fixin to swap atx in 1995/120k

[alabamasho]

ok shogurus, fixin to change out slippin atx with one with 62,000 doc. miles. was wondering was there some small things i can do to sure up i'm not changin this out next year. thinkin of buyin new torque. and where's the best link for reading up on atx removal. been studyin the one in how to section, no offense, just wondering if there was one better?

 

[NoSlo]

The best thing you can do for the ATX tranny besides driving conservatively is to maintain it. Maintenance is just doing a full tranny fluid change every 50k or more, dropping the pan to replace the filter and clean the pan, with a full torque converter flush where you disconnect a front cooler hose and run six quarts of new tranny fluid through with the engine running (the first few quarts of flush can be a cheaper fluid if you were going to blow $120 on redline synthetic for your fillup). Then regularly check the fluid level the correct way - a full warmup drive, shift the car into reverse, drive, and park, and then check the level with the engine still running. The level shouldn't change, so you will catch a leak early. Keep the fluid level at the top mark.

When you do the transmission swap, I would replace all the transmission cooler hoses and completely flush or replace the cooler too, so if the old transmission spit out metal shavings, you don't contaminate the new transmission with that junk. The torque converter is not the first thing to fail in the ATX, so I wouldn't worry about replacing one with just 60k on it.

If you don't know the full history of the 60k transmission, you also might consider having the bad one rebuilt. A wrecking yard transmission can be a gamble.

 

[alabamasho]

good info, yea far as i know the history is good on it, clean as a pen. got rammed in rearend. missed the motor. would've like to got it 2 gether. my sho is been sittin bout a year. but crank it at least every cuple weeks and changed oil, cause i wuz gonna put it bac cruizin. thanks

 

[JRA2000TL]

I could tell from the title that this was probably an Alabamian post....sorry dude just busting your balls with the whole "fixing to" crap.

Anyhow, get a tranny cooler. I agree on the salvage/used tranny. That's alot of PITA work to have to go and re-do again. If you're good with that, have alot of time on your hands and not alot of money, you could go that route w/o any guarantees. A rebuild will set you back probably $1500 if you do the remove and install yourself, $2200 if you let a shop do the whole thing. It will usually come with a 1 yr. / 12k warranty. You can opt for an FPS performance tranny (FPS Automotive Atlanta) that's pretty darn bulletproof but will set you back $3k or more. Not sure what your budget is or how long you plan on keeping the car.

 

[sho'noffmtx]

I agree with the above and would like to put emphasis on the tranny cooler. I have an aftermarket one and eliminated the whole factory cooling system. keeping things cool is important.

 

[alabamasho]

yea, it's fikin too, down here. lol. I'll put new cooler on and change what lines I can, make sure system is completely flushed. i can get a rebuild for $1300 complete. from what i see. the updates are in the rebuild kit. that's 3 yr. warranty too! he just was'nt to up on the shift kit. so i decided to use this tranny. thanks again

 

[sperold]

That is a very low mileage automatic, and it will probably serve you well.
Good luck on the swap. If you do it yourself, just take your time. Maybe take it to a good shop first to get the exhaust studs loosened off and the subframe bolts loosened. That is a big part of the job.

 

[lowc]

The best thing you can do for the ATX tranny besides driving conservatively is to maintain it. Maintenance is just doing a full tranny fluid change every 50k or more, dropping the pan to replace the filter and clean the pan, QUOTE]

the trany fluid and filter should be changed every 30k not 50k or more

 

[alabamasho]

yea i'll spray exhaust studs down good with oil and i guess the subframe bolts, shouldnt have much rust down here, but i figured i'd have to grind off subframe bolts and replace from what i been readin. probably will do it myself. i'm handy with tools just don't do lot of it. i plan it out bfore i tackle it. heck i changed ring gears and put clutches in front wheel drives 23 yrs. ago, so broke couldnt afford the flywheel so i bought the ring gear and changed it out, put prolly 150k before it went bad again, lol thanks bros.

 

[lowc]

you shouldnt have any issues removing the sub frame bolts mine came out no prob and my 92 has seen more snow and rock salt than i care to remember while you have the sub frame down i would get some aluminum sub frame bushings for it and if you can i would heat the shit out of the exhaust studs before you try to remove them

 

[sperold]

The exhaust bolts need some kind of special routine to get them out. I have see people heat up the nut, then spray water on them, before they turn them off. Get some advice from a muffler shop that does it every day.
You can **** your rear subframe bolts by pulling back the carpet and popping out the rubber hole blanks where the floor meets the firewall. You can see the threads of the bolts when you peek in the holes in the firewall (after you remove the rubber plugs).
For your front subframe bolts, oil the general area above the bolt heads in the front frame/rad support area.