Hi, Newbie here, just got a 2002 Mazda 2.3 for work, got a good deal because trans is shifting funny and O/D light blinking after complete warm-up. I'm finding it hard to identify the correct trans for this, does anyone know for sure?Been told it's a 5r44e

 

Correct. 5R44E.

 

Are you sure? Someone just told me today a 5r55e is the one for this. Looking at a used one on ebay

 

5R55E is for 4.0L only. Won't bolt up to a 2.3L block and has some internal differences too.

One more thing to watch out for.... the 5R44E's were used in both the 2.3L and 3.0L and they are not interchangeable as a complete transmission. The bellhousings are definitely different. I think that the torque converters are, too.

To avoid complications, I would stay with a 5R44E from a 2.3L Ranger/Mazda only. A salvage yard can use Hollander info to tell which years are 100% interchangeable with your 2002. Or you can probably guess the year range by searching on www.Car-Part.com. This might also point you to a local yard that has what you're looking for.

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A blinking O/D light is similar to a Check Engine Light but it has transmission trouble codes associated with it. Before swapping in a used tranny, you could get the code read by a Ford/Mazda dealer or transmission shop (most ordinary OBDII readers can't access transmission codes). Might be a simple fix like a loose wire connection or a bad solenoid that can replaced without removing the trans. Of course, it might be something worse. But it's possible that this could be fixed without going to the work and expense of swapping in a junkyard transmission with an unknown history.

Good luck.

 

Awesome! Thanks a lot! I've been working on German cars for over 20 years now and it's those little details that kick you in the butt - and wallet.