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Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???

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Offline longarch

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Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« on: January 16, 2012, 05:22:30 PM »
I'm sure this is an age old question but apparently I fail at using the "search" option. Please allow me to tell you what I have and what I want and please respond with my best option. Thanks.

My 1.6L Sammy has the standard 5-speed tranny with a 4.16:1 reduction in the transfer case and 5:12 diff gears sitting on 33's. My desire is not to rock crawl or mud bog but simply to get where I need to go which sometimes involves a short interstate ride. As you can see I'm already geared too low for interstate travel. 4000 RPS's gets me approximately 50mph currently. I realize I could simply remove the transfer case gearing and be close to the desired speed/power balance area but I sure do miss the little 3-speed auto in my Tracker. I am not fond of performing the brake/clutch/gas option when performing some off-road trail rides. Thus the desired answer for my question.......
'94 Tracker W/Hard Top
1.5" Front Coil Spacers - 2" Rear Coil Spacers - 2" Strut Spacers
30x9.50x15 Cooper Discoverer STT's
Calmini Front & Rear Tube Bumpers
Bored 30 Over & Head Shaved
Swapped 4:42 gears for 5:12's

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Offline fordguy79

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Re: Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2012, 08:17:00 PM »
the 3 speed will be the eazyest.  the 4 speed you will have to wire in the trans ecm
87sami 32" bfg mt 6.5:1 w/reverse S shifter  1.6 16v sold and missed

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Offline longarch

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Re: Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2012, 08:22:36 PM »
additional comments....

One gentlemen stated that I could use not only a 4wd but a 2wd tranny as well. Another stated that I could purchase an external module to work a 4-speed. IDK....

Thanks
'94 Tracker W/Hard Top
1.5" Front Coil Spacers - 2" Rear Coil Spacers - 2" Strut Spacers
30x9.50x15 Cooper Discoverer STT's
Calmini Front & Rear Tube Bumpers
Bored 30 Over & Head Shaved
Swapped 4:42 gears for 5:12's

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Offline fordguy79

  • 494
  • 8
  • Gender: Male
  • long beach Wa,
87sami 32" bfg mt 6.5:1 w/reverse S shifter  1.6 16v sold and missed

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Offline Drone637

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Re: Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2012, 11:46:50 AM »
Rock4xfab has a version of the Kicker 3 that will allow you to combine your two t-cases together and have two low ranges.  You can also give OTT a call about the Kicker 3, supposedly they have started making the Kicker units again after the new year.

If you use a 2wd transmission you can just use the jack shaft to go into your Samurai t-case, no extra costs needed.  Not sure if the jack shaft will have to be shortened though.
96 Geo Tracker, x-SJ-410,  x-White Rabbit, x-Project Trouble
Crawlers NorthWest
x-Trouble Racing

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Offline Skyhiranger

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Re: Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2012, 05:03:56 PM »
additional comments....

One gentlemen stated that I could use not only a 4wd but a 2wd tranny as well. Another stated that I could purchase an external module to work a 4-speed. IDK....

Thanks

The first guy is right.  The second one is full of shit.
Tracker and Sidekick parts for sale.....PM me with your wants/needs.

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Offline Skyhiranger

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Re: Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« Reply #6 on: January 17, 2012, 05:05:08 PM »

If you use a 2wd transmission you can just use the jack shaft to go into your Samurai t-case, no extra costs needed.  Not sure if the jack shaft will have to be shortened though.

It has to be shortened considerably.  Basically, the tube gets cut out and you put the 2 yokes back to back.
Tracker and Sidekick parts for sale.....PM me with your wants/needs.

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Offline longarch

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Re: Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2012, 05:32:24 PM »

If you use a 2wd transmission you can just use the jack shaft to go into your Samurai t-case, no extra costs needed.  Not sure if the jack shaft will have to be shortened though.

It has to be shortened considerably.  Basically, the tube gets cut out and you put the 2 yokes back to back.

Does anyone have any pics or links to show this set up? Just wanted to see.

Jeff
'94 Tracker W/Hard Top
1.5" Front Coil Spacers - 2" Rear Coil Spacers - 2" Strut Spacers
30x9.50x15 Cooper Discoverer STT's
Calmini Front & Rear Tube Bumpers
Bored 30 Over & Head Shaved
Swapped 4:42 gears for 5:12's

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Offline Skyhiranger

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  • I don't buy, what I can build
Re: Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2012, 05:41:06 PM »

If you use a 2wd transmission you can just use the jack shaft to go into your Samurai t-case, no extra costs needed.  Not sure if the jack shaft will have to be shortened though.

It has to be shortened considerably.  Basically, the tube gets cut out and you put the 2 yokes back to back.

Does anyone have any pics or links to show this set up? Just wanted to see.

Jeff

This is what the shortened intermediate shaft looks like.
This one has the slip yoke section from a trackick 2wd driveshaft (the samurai and trackick driveshafts use the same ujoints, so mixing and matching parts is easy).  The sidekick slip yoke is a little larger diameter, so it fits the seal in the trackick 2wd tranny (of course).  The samurai slip yoke won't fit tight in the seal (I have heard you can source a different seal with a smaller ID, if you want to use the samurai slip yoke.
Tracker and Sidekick parts for sale.....PM me with your wants/needs.

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Offline longarch

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Re: Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« Reply #9 on: January 17, 2012, 05:59:42 PM »

If you use a 2wd transmission you can just use the jack shaft to go into your Samurai t-case, no extra costs needed.  Not sure if the jack shaft will have to be shortened though.

It has to be shortened considerably.  Basically, the tube gets cut out and you put the 2 yokes back to back.

Does anyone have any pics or links to show this set up? Just wanted to see.

Jeff

This is what the shortened intermediate shaft looks like.
This one has the slip yoke section from a trackick 2wd driveshaft (the samurai and trackick driveshafts use the same ujoints, so mixing and matching parts is easy).  The sidekick slip yoke is a little larger diameter, so it fits the seal in the trackick 2wd tranny (of course).  The samurai slip yoke won't fit tight in the seal (I have heard you can source a different seal with a smaller ID, if you want to use the samurai slip yoke.

Cool!!! I have plenty of Tracker/Sidekick parts laying around but this is the first Sammy I've ever owned. Thanks for the pic Skyhiranger.

Jeff
'94 Tracker W/Hard Top
1.5" Front Coil Spacers - 2" Rear Coil Spacers - 2" Strut Spacers
30x9.50x15 Cooper Discoverer STT's
Calmini Front & Rear Tube Bumpers
Bored 30 Over & Head Shaved
Swapped 4:42 gears for 5:12's

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Offline Skyhiranger

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Re: Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« Reply #10 on: January 17, 2012, 06:06:00 PM »
The thing I ran into, when installing a trackick 2wd tranny in a samurai, was the shortened intermediate shaft ujoints ran at way too steep of angles.  I had to remove the small plate off the top of the stock samurai crossmember and drop it down right on the crossmember, so the rear of the tranny would sit lower and the ujoint angles would be acceptable.  Not really too hard to do, but something to keep in mind.
Tracker and Sidekick parts for sale.....PM me with your wants/needs.

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Offline longarch

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Re: Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« Reply #11 on: January 17, 2012, 06:08:11 PM »
The thing I ran into, when installing a trackick 2wd tranny in a samurai, was the shortened intermediate shaft ujoints ran at way too steep of angles.  I had to remove the small plate off the top of the stock samurai crossmember and drop it down right on the crossmember, so the rear of the tranny would sit lower and the ujoint angles would be acceptable.  Not really too hard to do, but something to keep in mind.

Did that raise the front of the motor much? Just wondering about the fan and radiator?
'94 Tracker W/Hard Top
1.5" Front Coil Spacers - 2" Rear Coil Spacers - 2" Strut Spacers
30x9.50x15 Cooper Discoverer STT's
Calmini Front & Rear Tube Bumpers
Bored 30 Over & Head Shaved
Swapped 4:42 gears for 5:12's

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Offline Skyhiranger

  • 3734
  • 122
  • I don't buy, what I can build
Re: Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« Reply #12 on: January 17, 2012, 06:22:02 PM »
The thing I ran into, when installing a trackick 2wd tranny in a samurai, was the shortened intermediate shaft ujoints ran at way too steep of angles.  I had to remove the small plate off the top of the stock samurai crossmember and drop it down right on the crossmember, so the rear of the tranny would sit lower and the ujoint angles would be acceptable.  Not really too hard to do, but something to keep in mind.

Did that raise the front of the motor much? Just wondering about the fan and radiator?

When I installed the 1.6 engine, I used dodge 318 motor mounts, so the engine would sit lower and clear the hood.  So by doing that, it made it so the shroud would have to be butchered, in order to fit.  I didn't put a shroud back on.  It doesn't overheat at all.  Oh, I did use a trackick radiator though....so I am not sure if a samurai radiator shroud would have to be butchered much or not.  Or if a samurai radiator would cool good enough without a shroud.
Note, that if you do plan on running a trackick radiator that there are a few different widths found in trackicks.  Only the narrowest width will fit down between the samurai passengers side frame rail and steering box.  You can bolt the trackick radiator in, using both the samurai radiator brackets and the trackick radiator brackets and a spacer between the drivers side bracket and the frame mount.
Here is a pic of how I did the brackets.
It is kinda hard to see in the pics, but what I did was flip the trackick brackets around to the backside of the radiator, made some straps that run from the top of the radiator back to the trackick brackets and bolt the samurai brackets to them.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2012, 06:24:02 PM by Skyhiranger »
Tracker and Sidekick parts for sale.....PM me with your wants/needs.

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Offline longarch

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Re: Best automatic transmission option for Samurai???
« Reply #13 on: January 17, 2012, 07:08:26 PM »
With a cool little Excel spreadsheet I was able to calculate the following configurations for a 5-speed manual:

Low
1st gear |removethispart||removethispart|@ 4K RPM + 4.30 gears + 4.16 reduction + 33" tires = 6.0 MPH
1st gear |removethispart||removethispart|@ 4K RPM + 4.62 gears + 4.16 reduction + 33" tires = 5.6 MPH
1st gear |removethispart||removethispart|@ 4K RPM + 5.13 gears + 4.16 reduction + 33" tires = 5.0 MPH
1st gear |removethispart||removethispart|@ 4K RPM + 4.62 gears + no reduction + 33" tires = 10.3 MPH
1st gear |removethispart||removethispart|@ 4K RPM + 5.13 gears + no reduction + 33" tires = 9.3 MPH
1st gear |removethispart||removethispart|@ 4K RPM + std gears + no reduction + 205/70R 15 tires = 10.1 MPH

High
5th gear |removethispart||removethispart|@ 4K RPM + 4.30 gears + 4.16 reduction + 33" tires = 66.9 MPH
5th gear |removethispart||removethispart|@ 4K RPM + 4.62 gears + 4.16 reduction + 33" tires = 62.3 MPH
5th gear |removethispart||removethispart|@ 4K RPM + 5.13 gears + 4.16 reduction + 33" tires = 56.1 MPH
5th gear |removethispart||removethispart|@ 4K RPM + 4.62 gears + no reduction + 33" tires = 69.8 MPH
5th gear |removethispart||removethispart|@ 4K RPM + 5.13 gears + no reduction + 33" tires = 67.9 MPH
5th gear |removethispart||removethispart|@ 4K RPM + std gears + no reduction + 205/70R 15 tires = 69.2 MPH

Hell, I might just stay with the 5-speed and look for some 4.30 gears.

I forgot to state that the front and rear axles are both modified Trackick rear ends.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2012, 07:11:49 PM by longarch »
'94 Tracker W/Hard Top
1.5" Front Coil Spacers - 2" Rear Coil Spacers - 2" Strut Spacers
30x9.50x15 Cooper Discoverer STT's
Calmini Front & Rear Tube Bumpers
Bored 30 Over & Head Shaved
Swapped 4:42 gears for 5:12's