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Which darn transmission do we have?

10249 Views 21 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  John
Does the Ion Redline come with the FGP F35 Saab tranny? I've heard yes and no to the question. The Saturn techs I've talked to at three different dealerships are clueless. Nice to know they are "factory trained". So, do we have the Saab tranny, the same one that is is the Cobalt SS? Or do we have the Getrag? I'm trying to get info for the Quaife LSD, and I'm willing to shell out for one, but I can't get clear information from anywhere. Please inform. And please cite where you got yuor info from. THanks.
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I am under the impression that it's the Saab transmission. I believe this because I was reading Road & Track's preview of the car and they said, <paraphrased, of course> "the only nice bit you'll see is the shift knob, because it's out of the Saab 9^3." And then Sport Compact Car complained that the Saab transmission was a bad application because its ratios are poorly spaced or some piss-poor ricer whining. The transmission is a fabulous transmission, can probably take a bullet, and does not have bad ratios. But I digress. It's the Saab IIRC
F35 with the MU3 gearset
Hey there,

Im under the impression that its the Getrag, cause in a commercial I swear I heard them say " Heavy duty Getrage Transmission".... But I could be wrong.. Cause if you ask me what commercial It was in, I couldnt tell you! But thats my two cents..



Scott
I got my info from the repair book at saturn
Thank you, goofyguy. I hope to get the quaife installed by the middle of March. I'll let you guys know what happens.
It is the Getrag, which is also in the Saab correct? The Saturn site shows it as a Getrag as do all the searchs I run on the internet.



the regular ion uses the getrag, we use the F35
Ok, why is there so much confusion here? All I can find says it's the Getrag. Here is one source.

While the Ion Redline uses a higher-torque capacity version of the Getrag 5-speed manual standard in 2.2 L versions of the Ion and Cobalt, the Cobalt SS Supercharged features an F35 5-speed manual from Fiat-GM Powertrain.
Another one
Saturn ION Redline
This special performance issue of the four-door Ion Quad Coupe features a performance-tuned suspension, unique wheels and add-on body parts with aerodynamic accents. A supercharger attaches to Ion's four-cylinder Ecotec engine to push it up to 205 hp. Also, the plant uses a heavy-duty Getrag five-speed manual transmission with short-throw shifter stick.
Another One
The Ion Redline model gets a five-speed stick that's produced by Germany's Getrag, as does the unit in basic Ions. But the Redline's has a higher torque capacity and also has shorter throws for quicker action. It adds to this car's fun-to-drive quotient. The gearbox is mated to a high-capacity clutch that is equally enjoyable to operate.
So whats the deal here?



F35 same as saab 9-3, same as cobalt. Both the Redline and cobalt SS use the same engine and transmission and I think they both have the same gear ratios unlike what I've heard in other forums.
Ok, after much more searching, I finally found a GM page that had the official info for the '05 Cobalt and it does in fact say it the the F35 from the Saab, man why are there so many people that are reporting the wrong transmission?



Grr... I emailed Saturn yesterday and asked them what transmission is in the Redline and this is what they said:
Thank you for your interest in our vehicles. I am sorry you are having
concerns trying to obtain information about the transmission in the ION Red
Line. The transmission in the ION Red Line is a heavy-duty Getrag five-speed
manual transmission with short-throw shifter.

We would love to have you in the Saturn family.

I hope your day is going great.

If you have any additional questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail
us again or call us at 1-800-553-6000, prompt 3.

Sincerely,


Neva Ferguson
Saturn Customer Assistance Center
WHY IS THIS SOOOOOO HARD???? I'm pretty convinced it's the Saab tranny now, but why can no one get it straight??



SOunds like that response is a copy and paste job from somewhere. I'm convinced it's the Saab trans, but I don't expect anyone from Saturn to know, especially after talking to three trained Saturn techs (at three different dealerships) that couldn't even tell me. I asked them to do the upper strut-hole boring that is in the Factory Service Manual for the Redline, and they refused, even though it was in the FSM. I've had it with Saturn techs (at least the ones around here). I know there are good ones out there. If anyone knows of a good factory tech, why don't you post about it here, so we know who to talk to and trust.
I've always had bad luck with all mechanics... I know there are plenty good ones out there, I just can't find any. I'm with you guys on the Saab transmission. I'm not sure why there is such a flood of statements that it's the Getrag transmission. Was that the original tranny that was going into the car? I could see people using the information that they got in 2003 and never following up on it as well. I did send a reply back to Saturn asking them why in the hell the option code in the trunk lists it as the same transmission from the Saab. Lets see what they cut and paste into that response..



Ok, after talking to my service manager, he confirmed that it IS a transmission built by Saab for Saturn. So it's not the Getrag, he also confirmed for me that Saturn has the LSD available, and would most certainly install it as well, he didn't have a price and didn't know what labor would be yet, but he said that it was definitley possible. I was also looking at the warranty for Saturn installed accessories, and if they are regular production options that the part is warrantied along with the rest of the car. So if you have it installed with 10k miles on the car, it warranty for it expires with the rest of the car at 60k miles or 36k depending on your situation. At least that's what I got out of it.



Vita said:
the regular ion uses the getrag, we use the F35
I asked my Dad (who works at the Saturn plant) and he confirmed this.

Regular Ions have a Getrag transmission.
Redlines use the Saab transmission (and motor).
Guys......It's a Getrag........The Cobalt got the SAAB F35 Tranny (Although the Getrag is technically a SAAB manufactured tranny) The Getrag is way more rebust and (at least in the 04s) it is the tranny with the too high of a second gear. Even the parts manuals call for the Getrag. And yes, the Shifter KNOB is out of a Saab 93. So are the half shafts, wheels carriers, rear axle, brakes, and just about the entire running gear.
No, it's not bro. The Cobalt's part number and the Ion's part number is the same for the 2.0SC. The option code in the trunk lists it as the F35 transmission, and my service manager also said that it's the Saab transmission. I'm not sure that I trust the service guys, but the option code dosen't lie. My buddy at work here has a new Saab 9-3 I asked him this morning to look at his car and make sure that it's the same option code. If you run the option code with GM, it comes back as the F35, that's the one that I have to go with. I've never seen the option codes be wrong, where did you get the information from? I'm not calling you a liar, but I contacted Saturn directly and they too told me it was the Getrag, but the option codes don't lie man. From my understanding, the Gertrag was the original option for it, but it wasn't working out for them, they then tried to do it with the Cobalt and it again didn't work out for them. It's confusing man, I know. It seems that once you get to people 'in the know' they all come back and say it's the F35.



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When I went to get the part number for the LSD, I had the parts guy look up the tranny......Showed it to be the Gertrag......Who the hell knows? I am willing to believe it to be the F35 if it was crossed against the Saab PN, but does that mean the LSD that was looked up was for the regular Ion? Gotta wonder........
You sure he didn't look up the tranny for the regluar Ion? That part is a Getrag, without question. I didn't have anyone check the Saab's number yet, just asked him to look at the option code if he can find it and see if it matches ours. I put the most faith in the option codes since those are basically the build sheet for the cars. I'm gonna have to to with the F35 until I learn otherwise. At this point I have no $$$ for a LSD anyway so I can afford the wait.

Has anyone just looked at the tranny? Does it say on there what the hell it is?



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