How To: Auto->Manual conversion on an EK4
02-13-2006, 10:29 AM
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How To: Auto->Manual conversion on an EK4
my first contribution to honda-tech 
there are many threads in H-T on this topic, and i learnt alot from the fellas who posted before me (thanks 
) i thought i'd share some of my own experiences
this is an auto->manual conversion on my car.. some specs: '98 JDM EK4 auto (came with B16A5) car was imported in 1998.. current engine is a mild B20VTEC street engine, CTR cams, eagle 5.531" rods, custom CP flattop pistons, JG intake
here are the parts you will need:
1. manual transmission
bought an S4C transmission with a 4.4 ring gear, and b-series hydro trans will work
2. manual shifter assembly w/linkage
sourced a CTR linkage from an EK9.. here in asia there are lots and lots of JDM halfcuts lying around make sure the linkage comes with the big bevel washer, bitch pin and c-clip
3. manual axles/intermediate shaft
the axles and intermediate shafts are the same for all B-series engines in a given chassis.. so i ended up using my old ones instead of getting new ones
4. manual clutch pedal assembly
you'll need this.. i got this from a manual EK4 that got totaled
5. manual brake pedal arm
technically you could cut your auto pedal to make room for the clutch pedal.. but it's better to get the manual one.. again make sure you have the bolt and cotter pin for securing the arm to the clutch pump.. note: i didn't get the manual gas pedal because that would mean i'd have to change my throttle cable.. i was lazy and the auto gas pedal works just fine
6. Clutch master cylinder w/ reservoir
you can get these from the junkyard, but they're not expensive so i bought them brand new
7. Clutch line from 5 speed tranny to slave cylinder
in the end i used a custom steel braided clutch line with aeroquip fittings since we had a few feet of those lying around
8. Slave cylinder
9. manual engine mount brackets
you'll need both the transmission-side mount bracket as well as the rear mount bracket.. the auto one looks very similar but will NOT fit
10. manual ECU
my auto was an OBDIIa P2T.. managed to buy a spoon-chipped P2T off a good friend of mine.. you absolutely want a manual ECU to save you an infinity of trouble later on
11. manual starter motor
the automatic starter won't fit, but you can get a machine shop to fit the motor from an auto starter into a manual bracket
12. clutch
make sure you have the throwout bearing, the clutch fork/ramhorn spring, and the pivot bolt.. all these little parts you manual guys take for granted LOL
13. flywheel
14. manual vehicle speed sensor (VSS)
this should come with the transmission.. but mine didn't.. so another trip to the honda spare parts dealer
15. interior parts
console is the same... all you need is the shift boot and shift ****
optional parts:
15. manual meter cluster
in the end i bought a DC2 cluster and re-pinned it to fit my car.. IMHO it looks alot nicer than the 3-dial EK cluster
i did my swap over a period of 2 weeks in stages coz this car is my daily driver and i can't afford to have it down for too long.. you can actually put in the clutch pedal assembly first together with the clutch pump and manual brake pedal.. creating a 3-pedal auto car LOL... IMHO the pedals are the worst part of the conversion.. it's back breaking exercise and takes at least 1/2 a day.. i had to go to my friend's shop and borrow some of his tools
when the big day comes.. it helps alot if you have a car hoist.. basically disconnect the battery and remove all the connectors on the autobox.. take out the axles.. brace the engine and remove the transmission.. i swear the autobox weighs more than my engine even with the 4 litres of ATF drained out.. it took 3 of us to carry it to the corner of the workshop
once the autobox is down.. time to do the wiring... remove the auto ECU and replace with the manual one.. the wiring is not as involved as i thought.. in fact since i didn't have cruise control, all i needed to do was to connect a few wires.. i followed masterasia's writeup here -> https://honda-tech.com/zero...age=1
one trick he didn't mention was that for the reverse light sensor, the 2-pin connector on the 2nd shift solenoid on the autobox fits it like a glove.. i cut it off and used it as my reverse light connector plug
Looking at the plug, the positions are: (left to right)
top row: 14,13,12,11,10,9,8
bottom row: 7,6,5,4,3,2,1
Starter and Key removal: Connect wires 10,11,12 together (2 thick black wires and grenn/white)
Reverse lights: connect wires 4,5 to your reverse light clip on the tranny (yellow and green/black)
you can start removing the automatic shifter.. it's a huge thing and leaves a gaping hole in the tunnel
at this point.. it would be good to put in the manual gearbox.. i confess that i was out of depth, so i got my friend eddie to help me out.. he's arguably the best honda mechanic in these parts.. i realised that this probably saved me an incredibly amount of time and frustration
after the trans is in place, bolt up the linkage.. i covered the auto shift cable hole with 1mm aluminum sheet and riveted it in place.. after which i used automotive adhesive silicone to seal the gaps.. then i used black insulating foam and cut a nice piece to fit over the tunnel and glued it on using the adhesive sealant again LOL
after which.. install the shift boot in the console box, put that back in place and you're good to go! i started out with the Blox weighted shift ****.. it was awesome but it got pretty hot during the day (it averages >80degs ALL YEAR here) so i decided to switch to the ARC titanium 43mm ****
overall i spent SGD2000 on this project (~US$1200) and around 4 months of collecting parts.. here in asia cars aren't cheap so it's not easy to 'just get a manual car'.. the manual conversion is a way of breathing life into alot of these JDM cars.. comments and criticism's welcome.. thanks for reading guys
Modified by petershen at 10:41 PM 3/16/2006
Modified by petershen at 5:15 AM 3/17/2006
there are many threads in H-T on this topic, and i learnt alot from the fellas who posted before me (thanks ) i thought i'd share some of my own experiencesthis is an auto->manual conversion on my car.. some specs: '98 JDM EK4 auto (came with B16A5) car was imported in 1998.. current engine is a mild B20VTEC street engine, CTR cams, eagle 5.531" rods, custom CP flattop pistons, JG intake
here are the parts you will need:
1. manual transmission
bought an S4C transmission with a 4.4 ring gear, and b-series hydro trans will work
2. manual shifter assembly w/linkage
sourced a CTR linkage from an EK9.. here in asia there are lots and lots of JDM halfcuts lying around
make sure the linkage comes with the big bevel washer, bitch pin and c-clip3. manual axles/intermediate shaft
the axles and intermediate shafts are the same for all B-series engines in a given chassis.. so i ended up using my old ones instead of getting new ones
4. manual clutch pedal assembly
you'll need this.. i got this from a manual EK4 that got totaled
5. manual brake pedal arm
technically you could cut your auto pedal to make room for the clutch pedal.. but it's better to get the manual one.. again make sure you have the bolt and cotter pin for securing the arm to the clutch pump.. note: i didn't get the manual gas pedal because that would mean i'd have to change my throttle cable.. i was lazy and the auto gas pedal works just fine
6. Clutch master cylinder w/ reservoir
you can get these from the junkyard, but they're not expensive so i bought them brand new
7. Clutch line from 5 speed tranny to slave cylinder
in the end i used a custom steel braided clutch line with aeroquip fittings since we had a few feet of those lying around
8. Slave cylinder
9. manual engine mount brackets
you'll need both the transmission-side mount bracket as well as the rear mount bracket.. the auto one looks very similar but will NOT fit
10. manual ECU
my auto was an OBDIIa P2T.. managed to buy a spoon-chipped P2T off a good friend of mine.. you absolutely want a manual ECU to save you an infinity of trouble later on
11. manual starter motor
the automatic starter won't fit, but you can get a machine shop to fit the motor from an auto starter into a manual bracket
12. clutch
make sure you have the throwout bearing, the clutch fork/ramhorn spring, and the pivot bolt.. all these little parts you manual guys take for granted LOL
13. flywheel
14. manual vehicle speed sensor (VSS)
this should come with the transmission.. but mine didn't.. so another trip to the honda spare parts dealer
15. interior parts
console is the same... all you need is the shift boot and shift ****
optional parts:
15. manual meter cluster
in the end i bought a DC2 cluster and re-pinned it to fit my car.. IMHO it looks alot nicer than the 3-dial EK cluster
i did my swap over a period of 2 weeks in stages coz this car is my daily driver and i can't afford to have it down for too long.. you can actually put in the clutch pedal assembly first together with the clutch pump and manual brake pedal.. creating a 3-pedal auto car LOL... IMHO the pedals are the worst part of the conversion.. it's back breaking exercise and takes at least 1/2 a day.. i had to go to my friend's shop and borrow some of his tools
when the big day comes.. it helps alot if you have a car hoist.. basically disconnect the battery and remove all the connectors on the autobox.. take out the axles.. brace the engine and remove the transmission.. i swear the autobox weighs more than my engine even with the 4 litres of ATF drained out.. it took 3 of us to carry it to the corner of the workshop
once the autobox is down.. time to do the wiring... remove the auto ECU and replace with the manual one.. the wiring is not as involved as i thought.. in fact since i didn't have cruise control, all i needed to do was to connect a few wires.. i followed masterasia's writeup here -> https://honda-tech.com/zero...age=1
one trick he didn't mention was that for the reverse light sensor, the 2-pin connector on the 2nd shift solenoid on the autobox fits it like a glove.. i cut it off and used it as my reverse light connector plug
Originally Posted by masterasia
Looking at the plug, the positions are: (left to right)
top row: 14,13,12,11,10,9,8
bottom row: 7,6,5,4,3,2,1
Starter and Key removal: Connect wires 10,11,12 together (2 thick black wires and grenn/white)
Reverse lights: connect wires 4,5 to your reverse light clip on the tranny (yellow and green/black)
at this point.. it would be good to put in the manual gearbox.. i confess that i was out of depth, so i got my friend eddie to help me out.. he's arguably the best honda mechanic in these parts.. i realised that this probably saved me an incredibly amount of time and frustration
after the trans is in place, bolt up the linkage.. i covered the auto shift cable hole with 1mm aluminum sheet and riveted it in place.. after which i used automotive adhesive silicone to seal the gaps.. then i used black insulating foam and cut a nice piece to fit over the tunnel and glued it on using the adhesive sealant again LOL
after which.. install the shift boot in the console box, put that back in place and you're good to go! i started out with the Blox weighted shift ****.. it was awesome but it got pretty hot during the day (it averages >80degs ALL YEAR here) so i decided to switch to the ARC titanium 43mm ****
overall i spent SGD2000 on this project (~US$1200) and around 4 months of collecting parts.. here in asia cars aren't cheap so it's not easy to 'just get a manual car'.. the manual conversion is a way of breathing life into alot of these JDM cars.. comments and criticism's welcome.. thanks for reading guys
Modified by petershen at 10:41 PM 3/16/2006
Modified by petershen at 5:15 AM 3/17/2006
02-13-2006, 11:15 AM
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clean car man. nice inside and out.
that's a lot of great info. i was also planning on doing an auto to 5spd swap on my 4dr but just sold it and bought a 5spd ek instead...
that's a lot of great info. i was also planning on doing an auto to 5spd swap on my 4dr but just sold it and bought a 5spd ek instead...
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03-09-2006, 11:32 AM
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Re: How To: Auto->Manual conversion on an EK4 (petershen)
Thats gotta be the best auto-manual swap writeup i've read yet!
Don't know if its the same for you B-series heads but on the D-series you also need the clutch cover.
Don't know if its the same for you B-series heads but on the D-series you also need the clutch cover.
03-09-2006, 09:32 PM
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Re: How To: Auto->Manual conversion on an EK4 (ProJectCvic)
JDM shift linkage is f'in sexy.....and ur killin me with the right hand drive dude, its clean as hell....but that for me is like u seeing a built 69 camaro over there haha
03-16-2006, 05:44 PM
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Re: (Liloyo)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Liloyo »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Where did you get the center console from with the clock?</TD></TR></TABLE>
thanks for the comments guys
the 96-98 JDM EK4 SiR center console comes with the amber LED clock... IMHO it's kinda ugly hehe
thanks for the comments guys
the 96-98 JDM EK4 SiR center console comes with the amber LED clock... IMHO it's kinda ugly
hehe
03-16-2006, 05:54 PM
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Re: How To: Auto->Manual conversion on an EK4 (WhiteNess)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by WhiteNess »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">JDM shift linkage is f'in sexy.....and ur killin me with the right hand drive dude, its clean as hell....but that for me is like u seeing a built 69 camaro over there haha</TD></TR></TABLE>
you are so right.. haha i lived in dallas/seattle for many years before coming here.. i had a subscription to Hot Rod and Car Craft.. if i really had my way.. i'd be driving this.. i prefer the '67-68 camaro's (stole this pic off hotrodmag.com years ago) damn you guys have the best of both worlds haha
you are so right.. haha i lived in dallas/seattle for many years before coming here.. i had a subscription to Hot Rod and Car Craft.. if i really had my way.. i'd be driving this.. i prefer the '67-68 camaro's (stole this pic off hotrodmag.com years ago) damn you guys have the best of both worlds haha
03-16-2006, 06:14 PM
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Re: How To: Auto->Manual conversion on an EK4 (lesturr)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lesturr »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">can you put your prices next to your list?
it would help a lot </TD></TR></TABLE>
i'd like to.. but my prices would be in SGD not USD so i don't know how helpful that would be.. i guess if you can get your hands on a complete transmission, that would constitute the bulk of the cost, the rest are little parts here and there.. i emphasize complete coz you need the clutch release fork+spring.. i think you guys can get the stuff alot cheaper than i can.. over here, parts are readily available, but expensive
here are some thoughts which might be helpful..
1. contrary to what some ppl mentioned, the driveshafts are the same for all b-series EK's regardless of transmission.. i used back my auto b-series driveshafts saving me some money
2. the intermediate shaft is the same too! if you have a b-series auto engine like a B18A/B you shld be able to use back the intermediate shaft
3. the wiring wasn't as hard as i expected.. just remember to use a manual ECU.. i don't have cruise control etc, so it was just a matter of plugging in the ECU, connecting 4 wires at the trans shifter, and hooking up the reverse light
4. the most challenging part was putting in the pedals.. but that in itself isn't difficult.. it's just awkward and time consuming.. 1 of the 12mm bolts securing the clutch pump is in a tight corner.. takes about 10mins to get the nut on tight (tho' this might be different for the LHD's)
it would help a lot
</TD></TR></TABLE>i'd like to.. but my prices would be in SGD not USD so i don't know how helpful that would be.. i guess if you can get your hands on a complete transmission, that would constitute the bulk of the cost, the rest are little parts here and there.. i emphasize complete coz you need the clutch release fork+spring.. i think you guys can get the stuff alot cheaper than i can.. over here, parts are readily available, but expensive
here are some thoughts which might be helpful..
1. contrary to what some ppl mentioned, the driveshafts are the same for all b-series EK's regardless of transmission.. i used back my auto b-series driveshafts saving me some money
2. the intermediate shaft is the same too! if you have a b-series auto engine like a B18A/B you shld be able to use back the intermediate shaft
3. the wiring wasn't as hard as i expected.. just remember to use a manual ECU.. i don't have cruise control etc, so it was just a matter of plugging in the ECU, connecting 4 wires at the trans shifter, and hooking up the reverse light
4. the most challenging part was putting in the pedals.. but that in itself isn't difficult.. it's just awkward and time consuming.. 1 of the 12mm bolts securing the clutch pump is in a tight corner.. takes about 10mins to get the nut on tight (tho' this might be different for the LHD's)