transmission swap subaru forester

Asked by SubaruMan17 May 05, 2016 at 09:24 PM about the 1999 Subaru Forester

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I was just wondering if you could swap a 1999 subaru forester transmission
with a 2001 subaru forester

18 Answers

48,760

If you have Gen 1 2.5 DOHC motor I wouldn't bother, as the motor is extremely fragile wrt repeated head gasket ruptures. OTOH if you have a new motor then check with salvage yards for an exact match so you don't have to chase a TCM (or even ECM!) as well. Forester and Legacy/OB stuff doesn't match up exactly, so I forget the particulars of these oldies....

5 people found this helpful.
18,815

check www.opposedforces.com. I bought a used trans (still haven't changed it) with a different code but the two codes for 01-04 (or 00-04?) foresters seem to mesh on OF. I don't know that 99/01 will work. Hey Ern, off topic, but what if people with DOHC's changed (and block sanded or machined) the head gaskets before they go bad? Wouldn't that make for a long lasting engine?

1 people found this helpful.
48,760

Hi Walth, No, the problem with Gen 1 DOHC 2.5H was that the thickness of the heads between the combustion chamber and the coolant passage was too small. Changing the head gasket was a temporary measure before repeat percolation. Atmospheric breaches with Gen 2 SOHC were remedied by better gaskets, but the DOHC design was just too fragile to stay sealed.

4 people found this helpful.
60

Hi, I have 2009 Subaru Forester XS with a blown automatic transmission. What are my choices? Any other compatible automatic transmissions from early Foresters or Imprezas?

6 people found this helpful.
20

why would a forester 96 5 speed not take a moter that was attacted to a auto?

2 people found this helpful.
50

Hey guys, is there a chart of all the automatic transmission numbers? I’ve got a ruined 03 foresters trans and I’m wondering what I can swap into it. I don’t want to swap the rear diff if I don’t have to, thanks guys.

5 people found this helpful.
10

Can u Swap A 1998 Gen 1 2.5L Transmission/Front Differential With One From A 2002?

1 people found this helpful.

Hey guys have a question for anyone who might be able to help me out. So I recently bought a 1998 Subaru Forester and got a 99 forester along with it and I was wondering if I could put the 5 speed that's in the 98 into the 99 and what do I need to do to make it work?

48,760

Sure, but why bother? Both have fragile first-gen DOHC motors that will repeatedly blow head gaskets. But if you must, ensure you've swapped the ECM, TCM, and any differing harnesses and exhaust parts. Have fun...I suppose.

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