Not trying to do this actively yet. My 300,000+ mi engine and transmission are worn (everything still works A-OK) BUT I had a long drive the other day. I was thinking IF I had to replace it with a used Motor+Trans combo, could I do a RWD conversion...

As I understand the center differential is a torsion unit and it is completely mechanically. The front and read differentials are also open diffs and mechanical. If you removed the FWD drive shaft, center differential, installed RWD transmission mount, and removed and replaced the AFT AWD driveshaft with the AFT RWD driveshaft, then the car would be none the wiser? The front differential and CV axles would just keep rotating, but not be driven anymore?

Is there anything in the Engine ECU, or TCU that would throw codes or faults? Does the car even know it's an AWD? I mean the transmissions are the same between the AWD, and RWD... Maybe the RWD mount might not fix on the AWD trans housing?

Thoughts?

 

Anything is possible if you have enough money. But you'll throw more money at it than the worth of the car.

 

I was just looking on eBay to find a used transmission and it's kind of crazy that there's TONS of AWD units, very inexpensive and VERY FEW Rear Wheel Drive units and the ones that are available are around DOUBLE the price!

 

Be cheaper and easier to do an LS swap with a Haltech Standalone ECU. Then you could manual swap as well