Hey guys couple of questions,

1. The output shaft bearing is gone on my transmission, for replacement does the transmission need to be dropped and opened?

2. If it does need to be dropped I am just going to replace it (Has 260k on it can get a used one with half that on it for 100 bucks), Now being a 97 2.2 I know I cant use anything over 99 (getrag) without some more work, so the question is will a 5 speed isuzu from say a 98 2.4L work? I know its the same transmission but are the bell housings shaped differently? what are the extra steps to take if its a 2.4L isuzu going into a 2.2?

The bell-housing is integrated into the transmission case, so it needs to be a 2.2/2200 (94-99) Isuzu tranny. A 2.4 one will not work.

What makes you so sure it is the output shaft bearing? What are your symptoms? A bad output shaft bearing is VERY uncommon.

If you are sure though, yes the transmission needs to be dropped. If you wanted to replace the output shaft bearing you need to take the transmission completely apart, so you might as well do a full rebuild. So you are right, a junkyard one is your best bet most likely.