I have finally finished my conversion. If you guys have any questions please feel free to ask. Its a totaled different car

 

WIRING! That's my biggest thing! So did you use a 5 speed harness, or did you rewire?

Are all parts from a 5 speed - meaning did you retain the 3.9 pumpkin, etc?

Pics of install?

Thanks!

 

all parts needed, im seriously thinkin aobut doin it myself

 

Please add me to the info. I'm just planning my conversion. Info is hard to come by. Interested in the wiring and the back end also but any info would be a bonus.
Thanks in advance
Martin
sintler@lineone.net

 

Im about to get started on my auto to manual swap in about one week from now so I could use as much information as possible.. I will post all the information I can about the swap after i finish mine.. Could you post info on your swap?

Im also very debatable about the wiring. I have a 5 speed main engine wiring harness, but im not sure if rewiring the auto harness would make it easier or if just putting the 5 speed harness in is easier. Does anyone know if the auto dash harness plugs right into the 5 speed main engine wiring harness? Also can ya use the same Electrical load unit box from the auto for the manual?

 

These are the parts needed:

Tranny
Clutch
Flywheel
Counterweight
Clutch pedal
(all lines the go from pedal to tranny)
Clutch switch
Brake pedal
Brake sensor
Starter
Driveshaft, with 5speed flange
manual rearend (auto well work but be very slugish out of 1st )


As far as wiring goes, I left the engine harness alone, and the dash harness alone as well. My Tech used the auto harness on the tranny and wired it into the manual. He designed his own harness for the starter and clutch switch. I personally bought a stock manual rearend and switch it out with my auto rearend. All I need now is the 5speed gauge cluster. (its not calibrated for the stock 4:10 gears.

PS everything fits like factory.

 

Cool! So do you think he would make the clutch/starter harness for a few of us?

Also, you can use a speedometer ratio adaptor to correct the readout. Might be better then getting another cluster, as that there will be no questions about mileage, etc should you ever sell.

http://www.atrol.com/pressera.htm or Dakota Digital PN# SGI-5

 

I can't figure one thing out. Wouldn't it save you a tremendous amount of time and money to just sell your automatic car and buy a manual one instead of going through the swap?

 

Some of us have too much time and blood invested. There was a 94 Silverstone that was for sale locally just the last few weeks, and I kept canceling appointments to go look at it. Would have cost almost the same in the end (and much less time), but I could not do it.

There is also a satisfaction of learning about the process and doing it (if not have a hand in it at least) yourself.

 

I don't think so. When you consider the time and hassle of finding a new seven, especially when there are NONE locally, including paying to see it, shipping, TT&L, etc. Besides that, most of the autos are in MINT condition with low miles. I bought mine with 40K unmolested, the seats and interior are perfect, no peeling, no ripped seats, original floor mats, original Bose stereo that still works, perfect garaged paint and body, Blah, Blah, Blah. Now, the local mazda guy refused to mod my car, instead he wanted me to buy one of his 70K+ 5 speeds with ripped up seats, no mats, etc. GUESS WHAT? He wants to buy my car.

 

Hey Daniel,

I finally found a local transmission shop to install my level 10 stuff. This guy has done a bunch of one off stuff locally, but mostly domestics. I'll let you know how it goes. He said he may even be able to redo the computer, or fix it so that the hold light doesn't blink. I think that I may bring up the shift-o-matic or whatever that level 10 sells. I think this dude could reproduce that and it would be way cheaper than Level 10. He was really surprised at how much they charged for their "KIT".

 

I noticed that you dont mention the CPU - They are programed different for Auto & 5 speed - The Rev Buzzer/limiter is set lower on the Auto also the auto cpu handles Idle in gear & Neutral differently than the 5spd Cpu.

 

I'll second that. The reason I settled for an auto was that the condition was so much better than the manuals. The auto isn't that bad and has been good for the last 2 years. Mine had less than 20k on it, full kit and wheels, leather, cruise, sunroof and bose. Auto's are also a bit cheaper so it will pay me to convert and know I'm starting with a good car and also keeping all the mods.
see: http://website.lineone.net/~sintler/

 

you need a manual ECU.
Does anyone know if the Jap import rear end is 4.3 rather than 4.1.

 

You dont have to use a 5speed ECU, but I would recommend it because the car idled like it had a heavy streetport with the auto ECU still in. I believe the jap rearend comes with 4.3

 

what did you do about the housing, I thought they didn't match up. also how did you mount the starter.

 

The housing is only different on a 5speed motor. So if your were going to bolt up a auto tranny to a 5speed motor it would not match up unless you do some custom work. But if bolting a 5speed tranny to a auto motor, then it bolts up perfect.


Then only difference in a auto motor compared to a 5speed motor is the rear housing. (tranny wise)

PS I didnt have any problems with the starter at all from what I know of

 

I'm in the middle of the conversion myself. Since I'm running a stand alone computer, Wolf 3D, I don't have to worry about switching ECU....though I wonder if the speedometer sensor will work. I can't wait to complete it.

 

Hi, I have more questions
Did you swap the entire rear end? can you just change the pinion flange, ring and pinion and mate it upto the drive shaft.
With the harness and ECU. The auto harness plugs into the manual ECU ok with no mods st that end doesn't it. You only have to modify the tranny and clutch switch parts of the harness. Do you have any further details of this.
What cost are you looking at for the whole job in the US (I'm in the UK and want to compare)
Thanks in advance.
sintler@lineone.net

 

Any comeback on the wiring harness adapter. Exit13B has done a similar thing but can't get a reply or info from him. I would definitley like to get hold of one.

 

I went ahead and swap my rearend with a stock manual one. (Rather have 4.10 gears then the auto 3.90 gears) I went ahead and bought a maunal driveshaft and used a mauanl flange and pinion to bolt it up to the maunal rearend. You could keep your auto driveshaft and do some custom work to mate up with the manual rearend, but it was to time consuming for me. As far as the ECU goes, I just plugged in a stock upgraded mauanl ECU. (It plugged it fine) Ill will talk to my tech and get some more info on what he did to the wiring, and see if he could make a few harrness that I can give away.


PS The cost was really low considering my dad is a Mazda dealer and rebulider. It cost me about 2,000 US dallars.

 

OK so any chance that your tech or you or whoever will do these for the public now that you have a prototype done? Obviously there is a lot of interest.

 

Brian-7
Thanks for your help so far and I look forward to the info on the wiring harness.
Do you mean that you kept the rear diff housing from your auto but swapped the ring and pinion and then mated this to the manual driveshaft with a manual pinion flange.
What did you do with the rev counter. Does the ECU limit the revs to 8000 now and did yoy swap the rev counter. If you left the auto one does it buzz ay 7000 rpm or 8000.
Thanks

 

Sorry for the confusion, I just swaped out the entire rearend with a manual rearend, or in your case you can buy a maunal driveshaft and bolt it up to the auto rearend and later on you can swap out the 3.90 with 4.10 or 4.30 gears. Now I have now clue right now about the buzzer, because I have not really got on it yet , Ive been driving around with the auto ECU still in and have not swaped it yet. Iam trying to see if it works, but I ll let you know about it soon. (I plan on putting in the manaul ECU later this week)

 

Ahhh, now we see, hehe! So how about it? Will you guys do this for thers now? I can bring the parts (after I locate them all, hehe)