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can you do a partial WRX drivetrain swap?

Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 9:15 am
by Burnera
i got a 1992 Legacy L, AT
I found a 02 WRX AT transmission for a great price, so now i'm wondering about the rest of the drive train.

Can i swap in a whole WRX automatic trans and still use the 92 legacy TCU?
If i get the wrx at, and the wrx rear diff, will i be able to use the 92 legacy drive shaft?
I plan to get wrx knuckles so i can mount all wrx brakes front and rear, can i reuse the legacy axles or should i get the wrx ones as well?


thanks all. Tons of stuff is documented, but this still seems to be a dark art. :lol:

Re: can you do a partial WRX drivetrain swap?

Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 12:45 pm
by James614
From everything I've heard, there's no good way to run the 99 and newer AT transmissions on the 98 and older wiring. The stock TCU won't control the phase 2 trans properly and the new TCU is not even close to compatible with the phase 1 harness.

You're the same guy talking about a VTD trans in the center diff thread, right? If you want VTD you will need a 93-96 JDM WRX transmission they should be plugin compatible with the right tcu.

Re: can you do a partial WRX drivetrain swap?

Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 7:01 pm
by Burnera
sure am. Have any leads on reputable jdm importers?

Re: can you do a partial WRX drivetrain swap?

Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 8:11 pm
by Burnera
https://www.toronto-subaru-club.com/for ... rsion.html

I was hoping i could do the above as a bandaid fix until i can get a proper swap going. Trying to get a center diff is a horrible PITA since places only let you buy the whole damn transmission.

Re: can you do a partial WRX drivetrain swap?

Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 8:54 pm
by James614
I don't know for certain that will work with the 96 and older transmissions. Its possible the tailhousings swap over. But the whole trans swap definitely won't work with any sort of ease from an 02+.

As far as reputable importers, the one I used on EBay is no longer active. But reading detailed feedback should give you a good enough idea.