I know this probably has been discussed six ways from Sunday but I wanted to throw it out there. Obviously my stock gearbox isnt gonna do me much good with what Im going to drop in for a motor and I dont feel like having to tear into my powertrain after I put the motor in. So whats everyones opinion on which gearbox to switch to. Pros and Cons. MR2 or V6 Camry? Or is there something else out there that I dont know about?
Let's put the cat amonst the pidgeons I'm going say the S53/4 is the better option - reason? 1)Less weight 2)Less power lost through the drivetrain 3)As strong as the E15x - why?, because it's the driveshafts that snap - not the boxes (Even the tripod type FE cv's are proving to be tougher than they look) 4)More gearing options - E's only have 4.2 diffs unless you can find a rare RC diff 5)Common & easy to find boxes, shafts etc
With that being said, Ill be tearing down my stock box. Because 2nd gear was having issues the last I remember. Also, I completely forgot I had this tranny sitting in my basement. Based on another thread of yours Im guessing this is a S box out of an MR2 and nothing special. Maybe you can shed some light on this one?
3sfe or 5sfe box. if you are planning on having a fun car then the "s" series is fine. if you are going to race, you'll want the "e" series. the reason i'm using a camry box is because they are newer. mine is from a 98 solara. i also didn't want the mr2 lsd unit because of the special inner axles. now do keep in mind this trans setup weights literally twice as much.
My only racing will just be for fun on occasion at the strip to see what it can do. Its gonna stay a street car. Is the LSD twice as much or the solara tranny?
The E series does have plus points: Mechanically it is stronger The syncros, gears, bearings etc are bigger and should last longer It is pressure fed You can add an oil cooler IF you can find one cheapish and IF you can afford an LSD and IF you can find shafts etc then it may be a worthwile excercise for a high hp motor. I've been looking around for years for one and only recently has a modified one come up for sale or I'd be looking at $3000+ to create one. Sadly most MR2 LSD boxes are ending up in Lotus's and other kitcars, there is a huge demand for them. Your spare box is an MR2 S54, identical to the stock S53 exept for the gear linkages, bellhousing, starter, ratios? You could split both S boxes and use the best of both worlds, swap ratios, fit new synros & bearings, use the MR2 bellhousing & starter etc, without having to hunt down new shafts and if you really wanted to I hear the MR-S a/m LSD diff fits these boxes. In that case you'd have a "new" LSD box with custom ratios for a lot less money and weight The main issue with both both types of box nowdays is the synros, it's rare to find either with a 100% working 2nd gear or reverse. My old S box started jumping out of 5th and eventually 5th was no longer useable, opening it up I found the bearing/spacers/synros were loose and swapped them with newer ones - problem gone. What I'm trying to say is it's time to look at re-conning boxes and you'll be hearing more stories like this in the near future.
Sounds like I need to tear open the S54 and have a look at what its like on the inside. I appreciate the advice, I think Ill probably go the route of just combining the two that I have with some new parts. I need to yank the S53 out of my car anyways. The one toyo dealer Ive been getting stuff from has been pretty forgiving on prices for stuff and has done of pretty good job of getting stuff transferred from other dealers to meet my needs. Hell, the damn bolts for the cam caps on the gen2 head had to come from 3 different locations to come up with enough. Sadly, I think OEM stuff is drying up for our motors..
It's a sad fact that Toyota JPN has cleared the shelves of Gen4 parts to make way for Echo/Vitz/Corolla parts. The "clearance" sales so common on ebay etc are simply dealers trying to clear their shelves of parts, ie I bought a brand new set of GT4 oem shocks for $120. On the invoice was the opriginal prices marked down - $550 & $650 each Toyota JPN does not even have shims for these heads and nowdays parts are sourced from different dealers to make up orders - the next guy won't be so lucky. Yes parts are going to get very hard to find in the near future - time to buy a house with a huge basement/barn and start stockpiling parts for future use. I have a ton of stuff still in storage which costs me money each month (not viable) and the disheartening thing is I see everything is rusting away
I really like how the e153 I have (93+ mr2) feels. Granted I haven't been able to really get on it, but its holding up to the power. Mine has a TRD 1.5way lsd unit installed in it. It's not any special axles either, non-turbo mr2 inner shafts and st165 outer shafts.
Ok, so if I can come up with a e153 what all would I need? So far Ive pieced together from other threads. MR2 inners and alltrac/camry outers. Different clutch plate. Alltrac shifter cable. Mounts? Anything else? So far Ive also gather that the Solara, Camry and MR2 had the e153. Anyone know what years of each off hand?
You need MR2 inners for the oem LSD, I didn't know the TRD LSD uses stock shafts. For the Solara box you need as Mafix states. You'll also need a GT4 or 5S flywheel to match the starter (GE flywheel is too small)
Well, Ill see what I can come up with. If I can find a e box locally cheap Ill go that route. If not Ill just rebuild the S53...right now the budget is running low for car and dont want to not have enough to finish the engine. Right now the paintwork is gonna have to wait until next winter.
When I converted the MR2 transmission to my car I sourced the shifter selector (thing the cables connect to), the lever arms and speed sensor from a st185/st165. I have non-LSD mr2 inner stubs and st165 outer shafts. This could change depending on your LSD status (with/without). Other than that it was a pretty straight forward swap.
Lets say i sacrificed strenght for light weight by using a sole fwd gearbox from a solara or whatever..... I highly doubt i would be confident in building my 3sgte engine to 450HP and see it going through a gearbox made for like 100hp. Yes its lighter weight, but its shet overall.
So, here is the gear ratios that I found on the s53 and s54. Not much difference except on 2nd and the final. So I dont know how much I would gain swapping parts out of the 54 I have into the 53. S53 First Gear: 3.285 Second Gear: 2.041 Third Gear: 1.322 Fourth Gear: 1.028 Fifth Gear: 0.820 Reverse Gear: 3.153 Final Drive: 3.944:1 S54 First Gear: 3.285:1 Second Gear: 1.960:1 Third Gear: 1.322:1 Fourth Gear: 1.028:1 Fifth Gear: 0.820:1 Reverse Gear: 3.153:1 Final Drive: 4.176:1
Does this apply to 3SFE motors? Just not sure which clutch, flywheel, inner/outer shaft, cables, or whatever combination there may be to use
