Transmission swap
- Thread starter pvrmiller
- Start date
I have no idea but I've looked it up before and read that it's a lot of work. Here's what someone has said about it:
"Too hard. If you have to ask, seriously, it's too hard and not worth thinking about.
Of course, anything is doable with enough ambition and, more importantly, money. It is done all the time, but it is very complicated and expensive and only makes sense for rare/enthusiast cars.
You don’t need to be a mechanic to get the general idea. For example, you obviously will need a clutch pedal and everything that goes with it (clutch master cylinder, hydraulic lines, slave cylinder). You will need to cut the firewall, fit and mount all of those components.
You will need a new shifter assembly and all of the linkages that go with it. Routing them in/through/around the interior of the car is very difficult and will require disassembling much of the interior of the car.
The new transmission can be bolted to the same engine, but it will need different mounts, probably a different driveshaft, and wiring for its own sensors.
Then, you will need to deal with all of the minor issues like the fact that your automatic transmission car won’t let you shift out of park without pressing the brake… and your manual transmission version will need a clutch safety sensor to make sure you can’t start the engine without holding down the clutch… and that will need to be wired into the ignition and brakes… and you will need to get rid of the old Transmission Control Module and figure out how to bypass any traction control that was built into it.
On older cars (pre-1990s) it is more doable because there are less electrical components and sensors to overcome, but it’s still difficult. If you’re paying someone to do it, it would be cost prohibitive on all but the most rare and valuable cars.
I know people who have done it… again, the older the car, the easier it is… but it was a huge pain and you would be better off paying an extra couple grand to find a manual version of the car you want so that you don’t spend the rest of the life of the car dealing with little follow up issues."
Of course, anything is doable with enough ambition and, more importantly, money. It is done all the time, but it is very complicated and expensive and only makes sense for rare/enthusiast cars.
You don’t need to be a mechanic to get the general idea. For example, you obviously will need a clutch pedal and everything that goes with it (clutch master cylinder, hydraulic lines, slave cylinder). You will need to cut the firewall, fit and mount all of those components.
You will need a new shifter assembly and all of the linkages that go with it. Routing them in/through/around the interior of the car is very difficult and will require disassembling much of the interior of the car.
The new transmission can be bolted to the same engine, but it will need different mounts, probably a different driveshaft, and wiring for its own sensors.
Then, you will need to deal with all of the minor issues like the fact that your automatic transmission car won’t let you shift out of park without pressing the brake… and your manual transmission version will need a clutch safety sensor to make sure you can’t start the engine without holding down the clutch… and that will need to be wired into the ignition and brakes… and you will need to get rid of the old Transmission Control Module and figure out how to bypass any traction control that was built into it.
On older cars (pre-1990s) it is more doable because there are less electrical components and sensors to overcome, but it’s still difficult. If you’re paying someone to do it, it would be cost prohibitive on all but the most rare and valuable cars.
I know people who have done it… again, the older the car, the easier it is… but it was a huge pain and you would be better off paying an extra couple grand to find a manual version of the car you want so that you don’t spend the rest of the life of the car dealing with little follow up issues."