Question about auto to manual conversion.

[TLMNICK]

Hey guys,

lately I've been really toying wth the idea of doing a 5spd conversion on my 2001 vert. I love the car as it is, but I think I'd enjoy it during the summer months even more if it were a 5spd.

My main question is this:

What would I need to do, in order to complete the swap successfully? If I'm going to do it, my plan is to find/purchase an entire doner car. What all would I need to take from that doner car to make the swap successful with no CELs?

And, would it be possible to use all the parts from my auto lara, and convert my doner 5spd into an automatic so that I can sell the whole car after the job? I'm not worried about the immobilizer system becuase I have ways around that.

Any helpful insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

[jetbtkng]

talk to gregtrd, he does it all the time, he just did solarazona's, and bbq bob's cars.............................

[TLMNICK]

I'd probably get him to do mine as well, but I'm in Toronto lol.

[Chinky420]

talk to txbumblebee.....he was working on a manual swap IIRC

[Solarizona]

GregTRD just finished mine about a week ago. Everything runs smooth and so far I've been able to keep the auto a/c (or climate control) and heated seats. Still working on a CEL that has to do with 2 solenoids from the auto tranny, and might have to replace the whole harness. When everything is finalized I'll post up with some pics and more info. Greg posted some info here: http://www.solaraguy.com/viewtopic.php?t=46319&start=75

[TLMNICK]

If I were to replace the auto ECU, with the manual ECU from a doner car...would that require changing the entire harness? And if so, does that mean that I might lose my auto climate controls? I know that the SE V6 models have manual controls.

[EEngineer]

niiice, the awesome dude from audio heaven is doing a 5spd swap.
*sorry i never got your name*

well, manual ECU isn't completely necessary i don't think since when Eye8pussies did his 5speed swap, he kep the auto ECU but it behaved a little different, but some wiring modification took care of the problem i think.

a donor car for a 5 speed swap isn't necessary..because you can easily find a camry manual transmission from the 94~2001 camry from junkers.
the transmission is the same between the solara and camry and finding a camry transmission is much easier. even the interior pieces for the swap works from camry parts, just slight mods here and there apperently

Axles are what you'd have to worry about because the half shafts are different length and are hard to come by..so pulling those parts from wreckers would be a good idea.

all in all, it would be a good idea to PM Eye8Pussies and ask him about it, he lives in missisauga and is a good buddy of mine. He was the first few who did his 5speed swap himself with just parts. I wouldn't mind arranging a mini meet to chill and talk about it.

[TxBmbleBee]

^^i disagree. I think having a donor car is everything! So many headaches can be avoided.

Like Solarizona, my car works flawlessly with the 5 speed swap...except the damn CEL. I also have immobilizer issues as well since it wont talk to the manual ecu I pulled from the junkyard. ALL this could have been avoided with a donor car, then I could have put my auto crap in it and sold it to help cut down on cost. Get Greg to do your swap, and get a donor car. Im excited for you man, Ive always loved your vert.

[TLMNICK]

TxBmbleBee, I'd love to get Greg to do it, but unfortunately my location make that impossible.

EEngineer, I wouldn't mind a mini meet. I just wouldn't be bringing the solara since she's tucked away for the winter. But I'd like to collect as much real, accurate information as I possibly can before I venture into this mod.

Maybe Greg can chime in, and give me a better idea as to whats needed to complete the swap.

[ASG14]

well, manual ECU isn't completely necessary i don't think since when Eye8pussies did his 5speed swap, he kep the auto ECU but it behaved a little different, but some wiring modification took care of the problem i think.

Cody, thats because there never was a 5-speed ECU for the 1MZ Gen 3. In his case, he should use a 5-speed ECU.

Oh, and Cody, my friend just bought a '93 V6 LE 5-speed today with 250k km on it, lol. Guy was moving back to Canada or somethin and wanted it gone. Funny to see a rusted out Gen 3 with a mint interior in FL.

[Gregtrd]

niiice, the awesome dude from audio heaven is doing a 5spd swap.
*sorry i never got your name*

well, manual ECU isn't completely necessary i don't think since when Eye8pussies did his 5speed swap, he kep the auto ECU but it behaved a little different, but some wiring modification took care of the problem i think.
.
(The gen 3 camry is not the same and the gen 4-4.5 camry and gen 1-1.5 solara. Depending how you wire the park/neutral switch is how your car will act, I know this from experience just to much to explain.
.
a donor car for a 5 speed swap isn't necessary..because you can easily find a camry manual transmission from the 94~2001 camry from junkers.
the transmission is the same between the solara and camry and finding a camry transmission is much easier. even the interior pieces for the swap works from camry parts, just slight mods here and there apparently
(Don't want to sound like a smart ass but this is totally wrong info to tell people, I've had lots of experience in this field and you have no idea in what you're talking about and said this with up most respect.)
.
Axles are what you'd have to worry about because the half shafts are different length and are hard to come by..so pulling those parts from wreckers would be a good idea.

all in all, it would be a good idea to PM Eye8Pussies and ask him about it, he lives in missisauga and is a good buddy of mine. He was the first few who did his 5speed swap himself with just parts. I wouldn't mind arranging a mini meet to chill and talk about it.

[EEngineer]

there's nothing wrong with getting a donor car for a tranny swap..,but it's like doubling the amount of work if you think you can switch the transmissions and sell the donor car. when you start pulling stuff apart, u'll realize there's so much you will have to put back in, it'll become a pain in the ass and the labour hours will just pile up. before you know it, the project will be much longer than you expect. so don't even think about switching the auto back to the donor car and sell it. it'll be a mess.

I bought a donor car before to do my V6 5-Spd swap,
the donor car is in its shells and sitting outside collecting snow. it just wasn't worth the effort, but it was only 950 bucks and we got all the goodies out of it so it was worth every penny.

now, before people saying i don't know crap, i am driving a 5 speed swapped car myself and got plenty of help and knowledge from Eye8Pussies, Tony the Tiger, ASG14 who get plenty of experience.
if people gonna say i'm wrong, then at least point out where i'm wrong.

i don't see why you can't use a E153 transmission from, cuz Eye8Pussies is using a solara transmission and they are all E153s i don't see why it can't go the other way around. all cars have differences, but you just gotta work those electrical issues out. The chances of find a Solara as a cheap donor car in Canada is like next to zero, but camry on the other hand is easy.

I say the simplest thing you can do is get an E153 or E53 transmission, get your pedals, get your clutch cylinder, lines, linkage cables, axles, interior trims, and manual ECU of course. i know the main problem is that it has to do with different sensor pin outs on the ECU and actual differences in sensors. ideally you'd want to swap the harness but with knowledge u can work around those problems and Tony the Tiger is the right guy for that kind of thing. He's done custom wiring and fixes for various cars, setups so getting the ECU to work wouldn't be a problem. it sure beats having to spend 5~6Ks to get a donor car for a tranny swap and having to tear through half of the car.

anyway i have no idea what i'm talking about, don't read any of this

[ASG14]

Guys, listen to Cody ^. We spent 2 long weeks doing a massive swap. he knows what he's saying.

[trd4life]

i can get 5 speed v6 donor cars for 700-1300 u.s.

[TxBmbleBee]

there's nothing wrong with getting a donor car for a tranny swap..,but it's like doubling the amount of work if you think you can switch the transmissions and sell the donor car. when you start pulling stuff apart, u'll realize there's so much you will have to put back in, it'll become a pain in the ass and the labour hours will just pile up. before you know it, the project will be much longer than you expect. so don't even think about switching the auto back to the donor car and sell it. it'll be a mess.

I bought a donor car before to do my V6 5-Spd swap,
the donor car is in its shells and sitting outside collecting snow. it just wasn't worth the effort, but it was only 950 bucks and we got all the goodies out of it so it was worth every penny.

now, before people saying i don't know crap, i am driving a 5 speed swapped car myself and got plenty of help and knowledge from Eye8Pussies, Tony the Tiger, ASG14 who get plenty of experience.
if people gonna say i'm wrong, then at least point out where i'm wrong.

i don't see why you can't use a E153 transmission from, cuz Eye8Pussies is using a solara transmission and they are all E153s i don't see why it can't go the other way around. all cars have differences, but you just gotta work those electrical issues out. The chances of find a Solara as a cheap donor car in Canada is like next to zero, but camry on the other hand is easy.

I say the simplest thing you can do is get an E153 or E53 transmission, get your pedals, get your clutch cylinder, lines, linkage cables, axles, interior trims, and manual ECU of course. i know the main problem is that it has to do with different sensor pin outs on the ECU and actual differences in sensors. ideally you'd want to swap the harness but with knowledge u can work around those problems and Tony the Tiger is the right guy for that kind of thing. He's done custom wiring and fixes for various cars, setups so getting the ECU to work wouldn't be a problem. it sure beats having to spend 5~6Ks to get a donor car for a tranny swap and having to tear through half of the car.

anyway i have no idea what i'm talking about, don't read any of this

I dont disagree with what your saying bud, but you just contradicted yourself. Your saying not to get a donor...but you bought a donor yourself and your exact words were, "it was worth every penny."

Maybe what you mean is to buy a donor car if at all possible, but if you cannot find one then gather up the individual parts??

Im curious if when you did your swap, did you swap out the harnesses from your donor car?