I have an '06 Monterey minivan with a lot of miles that the tranny just blew out on. (Chain.)

I looked up the trans that it takes. It's a AX4N or 4F50N.

I see that this is a common trans.

I found a used one fairly near where I live.

It's from a '98 Taurus -- but has same trans number!

The years are really different, engines are different, but same trans, I guess. ('98 Taurus had 3.0V6 or 3.4V8. My minivan has a 4.2V6.)

Could that old trans possibly fit into my minivan? Do these trans numbers MEAN ANYTHING useful to me? If not, is there another number I could use? Is there a rule that you have to limit yourself to the twin/clone of your vehicle?

The guy who has the trans bought it for a Lincoln that also had that trans number yet it didn't fit due to a diff pump mount bracket. Sheesh, in that case there should've been a diff part number. We need something we can go by!

Insights? Thanks!

 

Hi again... I'm having the same problem again! But I forget how I solved it last time! The front seal on my replacement trans has now blown. I know I bought it for $400 used. I remember the AX4N thing being relevant to the solution. I see that used Monterey trans are $800, but used Taurus trans are ... you guessed it ... $400. Everyone tells me they're incompatible, but I kind of remember doing something tricky and cost-saving last time. What was it? Who knows! Anyone here know about this stuff? I'll also post it again as a new thread just for fun.