s54 gearbox drivers side driveshaft question.

[tcran]

Hey guys,

I'm doing an f20c conversion into a 1990 mr2 and I'm reusing the s54 gearbox to simplify things...

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I was orginally going to trim the engine a bit where the bellhousing attaches to fit the CV. However now that its in I don't want to do that, I'd like a more elegant solution. -- less trimming

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What sort of driveshaft options are available for the s54? It would be nice to have a bit of space between the spline and CV. The gt4 celica segmented driveshaft looks good and apparently its a similar length and has the same splines... haven't had a physical look at one though.

What do you guys reckon?

[knightrous]

Your best chance is to get the supported drive shafts from a FWD Celica ST184 which will use a S53 gearbox.

Part Number: 43410‑20240
The ST185 driveshaft hub splines fit into the NA hubs, I can confirm this with the fact that I am using the outer shafts for my AW11 V6 conversion, which shares the same hub spline as the SW20 NA.

Are you a member on the MR2 Australia forums?
Would be good to see this car at one of our QLD meets when you get it going

[tcran]

Yeah I'm on the MR2 Australia forums.. I can tell you I will be doing as many events as possible when its done its not going to be a trailer queen. I'm really looking forward to being more involved in the scene.

You mentioned both ST184 and ST185, I apologize I'm not big on celicas, do I need to use half of each model? Or will the ST184 driveshaft splines fit both the hub and the gearbox?

[knightrous]

You should be fine with using the whole ST184 RH drive shaft (maybe even LH shaft too, it might help position the motor better in the engine bay, depending if the ST185 LH shaft is a different length to the SW20 NA LH shaft).

Sorry for throwing in the ST185 comment, I'm using an E153 gearbox with supported shaft in my V6 conversion

And the ST185 shafts are what I have to use to make the setup work

between the big E153 gearbox stubs and the AW11 hubs.


I mentioned it because I know the AW11 and SW20 NA have the same spline count and diameter, which is why it's common for the SW20 NA drive shafts to be used with a C-series gearbox with a ZZW30 LSD installed into it (Like my 4AGE 20V + 6-Speed conversion).

[tcran]

ah I see, thanks for your help, I'll look into it and let you know how it goes. I'll be putting up a build thread soon...

[StuC]

Dont the Honda motors rotate anti-clockwise? I thought they all did. If so you'll have 1 forward gear and 5 reverse......

Please correct me i'm wrong though.

[knightrous]

Dont the Honda motors rotate anti-clockwise? I thought they all did. If so you'll have 1 forward gear and 5 reverse......
Please correct me i'm wrong though.

IIRC, F20C spins clockwise (RWD) and K20A spins anti clockwise (FWD)

[tcran]

they definitely spin clockwise. I think it was one of the first honda motors to do so... not sure about the k20a though, as I know people have put f20c in their fwd hondas using the 6 speed k20a gearbox.

[tcran]

So I went to the wreckers and picked up a driveshaft and the splines are the same! The stub going into the wheel is a bit thicker and longer due to the larger forces of the wheel turning but thats it. Thanks knightrous! I've taken the engine out to put a notch in the bellhousing for the shaft and I'll keep you posted if it fits.

[knightrous]

That's excellent news
This might also be an option for those people running a ZZW30 LSD in a C Series gearbox that would normally have to use SW20 NA driveshafts or ZZW30 supported drive shafts (which are hard to get). So I might check this out myself!

[tcran]

So have finally gotten round to putting the engine in and notching it... And it has enough plunge and nothing hits. So its all good. However I will be changing the wheelside CV to the mr2 one - its a direct swap. So yeah thanks again

[knightrous]

Is there any reason to switch the wheel side CV?
I'm sure the CV's have the same spline count and length at the hub.

[worldwalker]

Just a thought, is the S54 going to hold up ok at 9500RPM?

On a side note, can a gearbox be used in reverse fitment? IE fitting an anti clockwise engine with a clockwise gearbox then fitting the whole lot backwards? Daft thought I know but it has some merit for a few applications I've been pondering.

[knightrous]

The S and C series boxes should not be spun at high speeds backwards. The oiling system in them is just the spray of oil off the crown wheel flying up and being caught in a drip tray, that is then funnelled around the gearbox. Running around in reverse doesn't allow the oil to get up into the tray and will probably cause some accelerated wear to the bearings.

[tcran]

Knightrous, The threaded bit thats on the end of the shaft is longer and thicker. It sticks out a bit too far. World walker, as the shafts in the gearbox are balanced any inertia gained due to the increased speed on the input shaft will be negligible and won't load the bearings more. The thing that will break it is increased torque and I think that it can handle the torque from the F20C...