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5th Gen Auto to Manual Conversion

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:37 am
by Austifiniho
Hey so kind of new here and so I don’t know if this has been asked loads before but what would be involved in swapping a manual into a h22a5 5th gen?

Seems autos are pretty cheap in the UK and if I can work this out then swapping in a manual myself could be a really cheap way to get a better overall car at the end

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:18 am
by wurlycorner
Several have done it - it's pretty simple.
You need the following from a manual car;
  • Gearbox
    Driveshafts (can't remember if both sides or just one side)
    Gear linkage/shift assembly
    Clutch master cylinder / pipework assembly
    Pedal box
Basically you swap all that lot and need to alter the wiring for the reverse light switch. All of the above can be from either a 5g or 4g, with exception of driveshafts that are 5g specific.

For the electricals, I think on a 5g you should still be able to do the same trick as on a 4g, whereby you put the gear selector in neutral before you start disassembling and then you can leave the electrical selector switch stuck in that position and all will be well to stick with your existing ecu (swapping ecu's on a 5g is a bit more involved than on a 4g because of key coded immobiliser Yo!)

Don't know if you also need to swap the gearbox mount on a 5g - you do on some 4g's, but not all.

Obviously you also then need the centre console trim assembly for a 5g to make it look pretty.

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:54 am
by mart609
If you want to be picky, you also need the dash clocks from manual, as the auto will have the gear selector lights in the middle

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:57 am
by Vtecmec
The 5th gen might also need a small hole cut out in the firewall to accommodate the master clutch cylinder.

On my 4th I did the thing with the selector in neutral, then a few years later just ripped it all out and had no problems, except that 2 earths needed splicing together to enable the starter to turn.

Don't forget the clutch and flywheel.........

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:30 pm
by wurlycorner
:facepalm: yep I thought clutch was a given :lol:
Had forgotten to mention the flywheel though... :10:
Vtecmec wrote:On my 4th I did the thing with the selector in neutral, then a few years later just ripped it all out and had no problems, except that 2 earths needed splicing together to enable the starter to turn.
On some later 4ths I think you get even more problems if you don't either leave the selector switch in circuit or swap/convert the ECU to manual (there were later mods about not being able to release the key and stuff like that IIRC)???

Someone on here may know better about 5g's (I'm obviously not the expert on anything transit related) but I just generally read on here about other issues like the immobiliser making anything to do with swapping the ECU a PITA, so I'm just suggesting for simplicity to leave the gear selector part well alone, if you can!!! :lol:

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:38 pm
by wurlycorner
Ps, if you're interested, I could supply the following bits from the list;
  • Gearbox
    Gear linkage/shift assembly
    Clutch master cylinder / pipework assembly
    Pedal box
    Flywheel
    Clutch (used)

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:56 pm
by thusee
Axle's are not needed.

However you do need the midshaft from a manual, the auto axle's will work with this.

You will also need a manual ecu otherwise your car will throw codes for the auto shift solenoids, or you can go around modifying the auto ecu by desoldering and re soldering a resistor from one spot to the other.

If you go the new ecu route then you will need to get the immobilizer reprogramed, if you go the modifying route you won't need to worry about the immobilizer.

5th Gen WILL need 3 holes cut in firewall for Clutch master. 2 holes for the mounting bolts and 1 hole in the middle for the clutch master rode.

The centre console on all 5th gens auto and manual are the same, all you need to swap to manual is the manual shift boot which will just screw onto your existing centre console.

-Manual Flywheel and flywheel bolts (Auto bolts will not work i beleive they are longer)
-New clutch kit (Exedy oem replacement is a great option) Comes with pressure plate, clutch disk, throwout bearing and alignment tool.
-Pressure plate bolts
-Lower oil pan cover for transmission side from a manual

Everything else looks like has been covered above.

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:59 pm
by thusee
You could just search on google, this has been covered so many times but sucks that a lot of sites the pictures are down :(. There should be a manual swap guide somewhere if i remember correctly.

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:15 pm
by AeroNotix
wurlycorner I'm Austifiniho's brother. How much for all that? If all this went ahead he'd picking it up so no shipping involved.

Which gearbox exactly? Got any with an LSD?

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:48 pm
by Austifiniho
The ecu business aeronotix showed me and doesn’t look too bad it’s just one bit,

There’s a YouTube series for the bb6 an American did on a LHD

Fell asleep watching it last night need to finish it off see if it helps

I’m not in the biggest of rushes just I drove my bro’s prelude and he’s got a ep3 type R and I know that I need VTEC in my life.

I own a classic mini so I have to be quite tactical with money which is why I’m looking at the swap.