1993 Civic Dx---swap In A Vx Tranny---whats Involved

[panamacolin]

HI,

Just wondering what all needs to be done to swap 1993 Civic DX tranny with a vx tranny? Does it bolt directly up? How much do these cost? How many more MPG can you expect with the vx tranny vs. the dx tranny?

Who has done this swap and what are the pros and cons?

thanks!

[jadziasman]

Swapping a trans is not easy without a hoist. I worked on mine to replace a bearing so it's just like swapping it I guess.

Anyway - your average amateur (like me) can do it by himself. But having a hoist would have made it so much easier! I lifted my VX 2 feet off the garage floor and barely had enough room to clear the body with a scissors trans jack. And - pulling the trans off the engine with the engine in the car is much more work than it would have been by just yanking the engine out of the car entirely. I would probably do that the next time. It isn't easy lining up the splines when putting the trans back on the engine with the engine still in the car either.

So, if you want to do it, more power to ya but do yourself a favor and put a new clutch in while you have it all apart.

[Matt Timion]

exactly. My only experience is with removing an engine, but I can't even begin to imagine what goes into removing a transmission with the engine still in the car. I'd much rather just pull the whole thing and then swap the transmission from there.

You might be able to find someone who will swap it for $300. That's how much a guy quoted me once.

Replacing the clutch at the same time is a great idea.

I think you can expect anywhere from 5mpg to 10mpg more with a VX transmission, assuming you drive in 5th often and are fairly fuel conscious.

[cems70]

I have a '95 DX hatchback and recently swapped in a CX (same as VX) tranny. It took me and my friend (former Honda mechanic) w/ his air tools just over 4 hrs to do it in his garage w/ the front end jacked up on regular floor jacks. Some of the time was spent recording the RPMs w/ the old tranny and new tranny (to know the difference after the swap), and about 20 minutes to re-tap a couple of threads on the new tranny. All said, it was an easy job, but two people is highly recommended.

Regarding FE improvement....I haven't had enough tankfuls nor the same exact driving as pre-swap (i.e. I'm driving slightly faster now due to longer trips...can't afford the extra time driving 50 - 55 vs. 60 - 65) to determine the FE improvement. Also, I recently bought new LRR tires that are skewing the mileage. My best guess based on conversations w/ another member who did the same swap last year (look up scostanz) is that it improves FE by about 6% -10%. For me lately, w/ a lot of engine off and engine on coasting, the improvement won't be as substantial because much of my FE gains come from this coasting. For others who do a lot of straight highway driving at 65 mph, the FE gains will be greater because the RPMs are being lowered by 500 - 600.

You can find a good used CX or VX tranny at a boneyard for $50 - $200. Check out www.car-part.com. I bought mine here for $150 shipped..it had 60,000 miles on it.

Steve

[GasSavers_scostanz]

To echo some of Steve's previous comments, it isn't that bad. I just dropped the old tranny out of the bottom of the engine bay and reversed it to get the new tranny in. I spent about 8-10 hrs total doing it by myself but I wasn't rushing things and I put a new clutch disc in while I was at it. I'm FE focused and can't think of any downside but a more performance oriented person might not like the longer legged transmission. I think it was well worth the effort and I'm really glad I did it.

-- Scott

[SVOboy]

Yeah, it shouldn't take too long. Just find a friend with some experience,

[GasSavers_Lincoln]

Do you have to change axles or anything else when swapping in a VX/CX trans?

[SVOboy]

Nope!