coolswimmerjon

So I have a 95 Accord EX wagon 2.2L w/ auto transmission and am planning on doing the swap to a 5-speed.

I currently have;
P2A5 transmission/bolts
Intermediate shaft
Driver's side 5-speed axle
5-speed starter/bolts
5-speed flywheel/flywheel bolts
clutch kit/pressure plate bolts
Rear EX 5-speed bracket & mount
Passenger side 5-speed mount
Shift lever/boot/cables/mount/washers
5-speed brake pedal
5-speed clutch pedal/mount bracket w/switches
Clutch master cylinder & reservoir/mount
Slave cylinder
37820-P0A-A01 94/95 EX 5-speed ECU
5-speed gauge cluster bezel to cover the gear indicator lights

I had access to a OEM clutch line setup but decided that I'm going to order a Bonaco Inc S/S clutch line -3an, 10mm & 12mm screw fitting 1.0 pitch and inverted flare (I believe that is the correct specification for the clutch line)

I cut the connectors from the wire harness for all switches and sensors at the junkyard so I can run wires to the connectors.

Am I missing anything or does it seem like I'm ready to go once the clutch line arrives? This is my daily driver so I'm going for minimal downtime but am going to plan for five days without the car in case of surprises. I also plan on installing pedals and clutch master cylinder ahead of time. I have read HondaSociety and Honda-tech auto-manual swap guides several times to try to prepare.

Thanks in advance!

19Accord97

Good luck.

I just completed mine in December and have only put about 20 miles on it. My CEL is on so I gotta get that checked out. Other than that and needing to add more tranny fluid and wiring up the reverse lights, it is good to go.

Make sure you have ALL the bolts you will need. I kept having to delay my project because I would go to install something and realize I was missing various bolts. Make sure you get the 3 that you need for the intermediate shaft to bolt on. Also, make sure the 5 speed half shaft is correct - i got mine new from Advance auto and even though the box was right, the part itself was wrong. Oh, be sure to get the cotter pins you need along with the rubber/plastic washers for the shifter cable where it attatches to the shifter forks.

I didn't swap out the rear mount and it was somewhat of a pain in the *** to route the shifter cables.

When you call Bonaco and mention what you are doing he will know exactly what you need. MIne was like $80 or something around there.

good luck

coolswimmerjon

So the Bonaco Clutch line came in so I should have all parts/bolts/washers/etc.

I went ahead and swapped out the brake pedals and I also put new Honda grip pads on all of the pedals. The pedal came out of a 96 EX sedan. The spring was a pain the the rear until I used a vise grip needle nose then it took 30 seconds.





I will be hopefully mounting the clutch pedal and master cylinder sometime in the next week.

I also want to take care of wiring both the clutch pedal safety switch, clutch pedal cruise control switch, and the reverse lights as far as I can prior to the swap.

I'm hoping to have all of the things done that I can prior to the actual transmission swap coming up in a couple months. I've already got a couple weeks off of work lined up for the project.

coolswimmerjon

I drilled out the holes in the firewall for the clutch master cylinder. Stepped drill bits from harbor freight made it quick and easy.

coolswimmerjon

I went to the local pick and pull and got a gear shift selector switch/harness so I don't have to chop mine and I can prep the wiring ahead of time.

I cut the wire harness from the switch and de-pinned the wires I won't be using.

I connected the wires per the directions I saw on the HondaSociety swap guide;


Shift selector SIDE connector (Female Connector)

A = Pink
B = Blue
C = Green/Yellow
D = Green/Blue
E = Green/Black
F = Green/White
G = Yellow
H = Green/Black
I = Black
J = Green/Red
K = Green

Run L and M to Clutch safety switch
Run G and H to Reverse switch on Tranny
Run A and I to Cruise switch on Clutch pedal
Jump F and I so you can take your key out of the ignition

Wires B, C, D, E, J, K were de-pinned from the connector.

I ended up with this.





Here are the connectors for the clutch pedal and the reverse lights. I still need to run the wires, trim to the appropriate length, and solder on these connectors.

coolswimmerjon

Clutch master cylinder is in. I preconnected the stainless steel braided clutch line I got from Bonaco prior to install. I used two knuts on each stud on the pedal side for spacers. I mounted the clutch reservoir with the factory bracket taken from the junk yard. SS clutch line is routed, attached to the slave cylinder, bled, and tucked out of the way until the swap.

coolswimmerjon

I was going to mount the clutch pedal bracket by drilling the upper mount hole in the wiper channel and using the spacer like most people do but the more I thought about it the more drilling a hole there and potential for leaks or screwing up and drilling the wrong place bothered me. So I went to the junk yard, found a manual 94-97 Accord, drilled out the spot welds on the upper clutch pedal mount and brought it home. I don't have access to a welder so I will be using JB Weld, (I hope it works.....). I used a drill with a wire brush to clean the mating surfaces on both the mount and the body where it would bond. I cut the insulation from only one side of the mounting area so that I could use the other side as an install alignment guide. I placed six small dots of super glue on the surface of the mount and covered the rest of the mount bonding surface with JB Weld. I pressed the mount into place and held it for five minutes until I was sure the super glue has set. Then I used a syringe to draw up JB Weld and apply it to the spot weld holes and along the edges. I'll be letting it cure a couple days before I attempt to mount the pedal and bracket. It looks a little rough but hopefully this works!

coolswimmerjon

I installed the wire harness I had started previously for the clutch pedal switches and reverse lights.

I placed the main connector next to the one it will be replacing next to the shifter. I then routed the wires for the clutch pedal switches up into the dash, across over the steering column, and down the left kick panel next to the fuse box.













I routed the reverse light wires up into the dash to the right, down under the evaporator, through the grommet occupied by the evaporator drain hose, up the firewall next to the charcoal canister, and along the air intake. I may be re-routing this one through the engine bay portion once everything is apart for the swap.















All factory switch connectors were solders on and the connectors were tucked out of the way until the swap.

coolswimmerjon

The JB weld has had 24 hours to set. It seems to be very secure and lined up great!



I installed the clutch pedal & bracket and installed both master cylinder nuts and the upper bracket bolt. I adjusted the pedal to have a very slight amount of play before starting to engage the master cylinder. The master cylinder was connected to the pedal and cotter pin was installed. I installed the pedal spring and connected both of the clutch switches I had installed wiring for previously. Everything looks great. I believe I am ready am ready for the swap!

coolswimmerjon

Okay I guess I wasn't done. I have read about some people having issues with the clutch pedal catching on the floor mat due to the auto tranny cars not having a bump stop built in to the firewall. I foresaw myself having the same issue so I decided to go ahead and fix it before it started.

This one time at the junk yard.........

I pulled back the insulation around the mount to find that it wasn't merely spot welded to the firewall but appeared to actually be mounted behind another plate. So I drilled (I love my step drill bits) out all of the spot welds in a close vicinity to the bump stop mount and then drilled through the narrow part joining two arms of the metal plate holding the bottom of the mount down. This allowed me to pry the now separated arms over and away from the mount. I was then able to wiggle and work the bump stop mount free.



The same space after mount is removed.





On my car I pulled out the bump stop mount insulation cut-out. The auto version of the car does not appear to have the extra pate overtop of where the bump stop mount would go so I will be able to secure it directly to the firewall. I then inserted the bump stop into the space top first. This left the bottom of the mount sitting on the insulation. I traced this bottom portion on the insulation and cut out that section. I then cleaned paint from the mating surfaces with a wire brush, coated the bonding surface of the mount with JB Weld, and placed it into the mounting space. It is easy to align if you only cut out the small bottom portion of insulation. I then added more JB Weld overlapping the bottom of the mount. My clutch line is not pressurized because no tranny is installed yet so I was able to just use the spring power of the clutch pedal to hold the bump stop mount in place, no super glue spots needed.

coolswimmerjon

So I got impatient and decided to go ahead with the swap during a couple days I have off.

I got the auto tranny out. Replaced the rear main seal which appeared to have a leak, the shaft seal puller worked great for removing the old one and then I used the old one over the new one to tap the new one in place. I put on a new flywheel, clutch, and throw-out bearing. I removed the auto EX rear engine mount and bracket and installed a new manual EX rear engine mount and bracket. I mounted the P2A5 manual tranny to the engine. I mounted the starter. I drilled out the tranny side bracket for the 5-speed mount and installed that mount. I removed the auto shifter, installed the 5-speed shifter, and routed the shift cables and connected them to both the shifter and tranny. I replaced the ECU with a 37820-P0A-A01 94/95 EX 5-speed OBD-1 ECU. I unplugged but left the TCU in place. I removed the gauge cluster, removed the gear indicator lights, and swapped in a 5-speed bezel.

I got caught up in the project and forgot to take many pictures, sorry. I should be competing the swap tomorrow, I'll be starting bright and early.

coolswimmerjon

The swap is complete!!!! I couldn't have done this swap without all the great information I found in the HondaSociety swap guide and the guides here in the FAQs.

I filled with 2 quarts of Honda MTF. Installed the gauge cluster with the 5-speed bezel installed. I removed the short shifter that was on the shift assembly. I had all new washers and cotter pins for the shift linkage. I removed the auto transmission fluid cooler lines from the radiator. I ended up replacing the front engine mount because it was broken, even the new one seems so flimsy. I did have to make a couple trips to the junk yard for two reasons. 1. I didn't realize the auto rear mount only used 3 bolts to the frame vs. the 5-speed rear mount using 4 bolts, so I had to go pick up an extra bolt. 2. Somewhere during the swap I lost the slave cylinder bolts, so I had to go pick up a couple more.

Everything is in and working great. I've only gone around the block a couple times so far. The only thing wrong I noticed is that the ABS light comes on each time I start the car and start driving. I think I used a front left axle from a LX that I don't think had ABS. I'll be heading to the junk yard in a couple days to pick up an EX/LX ABS axle to replace it.

Will driving the car for a couple days with a non ABS axle cause any problems?

coolswimmerjon

Here are some pictures of my super awesome 95 Accord EX 5-speed wagon!

forward

Looks good. Let us know how the JB Weld-ed brackets hold up in daily use.

Aradin

Looks good man. Very detailed posts. Looks like you did it the right way the first time. Lots of attention to detail. I have done this swap in the past. I agree that that the hondasociety guide is very helpful. The information and photos you posted will surely be of use to others in the future. Enjoy the newly 5 speed goodness!

coolswimmerjon

I went for a mixed street/highway drive and the ABS light never came back on. Everything ran well. The clutch pedal switches and reverse lights worked. I checked the axle when I got back and did not feel an ABS ring so I will still be replacing the axle.

It feels so good to drive a manual again. I had to sell my 2000 Civic EX manual and got my wagon a few months ago due to family growing and ease of transporting carseats and my gear.

coolswimmerjon

The ABS light came on the next morning driving to work. Today I got a new (not rebuilt) axle from Advance Auto Parts for $60 and swapped the driver side axle. As you can see in the picture the old one had no ABS ring like I thought. The ABS light has not come back on. The car is at Firestone now taking advantage of my lifetime alignment and balance service.

I'm going on a 500 mile road trip this weekend so it should be a good road test. I'll be able to get a feel for how everything is working and hopefully see an improvement in fuel economy.

19Accord97

Nice! Congrats on getting it done!

I actually need to drive mine....lol it has just been sitting the past few months since I got it done.

coolswimmerjon

The road trip went well with no issues. My new fuel economy was 31mpg highway. The old fuel economy was 27mpg highway. I'll be getting a city mpg in the next couple weeks.

A couple days ago I saw my brake lights were on when the car was parked and found the brake pedal stopper pad had disintegrated and fallen to the floor so there was nothing depressing the brake switch plunger. A new pad was purchased from Honda for $6 and replaced which fixed the issue.

The JB Weld brackets are holding up well with no issues.

I'm loving the new 5-speed. My wagon feels like it pulls stronger and shifts so much smoother than the auto transmission.

Today was half off day at the junk yard I go to so I decided to pickup the P2U5 manual tranny from a 95 EX for $80. It shifts into each gear and the mainshaft rotates in each gear smoothly. I'll probably be cleaning it up and selling it or rebuilding it with an LSD from Synchrotech and swapping it into my wagon. I haven't decided yet.

coolswimmerjon

I cleaned up the tranny with wire brush, brake cleaner, and engine degreaser. I wish I had taken before pictures because it looks a hundred times better. The car it was pulled from looks like it had a massive distributor oil leak for a long time that was never fixed.

coolswimmerjon

Alas, my JB weld upper clutch mount bracket did not last. I heard it crunch and break loose today. Since I already have the bracket I'm thinking about just using this Rivet Gun from HarborFreight to secure it in place to maintain a close to stock install. I'll take pictures when I do it, probably this weekend.

I'm sure the JB weld bump stop will be fine though since all forces push it against the firewall.

jollyhonda

So do you have a wagon trans now, or a coupe/sedan? I am not "up" on the exact designations of them. I think that a 5 speed EX Wagon might be on my list to start searching out for a family vehicle...having a "soup ladle" in the console would sure get her more interested in the wagon .


Rob

coolswimmerjon

I used a P2A5 transmission from a 96 Accord LX Sedan. I figured an actual wagon manual transmission would be very difficult to find and the non-wagon transmissions have a better final drive for fuel economy anyway.

Info per: CB7Tuner

USDM F22B1 94-97 ACCORD EX VTEC COUPE/SEDAN:

Diff Type & Tranny Codes:
STD Only = P2U5

3.285 1
1.807 2
1.193 3
0.933 4
0.685 5
4.062 final

5th gear 195/60 R15
70mph = 2703 rpm
80mph = 3090 rpm


USDM F22B2 94-97 ACCORD DX/LX non-VTEC COUPE/SEDAN:

Diff Type & Tranny Codes:
STD Only = P2A5

3.285 1
1.807 2
1.193 3
0.903 4
0.685 5
4.062 final

5th gear 195/60 R15
70mph = 2703 rpm
80mph = 3090 rpm


USDM F22BX 94-97 ACCORD LX/EX WAGON:

Diff Type & Tranny Codes:
STD Only = P2A4

3.285 1
1.807 2
1.193 3
0.903 4
0.685 5
4.266 final

5th gear 195/60 R15
70mph = 2839 rpm
80mph = 3245 rpm

coolswimmerjon

Alright the mount is fixed. I'd like to apologize in advance because I forgot to take pictures.

I had to remove the windshield wipers, the plastic trim under the wipers, and the wiper motor/linkage assembly to have clear access to the top side of the mount area.



I super glued the mount back into place, had to cut away a bit more of the insulation around the mount to have clear access to the holes, then drilled a hole through each spot where a spot weld had been drilled out.



I ended up just using bolts, washers, and nylon lock nuts instead of rivets to secure the mount. It is very solid now. I put a light coat of silicone caulk around the head of each bolt to waterproof it. I figured that would be easy to remove in the future if needed.

I think it's a bit funny that I decided to get the mount and use JB Weld to avoid drilling a hole before but in the end I drilled five holes. At least this way the whole pedal assembly can be removed and reinstalled without having to dig out the wiper linkage stuff again.

jollyhonda

Good to see you got your wagon rolling again!