Auto To Manual Conversion: Complete Part List

Szady

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Ive seen quite a few people asking for a list of whats needed to do a 5spd conversion on a 6th Gen Civic. This list pertains to 96-00 Civics only. Its basically the same for 92-95 Civics, but different mounts are needed. So, here is a detailed list of whats needed to do the conversion.

5spd tranny - LX/DX trannys are cheaper b/c of the longer gearing, but Ex/Si trannys are more expensive b/c of the shorter, quicker gearing. Can be any D-Series SOHC tranny, and HAS to be hydraulic. Cable WILL NOT work. So any 92-00 D15/D16 tranny will work. LX/DX tranny will run you anywhere from $40 upto $100 or so. Ex/Si trannys usually run from $100 to $200. When you find a tranny, MAKE SURE the mainshaft has absolutely no play in it. If it has any kind of play whatsoever, dont buy it. It will have a bad input shaft bearing, and they are a pain to fix. Good place to find trannys is online forums. Junkyards usually charge alot for trannys, b/c they dont care what its actually worth online/to the community.

5spd Starter Any 92-00 D Series starter will work, as long as its a 5spd starter. The shafts are different lenghts between the autos and 5spds. I would bench test it before installing it to make sure it works.

Tranny Mount/Bracket - You'll need a 5spd upper tranny bracket, and a 5spd front torque mount. The auto ones are completely different than the 5spd ones. Either eBay them, or check online forums. If you end up getting your tranny out of a junkyard, usually they are still attached to the tranny. You can reuse the same rear t-bracket, and the actual mount that bolts to the frame on the tranny side. They are the same for both auto and 5spd.

Shift Linkage - If the tranny dosenty come with any linkages, you'll need them. It connects the tranny to your shifter. They usually run about $25-$50, depending on where/who you buy it from. Agian, can be from any Civic, from 92-00, with a D-Series tranny/motor. They are usually not hard to find. Best place to find them is online forums.

Reverse Sensor/Speed Sensor - They should be on your tranny, but if not, they arent too expensive. They can run from $20 to $45, depending on where you get it from. Agian, can be from any Civic, from 92-00, with a D-Series tranny/motor. They are usually not hard to find. Best place to find them is online forums. The speed sensor is a 3 wire plug, and is located on the top, back area of the transmission (above where the axles go in the tranny). The reverse sensor is a 2 wire plug (looks just like a o2 sensor plug), and is ontop of the tranny, about center of the tranny.

Clutch Master Cylinder - Bolts to the firewall, to the side of the brake master cylinder. Can be had from either a parts store, online forum, or junkyard. Junkyard or forums will be your cheapest route. Just make sure its in working/good condition. Im not sure if the 92-95 Civic ones are the same as the 96-00 Civics, so Id just look for a 96-00 one.

Clutch Slave Cylinder - Bolts to the tranny, and are fairly cheep at $20 or so brand new from the parts store. And the best thing about buying it new, is that they usually have some kind of warranty. Agian, should be the same for all 92-00 Civics. Best bet is to get one for the year of your Civic, b/c of ease at the parts store.

Clutch Lines - You'll need both the metal hard lines, and a soft rubber line. Best place to get them is a junkyard. Just make sure you get ALL the lines, from the clutch master cylinder, to the clutch slave cylinder. I paid about $20 for mine from a junkyard. Make sure theyre not rusted tho. You dont want leaky clutch lines. Or you can make your own lines, out of metal brake lines. If you make your own, make sure you put a section of soft line (rubber hose, or something of the like) so when the motor moves, your lines dont flex and bend/break.

5 Spd Pedal Assembly - You'll need at very least a clutch pedal out of a 92-00 Civic (Ive heard you can use 94-01 Integra pedals as well, but I cant confirm it). You can trim/cut down your auto brake pedal, but I dont recommend it. Usually if your getting a clutch pedal, the brake pedal is included. I got mine from a junkyard, but online forums are a good place to get them too.

Flywheel/Clutch/Pressure Plate - Best bet is to get a brand new clutch kit, and find a 5spd flywheel. Ebay is a good place to find the clutch kit, and either junkyard or search online forums for the flywheel. You will also need 5spd flywheel bolts, as the auto ones are too short. Be sure to get 6 or so pressure plate bolts as well. Theyre like $1 or so a piece directly from Honda. Id suggest going that route for those.

Shift Boot/Shifter/Shift Knob - Any brand youd like will work for these. You can keep your same center console peice, b/c its the same for both auto and 5spd. Just find any shift boot for a 96-00 Civic you like, and shifter for 92-00 Civic you like, and any shift knob for any 92-00 Civic you like.

ECU - You'll need a new, 5spd ECU. If your car is 96-98, you'll need an OBD2a 5spd ECU. If your car is 99-00, you'll need a 5spd OBD2b ECU. If you have a D16Y8 engine w/Vtec, make sure the new ECU you get is for a 5spd Vtec engine. You can get a P28 and a ECU harness, and go that route, but in some states its 'illegal'.

Misc. - You'll need DOT3/4 brake fluid for your clutch lines (Id suggest getting the bigger size bottle, just so you know you have enough). For tranny fluid, you can either use regular 5w-30 (or whatever you prefer) motor oil, Honda has their own specific synthetic tranny fluid, or you can use Penziol SyncroMesh (its what I personally use, and it got rid of my 5th gear grind. Very good stuff). You will have to cut a hole in the floor, so you'll need either a sawzall or a dremel w/cutting discs (or something of the like). Once you have your hole cut out, you'll need to cover it up (to keep out any unwanted heat, and dirt and whatnot). Sheet metal works great, along with JB Weld (or something similar) to 'weld' it to the floor. Axles are the same between auto and 5spd. Nothing needs to be done, suspension wise. Just remove the current ones from the tranny, and reinstall them once the trannys been replaced with the 5spd unit.

Thats just a quick list off the top of my head. Agian, this list pertains to 96-00 Civics only as you need different rear T bracket and other mounts for 92-95 Civics. Hope this helps alot of you guys out. Ive done 2 5spd conversions, one of them including my own Civic. After the conversion, the car runs just as strong as it did when it was auto. You will have so much more control of your car after you do the conversion. Overall, total price for just parts, should be anywhere from $300 - $700 depending on how good of a shopper you are. If anyone has any questions, comments, ect, please feel free to ask, Im trying to help my fellow CC'ers here. :thumbs up




Here is a very rough overview on how to do the swap. Again, this isnt a how-to, mearly a off the top of my head run through of it.

Its really not all that hard to do it yourself. Grab a few friends, and go at it. If you have even SOME kind of mechanical skills, then your good. The hardest part, is the wiring.

Drain tranny fluid, and disconnect any plugs from tranny (reverse switch, all solenoids, etc)
Unbolt/disconnect starter
Remove axles by poping the ball joint out, and prying the axles out of the tranny.
Unbolt the support brackets that connect the tranny to the bottom of the block
Remove torque converter bolts
Unbolt tranny, and remove.
Remove auto flywheel, install 5spd flywheel with new bolts
Install clutch and pressure plate.
Install 5spd tranny.
Installt/connect starter
Install new front torque mount
Re-installs axles into tranny
Fill tranny w/fluid - DO NOT FORGET THIS STEP!

Remove old auto shifter assembly
Cut windage tray from old auto shift cable.
Drill holes for new shift linkage (holes are already marked, they just need to drilled out. Its very thin sheet metal, so its really easy/quick).
Install 5spd shift linkage
Remove center console/arm rest and cupholders.
Wire up reverse lights, and cross a few wires so the car thinks its in neutral the entire time so it can be started and key can be removed.
Install new shift boot, and shift knob (shifter should be attached to linkage already).
Replace interior.

Rewire IACV if need be
Replace auto ECu with 5spd unit.

Start car up and drive away.

IACV Repinning:
Due to people PMing me (which I dont mind) asking for help with the IACV situation, here are links on how to repin the ECU harness for the 3 to 2 wire IACV conversion.

96-98 OBD2a:
http://www.ff-squad.com/tech/wiring/wiring.96-98_a-plug.jpg

99-00 OBD2b:
http://www.ff-squad.com/tech/wiring/wiring.99-01_b-plug.jpg
 
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brentl21

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good post man. hope this helps people doing the swap.
 


XpL0d3r

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hey man im interested in doing an auto to manual swap can you help me? :lol:
 

pmac193

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Nice write up :thumbs up
 


Szady

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dont forget to talk about the iacv and manifold
Its not completely necessary to repin the IACV and get a new manifold. If you have a auto y7 and swap to a 5spd y7, it keeps the same manifold setup and IACV setup. Only difference would be if you went from auto y7 to 5spd y8 w/Vtec. Plus, this is only a parts list, not a How-To. ;)
 

brentl21

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lol... where everyone located im down to help lol i have already done two so and i think you did a few also so it should go pretty fast haha
 

greycoupe

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thats true i guess
i have to do the repin cause mine is an auto y8
im gonna go pick up my manifold tomorrow
and when i finally do my swap im gonna have acess
to a lift so i'm kinda happy bout that
 

unionman77

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lotta work

I done that swap Feb of08 and man do I wish I would have read your post then. It took us about a week of working on it after work sometimes til the wee hours of the night. It sounds like you covered it well . The only thing you left out though was bandaids and sheetrock mud to fix the holes from pissed off flying tools. I aquired a 95 gsr motor out of it but will never do it again. My advice is just trade the car for one thats already manual.
 

Szady

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I done that swap Feb of08 and man do I wish I would have read your post then. It took us about a week of working on it after work sometimes til the wee hours of the night. It sounds like you covered it well . The only thing you left out though was bandaids and sheetrock mud to fix the holes from pissed off flying tools. I aquired a 95 gsr motor out of it but will never do it again. My advice is just trade the car for one thats already manual.
Its actually cheaper/easier to convert it. Parts will range from $400-$600, and if you can find someone to do it for you, you'll spend less than $1000 total, if that. I did all my research before I started, so I knew what I needed, and what needed to be done. The only issue I ran into was a siezed tranny bolt. Once that came free, the rest was easy.
 


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