1994 mx-3 rs Automatic Transmission Compatibility what works

[xephorce]

ok my 1994 Mx-3 rs ATX died today was tryin to find info on what will replace it. i have read any b series tranny will work but idk if thats true. would love to do a swap to a manual but time and money just call for replacement of whats there. ok from what i have found online ford escorts have the tranny i need is that true. i found a 98 ford escort spi (ford said the build date was last part of 1997) with what looks like my tranny simular. its a Mazda IF4A thats what ford called it. i have a ford F4A-EL lol mazda in a ford and ford in a mazda lmao. ok will the IF4A work in my mx-3 is it the same or will it work inplace of my F4A-EL. or if not what will and from what i can tell a GF4A-EL is the same as my F4A-EL. i am confused. can someone clean this up for me thanks

[Ryan]

Don't go getting ahead of yourself with other models and stuff.

The bottom line is, to do an ATX for ATX swap that can be considered simple, you need another B6 ATX.

That includes any car with a 1.6L SOHC B6ME engine made by Mazda.

323, protege, MX-3. That should cover you.

But these cars are going on their second decade, so perhaps an MTX swap is more realistic for you, availability of parts wise.

If you decide on the MTX swap, there are full and complete guides on this site, but I suggest starting a worklog so you can congregate your information in one thread.

[xephorce]

ok well let me explain more i need to get my car going ASAP need to know if this will work only option around is other then mazda they dont brake down lol good thing all i can find if ford escorts. need to know if this will work or if its not compatiple. need to know soon have to get my car going cant let it sit any long

[Ryan]

You see, on Probetalk.com, they are still under the impression that you can have an ATX and be cool and fast and convenient.

We're not like that here. We know that if you want to get anywhere but to and from the grocery store, you can't have an ATX.

As a result, we don't stock much info on them. We all know that they're weak, they overheat, and die. Mostly die.


If quick is what you're looking for, just do what I said in my previous post. There is absolutely nothing quick about trailblazing a never-before-attempted transmissions swap. You'll find yourself fabricating linkage adapters, bell housing adapter plates, custom axles, custom mounts, transmission input shafts, digging for days through wiring diagrams... all fun stuff if you're not on a time limit or, most importantly, a budget.


I'm getting the vibe that you're the kinda feller who comes here looking for a certain answer. You want me to say

"Yes, what you just suggested is a great idea and will work out perfectly!"

But I can't do that. Even though you kinda ignored what I said in order for another shot for me to agree with you, I refuse to take the opportunity.

[xephorce]

ok its not about atx or the manual being better its about whats avalible. i just want to get on the road again. thats whats important to me i love my mx-3 i have had 3 in the last 2 years. one i lost in a divorce one i got it running after a week of work and some lady pulled out infront of me and totaled it one hour after i got it running that was my v6 and now my original mx-3's tranny went out and i need to get it going. so yes i would like an anwser thats what this is for right. if that tranny wont work then what cars will. and if there is a good manual swap page post a link to a good one. with complete parts list useable info to many to figure out what truthful. i have use the forums before and got anwsers so yes thats what i want to know what will work eve if its a ford escort tranny like i said its a mazda tranny.

oh ya would it be cheaper to covert to a manual from atx remember this is not my first option but still open to it if i have to. biggest thing is to get me movin ASAP thank you Ryan for you help its a tough question to anwser.

[Evo_Spec]

if that tranny wont work then what cars will.

The bottom line is, to do an ATX for ATX swap that can be considered simple, you need another B6 ATX.

That includes any car with a 1.6L SOHC B6ME engine made by Mazda.

323, protege, MX-3. That should cover you.

and if there is a good manual swap page post a link to a good one. with complete parts list useable info to many to figure out what truthful. i have use the forums before and got anwsers so yes thats what i want to know what will work eve if its a ford escort tranny like i said its a mazda tranny.

Ryan pretty much told you everything you needed to know, all he didn't do was spoon feed you every single detail.
If you've used the forums before you would have seen us telling anyone to search using this link http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/search.php

oh ya would it be cheaper to covert to a manual from atx remember this is not my first option but still open to it if i have to. biggest thing is to get me movin ASAP thank you Ryan for you help its a tough question to anwser.

to fix your ATX what you need is an ATX.
to swap to MTX, you need an MTX, Pedal assembly, clutch lines, shifter/shifter rods, etc etc.
you do the math.

You know i don't mean to be rude or anything but it's frustrating because we've had soooo many people come in and just ask us questions but want EVERY single little detail in between.
you seem to want every single little thing answered that has been answered in the past but instead of looking for the answers yourself you just want them handed to you. Yes our search function isn't the best i'll agree but if you were really that desperate you'd be searching like a mad man

[Evo_Spec]

ok, after reading this again i feel that i need to add some more details.
Now i don't actually know what Ryan truly ment, but this is what i got from his posts.
Ryan was never saying to do the MTX swap because it's better, he was simply saying that because the mx-3's are 15-20 years old (mx-3's were made from 92-96)
The history of the ATX for the 323's, protege's, and MX-3's are very bad as they're weak, they overheat and eventually die, so any ATX you find in a junkyard or somewhere else will be 15-20 years old and probably dead, which is probably why most of the ATX 323's, protege's, and MX-3's are in the junkyard to begin with.
So by doing an ATX to MTX swap you open yourself to more of a parts availability as the MTX have no problem supporting stock engines so any MTX you find in the junkyard will probably be fine.

i'm glad you love the MX-3 and want to stay with it, we all love the MX-3 too and can appreciate someone who wants to keep it going rather than just sending it to the junkyard.
good luck with finding an ATX or swapping to an MTX if you decide to do so.

[xephorce]

have searched lol and no i dont want spoon feed the anwsers just wanted to know if any ford escorts would work. if thats spoon feed well then i dont know what to say. and i asked if an if4a was simular enough to work in my mx-3 (F4A-EL). well maybe someone knows. i came here cause i thought people loved this car not to give crap to true fans of the mx-3. yes i have a good idea of whats needed just wanted some extra info where i thought i would find it.

oh and about the parts list i have seen conflicting post about my 94 DOHC having issues with swaping to a manual, and also heard that i dont need to change the ecu but that sounds wrong. as far as i know i need tps,ecu,shifter, linkages, pedel, tranny, cable for shift interlock slave cylinder,clutch ,flywheel,driverside cv axle for mtx mx-3, and well is there anything else i am missing

[xephorce]

ok i have at most about $500 to put in this if i do a atx to mtx would this be enough i did find a 92 mx-3 sohc manual for $500 but the guy said the transmission whines would this be a good deal to jump on?

[Evo_Spec]

Yeah, it's really hard to for me to understand what your asking because your spelling or horrible, i didn't realize you were just asking if an escort tranny would work.

Now as Ryan mentioned we haven't really done anything with ATX, I can't think of ever seeing someone who has taken a Ford Escort ATX and put it into an MX-3.
in theory it should work as any B-series tranny will fit any other b-series engine but again, we haven't seen someone do it before so we can't guarantee it will work.
maybe someone here might have seen it done so i guess you can wait for them to reply.

[Evo_Spec]

ok i have at most about $500 to put in this if i do a atx to mtx would this be enough i did find a 92 mx-3 sohc manual for $500 but the guy said the transmission whines would this be a good deal to jump on?

our MTX's don't have a history of whining so obviously there's something wrong with it so some work will obviously need to be done to it, and if you only have $500 and is spending $500 to buy it, you'll need more money to fix it, which doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
maybe someone here might have an idea on why the transmission is whining and maybe it's small? (quick search on google showed me, "throw out bearing")

[xephorce]

thank you was just thinking that 92 mx-3 would have all the parts i would need. would be cheaper then hunting for all the parts unless i need a diffrent ecu. if i need a diffrent ecu at all?

[Ryan]

This thread is frustrating.

am I being unclear?

If you are on a time line and a budget, do NOT go trying un-attempted transmission swaps. an unattempted transmission swap is trying to use anything but a B6 transmission. It is not easy, and it will take forever. Literally, you probably will give up.

If you decide to go the MTX route, because you want an MTX, or the ATX is too hard to find, then there are pages upon pages of detailed info on what you need.

If you can't find it, I'm sure a member who knows what they're looking for can find it in the FAQ in just moments, and post some links for you

[xephorce]

the tranny is off a b series engine. just the ford version. and i asked for a link to a good atx to mtx swap. if4e from what i read the if4e used the same internals as my trranny so idk. i am callin mazda see if they know

[xephorce]

well i think i am going to go get the $500 92 mx-3 mtx. its sohc but i thik its my best bet for long term. it has all the parts i need. for $500 i dont think i could find all the parts and tranny for that. question about this. i have a Dohc Atx will i have any issues cause its Sohc? just wanting to know. and what about the ecu do i use my old one or will the sohc ecu work fine in my dohc? sorry just wanted another spoon full of information