1997 Honda Accord TransmissioneRplacement

You might find one or two years or engine sizes from a few people, but the best approach is to visit a salvage yard and look at their Hollander Interchange Guides. That will give your transmission model and year a code number, then you look up that number in the back of the book and it will list all the years, engine sizes, and car models that use the same part. If they don't list a large assembly like an engine or transmission, the salespeople there will usually know already or they'll have other resources.

The people at most transmission specialty shops will usually know too.

Nothing is easier than looking in a Hollander Guide, but if you don't want to do that, I use the Rock Auto web site for reference a lot. First follow the menus to select your car, then in the Manual Transmission section, click on "complete assembly". You'll get a list of what is available, often from multiple sources, and it will give each supplier's part number.

Next you can go back and select your model from a different year, or a different model from 1997, then look if they show the same part number for the same supplier. If you find one that is the same as for your car, a transmission from that vehicle should interchange. The first problem with doing it this way is you can spend days searching through all the possibilities, and you will potentially overlook a totally different car that may have used a Honda transmission. The second problem is you might overlook a similar transmission for one application that has a different part number for some reason that is not important to your car. For example, the transmission from a different year might have a mounting ear cast onto it for an application that isn't on your car. If you used that transmission, you would simply ignore that extra ear and not use it for anything, but they have to give it a different par number because your transmission wouldn't have that ear, and it's needed on that other car.

Another example has to do with Chrysler automatic transmissions from the 1970s. There were only two models, and they were used in everything up to two-ton trucks. Those used in the trucks needed to have more internal clutch plates to handle the load. Those transmissions would bolt up in any car and work fine, but if you put the relatively wimpy car transmission in a truck, it wouldn't hold up to the stress. Those got different part numbers even though they could be interchanged one way.