93 to 94 transmission swap?

[pirho451]

Hey guys,

My '93 PA got totalled yesterday. It sucks, but what do ya do. Anyway, I'm looking at replacing it with a '94 LeSabre. The Lesabre has a bad transmission, and my Park Avenue has a new transmission with less than 4k on it.

Would a transmission swap be possible? Also, could I just swap engine cradles totally, swapping the transmission AND engine? Both cars have the plain 3800TPI engine and (I think) the 4T60e transmission.

I also posted this in the Park Avenue forum but I know there isn't much crossover between the two forums.

[buickmastermind]

If the engine code is the same on both cars, then it's not a problem. i believe it's the 8th digit on the VIN (please correct me if thats the wrong digit, somebody).

[pirho451]

Yeah, they're both L27 engines.

I called one transmission shop to see if they could do the swap and they said the gear ratios were different, and that it had different sensors, causing it to set trouble codes. Riiight. The '93 and '94 models were OBD1 models, and the gear ratios are identical! Either the guy was lying or totally incompetent. Either way, I don't want to do business with them.

Moving right along, I went and looked at the LeSabre. It was in really good condition, no rust (which is rare for a Ohio/Michigan car). It didn't have very many options, but I figure I can do some swapping with the Park Avenue and make... FrankenBuick! The transmission problem wasn't as bad as I initially thought, but it is rather odd. Here's what happens. If you put the shifter in either OD or D, the transmission will not engage. If you put it in 1 or 2, it will. No problems going into reverse either. What could cause this? My initial thought is there is something wrong with the shift linkage, but I dunno. Any thoughts?

[LeBuick]

Originally Posted by pirho451

Yeah, they're both L27 engines.

Here's what happens. If you put the shifter in either OD or D, the transmission will not engage. If you put it in 1 or 2, it will. No problems going into reverse either. What could cause this? My initial thought is there is something wrong with the shift linkage, but I dunno. Any thoughts?

I would believe if it were the linkage it would be off in nuetral, park and reverse. I would try calling two or three more xmission shops. If they all agree then the first guy was right.