Questios about 02/03 motor swap. Which torque converter?

TwinDmax · **Posted:** Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:07 pm

I bought an02 libby w/ 112kmiles and a bad motor. I bought a 39k salvage yard engine but the torque converter does not bolt up. According to my research the engines are interchangable but the trannies are not. can I just go to the salvage yard and get the 03torque converter? It sounds like a no-brainer but I want to make sure.

pixeldzn · **Posted:** Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:13 pm

You must have gotten one of the few KJs or one of the few engines (not sure which by your description) that had the original transmission. Very early in the first year of production they changed trannys.

I can't help any further than that, but I'm sure someone will pipe up.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:19 pm

What year liberty was the 39 engine out of? They changed trannys after 02 so you must have the engine that took the 42rle and the blown engine had a 45rfe bolted to it.

Can you just change out the flywheel?

edit: pix beat me to it.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:21 pm

Just change the flexplate from the blown engine to the engine going in.The '02 KJ you bought has the 45RFE tranny and the engine you bought for it had a 42RLE tranny bolted behind it,so it is a easy as swapping the flexplates.The 42RLE torque converter will not work in the 45RFE tranny,just use the torque converter that is in the '02 tranny and swap the flexplate from the blown engine to the newer engine.

TwinDmax · **Posted:** Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:24 pm

thank you for the fast response. I was wondering about it all day on the road to pick up my daughter... Now I hopefully they will have the flexplate at the salvage yard.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:27 pm

TwinDmax wrote:

thank you for the fast response. I was wondering about it all day on the road to pick up my daughter... Now I hopefully they will have the flexplate at the salvage yard.

Why get another flexplate? You already have the one you need still bolted to the blown engine.If you get the one from the KJ you got the engine from it will be wrong(though it should have came with the engine anyway).

TwinDmax · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:03 am

the flywheels are the same... the 2003motor is 2wd and my 02 is a 4wd. going to check torque converters tomorrow

edit:my mech. found out there was a sleeve that was at the end of the crank for the 2wd. The engine I bought was out of a 2wd...I would hope to say I would have found out about it if I did the work, but who knows. One thing is for sure though, every answer I got (from the dealership, salvage yard, trans shop, and pep boys was different about the compatability of the engines/transmissions.

CAUTION!!!the flywheels are not the same. The converter bolt pattern is different!

Questios about 02/03 motor swap. Which torque converter?

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