So my 1992 FD RX7 is a factory Auto,

I am curious as to WHAT auto it is though, Wikipedia lists 1993-1996 RX7 as an RE4R01A, but mine is a 1992, does that make the first few FD RX7s an N4A-EL?
I am trying to figure out what it is and maybe find a rebuild kit and/or shift kit for it (inb4 "just swap it" - DCT swaps arent cheap lol) especially since engine is coming out and the box is already acting cooked - (hold is flashing on dash, 1-2 shift is very aggressive etc)

Is there a definitive way to know? Any literature out there that dictates what it is? All I have to go off of is this thread and yet, I am not sure what exactly is in my car.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

All FDs "started in 93". Your car is a "92" but its "actually a 93". So all information you need or look for is 93+. Don't take the year so literally. The transmission code among other things are listed in the FSM if you want to see it printed outside of a forum post

 

Ok so I will put the information here since people usually just tout “use search” or “look here” and never update a thread, or better yet just flat out do everything but actually answer the question.

the gearbox is listed as an RB4A-EL in the Factory Service Manual that I found here on page 540-543 of the PDF (section K)

images below are listings with some basic info I found.

hopefully this helps people in the future and isn’t just a useless dead end forum post like many are.

 

If you share your VIN we can look up the transmission that matched your car in the Japanese parts manual. I actually have a spare from a "92".

I am not sure if Japan followed the USDM convention of calling the first generation FD "1993". They would have assigned a Japanese Imperial Calender year. Also the year assigned to car in Japan is the year the first owner registered it.

 

For all intents and purposes, a 1992 JDM car is basically a 1993 USDM car. I haven't confirmed personally, but I believe a 1993 (after August) JDM car is basically a 1994+ USDM car as well. My 1992 FD (JDM) was first registered in Jan 1992 and had all the things you'd see in a 1993 USDM car (rubbery plastic interior, reinforced door panels so they wouldn't flex, finger groove in the drive side door card so you wouldn't put as much pressure on the plastic, etc.) before they made changes (cost cuts IMO) for the second version. There are translated manuals in the forums you could try using, but they may be manual transmission specific.

An auto -> manual swap isn't impossible, but it is a lot of work. Anyway, an automatic in this car is 100x worse than a manual, so I would consider saving up for that.

The date on the vehicle's Japanese registration documents would be the Heisei era year equivalent to 1992 (https://groups.oist.jp/resource-cent...year-converter)
This article covers some of the basics of the different model years from a JDM perspective: https://onionworld.jp/spot/detail/1190695/news/6908

 

Man its probably one of the worst autos out there.

If you insist on keeping it auto then you should look into the 8hp70 and 8hp45 transmissions. They are $600-1500 with low miles and they come in many cars and shift very very fast.

there are a few companies that offer comete stand alone control like Turbolamik (best stand alone) and htg(not recommended HTG has zero customer service)

then you have the option to control the oem 8hp tcu via CAN.

https://www.canformance.net/product/...on-controller/

the maxxecu can use CAN control as well
https://www.maxxecu.com/features/8hp_gearbox

 

Yup, familiar with all those options especially the garbage that is HTG, have a MaxxEcu Pro already, going the Getrag DCT route, just don’t want the car to sit while I’m saving for the box + helps me figure out what my single can be turned up to/how to troubleshoot the box while it’s still equipped to the car.

I appreciate your supportive feedback and advice. Nicer than many.

 

LOL this forum is full of snooty people who dont usually have much nice to say to anyone that likes to think outside the box. Goodluck and im excited to see where you end up.

 

its a couple of trivia questions, but the first one is How many US 1993 Rx7's were built in the Calendar year of 1993? the answer is 0, they were all built between December of 1991 and June of 1992.
once you get past that, the Japanese, North American, and Euro FD's (and actually everything else) have different model year stops and starts. we think of them as "the same" but the factory is more granular.
so while the US 1993 starts production in December of 1991, the Japanese FD's start in October of 1991.

i think its kind of a fun rabbit hole, gives you a glimpse of how they are built (its still this way)