6G Celicas Forums

Hi Guys,

So i recently purchased my second 99 celica convertible. The first one the brother wrote off by rear ending someone while changing lanes.

I started reading into swaps and was initially interested in the 3SGTE or a BEAMS redtop but after reading njc's thread about his 2gr-fe, well I fell in love with the idea.

so here is the issue. Recently became a dad and the car is "really" for my wife so for appearances I need to keep it automatic. Yes I know don't bash. I want a manual with E153 tranny but those of us who are married know that a happy wife is a happy life.

I was exploring options in respect to mating the 2GR-FE with an auto tranny but seems information is very limited.

Anyone here have any experience on the matter?

Once I get the tranny issues figured out the next challenge is the axles for the inner and outers.

Looking for some guidance from this awesome community. Budget is about 8k-10k on this project.

Thanks!



Sameer

The E153 was used in the Solara until recently, maybe I would start there.

Get your 2GR, get an auto trans from a 00 solara with a 5S, figure out how to put them together, then figure out what needs to be cut to get into the car.

Are you referring to the A541E transmission?

A541E
Applications (calendar years):

1994-2001 Toyota Camry (V6)
1995-2004 Toyota Avalon
1999-2003 Toyota Solara (V6)
2001-2003 Toyota Sienna
1994-1998 Lexus ES 300
(USA 1997-2004) gear ratios

1 2 3 4 Rev Final Drive
2.81 1.549 1 0.735 2.296 3.625

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_A_transmission

This is the tranny that I was looking for as an automatic. E153 is a manual and at this stage it is not an option due to the wife.

I am working with Yoshio located in Milton, Ontario @ Japanese Automotive. He is a Toyota Master Tech for over 30 years.

We are getting stuck at the axles. From his research he has not been able to determine which axles to use to mate the tranny to the wheels.

I know it will require a hybrid setup but wondering if anyone has experience with this or knows of any reputable axle building places.

You should check out the MR20C.com community as well since they have a lot more people who did the 2GR swap. (Mostly in manual, perhaps in automatic too.)
There's a few guys here but from what I remember they went the E153/MT route.

I'd say your biggest issue is going to be the ECU. The ECU controls the shifting in the Auto trans on these cars, they don't have a separate transmission control module. This means that whatever engine you go with will dictate the transmission for the most part. Obviously this is not an issue with a manual gearbox, which is part of the reason manual swaps go oh-so-well with engine swaps.

So you'll have to use the 2GR Camry or whatever 5spd U151E or 6spd U660E transmission. Custom engine/tranny mounts, most likely custom axles. There are companies that will make you whatever axle you want, just have to give them the right measurements. With your budget, should not be an issue.

I highly doubt a 2GR ECU will be able to control A541E tranny, or if it'll shift correctly.
Running 2 ECU's (1 for engine, 1 for tranny) will be a wiring nightmare. Not impossible, but will require some serious custom wiring and emulation.

Good luck, this will not be an easy project.

EDIT: Also, doesn't A541E still require a throttle kickdown cable? And isn't 2GR a throttle by wire? Not sure how those two will get along.

This post has been edited by slavie: Aug 26, 2019 - 10:33 AM

I didn't even consider the ECU. Thats a great point. Will have to research it more.

Custom Engine and Tranny mounts are not an issue. Yoshio is able to fabricate all those parts.

Axles is where I am running into a bit of issue primarily because Yoshio can't give me any specific measurements but I found the following website that can do Toyota Solid Axles given the dimensions. So more research required here. Website for Axles: https://www.rcvperformance.com/toyota-solid...-custom-builder

Great point on the transmission not being compatible. Will have to look into U151E and U660E tranny as well. From a costing perspective it may end up being more than $10K.

Lets see. Research research research. Hoping I get a response from njc to get some more info.

Thanks so much for your feedback slavie!


Cheers,



Sameer

you made me login after several weeks of protest to the site.

you have to use the transmission that is suitable for the ECU you have.

You cannot expect to use any other transmission, and expect the car to run good, older auto transmissions did not require ecu, and those are sh1t.

you will have to create your own axles period.

I have a auto transmission from a highlander sport. Its controlled by the ECU, there is no ecu for transmissions. it would be impossible or expensive. Its got at least 3 to 4 sensor inputs for the ecu to interpret.

you would need the inner axles for transmission, and basically would have to have halfshafts made to insert on the outer celica axles. If you search good enough you may be able to find it..

the guys at MR2OC are trying to figure this out. see if you can join the site

I appreciate you responding njc. Truly

Thanks for the insight and I will definitely be joining over there to do my research.

I agree with you 100% on all the reasons to swap in a 2gr.

My money, my vehicle, my swap. Truer words have not been spoken!

This is my second go with a 6th gen. This time around I'm spoiling myself silly. The first one my brother wrote off. Still fairly salty about that even if it was 4 years ago.

Thanks again!



Sameer