This is my Manual transmission swap walkthrough
#1
02-24-2010, 10:56 PM
This is my Manual transmission swap walkthrough
This is the writing portion of it. Once I get all the pictures done I will edit it and add the pictures where they need to be.
This is my Manual transmission swap walkthrough.
I was lucky enough to have access to a shop with a lift and engine cradle to use.
First I started off by removing the bolt for the upper torque mount. Then I remove the battery and tray. Next remove the air box and mounting bracket. Then you need to remove all of the upper bell housing bolts that you can access from the top. Then remove the shifter cable and wiring loom from the top of the transmission. There is 2 nuts holding it to the top of the transmission. Unplug the speed sensor by the rear 10mm nut. Next remove the 2 transmission lines from the radiator.
Next you can move to under the car. It is time to remove the subframe.
Remove the front tires. Then start removing all the bolts for the engine mounts.
There is the right side engine mount(2 14mm bolts) the hydraulic engine mount front of car(1 14mm bolt) and rear hydraulic mount.(1 14mm bolt)
Then you can start removing the other brackets and wiring harness bolts.
There is a ground wire bracket on the drivers side(1 10mm bolt) then on the passenger side there is one 10mm bolt holding the wiring harness to the subframe. On some of the newer cars there is an acceleration sensor mounted to the subframe on the passenger side. You can just unplug the sensor.
Next remove the transmission torque mount.(2 18mm nuts and 2 14mm bolts) Then remove the power steering line brackets front and rear.(2 12mm bolts) Next you can move on to removing the steering rack nuts.(4 or 5 15mm nuts and 1 18mm nut) I usually take some zipties and run through a hole in the body and steering rack by the boots to hold the rack once the subframe is out. Next remove the sway bar links(15mm nut on each side or 17mm depending on OEM or aftermarket) Then remove the balljoints from the hubs(13mm on the head of the bolt and 15mm nut unless someone replaced the bolt when installing a new control arm) I also disconnect the outer tie rod from the hub as well. I leave the axles in the hubs and when I slide the axles out of the transmission I turn the hub and tie the axles up under the car. You will need to split the evap system hose and slide it out from running through the subframe. Some have a small piece if rubber hose holding the plastic pipe together. Some are not split and you need to cut it and when going back together you need to use a piece of rubber hose to join it back together. Now you can remove the 4 subframe bolts and drop the subframe out from under the car. Note: Some 850’s have the charcoal canister under the L/F attached to the subframe I disconnect the hoses and drop the canister with the subframe.
Once the subframe is out from under the car you can start removing more stuff.
Start be removing the axles from the transmission. The drivers side just pops out of the transmission. The passenger side there is a bracket holding the axle into place(2 12mm screws) Once the axles are you you can move onto removing the torque converter bolts.(6 torxes 40 screws) There is a notch cut where you can easily access the screws to remove the screws. I put a socket on the front of the crankshaft and turn the motor slowly and remove the screws. Now onto a harder part you need to remove the rear hydraulic engine mount from the bracket.(1 15MM nut) What makes this a pain is there is almost no room to get to the nut. I cut down a 15mm wrench to make it a little easier. Then once the mount is out you need to remove the Black mount beacket(1 14mm bolt) then remove the aluminum bracket.(2 14mm bolts) Then you have access to the rest of the bellhousing bolts. If the car is a 94 or 95 you have to unplug the rear speed sensor(red plug on the back of the transmission) Next go to the front of the transmission and remove the ground wire(1 12mm bolt)
Then I go back up top and lower the motor and transmission on an angle. You need to lower the drivers side more than the passenger side. The main goal is to drop the transmission enough so you can slide it off of the motor and clear the body.
Once you have the motor and transmission dropped enough to clear the body you can remove the rest of the bellhousing bolts and remove the transmission. Be very careful lowering the transmission because the flywheel have a sensor ring on the outer edge of it. You do not want to bend it at all.
Once the transmission is out of the car you can remove the flywheel(10 17mm 12point bolts) Now would be a good time to replace the rear main seal. Then you can install the Manual transmission flywheel. Be sure to use Loctite on the bolts when putting them back it. The loctite is needed to seal the threads on the bolts so it will not leak oil.The torque on the flywheel bolts is 33ftlbs and then 50 degrees.
Now I go a little off since the transmission is out you have more room to install the clutch master and slave cylinder. It is also easiest to remove the Auto shift cable and install the manual cables now. Go inside the car and remove the lower dash panel on the drivers side(3 t-25 screws) then remove the center console(2 t-25 screws holding the cubby under the ashtray. Then the 2 t-15 screws under the tray) Then lift the armrest and in the bottom is a cover hiding 2 screws. Remove the cover and then the 2 screws (either 2 t-25 or 2 8mm depending on the year of the car) Lift the console up and out to remove it. You will have to have the e-brake handle up and the shifter in neutral.
Now you can move onto removing the shifter assembly Unplug the solenoid and shifter light plugs. Next pull the pin on the drivers side holding the cable to the shifter assembly. Next remove the metal U looking clip holding the shifter cable to the shifter assembly.
Now remove the screws holding the shifter assembly into the car.(4 12mm screws straight down and 1 12mm on each side holding the bracket over the back of the shifter assembly. Then lift the assembly up and out of the car. Next follow the cable to the firewall and you will find it bolted to the firewall right behind the gas pedal. Remove the 2 nuts holding it to the firewall(2 10mm nuts) and slide the cable out from inside the car. Then you can install the manual cables in place from where you just removed the auto cable. Then you can install the manual shifter assembly and the 6 screws. One Note though be very careful trying to snap the cables to the shifter assembly. On the top of the assembly where the ball looking thing is the ring breaks very easily. Once that is all done you can reinstall the center console. Note the auto console hole for the shifter is bigger than the ones on the manual cars. So the manual boot will not lock into the auto console.
Now to move onto the next part. Pull down some of the foam on the firewall under and slightly to the left of the brake booster. You will see 2 13mm nuts holding a plate to the body from outside. Remove the 2 nuts and push the plate out some. You will need to go under the car to remove the plate the rest of the way. The plate is a little hard to work out since it is so close to the booster. That is the hole you will use to install the master cylinder. Work the master cylinder into the hole in the correct position. Go back inside and install the nuts to hold it on tight.
Now for the fairly complicated part which is swapping the pedal assembly out. It is kind of tight getting in there to remove the screws. Remove the nut and bolt holding the steering column to the shaft where it goes through the floorboard.(Should be a 12mm or 10mm on the bolt head and 13mm on the nut) Then remove the 2 bolts holding the lower half of the column to the body. Then you will feel that the column will move up and down. You want it to do that to be able to work the pedal assembly out and back in. Remove the clip holding the brake booster arm to the brake pedal assembly and slide the arm off the pedal assembly. Then there is 2 bolts up above the steering column that go from side to side(drivers side to passenger side) Remove the 2 bolts(I think 13MM bolt heads and 15mm nuts) Then at the firewall you will see where the bracket attaches remove the 3 nuts(13mm) Then unplug the brake light switch and cruise control switches. Slide the steering shaft up into the column to make it a little easier to work the pedal assembly out. Then you can start working the pedal assembly out.
Install the new manual pedal assembly by working it in and installing all the bolts and nuts. Once that is all done connect the clutch master cylinder and brake booster to the pedal assembly. Then connect the cruise switch and brake light switch. Be careful removing the old switches the tabs can break. It is best to remove them once the pedal assembly is out of the car. Once everything is connected and done reinstall the lower dash panel.
Then it is time to install the clutch and transmission. So go back under the car taking the clutch and pressure plate with you. Note when swapping from an auto to manual you will also need to remove the pilot bushing for the auto and install one for a manual.
Make sure you have a clutch alignment tool as well. Set the clutch disk up using the alignment tool. Then install the pressure plate and tighten screws flush by hand. Then in a crosswise pattern to 25nm or about 19ftlbs. Now is time to install a new throw out bearing. The arm pulls off a ball seat and works out. Install the new one using a little bit of silicon on the ball before installing the arm again.
Now you can install the transmission and put the rest of the car back together. The transmission can be a pain sometimes to work back up in there but take your time and move slowly to work it back in there. Then get all the bellhousing bolts back in from the bottom. Then level the motor off and raise to about where it belongs. Then you can go in any order you want to finish putting it all back together. I usually will do the mount brackets and mount then the torque converter bolts. Then the axles and ground wire on the transmission. When all that stuff is back together you can put the subframe back up on the car. Then reinstall everything else including mount bolts, rack bolts, balljoints, sway bar links, steering line bracket bolts, ground wire bracket, wiring harness. During the process you will need to put the motor in the proper level.
Once that is all done it is time to go back to the top under the hood.
You will have to put the bell housing bolts back in from the top. Then the wiring harness loom across the top of the transmission and plug the speed sensor back in.
One thing I forgot to mention when putting the clutch master in is that there is a hose off the master that will run up to the brake fluid bottle on the brake master cylinder. It is on the back corner. On the Auto cars it is sealed up. To install the hose you will need to cut the little flat looking part off but not damaging the round part. Install the hose on the fluid bottle. Then you can bleed the clutch system. That is usually a major pain to get it all bled and working properly. It took me about 2 hours or so to get it all working properly.
Now comes the creative part. For the car to start and run you will need to either jump some wiring or do what I did. I took an old PNP switch and zip tied it to the old plug from the transmission. The car still needs to see that the car is in either park or neutral.
Then what I did for the reverse lights is find a plug from an older Volvo like a 960 coil pack plug and made wiring long enough to go from the reverse light switch to the plug where I plugged the PNP into. I put the wiring to terminal number 2 and 7 in the plug to make the reverse lights work properly.
Once you have that stuff done you can connect the shifter cables to the transmission and make sure they work properly. My bushings were shot in my cables. So after seeing 850tony’s post I went to a local store and found a set of skateboard wheel bearings. I put them into the cables and then installed them on the transmission. Once you have all of that connected you can finish putting the rest back together. That is the air box and battery tray. Then remove the transmission computer from the computer box. That is located on the passenger side in the black box . The engine one says Bosch on it. The transmission one should say Asian Warner or something like that.Once all of that is together make sure the car will start and run. Also make sure the clutch is working and that the transmission will go into gear.
Then take it out for a test drive to make sure all is working as it should.
Then enjoy the benefits of your labor and drive the hell out of it.
I drove it really easy for the first week to make sure the clutch seated properly.
You can do as you wish but enjoy driving it as a manual transmission.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Or if I forgot something let me know and I will edit the post to add it.
This is my Manual transmission swap walkthrough.
I was lucky enough to have access to a shop with a lift and engine cradle to use.
First I started off by removing the bolt for the upper torque mount. Then I remove the battery and tray. Next remove the air box and mounting bracket. Then you need to remove all of the upper bell housing bolts that you can access from the top. Then remove the shifter cable and wiring loom from the top of the transmission. There is 2 nuts holding it to the top of the transmission. Unplug the speed sensor by the rear 10mm nut. Next remove the 2 transmission lines from the radiator.
Next you can move to under the car. It is time to remove the subframe.
Remove the front tires. Then start removing all the bolts for the engine mounts.
There is the right side engine mount(2 14mm bolts) the hydraulic engine mount front of car(1 14mm bolt) and rear hydraulic mount.(1 14mm bolt)
Then you can start removing the other brackets and wiring harness bolts.
There is a ground wire bracket on the drivers side(1 10mm bolt) then on the passenger side there is one 10mm bolt holding the wiring harness to the subframe. On some of the newer cars there is an acceleration sensor mounted to the subframe on the passenger side. You can just unplug the sensor.
Next remove the transmission torque mount.(2 18mm nuts and 2 14mm bolts) Then remove the power steering line brackets front and rear.(2 12mm bolts) Next you can move on to removing the steering rack nuts.(4 or 5 15mm nuts and 1 18mm nut) I usually take some zipties and run through a hole in the body and steering rack by the boots to hold the rack once the subframe is out. Next remove the sway bar links(15mm nut on each side or 17mm depending on OEM or aftermarket) Then remove the balljoints from the hubs(13mm on the head of the bolt and 15mm nut unless someone replaced the bolt when installing a new control arm) I also disconnect the outer tie rod from the hub as well. I leave the axles in the hubs and when I slide the axles out of the transmission I turn the hub and tie the axles up under the car. You will need to split the evap system hose and slide it out from running through the subframe. Some have a small piece if rubber hose holding the plastic pipe together. Some are not split and you need to cut it and when going back together you need to use a piece of rubber hose to join it back together. Now you can remove the 4 subframe bolts and drop the subframe out from under the car. Note: Some 850’s have the charcoal canister under the L/F attached to the subframe I disconnect the hoses and drop the canister with the subframe.
Once the subframe is out from under the car you can start removing more stuff.
Start be removing the axles from the transmission. The drivers side just pops out of the transmission. The passenger side there is a bracket holding the axle into place(2 12mm screws) Once the axles are you you can move onto removing the torque converter bolts.(6 torxes 40 screws) There is a notch cut where you can easily access the screws to remove the screws. I put a socket on the front of the crankshaft and turn the motor slowly and remove the screws. Now onto a harder part you need to remove the rear hydraulic engine mount from the bracket.(1 15MM nut) What makes this a pain is there is almost no room to get to the nut. I cut down a 15mm wrench to make it a little easier. Then once the mount is out you need to remove the Black mount beacket(1 14mm bolt) then remove the aluminum bracket.(2 14mm bolts) Then you have access to the rest of the bellhousing bolts. If the car is a 94 or 95 you have to unplug the rear speed sensor(red plug on the back of the transmission) Next go to the front of the transmission and remove the ground wire(1 12mm bolt)
Then I go back up top and lower the motor and transmission on an angle. You need to lower the drivers side more than the passenger side. The main goal is to drop the transmission enough so you can slide it off of the motor and clear the body.
Once you have the motor and transmission dropped enough to clear the body you can remove the rest of the bellhousing bolts and remove the transmission. Be very careful lowering the transmission because the flywheel have a sensor ring on the outer edge of it. You do not want to bend it at all.
Once the transmission is out of the car you can remove the flywheel(10 17mm 12point bolts) Now would be a good time to replace the rear main seal. Then you can install the Manual transmission flywheel. Be sure to use Loctite on the bolts when putting them back it. The loctite is needed to seal the threads on the bolts so it will not leak oil.The torque on the flywheel bolts is 33ftlbs and then 50 degrees.
Now I go a little off since the transmission is out you have more room to install the clutch master and slave cylinder. It is also easiest to remove the Auto shift cable and install the manual cables now. Go inside the car and remove the lower dash panel on the drivers side(3 t-25 screws) then remove the center console(2 t-25 screws holding the cubby under the ashtray. Then the 2 t-15 screws under the tray) Then lift the armrest and in the bottom is a cover hiding 2 screws. Remove the cover and then the 2 screws (either 2 t-25 or 2 8mm depending on the year of the car) Lift the console up and out to remove it. You will have to have the e-brake handle up and the shifter in neutral.
Now you can move onto removing the shifter assembly Unplug the solenoid and shifter light plugs. Next pull the pin on the drivers side holding the cable to the shifter assembly. Next remove the metal U looking clip holding the shifter cable to the shifter assembly.
Now remove the screws holding the shifter assembly into the car.(4 12mm screws straight down and 1 12mm on each side holding the bracket over the back of the shifter assembly. Then lift the assembly up and out of the car. Next follow the cable to the firewall and you will find it bolted to the firewall right behind the gas pedal. Remove the 2 nuts holding it to the firewall(2 10mm nuts) and slide the cable out from inside the car. Then you can install the manual cables in place from where you just removed the auto cable. Then you can install the manual shifter assembly and the 6 screws. One Note though be very careful trying to snap the cables to the shifter assembly. On the top of the assembly where the ball looking thing is the ring breaks very easily. Once that is all done you can reinstall the center console. Note the auto console hole for the shifter is bigger than the ones on the manual cars. So the manual boot will not lock into the auto console.
Now to move onto the next part. Pull down some of the foam on the firewall under and slightly to the left of the brake booster. You will see 2 13mm nuts holding a plate to the body from outside. Remove the 2 nuts and push the plate out some. You will need to go under the car to remove the plate the rest of the way. The plate is a little hard to work out since it is so close to the booster. That is the hole you will use to install the master cylinder. Work the master cylinder into the hole in the correct position. Go back inside and install the nuts to hold it on tight.
Now for the fairly complicated part which is swapping the pedal assembly out. It is kind of tight getting in there to remove the screws. Remove the nut and bolt holding the steering column to the shaft where it goes through the floorboard.(Should be a 12mm or 10mm on the bolt head and 13mm on the nut) Then remove the 2 bolts holding the lower half of the column to the body. Then you will feel that the column will move up and down. You want it to do that to be able to work the pedal assembly out and back in. Remove the clip holding the brake booster arm to the brake pedal assembly and slide the arm off the pedal assembly. Then there is 2 bolts up above the steering column that go from side to side(drivers side to passenger side) Remove the 2 bolts(I think 13MM bolt heads and 15mm nuts) Then at the firewall you will see where the bracket attaches remove the 3 nuts(13mm) Then unplug the brake light switch and cruise control switches. Slide the steering shaft up into the column to make it a little easier to work the pedal assembly out. Then you can start working the pedal assembly out.
Install the new manual pedal assembly by working it in and installing all the bolts and nuts. Once that is all done connect the clutch master cylinder and brake booster to the pedal assembly. Then connect the cruise switch and brake light switch. Be careful removing the old switches the tabs can break. It is best to remove them once the pedal assembly is out of the car. Once everything is connected and done reinstall the lower dash panel.
Then it is time to install the clutch and transmission. So go back under the car taking the clutch and pressure plate with you. Note when swapping from an auto to manual you will also need to remove the pilot bushing for the auto and install one for a manual.
Make sure you have a clutch alignment tool as well. Set the clutch disk up using the alignment tool. Then install the pressure plate and tighten screws flush by hand. Then in a crosswise pattern to 25nm or about 19ftlbs. Now is time to install a new throw out bearing. The arm pulls off a ball seat and works out. Install the new one using a little bit of silicon on the ball before installing the arm again.
Now you can install the transmission and put the rest of the car back together. The transmission can be a pain sometimes to work back up in there but take your time and move slowly to work it back in there. Then get all the bellhousing bolts back in from the bottom. Then level the motor off and raise to about where it belongs. Then you can go in any order you want to finish putting it all back together. I usually will do the mount brackets and mount then the torque converter bolts. Then the axles and ground wire on the transmission. When all that stuff is back together you can put the subframe back up on the car. Then reinstall everything else including mount bolts, rack bolts, balljoints, sway bar links, steering line bracket bolts, ground wire bracket, wiring harness. During the process you will need to put the motor in the proper level.
Once that is all done it is time to go back to the top under the hood.
You will have to put the bell housing bolts back in from the top. Then the wiring harness loom across the top of the transmission and plug the speed sensor back in.
One thing I forgot to mention when putting the clutch master in is that there is a hose off the master that will run up to the brake fluid bottle on the brake master cylinder. It is on the back corner. On the Auto cars it is sealed up. To install the hose you will need to cut the little flat looking part off but not damaging the round part. Install the hose on the fluid bottle. Then you can bleed the clutch system. That is usually a major pain to get it all bled and working properly. It took me about 2 hours or so to get it all working properly.
Now comes the creative part. For the car to start and run you will need to either jump some wiring or do what I did. I took an old PNP switch and zip tied it to the old plug from the transmission. The car still needs to see that the car is in either park or neutral.
Then what I did for the reverse lights is find a plug from an older Volvo like a 960 coil pack plug and made wiring long enough to go from the reverse light switch to the plug where I plugged the PNP into. I put the wiring to terminal number 2 and 7 in the plug to make the reverse lights work properly.
Once you have that stuff done you can connect the shifter cables to the transmission and make sure they work properly. My bushings were shot in my cables. So after seeing 850tony’s post I went to a local store and found a set of skateboard wheel bearings. I put them into the cables and then installed them on the transmission. Once you have all of that connected you can finish putting the rest back together. That is the air box and battery tray. Then remove the transmission computer from the computer box. That is located on the passenger side in the black box . The engine one says Bosch on it. The transmission one should say Asian Warner or something like that.Once all of that is together make sure the car will start and run. Also make sure the clutch is working and that the transmission will go into gear.
Then take it out for a test drive to make sure all is working as it should.
Then enjoy the benefits of your labor and drive the hell out of it.
I drove it really easy for the first week to make sure the clutch seated properly.
You can do as you wish but enjoy driving it as a manual transmission.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Or if I forgot something let me know and I will edit the post to add it.
#5
02-26-2010, 12:11 AM
#13
03-14-2010, 12:00 PM
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Manual trans donor car
I'm new to this, so I'm sorry if this is posted in the wrong place...
If anyone is looking for a complete manual trans car to swap from, I have a running, driving '96 non-turbo 5 speed wagon (black interior) that would be a perfect swap...and able to be driven to your location. (currently in central Colorado) I bought it to do a swap myself, but circumstances have changed...
I'd like to have $1,800 for it, but message me with offers if you're interested.
Thanks!
If anyone is looking for a complete manual trans car to swap from, I have a running, driving '96 non-turbo 5 speed wagon (black interior) that would be a perfect swap...and able to be driven to your location. (currently in central Colorado) I bought it to do a swap myself, but circumstances have changed...
I'd like to have $1,800 for it, but message me with offers if you're interested.
Thanks!
#14
03-18-2010, 06:25 AM
I'm new to this, so I'm sorry if this is posted in the wrong place...
If anyone is looking for a complete manual trans car to swap from, I have a running, driving '96 non-turbo 5 speed wagon (black interior) that would be a perfect swap...and able to be driven to your location. (currently in central Colorado) I bought it to do a swap myself, but circumstances have changed...
I'd like to have $1,800 for it, but message me with offers if you're interested.
Thanks!
If anyone is looking for a complete manual trans car to swap from, I have a running, driving '96 non-turbo 5 speed wagon (black interior) that would be a perfect swap...and able to be driven to your location. (currently in central Colorado) I bought it to do a swap myself, but circumstances have changed...
I'd like to have $1,800 for it, but message me with offers if you're interested.
Thanks!
#15
04-07-2010, 10:43 PM
Thanks TECH! that is awesome. I can't wait to do it. Would it make sense to remove the hood and take everything out with an engine lift? I would be doing it on jack stands- I've found a donor car, but it seems that all the subframe removal will be a pain from below, and it sound like you are basically removing the engine anyway, just leaving it in the car. If I pull it out it would make doing everything else easier? What do you think.
I recently did major engine comartment work on my '68 Mustang, and I sure wish I had pulled the motor, and I still might.
Thanks!
I recently did major engine comartment work on my '68 Mustang, and I sure wish I had pulled the motor, and I still might.
Thanks!
#16
04-07-2010, 10:49 PM
#17
05-28-2010, 12:14 AM
I plan on yanking a manual trans from the junk yard tomorrow, as the u-pull place here is having a half off sale and I can get the entire transmission for 45 bucks. I'm probably just gonna pull out the motor and transmission since i dont need to concern myself with taking care of anything but the transmission. Any suggestions to make my job easier?
#19
05-29-2010, 12:24 PM
One question for you, if you can answer me....I know the driveshafts are the same, but how about the starter? If it's different, I will just go back and get it. In the event that I need it, i stashed it in another vehicle so nobody else will get it. Also, the clutch was shot, so i didnt bother getting that. I live about 5 minutes from south bend clutch, so I'll just have them get one for me...good stuff. I'm really looking forward to this swap.
Oh, and on a related note, its a pain in the *** to pull the motor and transmission out the top - there's nothing to hook a hoist onto. I wound up looping a hook through the thermostat housing. Not like I need that motor anyway. =)
Oh, and on a related note, its a pain in the *** to pull the motor and transmission out the top - there's nothing to hook a hoist onto. I wound up looping a hook through the thermostat housing. Not like I need that motor anyway. =)