Im inquiring about a 1979-1980 Automatic transmission . I'm thinking of rebuilding mine, but if possible is there any other car ( even semi-modern) that can be a simple swap and bolt?

 

It's fairly popular to replace the autos with manual box's and it's a pretty straightforward swap. If you want to retain the 3 speed, or pick up a spare I'd imagine there are a few out there sitting in corners gathering dust. I doubt any other swap from a later model would be any easier than keeping with an SA box, manual or auto. Is yours really that bad? Never heard of one being abused that badly where a rebuild wouldn't make it right.

 

Automatic RX-7s are hard to come by, let alone the 1979/1980. If you can drive a manual trans, that would be my choice.

I have a 1985 auto trans sitting in the corner but it won't fit the 1979/1980.

 

Mine just takes forever to engage into gear and jolts from 1-2 or from D to R . Its leaking fluid . I was advised to change the seal .

 

The transmission has issues getting into any gear ( causes me to burn rubber when taking off) Its leaking fluid somewhere. Someone told me it was a busted seal ( a big orange O ring ) . they said i would have to drop the trans though. I might as well just swap in a new auto in there if I'm going to do that .

 

No guarantee that what your swapping in doesn't have an issue. Yanking yours out and having it gone through or looked at for an estimate seems a reasonable way to begin.

 

It might only need a new filter and fluid change with new pan gasket.

 

So many experts out there....have you checked level and condition of atf YOURSELF? Very 1st thing to be checked is fluid level/quality when trans has delayed engagement. Listening to people who have no familiarity with the product telling you what to do to fix it-safe to say there are not many that do these days,so grain of salt,ya know. If you don't know for sure when last time trans was serviced with new filter,correct fluid,proper adjustments and new pan gasket-get it done and stop driving it til you do.
The pan gasket may cure the leak,running trans perpetually low on fluid will cause the symptoms you state and definitely shorten its life.

 

ATF fluid is always low, it leaks most of what I put in within a week. The leak seems to be coming from where the trans meets the engine. .The guy in question has two Mazda repus and a FB in pristine condition. When i told him that was his first suggestion without skipping a beat. Iv already ordered a new filter + pan gasket and i hope that fixes whatever leaks it has, if not its most likely that O ring . Im assuming the trans is fucked because i bought the car like the for dirt cheap ( 2500) in what I considered to be good condition. The owner was probably not looking to have the transfixed. I can tell you the gears don't green or slip at all, they just take eons to engage and when they do engage, the wheels spin .

 

Also make sure the torque converter has fluid in it.

 

How would I go about that ?

 

The trans needs to be removed and the TC removed from the shaft. I couldn't find the capacity of the TC. There is a troubleshooting guide in the factory service manual and it list low fluid as the #1 cause of jerky shifting.

 

Ahh, Might as well just replace the seal ( torque converter ) Also do you recommend I buy a repair sleeve?

 

This doesn't make too much sense,torque converter not a separate entity.Fluid within it is exchanged regularly thru hydraulic circuits in trans.

The only seals in bellhousing area are the torque converter/pump input shaft seal and the "o" ring around exterior of pump that seals it to case. Only R&R will tell which or both are leaking. Both of these would be pressure leaks,the pan gasket seals pan to case and there is no pressure in this area of trans. If pan gasket was the culprit,it would leak while car is sitting as fluid level is higher in trans case than pan/gasket level.

 

You are not going to find much aftermarket support for a Mazda auto trans from the 80's other than possibly a soft kit to reseal trans. Repair sleeve? Unlikely,the seal surface would have to be measured in hope that a sleeve of that dimension could be found-if that's what the problem is...

 

They sell a bunch of stuff for the auto trans at rock auto , the trans is a JATCO L3N71B which was used in a TON of cars .

 

He's right, the tranny in question was used heavily from '69 to '93 in Mazda and Datsun/Nissan cars and trucks. (Google search)

 

Not much more than various seals,not exactly a ton of stuff. Rebuild kits out of stock,aka,nla. Stand corrected on repair sleeve(s). Trans rebuilders would have access to hard and soft parts.

 

I guess I should have said, check the torque convertor seal. If the fluid is coming from between the engine and trans this could be the cause. Thanks for clearing this up. I'm not a trained mechanic and don't want to give bad info.

 

No worries,kinda misspoke my self...early cars have a paper gasket sealing pump to case.

 

The parts are in stock (seals/master kit) at both Pep boys/ Napa/ and O'rileys for 120-140 USD. No hard parts though. Haven't tried looking though I just can't find anything about autos on this forum .