Swap Issues

[lukeburris53]

I finally got an FM145 to put in place of the A4ld in my 90 BII. My concerns now are:

Flywheel bolts-The flywheel from the donor would not come out, will the old flexplate blots work?

Crossmember- Will I need to move the mounts on the frame? How do you go about it, if so?

Pedal Bracket- The pedals came from an '86, going into a '90, will that work?

Transmission/transfer case seal- I've the one from the 5spd to put in (manual shift), what is there to seal it? I didn't find any gasket or anything.

Fluid- I believe motor oil came out of the transmission and ATF out of the transfer case, is that right?

Thanks a bunch..

 

[kunar]

on an fm145, the cross member does need to go forward about an inch or 2, i dont remember exactly. as for the t-case seal, just use rtv. its not pressurized so it wont leak. and for fluid, the trans takes 80w-90 and the t-case takes atf. the rest i cant help on, sorry.

 

[Jspafford]

You will also need a longer rear driveshaft, and a shorter front driveshaft because the A4LD was 2" longer than the FM145 your putting in.

 

[Simple_serf]

I have question, perhaps it might help you, or perhaps I am missing something, But WHY would you choose a FM 145 over an M5OD? If it is cost, Ok, I understand, but last I knew, parts were hard to find and expensive.

Also, the mazda is the same length as the a4ld, so you probably wouldn't have to mess with the driveshafts, either.

 

[kunar]

You will also need a longer rear driveshaft, and a shorter front driveshaft because the A4LD was 2" longer than the FM145 your putting in.

how did i forget about that....

 

[lukeburris53]

Thanks for all the replies. I got the driveshafts, so I'm set there. I forgot how the A4ld crossmember works, it just bolts straight to the frame. I can just make new holes and move it up, rather than use the other one that mounts to the brackets. I would have loved to have an M5OD. I searched for 2 months looking for one with a reasonable price. The closest I got was $450. I got all of the parts I needed including the transmission for $100 and an old van we had that was about to bite the dust. I got a new flywheel and there is plenty of room for bolt heads (if the flexplate heads are thicker than the flywheel ones).

The only question left is about the bracket. I took a look at it last night but couldn't make anything of it. If the large brackets don't interchange, will it be possible to put the clutch/brake combo in place of the auto brake?

 

[mjonesjr]

Flywheel bolts-The flywheel from the donor would not come out, will the old flexplate blots work?

order new bolts from the dealership......they are only like $10 for them all.....

also, are you using the 4.0 flywheel and clutch? if so, make sure you get the 4.0 flywheel bolts....

also, make sure you have a female torx socket.......that is what the flywheel bolts are....

Crossmember- Will I need to move the mounts on the frame? How do you go about it, if so?

no you will not have to move the crossmember......you will have to remove it to get the A4LD out and the new tranny in....

Pedal Bracket- The pedals came from an '86, going into a '90, will that work?

yes they will work fine.....

Transmission/transfer case seal- I've the one from the 5spd to put in (manual shift), what is there to seal it? I didn't find any gasket or anything.

a nice bead of form-a-gasket will work fine....

Fluid- I believe motor oil came out of the transmission and ATF out of the transfer case, is that right?

use Mercron V on both the transmission and the t-case...

 

[Simple_serf]

use Mercron V on both the transmission and the t-case...

Last I knew, FM's used Gear oil, the only manual that uses MERCON (!!) ATF was the M5OD. There was much said about using mercon V in older M5OD's a few months ago. Has to do with a different facing material on the synchro rings or something. I tried Merc V after the dealer told me to. Worked fine for awhile, then it didn't like to shift, and ground between shifts. switched back to plain mercon and the problem dissappeared. This DOES NOT apply to later units.

 

[Hahnsb2]

Last I knew, FM's used Gear oil, the only manual that uses MERCON (!!) ATF was the M5OD. There was much said about using mercon V in older M5OD's a few months ago. Has to do with a different facing material on the synchro rings or something. I tried Merc V after the dealer told me to. Worked fine for awhile, then it didn't like to shift, and ground between shifts. switched back to plain mercon and the problem dissappeared. This DOES NOT apply to later units.

Correct, the FM145-146 take gear oil, mines shifting nice with 80-90.

 

[lukeburris53]

My Chilton told me to use SAE 80W, so I got 80W-90. How much is it supposed to take?

I got the old brake bracket all but out. It has the speedometer running through it. Can it be disconnected without taking the dash apart, or could I run it back up through the firewall, since its not hooked up anyway?

 

[Hahnsb2]

My Chilton told me to use SAE 80W, so I got 80W-90. How much is it supposed to take?

I got the old brake bracket all but out. It has the speedometer running through it. Can it be disconnected without taking the dash apart, or could I run it back up through the firewall, since its not hooked up anyway?

My 146 takes about 2 1/4ish quarts, I typically take the shifter out and dump the oil in the hole, while someone else keeps an eye on the fill hole, its a lot easier to pour from the top, I put a full 3 quarts in mine just because the FMs aren't known for great oiling.

 

[lukeburris53]

Thanks for all the help.

What about electrical hook ups? I know there are a few on the transmission and one on the clutch pedal. Any guidance before I screw something up would be great. Is there going to be an idle issues with an automatic computer?