Phantastic

so i bought a 01 honda crv that is FWD not AWD that has a broken automatic transmission. will a jdm automatic trans or automatic ls trans bolt up and work on the b20 block that i have?

Phantastic

any transmission gurus on this forum that can answer this question?

94EG8

Sometimes JDM automatic trannys are different. '96 - '00 D-series trannys are significantly different between USDM and JDM. But I have no idea in your case. Your best bet is to find a '96 - '01 automatic Integra and compare the tranny to the one in the CR-V.

Dr.g

Yes it will bolt up and shift great BUT I have just installed 2 different jdm used autos in a 1999 fwd crv and i keep getting a p0740 ( tcc lock up fault ). I'm not sure why this is happening since the vehicle did not have this issue before ( it had 200k on it and the trans started slipping ). I found when comparing the differences between the two trannys ( us and jdm ) that the input shaft speed sensor is shimmed out from the case on the jdm and not shimmed on the U.S.. So as for right now Im thinking there might be an internal difference causeing my issue. But like i said im still trying to confirm my issue.

Good luck and please post any info you might have or come across.

SO i say be carefull get all the info you can and make sure who ever you buy it from assures you it will work the same as your US trans. Cause you will fail emissions with the CEL on.

adtek

In my engine swap, I used a JDM ECU and had problems passing emissions because the NYS inspection machine could not read the ECU in the same way.

Dr.g

DO NOT USE A JDM TRANSMISSION IN YOUR 1ST GEN CR-Vs. After I ordered a jdm trans for a customers 1999 cr-v and installed it the CEL kept coming on with a p0740 ( tcc lock up mailfuncation ). P0740 is set when the pcm sees a difference in rpms from the engine and transmission input shaft.
So after i replace a torque converter at the request of the jdm parts supplier i got the code again, and as per honda's service manaul if the code sets, the line pressure is good, and the tcc solenoid pack is good then the transmission is faulty. we installed a second jdm transmission that the supplier sent us and what do you know after going 2 miles down the freeway the Check Engine Light is back on... p0740...
After noticeing a shim on the input speed sensor thats not not on the usdm speed sensor i decided to count the teeth on the gear that the sensor reads off.
38 teeth on the US trans
40 teeth on the jdm trans
That will cause about a 20% difference in the rpm reading between the engine and trans thus causing a P0740 every time.....
A jdm ecu may get rid of the CEL but its not OBD for US emissions and you will not pass emissions.

Phantastic

I would like to disagree. I am not a transmission genius but I replaced my front wheel drive crv trans with a jdm one 3 years ago since my last post. The trans is still working fine without a cel that you have stated Dr.g. When I did the swap I used everything on the trans I bought even torque converter. The only item I replaced on the jdm trans was the one sensor that is at the side of the trans near the passenger wheel. The plug was different so i swap the sensor from my usdm trans.

bansell

Sorry for the follow up on a old post.. I see that JDM trans will throw a code and also they will not with a sensor change?

I am a bit confused, is it worth getting a JDM trans for a AWD 1999 CRV?

famous323

iTrader: (9)

I'm in the same boat as this guy ^ but I'm getting a regular Jdm fwd b20b auto trans anyone successfully swap out a Jdm trans on a usdm crv ? I have a first gen 1999, I'm getting the trans in 2 days so Any help would be appreciated .

greentrans

hi guys i guess i feel i have to write something about the JDM auto transmissions

heres the thing

the 01 crv jdm trans does bolt up the same but it does not work in us cars why? you are going to ask because of one thing in ca. we have a thing called smog oh yea ok so us a jdm trans in a us car guess what happens? you will get a check eng light p0730 why do you get this code? shifts great rpm is a bit high but shofts good. you do what at this point? you check all your wires but nothing makes this code go away and now cant smog your car because of the light on right.

JDM trans what they didnt tell you.

in japan they do not care about gas savings they only want performance GREAT i like that to but with autos trans in the us they dont care about that they care about smog. so the us car haves the ecu set up to save gas. and the us trans are also set up to save gas.

so JDM trans do not work for passing smog in the us. why because the gear ratio is not the same the the us car ecu picks up the differents and gives you the code p0730 code there is nothing you can do about this code less you change the ecu but then again you will still not pass smog because the wheel speed and rpm reading will be high so the smog coming out of your car will be more it will make the code go away but think about the money you pay for the jdm trans then the jdm ecu and still not passing smog should of just used a US tran and all would work the way it was before the trans gone out.

us case code for the crv in us are MDMA,SDMA,M4TA,MDLA,GPPA-2,MCVA,GPPA-3,GPPA-4,GPLA,MKYA,MKZA,BZHA,MZHA,BZJA,MZJA

DO not use any other trans code for your auto i have seen them side by side and gear count is not the same. thanks again for reading hope this helps

Green Transmissions

peglegbert

David Gutierrez

I have 2 hondas(01 ex, 02 LX)both with JDM transmission that where swap when the original US transmission went out...both failed emissions test because of that stupid torque converter code. So anyways the solution is to erase the code with an OB2 Reader then do 8 drive cycles but do not...Do Not!! Exceed speed of over 49MPH or you will get the code back on. Once you have completed 8 drive cycles or 7 In many states go get your emissions test you will pass... But do not exceed over 49MPH...The code will come back after you pass emissions but hey you know the trick on how to reset it and do 8 drive cycles or 7 in most states..

drewshondashop

Hi. This is my first post on Honda-Tech, but I've been gleaning information here for years. So I finally thought I'd contribute for once! There seems to be very little information about swapping JDM engines and transmissions on 1st gen CRV's. I have two, model year 2000 Honda CRV's. One is 4WD and the other is 2WD. I ordered two JDM high compression B20b engines and two transmissions (one 4WD and one 2WD) from Hmotorsonline in February of 2018. I have installed the JDM engine and trans in the 2WD model. Engine runs great. More power like the other guy mentioned. I did not find a difference on the distributors. In fact the engine wiring is the same as USDM except for the crank sensor. I did the bypass trick and it runs fine with no check engine light on the USDM ecu. I also tried a 37820-P3G-922 JDM ecu from eBay and it works just fine. I can tell a difference in power. It feels like the JDM ecu has more timing. Less throttle angle is required for the same amount of acceleration. However, the rev limit and shift point on this ecu are about 1,000 rpms lower than the USDM ecu. I ordered a 37820-PHK-901 ecu from eBay to see what its like. I can update here once it comes in and I have a chance to try it out. I couldn't get my OBDII code reader to read anything on the JDM ecu. Said error connecting. But I could put a jumper in the blue plug and count the check engine light flashes to retrieve trouble codes...

As previously mentioned the wiring on the JDM trans is the same except for the the one sensor near the passenger wheel. There was a one wire difference between the USDM and JDM trans and the plug was a different shape. I am also getting the P0740 code with the USDM ecu. It occurred when I was traveling about 50 mph and the engine fully warmed up. So it seems like David Gutierrez's info would be correct... I have not ran the vehicle enough with the JDM ecu to verify whether or not I would get the P0740 code.

It is also interesting to note that when I put the gear selector all the way down in 1st gear position, the trans doesn't lock into 1st, instead it locks into 2nd gear. I have checked the adjustment of the cable and it is correct. The trans starts from 1st gear when in the D position and the overdrive selector button works as expected. It's not a huge deal for normal driving, but something to note I guess.

On a final note, the 2WD JDM trans I have installed shifts really hard. There is quite a jerk from 1st to 2nd gear when compared to my other CRV and you can definitely feel it shift from 2nd to 3rd as well. Feels like how a shift kit would modify an old school muscle car transmission....

greentrans

IT will not work JDM trans dont work in us cars.

how i know this is we only work on honda and acura cars the trans gearing is not the same. so yes you will get a check engine light. and that is because the gearing on the gear is not the same tooth count.

if you have them side by side you can tell why they dont work.

for the guy who said he did change it with a jdm trans, could be right for what he knows but what really happen is when you buy a jdm trans they ask for a core . you being them your us trans and they sell you a jdm trans. why do they ask for core??? because the rebuild them and re sell it again. so yes some will come with us trans stickers but the inside gearing is not right. or you get a jdm trans sticker but the gearing is us. and if it is it will work. but there is no way to know what you have inside less you know the gear ID marks for the us and the jdm. so he just got a rebuild one from them but it was us inside., DO not buy JDM trans guys save your self.

they will tell you over and over again it works and then when it done its oh you have to do this. then you do that then it still dont work. then they say buy a ecu from them and it will make the light go off but the gearing is still off and your rpm at 65 will be close to 4k. so yes DONT USE JDM hope this helps

drewshondashop

I have been running the PHK ecu in the vehicle since my last post with no check engine light. Also this ecu behaves like a crv should. Engine still has more torque than with a usdm ecu. So this is the one I would recommend. Also, on the Crv's, the gearing in the automatic jdm trans is the same as the usdm automatic trans. Hope this helps someone.

tim73

drewshondashop, so I understand you replaced the ecu with the 37820-PHK-901, and you've had no problems? I don't have emmissions where I live, so im not too terribly concerned with that. But I do want it to run correctly, shift correctly etc. You didn't say whether or not you installed the 4wd setup or not. That's what I have, a 4wd setup. Thanks!

drewshondashop

Correct, I have not had any problems with the JDM setup runs awesome! Way more power than the usdm motor. No check engine lights, starts good, cruise control works, etc... Even pull a light trailer with it; no problem.

I have not installed the 4wd setup yet, but there are no electronical connections btwn the ecu and the 4wd systems on these 1st Gen crv's, so I'm not anticipating any problems.

rxn-texan

David,

considering this JDM tranny swap and wanted to see if your work-around on the P0740 code for emissions testing is still functional. Any other issues pop-up since your post in 2018?

thanks,
Steve

no_PUN_intended

Just so I have this straight...you guys are saying that you were able to avoid the p0740 CEL by cutting the crank sensor connector out of the USDM tranny, and wiring it in place of the JDM connector? It is important to me that I can get this tranny swap done without getting a CEL. I've done a similar jdm to usdm switch with a toyota camry mirror controller.... but in this case the stakes are a little higher.

Sorry to necro your thread over a decade after it's birth, Phantastic. You seem to have become the de facto source on 1st gen JDM tranny swaps.

rxn-texan

This may not be much help.... but wanted to provide an update on my swap. The place we purchased our MDMA tranny from indicated it was a JDM. I'm not sure how to confirm that it is actually a JDM. We installed the tranny and it has worked without spitting any codes. Based on comments from others, I'm guessing we didn't get a JDM but a were given a tranny pulled from a US CRV.

no_PUN_intended

Was there any sort of sensor/connector mismatch that you had to contend with when switching?

rxn-texan

I had to move the (gear shift selector? on bottom left) with the large round connector from my original tranny to the replacement one. The connector on the replacement looked very similar but didn't mate.

gwen20

Hi everyone, I’d like to hop in on this discussion.

so on my 99 Crv I did JDM transmission swap back in Dec 2019. The CEL for torque converter has been on ever since. I just recently got it smogged/ rather passed. I told the mechanic I’ve been aware of the JDM-US p0740 code issue malfunction because of the difference in gears etc. He noticed that my tranny does shift a little hard/slips into 2nd gear when accelerating fast and he advised to change the torque convertor clutch solenoid which is an easy bolt off sensor. Do y’all think this would help the issue?

rxn-texan

Yea, I'm pretty sure now the 'JDM' tranny we got is really a US tranny.... You are welcome to the solenoid I pulled off my old 2001 tranny if I still have it and can find it. Let me know if you are interested and which one it is...

Chrisfrom1986

iTrader: (1)

No. There is a difference internally with the sensor ring. The jdm trans will eventually fail as well.