03K24a4

Hey there Honda-tech, let me start by saying that I am a newbie when it comes to cars...

Anyway I have a 03 Accord 2.4L with an automatic, but I'm considering switching it to a 5 speed manual (need i say why?). Whats a price range for the parts, and what parts would I even need? I could probably get someone to help me put it all on. Also, is there anywhere I can buy a quality rebuilt tranny online?

Thanks for the help.

Crashmaster

In the older days, switching out a transmission was common, but often required changing the cross member, altering the drive shaft, cable problems and the such. In today’s world of electronics, the computers are the biggest problem. Last swap I was involved with the person actually went the other way, from manual to automatic. This guy liked the feel of a manual transmission, but was involved in a skiing accident and lost the full use of his left leg, making driving a manual transmission vehicle impossible.

He purchased a wrecked Subaru (same year and model) and slowly started swapping parts back and forth with his Subaru. Even after all the parts were swapped out, probably after 5 or 6 days of work (two people), he had a CEL (Check Engine Light) that would not go off. Swapping the ECU, BCU and various sensors made no difference and he ended up taking it to the dealer who had to custom order a new BCU for over $800.

The moral of this story? Don’t do it. Don’t do it. If you want a different vehicle, sell your car and purchase the one you want. I have rarely seen this type of modification work smooth. You will end up spending way too much time and money and wished you had just sold the car and bought one you liked.