2 litre engine. Also, since I was changing the whole thing, I expanded the search to include the Chevy Tracker of the same year as the measurements were very similar (even though the guide book says they aren’t compatible).
Enter Ebay motors… Nothing. Craigslist, nothing. Every wrecker in the area… nothing.
So I called up the local wrecker that has the ability to search all of Canada and the US, 1 turned up… 3+ Hours away in Washington. It wasn’t perfect as it was the 2 litre from a Chevy tracker, but it’ll have to do! So I called him up and they’ll pull it and ship it to the US border (well my PO box there), and I can go pick it up. total cost is $450 USD shipped. I should be able to make that mostly back by selling the existing transfer case, transmission and clutch. Here’s hoping!
Once I get it I can get the specs and buy a simple bolt on transmission adaptor and coupling from Canev (http://www.canev.com/index.php). That’s much easier and far cheaper than shipping to California.