Sorry to pop in as a newb and ask long-windedly for help, but if anyone will have the answers... Looks like here.
I've been beating the daily life out of my '93 323 1.6 5 speed for a few years, decided I liked it after all and went out and bought another ('92 323 automatic) last week as a project car. I didn't really want the auto tranny, but the car was clean and fairly cheap.
I've never driven another (Mazda) automatic, so I don't have a comparison, but if this were my GM (TH-400) I'd say by feel this tranny was toasted. Low milage figures, (about 1/3 less than the other car) and it sure feels like it's slipping to me.
Before I make any decisions, Were these trannys generally problematic (pun intact)? For example, would a boneyard replacement with 150,000K be something to avoid? Are they worth rebuilding? Should I bother trying to service (filter/fluid) it and attempt to see if it's a linkage/electronic problem? (I ask this question because if the old GM Powerglide was driven with incorrect linkage adjustments you would toast the trans very quickly so correcting the problem wouldn't help - if that's also the case here then...) If you were to guess; Were most of the problems with these repairable "trans in" (stuck valvebody, weak solenoids, etc...) or core related (hydraulic servo, friction materials, etc...)
As I have the complete running 5 speed '93 I'm trying to decide weather or not to swap in the manual or repair/replace the auto. Although I suspect the actual tranny swap will go easy, I haven't even looked under dash to see what kind of nightmare it'll be to mount the pedal, brackets, etc - if the brake will have to be swapped too, if the brackets are firewall weldments, the fact that the car with the auto has tilt column, etc... Anyone done an auto to manual swap? I'm easily capable of the actual wrenching, but if I was to do this it'd have to be completed in 4 days max (space limitations at work)
Sorry for the long wind. Guess I'm looking for any advice out there. I hate tranny shops, don't like anybody else wrenching my junk, and I'm cheap. For the price of a shop tranny job I could just go out and buy another car.
Thanks in advance, Jim.
I've been beating the daily life out of my '93 323 1.6 5 speed for a few years, decided I liked it after all and went out and bought another ('92 323 automatic) last week as a project car. I didn't really want the auto tranny, but the car was clean and fairly cheap.
I've never driven another (Mazda) automatic, so I don't have a comparison, but if this were my GM (TH-400) I'd say by feel this tranny was toasted. Low milage figures, (about 1/3 less than the other car) and it sure feels like it's slipping to me.
Before I make any decisions, Were these trannys generally problematic (pun intact)? For example, would a boneyard replacement with 150,000K be something to avoid? Are they worth rebuilding? Should I bother trying to service (filter/fluid) it and attempt to see if it's a linkage/electronic problem? (I ask this question because if the old GM Powerglide was driven with incorrect linkage adjustments you would toast the trans very quickly so correcting the problem wouldn't help - if that's also the case here then...) If you were to guess; Were most of the problems with these repairable "trans in" (stuck valvebody, weak solenoids, etc...) or core related (hydraulic servo, friction materials, etc...)
As I have the complete running 5 speed '93 I'm trying to decide weather or not to swap in the manual or repair/replace the auto. Although I suspect the actual tranny swap will go easy, I haven't even looked under dash to see what kind of nightmare it'll be to mount the pedal, brackets, etc - if the brake will have to be swapped too, if the brackets are firewall weldments, the fact that the car with the auto has tilt column, etc... Anyone done an auto to manual swap? I'm easily capable of the actual wrenching, but if I was to do this it'd have to be completed in 4 days max (space limitations at work)
Sorry for the long wind. Guess I'm looking for any advice out there. I hate tranny shops, don't like anybody else wrenching my junk, and I'm cheap. For the price of a shop tranny job I could just go out and buy another car.
Thanks in advance, Jim.
