replacing '98 Neon 5-speed

[TurboSedan]

my boss has a '98 Dodge Neon R/T. the transmission needs to be replaced and he offered to pay me to do it. i have swapped many transmissions and clutch jobs in old school Turbo Mopars and some FWD GM vehicles, but never a Neon. would it be best to pull the engine/trans together out the top (this is how i have always done it) or is there a "better" way with the Neon? i guess on some cars it is easier to lower everything out on the subframe but i don't know if the Neon falls into this category. i don't know anything about Neons; i've never worked on one. does the 1st GEN Neon have a hydraulic clutch or cable actuated?

i found a 2.0L DOHC 5-speed 1st GEN Neon at a local j/y but it's not an R/T. i am not sure what year it is. would this car have the right transmission? this would be an A578 correct? would it have the right FDR and/or speedo gear? what can i do to try to verify that the j/y transmission would be "good"?

i am thinking this should be a pretty straightforward job - pull the engine/trans, pull trans off, get flywheel resurfaced and replace clutch (probably Luk RepSet?), then bolt up the new trans, drop it in and put everything back together. besides the clutch and possibly rear main seal, is there anything else that should be replaced or looked at while i'm doing everything?

any tips, insight etc would be appreciated, thanks!

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Joshua Mitchell
'91 Dodge SPiRiT R/T
'87 Shelby CSX #667
'98 Buick Regal GS

[contraption22]

Well the engine and trans are not mounted to the subframe, so it will be a bit different. It's not very hard to drop the trans out of the car and leave the engine in place.

Also the 1998 R/T will have a modular clutch, which means the flywheel and clutch are serviced as an assembly. They bolt to a flexplate on the engine.

The R/T and ACR trans are slightly different than the "regular" DOHC trans. The R/T and ACR trans will have a .81 5th gear, while other DOHC trannies have a .72 5th gear. Your highway cruising RPM will drop a bit, without an acceleration penalty in the first 4 gears.

[TurboSedan]

cool, out the top it is then. my brother and i once did a clutch job on his Shelby Lancer by leaving the engine in and pulling the transmission out. we both came to the conclusion that we'd never do that again.

so swapping in a non-R/T DOHC transmission would actually be an improvement over the stock R/T transmission? lower cruise RPM in 5th sounds good to me! i know the difference is minimal but if 1st through 4th and FDR is the same i'd rather have transmission with the .72 5th gear. is a non-R/T transmission and diff just as strong?

i've never dealt with a modular clutch before; anything i should know?

thanks for the help, i appreciate it!

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Joshua Mitchell
'91 Dodge SPiRiT R/T
'87 Shelby CSX #667
'98 Buick Regal GS

[contraption22]

Yes, the new trans will be an improvement over the OE trans as far as highway cruise RPM. The only downside is that you may or may not have to downshift to pass. The final drive and diff is the same.
The modular clutch makes life very easy. Slide it onto the input shaft, bolt the trans to the engine, then bolt the flywheel to the flexplate. No alignment nessesary.

[Turbodave]

cool, out the top it is then.

Out the bottom it should be, but isn't bad to do on a neon.

Like Mike said the modular clutch installs much like a torque converter would on an automatic car. They are an expensive clutch since the flywheel friction surface is included.

[cododgeneon]

drop the tranny out the bottom. Its much easier then the top

also remove the front motor mount and rear bobble strut.

you'll need a 32mm for the axle nuts and a long pry bar to remove the lower control arm from the knuckle then swing out the strut to remove the axle spline.


Im down to doing a tranny under 2 hours in the race car from start to finish

[turbovanman²]

Out the top, impossible unless you hack off the front of the car.

Trans comes out the bottom, just like a TM.

[TurboSedan]

wow, i have always yanked the whole engine & trans out the top and then pulled the trans off and replaced the clutch while it was all out.

so it's impossible to do this on a Neon? because the last thing i want to do is replace the trans with the engine left in the car.

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Joshua Mitchell
'91 Dodge SPiRiT R/T
'87 Shelby CSX #667
'98 Buick Regal GS

[turbovanman²]

wow, i have always yanked the whole engine & trans out the top and then pulled the trans off and replaced the clutch while it was all out.

so it's impossible to do this on a Neon? because the last thing i want to do is replace the trans with the engine left in the car.

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Joshua Mitchell
'91 Dodge SPiRiT R/T
'87 Shelby CSX #667
'98 Buick Regal GS

Why do you want to pull the engine and trans for a tranny job? Your making yourself a ton of work. Just pull the trans out the bottom, leave the engine in the car. Your making a 5-7 hour job way harder.

[TurboSedan]

i've done it once that way on a Shelby Lancer, and it was a major PITA trying to get the splines lined up. in contrast it seems like i can have the engine/trans out together in no time, and then it's all really easy.

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Joshua Mitchell
'91 Dodge SPiRiT R/T
'87 Shelby CSX #667
'98 Buick Regal GS

[turbovanman²]

To each there own I guess. I'd never pull an engine to do a clutch/tranny/? job, I can have my tranny out in under an hour, no way I could get the engine and trans out that fast, plus the mess, ick.

Invest in a good clutch aligning tool and get some longer bellhousing bolts, they make lining it up a cinch.

[contraption22]

i've done it once that way on a Shelby Lancer, and it was a major PITA trying to get the splines lined up. in contrast it seems like i can have the engine/trans out together in no time, and then it's all really easy.



On the Neon, there will be no splines to line up. The modular clutch makes it so easy. The clutch assembly (with the flywheel) slides onto the input shaft like a torque converter on an automatic. Put the trans back in the car, then just rotate the crank until the flexplate bolts line up.

[Vigo]

i did the trans in my 95 neon (non modular) pretty easily. just like a 5spd k-car with less room, but also less k-frame/diff annoyance. iirc.

[inmyshadow]

I found it easier to R&R my neon's transimssion then to my Shadows or Daytona. I usually borrow my friend's lift and remove the transmission from the bottom. Same way when I'm on my back. My current shadow has some extra reinforcement behind the diff housing. That makes it so hard to R&R the transmission. Don't use motor oil to fill the transimisson.

I suggest you install the diff pin savers from Chrysler. I've put them in my neon when I swapped in the 2.4. I'm currently installing my second set in my 3.94 DOHC tranny I plan to use by the end of the week. The tabs cost 5 bucks a pair.
http://forums.neons.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=86055&hilit=diff+pin

I'd also suggest using the PT cruiser clutch. You can get the clutch from MP for 250 without throwout bearing. The clutch has a reputation of holding upwards of 10lbs of boost. Should be more then enough clutch.

This link gives you the specs for each neon transmission used.
http://www.neons.org/forumdodge/trans.htm

[fleckster]

Yes, the new trans will be an improvement over the OE trans as far as highway cruise RPM. The only downside is that you may or may not have to downshift to pass. The final drive and diff is the same.

Mike, the diff is different in the R/T transmissions. (3.94 versus 3.55) Yes, 5th gear is not as deep either.

[contraption22]

Mike, the diff is different in the R/T transmissions. (3.94 versus 3.55) Yes, 5th gear is not as deep either.

I was going by this chart which states that all DOHC manual trannies have the 3.94 final drive. The only difference being that R/T's and ACR's got the shorter 5th gear.

http://www.neons.org/forumdodge/trans.htm

[TurboSedan]

On the Neon, there will be no splines to line up. The modular clutch makes it so easy. The clutch assembly (with the flywheel) slides onto the input shaft like a torque converter on an automatic. Put the trans back in the car, then just rotate the crank until the flexplate bolts line up.

ah, thanks! i have never worked with that type of clutch so i had no idea. basically sounds like replacing an automatic then. i had the engine out of my Regal last year (but left the trans in) and it was all really easy.

--------------------------
Joshua Mitchell
'91 Dodge SPiRiT R/T
'87 Shelby CSX #667
'98 Buick Regal GS

[fleckster]

I was thinking that only the '95 Sport Coupe cars had that set up. I guess I'm wrong. When in doubt, look at the trans tag I guess! lol

[jory]

Dude you don't have to pull the engine to replace the transmission, it's way easier to set the car up on stands or a lift and drop it out the bottom. The neon's are set up just like the older TM's. Remove axles, remove trans mount, bobble strut and front motor mount then drop the transmission. I swapped my 97 neon from a dookie 3-speed auto to 5-speed in under 8 hours and must've pulled at least a dozen TM trannies.

[Vigo]

5spd swap: Best way to drop 2 seconds off your 1/4 time.

[mike mckay]

I've got to agree with these other guys. Neon 5 speed is easier to change than in a Shadow. I've changed one in a Neon and it's really pretty easy going in and out from below. No problems lining it up going back in with a modular clutch. Pulling the engine is a lot of extra work for nothing.