What transmission can I swap in my 87 Pathy

[Chadius]

I have the vg30e motor with the 3 speed 3N71 Automatic transmission, its rather weak, I was wondering if there were any other better ones I could replace it with I heard of people putting the Xterra tranny in there pathy, can I do that?

[Rebelord]

01+ 4spd auto ia the way to go. Thats the HD versions

 

Sent from my Moto X

[Chadius]

That will fit?

[SkiBumBrian]

On my '91 WD21 it is plug and play, I am not sure about the earlier ones but the only thing I can think of that might make a difference is the computer settings because of the difference between MPFI and carburation?

[Kingman]

I think a mod should merge these threads but I will reply here.

 

Like I said, your only real option is to swap in a 5-speed or grab a donor '88-'89 Pathfinder and take the entire wiring harness (engine and body), ECU, and TCU to swap in to yours. Then you'll have the capability of running a 4-speed which then you can swap in an HD automatic.

 

I'm not sure why you keep saying the 3-speed is weak. It is not. It will last longer than a standard 4-speed. When you're towing with a heavy load you shouldn't be using overdrive anyway. From my experience the RPM difference in the final drives isn't much - around 500. Not really worth the hassle for a slushbox...

Edited October 19, 2014 by Kingman

[Chadius]

Sorry about the different threads, I guess I was just curious if I could do the terra swap like a hear about these guys doing, sounds sweet, plus I was gonna ask about the transfer case adapters they sell at rugged rocks & if they would help me do a swap.

[Marsh]

Hi Guys,

 

I'm a newbie here and just posted a new subject (after searching) for info on a 3 speed to 4 speed auto tranny swap. LIke Kingman said above, I've been told the 3 speed auto is stronger and more bullet proof than the 4 speed w/ OD. However, I have a super clean-rust free 1987 3.0V6 w/125K miles and would like to keep it as an automatic daily driver for my wife who just got her drivers license.

 

The problem is it runs it at 4K+ on the Arizona highways which is hard on the engine and cooling systems, especially in the summer. I installed an all aluminum 2 core radiator w/ tranny cooler which has helped with extreme heat, but when I run her for any length of time at highway speeds in the summer, she starts to get hot with the AC on (a must). So my post is asking basically the same question as this one: can I do a direct swap of the 4 speed AT w/ OD right onto the current 3 speed transfer-case and driveshafts? Is the OD activated by a simple switch which would require me to change the shifter? I've done a lot of work with the computer troubleshooting the fuel and ignition systems (needed new injectors) and I don't believe the CPU has anything to do with the transmission shift in an 87, I'm pretty sure it's vacuum activated like the older model cars. So I don't think there's a need to change the CPU and wiring. Unless, of course, the 4 speed has electronic shifting and needs the later CPU, but this would surprise me on late 80s cars, since most used the vacuum shifting system during that era. A 5-speed manual adaptation is out until my wife can learn manual, so the 4 speed AT w/ OD is our only consideration at this point.

 

Any help on direct swap would be appreciated. If it's too much work, we 'll just keep her as a city daily driver, which is pretty much what we use her for anyways. Just nice to have OD when we're on the highway when our Jeep GC is broken down.

 

Cheers,

 

Marshall