I plan on installing a rebuilt 2.8 into my 85 coupe which originally had a 2.5 and I'll be using the 5 speed Isuzu thats allready in the car.

I have the ECM and wiring from the donor so that's no problem.

What I'm wondering is, has anyone done this swap and used the stock 2.8 with the Isuzu and how did it hold up?

Any problems I should know about?

Are the flywheel and pressure plates used in the 2.8's and 2.5's the same?

I'm planning on using the flywheel and pressure plate for a 2.8 but was just curious if there are differneces between them.

Thanks for the help peoples. HoHo

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Where will the road take you today?

Fieromaster88 and Fierojoe both have Isuzus running behind their V6's. Joe's got a stock 2.8 and has had no problems and he has a ton of miles on his trans. Fieromaster88 has a very built 3.2 behind his Isuzu that's currently running without problems he has blown a couple before but, like i said, his engine is very built.
I sent them both the link to this thread so hopfully they can answer your other questions.

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Activities Director N.I.F.E.

www.fierofocus.com

This swap is more common than you'd think. The Isuzu is actually a popular tranny for 3.4 swaps.
Use the correct V-6 flywheel for your engine.
I've also heard that you use the V-6 clutch and pressure plate, but the throwout bearing that goes with the Isuzu.

I'm sure others will jump in, too.

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Raydar
88 3.4 coupe...........

Coming soon...
88 Formula, presently under the knife.

I have an 87 with a V6 and 5spd isuzu. No problems. Runs much quicker than my V6 auto.

Dave

i have the 88 motor (very sweet rebuild) and its in my 87 with a 20,000 mile isuzu and it goes real nice no problems and im running the 87 clutch assembly

I have had the Isuzu 5 speed behind my V6 for several years without issue. I now have the same tranny behind my V8 with no issues. Very dependable tranny (provided you don't abuse it) and it is geared nicely.

One thing to watch for- the shift/select cables need to be secured away from the throttle body on the V6. If this is not done, they will interfere and cause a stuck (wide open) throttle. This is not safe.

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1986 SE 350 V8

[This message has been edited by tesmith66 (edited 03-24-2004).]

Thanks for the heads-up on this topic Dave.

At 225,000 miles, I swapped in a lower mileage 2.8 for my old 2.5 in my '87 coupe. The V6 is mostly stock, FieroMaster88 goes through Isuzu's quite frequently, but he is running well over 220 Hp through them.

Currently, I have 240,000 miles on the car, including that original Isuzu trans. The synchros seem to be wearing out a bit, but hell, it has 240,000 miles on it, 15,000 of that with the 2.8

tesmith66 is correct, the shift/select cables can stick on the throttle body, and cause it to hang up. Currently, they are tied back to the decklid hinge in my car. I am hoping in the future to be able to move the brackets or extend the cables. I will be working this summer at Hi-Lex Automotive Engineering (which designs cable systems for the Big Three, Honda, Toyota, etc), so maybe I can get some ideas there. I will be sure to post any findings I have.

As far as clutches go, use the 2.8 flywheel, 2.8 pressure plate and clutch disk, and the Isuzu T/O bearing. That is the arrangement in my car, and I have had no problems with slipping whatsoever. The clutch is a lifetime warranty Autozone clutch, about $140 with the T/O bearing.

Buy the clutch package for the V6, take it home, bring back your throwout bearing and the one that came with the kit and just tell them that you need the 4 cylinder one exchanged...make up some bull like "Some V6's of this year came with a 4 cylinder trans, so I need this swapped out"

Enjoy!

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Blue '87 Coupe V6 5spd
AIM:FieroJoe87

[This message has been edited by FieroJoe (edited 03-24-2004).]

I have a pretty highly modified 3.4 and Isuzu 5spd. No problems and it's geared nice.

1st is a little short on my car but I suspect it would be perfect for a 2.8. The best thing is about it is the
gas mileage you get on the interstate. At 70 your rpms will drop about 1000. This is very good!

I have no complant's really.

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-Chris

86 GT
***95 Camaro 3.4 swap, Ported and polished heads and intakes, CRX CAI, Custom Cam, steel vacuum lines, steel braided EGR tube, new Wire Harness, New Exhaust, No Cat, Flowmaster, polished poly dog bone. Isuzu 5 speed, Short through shifter
***Intrax 2" drop springs, Full Polly Suspension, Sencetrack Struts and Shocks, Grand AM brake upgrade, steel braided brake lines, 17" Gun Metal Wheels, Khumo Tires
***Racing Seats, SunPro tach w/ shift light, White face guages, carbon fiber Steering wheel, Carbon Fiber dash accents and custom sphere shift knob,

Well, everyone here said what I would say. The only reason I go through transmissins is because I'm not "Transmission Friendly" I drive my car hard. I've always used the V6 clutch, and a 4 cyl (isuzu) throwout bearing. Works great.

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88 Coupe 3.2L V6
60* V6 Power Baby!

Thanks for the great responses boys, +'s all around.

Guys I have a question:

Is the flywheel on the V6 auto the same as a V6 manual ?
I am wondering because I was thinking of putting an Isuzu trans on my V6, and was wondering if I have to get the flywheel from the manual V6.

The auto uses a flexplate, the manual uses a flywheel. Totally different. You'll need an 85-87 flywheel.

I had the Isuzu behind my 2.8 before I swapped in a Getrag. I used the entire Isuzu clutch package including the Isuzu TO bearing. Worked great.

SCCA
Thank you for your reply
+ for you

One last follow up question.

Are the axels for the 1985 4 speed V-6 set up the same length as the axels for the 1985 5 speed 4 cylinder?

ALL Fiero manual trans axles are the same.

I'd like to upgrade my car from a 4 spd to a 5 spd. It is a factory V6 car. Sounds like the Isuzu tranny might be a good economical choice.

Does anyone know what all I would need for this swap, besides the tranny, a fresh clutch, and shifter?

Different cables?
Brackets?
Slave cylinder?

You need the Isuzu cables and everything you listed. I'm not sure if the mounts are the same, try to get the brackets and mounts with the tranny. The 4 speed ECM will work fine, it just won't tell you to upshift into 5th because the chip doen't know it's there (no biggie).

If you look at the VSS sensor, you might have a plug coming off that part of the harness. Since you have to swap shifters, you're gonna lose the reverse switch. The Isuzu has the switch in the tranny. If you have that plug just hanging there, it goes to the reverse switch in the tranny. My 86SE had this plug hanging around.

Pollock, get everything from the shifter back to the tranny. The slave mount and the cable to tranny mounts from the Isuzu will be needed. You'll need them. And as stated earlier, the other difference is the release bearing. I've got over 150K miles on the 2.8/Isuzu combo without any problems. Something comes to mind about one of the tranny or engine mounts was different, also.

Haven't been on the forum in a while, but I have some experience with this.

Nothing new to add, but if it makes you feel any more confident, I agree with 95% of everything said in this thread due to my experience swapping transmissions.

Some other things to consider from my experience... Get the shifter, cables, slave cylinder bracket, and shift cable bracket at the same time you get the transmission. Also, buy whatever tools are necessary to correctly install the axle seals. Mine leak, and I don't know if I'm going to replace them or what.

I swapped in an isuzu into my 86 SE from the 4 speed and my seat of the pants told me that the isuzu made the car quicker 0-60. Use the 2.8 flywheel, clutch and the isuzu throw out bearing. You can use the 4 speed shifter, but the cables back need to be isuzu items. Backup switch... who needs one of those, just tap the brake to light up behind you!

You can fragg the isuzu with the 2.8... I did, but it had the living crap beat out of it with near daily 0-60 sprints @ 6.43 seconds. I was doing 135 (and still accelerating) when the input shaft got dislodged and cracked the outside edge of the case. It lasted through 2 years and 60K of abuse (college commuter) (it was about 170K when it broke). It would no longer downshift, but upshifted fine, so I was able to limp it home. Pulled the motor and dropped it into my 88 with another isuzu.