i have heard that if you want to swap a auto tranny to a 5 speed its too much of a hastle and you should just buy a car that is maual already. is that true? or has anyone really dont this swap? how much did it cost you all together? did you do it or a shop?

 

hey,

yes it is true, its a real bitch to do that.

 

Please do a search on it... there have been alot of posts on it.

 

If you're interested in doing the swap I have done it before and I can let you know what is involved.

 

auto to manual swap was the best $750 dollars spent on my car. Did everything myself so I didn't have to pay extra for the work. I tried to do a search on the topic but the search feature on this forum is horrible - it only searches the post title or only by post creators. So I can't find the information that I've given in my responses many times before as I've never created a post on auto to manual conversions save for a question which has hardly ay info. About the conversion, it is a lot of work, but it beats spending $$$ on a new car if you already have a car and you will have more performance - you'll be amazed at the difference between when the car was auto and how it feel as a manual! Especially if you remove a few hundred pounds in the process...

 

but HOW did you do it? step by step, time frame....

 

yea if you wouldnt mind Vracer111... could you email me and let me know AS much as you know about it about everything.

envisionteg01@hotmail.com

 

Sorry if I sounded like I didn't want to help when I suggested searching for it, I've been busy cramming for mcats and I just got no time...

However, here are links to the posts I've made about the conversion
http://www.honda-acura.net/forums/sh...threadid=25793
http://www.honda-acura.net/forums/sh...&threadid=2076
http://www.honda-acura.net/forums/sh...&threadid=2079
http://honda-acura.net/forums/showth...threadid=25793

Well that explains why the search wasn't working, I did all my posts on Honda-Acura.net... duh.

And I give props to Vracer111 for doing the swap on his own, that's pretty good. Personally I can't weld, nor do I want to deal with that, sooo.....

How did you do it for 750? Tranny costs 400-600 alone, and add in new clutch and it's already 700+. ECU and all other stuff adds up...

 

I'll give a detailed reply later after work tonight...ok...
for a quick idea of my swap, i'm still running on the auto ECU and intake manifold. Got the Tranny, flywheel, entire shifter assembly linkage, pedals, and clutch cable for just over $500 from a '90 integra at a salvage yard. tranny is in good condition though 3rd synchro is worn...but you only know that when you're trying to shift it near redline....

 

Ah okay, that explains it, I did all my parts off a 3G integ... plus I switched to manual ECU. Maybe auto ecu will work, but I didn't want to try and see, seems like a wiring headache to me.

 

Ok, here's what I have so far, as I'm in the process of documenting it, just to the first task so far... What follows is a conversion document I'm in the process of creating:


First off I'd like to say that this conversion was done to a second generation 1990 Integra GS.

Manual Parts Needed:
 5-speed transmission with reverse wire connectors ('90 to '91)
 Flywheel, clutch disc, pressure plate, and clutch housing cover
 intermediate drive shaft for manual transmission car ('90 to '91)
 passenger side manual transmission mount
 Complete manual shifter mechanism assembly
 manual pedal assembly and clutch cable

Modifications Neccessary:
 Hole for clutch cable
 Need to make a bracket for mounting the shifter and a floorboard "heat shield"
 Wiring work for reverse lights and interlock system

Parts removed:
 Intermediate shaft (automatic shaft cannot be used with manual transmission)
 Passenger side automatic transmission mount

Preparation

You'll definately have an easier job ahead of you if you have the Integra Service Manual, so if you dont have the service manual that would be the first thing I'd recommend getting. You should be able to get the order brochure for it from an Acura dealer. Before starting the conversion, you should have all the parts for the conversion and all materials necessary for making the bracket mount and floorboard "heat shield" (~1/8" thick steel stock, sheetmetal, rivetgun and rivets, and epoxy).

Special Tools and Supplies:
-electric drill, and a flexible drill shaft extension for access to the clutch cable hole location
-rivet gun and rivets (for making the heatshield and fastening it to the floorboard)
- ~ 1/8" thick steel stock for shifter mounting bracket
-large, thick paperclips (for disabling the lockup solenoid and enabling the reverse lights)
-electrical tape


First Task: Replacement of pedals

First, to allow room to work, I removed both driver and passenger side seats (and they were the last items to be reinstalled upon completion). In order to remove the automatic pedal assembly you have to first do the following: 1 - Remove the driver, passenger, and center console. 2 - Disconnect the wiring under the drivers side dash that will interfere with removal of the steering column. 3 - Remove the entire steering column. 4 - Take out the plastic air ducts that run above where the steering column under the drivers side dash. Once you have completed these 4 steps you can then proceed to unbolting the automatic pedal assembly (4 nuts on the firewall/brake master cylinder and one nut under the dash area - reason for duct removal). Once the pedal assembly is out you can remove the automatic control computer, which will be located along the firewall in back of where the clutch pedal mount on the manual pedal assembly would be. Once the automatic tranny computer is out, place the two disconnected harnesses out of the way (by the dash fuse box).

Now, you can drill the hole in the firewall for the clutch cable. First off, measure the grommet diameter of the clutch cable where it goes into the firewall (as viewed from the engine bay it's the circular area protrusion right of and just below the brake master cylinder. You will need to drill the hole for the clutch cable to this dimension. You have to drill from the engine bay side which requires a flexible drill shaft to be able to get around the shock tower. Just center it up in the circular area and start drilling to the correct size. As it's hard to get long drill bits into the area I used grinder bits to cut out the area. Once the clutch cable grommet fits snugly into the hole you can mount the manual pedal assembly and connect the clutch pedal to the cable, the brake pedal to the master cylinder booster, and the gas pedal to the throttle cable. Now you just reverse install the air ducts and steering column/wheel and move on to the next task.

Second Task: Removal of Automatic Selector

Third Task: Installation of Manual Shifting Mechanism

Fourth Task: Removal of the Automatic Transmission

Fifth Task: Installation of the Manual Transmission

Sixth Task: Electrical System Work

Final Things


[Modified by Vracer111, 8:27 PM 6/27/2001]

 

Man forget about it. Sell the car get the manual. All the micky mouse custom work will be bugging you for a long time.
Its really not worth the trouble.
~Andy~

 

Nice post there Vracer111. Nice and detailed, almost to the T how I did mine. I was curious though how you did the tranny monut. Did you reweld the correct mount to the body, or shim the mount. Also, did you have cruise control, and if so how did you rehook it up?

If you dont mind, Im gonna take what you listed here and elaborate on it a bit for ths boys at g2ic. Ive been getting bombarded with e-mails on the conversion so I was gonna do a write up and what you wrote would save me a ltiie time

 

You mean tranny mounts and engine mount... The only mount that was changed was the passenger side tranny mount, all others were retained - the engine mount is the same for auto and manual, and they should hold up better with the 5-spds lighter weight. There is no need to change the front and rear transmission mounts, it fits just as well on the manual as it does the automatic. '90 GS comes standard with Cruise Control, but whenever I changed over to manual it no longer worked (since I just really swapped out the tranny while keeping the automatic electrical system configuration). The cruise control module is dependant on the transmission type and goes with the respective ECU. To get cruise control you'd have to get a manual cruise control module and have a manual ECU... I decided to ge ahead and save a few pounds and remove the Cruise control system anyways...couldn't just stop at removing the entire A/C system you know... Oh yeah, removing things is good solution to electrical problems... Like my sound system upgrade - entire removal of the power antenna, speakers, and head unit...soon the wires will no longer be there either.

I don't mind you using it at all, as long as you list your source for the material....


[Modified by Vracer111, 10:46 AM 6/28/2001]