2003 Awd to fwd conversion?

[Pmp25014]

I'm sure it's not as easy as I'm hoping but my rear diff is on its way out and having moved from nj to fla I no longer need the awd for the snow. Could it be as easy as pulling the driveshaft and rear axles or is the transfer case a limited slip style case? I was going to remove the driveshaft from the shaft bearing to the pumpkin tomorrow night but figured I would ask before I went through all the hassle. Thanks

[KITT222]

Welcome to GenVibe!

The transmission would need the load on all three outputs (left, right, rear) or it would eventually fry something. If you were to do this, the proper way would be to get a FWD transmission and ECU, and put those in. Though wiring may not perfectly line up. That said, I have wondered how different an AWD turned FWD would act with the IRS compared to the torsion beam axle in the rear of the FWD Vibes. AND without the driveshaft going to the rear you could see about fitting a FWD exhaust to it, as the AWD header decreases power.


At the very least, you could give it a try, but I can't promise that I know what will happen.

[Pmp25014]

Anyone have any suggestions on where I can get info on rebuilding the rear diff. I am a marine mechanic so I could stumble my way through it. I have some other projects I need to do on it so I figured I could ask, the car has 175k so he needs some tlc. Thanks for any info I can get

[Salsa Guy]

Check a junk yard for a 03-06 VIbe/Matrix AWD/4WD Rear Diff. Rebuilding one maybe more work than it's worth. It's a common problem because they tend to leak around the outboard seals. So even finding a good one could be tough. I'd suggest replace the seal even on a donor.

Going to a FWD would require replacing the Transmission, CV shafts, motor mounts and maybe the front struts. The wiring harness is the same but position on the connectors could be an issue. Also maybe a FWD AT ECU....but not really sure.

[Pmp25014]

Sounds like I'm gonna be better off trading it in or just fixing what I have