Project Kill Da Auto Wabbit!, Or how I learned to love the Manual Swap

TDIGhost said:

If I wanted to use the reverse switch as the starter interupter(theft reasons), is there anything I should worry about ie starter taking off while getting into reverse.

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As mentioned, I don't think theft of a 15 year old +/- car with an alarm & immobilizer is a huge concern. That and the best anti theft device today is a clutch pedal, but what you want is fairly easy to do. I would suggest a relay triggered by the reverse light switch tied in to the clutch switch. However, having to put the car in reverse every time you start it may get old. I might suggest connecting the relay to something like the rear defog switch or maybe installing another defog switch in the dash and using it as the "anti theft". All you need is a defog switch (or any on/off switch that fits) wired through a relay (I suppose with a dedicated switch you could eliminate the relay). You could keep it on most of the time, that way the car would start normally, but turn it of when needed. The car wouldn't start when the switch is off, probably thwarting most would be thieves. There are all kinds of variations on the theme, it just takes a bit of thought.

Judson said:

I had Brandon (Metrick Methodz in Fort Collins) do a 5 to 6-speed swap. I got the full monty from darkside: DRW, quaife, fork strengthening, and even spindles to fit the larger calipers ... I also went with their PD150 clutch/flywheel combo.

Folks if you have the money I strongly recommend this combination. It is so smooth, so quiet, so easy and relaxed. 2100-2150 RPMs at 80, around 1800-1850 at 70. Of course I had already done power upgrades so pulling at those RPMs on the highway is no problem. The DRW is more modern and just shifts better. The quaife is almost invisible until you need traction/are accelerating out of a turn. Yeah, I know: it's probably an extra two grand over a standard kit. But since you're paying for the labor anyway..

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I'll second this. Having driven MK4 TDIs with 5 speeds, 6 speeds and automatics, I can say the 6 speed is by far my favorite. Yes it's a bit more cost, but well worth it - especially with a limited slip and a few engine mods!

nevermind...

bannerd said:

Hey all, my 2002 VW tdi golf is slipping really bad and sometimes the engine will rev but the car just doesn't move. I'm going to do the manual swap to a 5 spd, it doesn't look too bad. My only question is, where can I get a cheap vag com to set it from auto to manual?

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ross-tech.com is where I got mine.

they also have significant resale value, so you can sell it after you are done with it and have no problems getting what you ask for out of it.

thank you, this is my first car with an immobilizer, and yes it still works. and that is a good idea because even my dash still has a slot for a button. and i could add TCS button for my added interrupter. thanks for the ideas

bobbiemartin said:

As mentioned, I don't think theft of a 15 year old +/- car with an alarm & immobilizer is a huge concern. That and the best anti theft device today is a clutch pedal, but what you want is fairly easy to do. I would suggest a relay triggered by the reverse light switch tied in to the clutch switch. However, having to put the car in reverse every time you start it may get old. I might suggest connecting the relay to something like the rear defog switch or maybe installing another defog switch in the dash and using it as the "anti theft". All you need is a defog switch (or any on/off switch that fits) wired through a relay (I suppose with a dedicated switch you could eliminate the relay). You could keep it on most of the time, that way the car would start normally, but turn it of when needed. The car wouldn't start when the switch is off, probably thwarting most would be thieves. There are all kinds of variations on the theme, it just takes a bit of thought.

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Well, its done. got the transmission installed and drove it home from the shop. WOW

Very nice!

How does it feel?

feels amazing, i even had my shifter miss aligned a llittle and couldn't get into 1st and 2nd. still get going in 3rd. now i just have to work out the fuel gauge, because when i accelerate my gauge drops and my low fuel beeps.

Edit: i didn't even look at the speedo plug on the manual.

Yeah, might want to plug in the speedo... that'll fix the fuel gauge issue.

so i read, also since i can't not leave things alone, on my break at work i took of the old plug and plugged in the on from the car. so on the way home i will have a speedo, and start getting a mpg reading 100miles ~1/8 a tank. no sure what that might guestimate to.

now all i have left is
all the wiring

best way to tell MPG is:
1) ventectomy so you can get a good consistent fill
2) fill her up to the brim
3) drive her around
4) fill her up, again, and take the number of miles you drove, and divide it by how many gallons you used.

have fun with the rest of the wiring, it's not too hard... then again I've done about 1,000,000 by now.

if i had more time to do the wiring i would have. but i had to complete the swap so i could do a 2 hour drive back home to then do an hour drive back to work. thinking about tackling it tonight.

i don't doubt it would be too hard. it also helped to remove the rag from the intake before trying to start.

ok i have a friend who is going to try to tackle a full motor/tranny swap from a donor to his. my question is what would any downside be? mechanically.... wiring?

TDIGhost said:

Well, its done. got the transmission installed and drove it home from the shop. WOW

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Did you do it at a shop, or have it done by a shop??

cwby416 said:

Did you do it at a shop, or have it done by a shop??

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did it at a shop with family. still took 3 extra trips to the wrecking yard for missing parts and an extra trip to the parts store for exchanging the wrong parts for the right ones.

total time was about 12 hours.

TDIGhost said:

did it at a shop with family. still took 3 extra trips to the wrecking yard for missing parts and an extra trip to the parts store for exchanging the wrong parts for the right ones.
total time was about 12 hours.

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12 hours on your first one is pretty good... I typically take about 10 hours, but have done one in as little as 4 (no idea how I did it)

alphaseinor said:

12 hours on your first one is pretty good... I typically take about 10 hours, but have done one in as little as 4 (no idea how I did it)

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just after i purchased a mk3 and did the clutch, it got totalled. so not exactly the first VW "clutch" job

edit: also not counting the 2 extra trips for more parts

So every time I look on this thread there are more posts. I don't want to miss anything so am subscribing.

I have an 02 Jetta that I'm pulling the trans on and installing it into an 01 with an automatic. I have most of the new parts needed but need to finish removing the engine and trans form the 02. It's going to take a while as this is a spare time project. I can't even begin to think about the time this project would take without the knowledge of this forum.

As I read through the whole thread I cut and pasted what I thought would be useful onto a file on my hard drive. That was a good move as it has already saved several hours of browsing through 170+ pages to try to find something I think I read somewhere. A huge thanks to all who have made this job easier.

I have a question for you experts. I am thinking of doing a swap between my two cars. I have a 2000 Jetta 5 spd and a 2002 Golf Auto (both ALH) and I want to swap the trans between the two and still have two working cars at the end. The ideal situation is that I would then be able to sell the Jetta to make back some of the money I bought it for.



I have read through a good portion of the posts here (thanks for them by the way!) and I understand that most of the time (if not all) splicing of the harness is required. My question is this, is it possible to just swap the entire harness between the two cars to avoid splicing, given that I want both to work in the end? Or is that a bigger pain in the ass then I could imagine? If this question has been answered and I couldn't find it, my bad.



The reason I want to swap them is because the Jetta has 100,000 more km (60,000 miles) and is the base model (no power anything) whereas my Golf is higher end (I like my heated seats for those cold Canadian winters).

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Dhawk12 said:

My question is this, is it possible to just swap the entire harness between the two cars to avoid splicing, given that I want both to work in the end? Or is that a bigger pain in the ass then I could imagine?

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]My suggestion would be to find another 5 (or even better 6) speed gearbox and sell the 5 speed as is. Several reasons: First, I think a 5 speed TDI would bring more money than an auto. Second, you would have to swap lots of parts you don't normally swap, such as the complete external coolant hoses/tubes (for the trans cooler), the pedals and quite a bit more wiring as the auto uses a standalone TCM. You would probably need to swap the entire wiring harnesses as the auto has quite a bit of wiring the 5 speed doesn't have. [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It would be a lot of work for very little gain, IMO. You should be able to find a TDI 5 speed conversion for a reasonable price. There is a place in NY selling 6 speed kits for $1300. [/FONT]

Dhawk12 said:

I have a question for you experts. I am thinking of doing a swap between my two cars.

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Its possible to modify the harness easily to make a auto trans car into a manual trans. That is why folks do it all the time.

Its virtually impossible to make a manual harness into a auto harness. Much bigger job.

Changing the harness in its entirety is a massive undertaking as it would be snaked throughout the entire car. There is very little segmenting on these harnesses. It would also be necessary to remove the entire dash, and every wire from headlight to tail light. You would be better off buying a matching car, but wait! You all ready have a matching car.

Just keep each car the way they are.

Dhawk12 said:

Or is that a bigger pain in the ass then I could imagine? If this question has been answered and I couldn't find it, my bad.

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yes it is. NO ONE, that I know of has put an auto in a manual car.

If the manual car is just too run down and the engine and trans is good, then find a nice auto car that has auto trans or engine failed and swap the engine, trans to it.

I am working on my second swap vehicle. First one went great several years ago. Had a heck of a time getting the tranny mounted on this one the other day. I did not have all the right bolts despite buying a packaged version so I am waiting for a few bolts to arrive. Tranny is currently bolted to engine with four bolts on side and bottom including starter bolts. Top still has 1/8 inch gap to fully seat. Two days later I noticed a few drops of oil leaking, presumably from rear main seal area.

What are the chances I permanently damaged the read main seal while installing?

Should I start over with a new seal or fully bolt the tranny on and see if the leak stops?

One way or another Id like to get this done this weekend and would appreciate any advice.

I think it would be difficult to damage the engine rear main seal while installing the trans. Definatly pull it back out and see whats causing it before you finish it up.

Oh, and take a look at this rear main seal after oil pan removal in the following video. https://youtu.be/Hqi3uPiVHeg?t=174

CoolAirVw said:

I think it would be difficult to damage the engine rear main seal while installing the trans. Definatly pull it back out and see whats causing it before you finish it up.

Oh, and take a look at this rear main seal after oil pan removal in the following video. https://youtu.be/Hqi3uPiVHeg?t=174

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thanks for the reply. It seems odd to me too. I did lower the left side of the engine to help with tranny install. It could be leaking at the seal and oil pan interface. I guess I will disassemble and take a look.

bought a converted 2001 auto to 5 speed

been following your conversion post a week or so,
I bought a 2001 one jetta that has been converted from auto to 5 speed
cruise does not work, no clutch switch, I saw that you run a wire from the computer to I think the clutch switch, wasn't clear on how this was done , need more info, also the remote door locks do not work [push button lights flash, relays click , but locks do nothing , does this relate to the conversion? runs great , in the process of getting vcds
hope I'm not jumping a thread here

I don't think the door lock is associated with it, especially if your lights flash... maybe a door lock module thing... Get an autoscan when you get your VCDS. Also post the coding on the ECU.

The clutch switch will be the one on the bottom (there are actually two clutch switches), it takes +12v in, and the other one goes to pin 66 on the ECU.

thanks

alphaseinor said:

I don't think the door lock is associated with it, especially if your lights flash... maybe a door lock module thing... Get an autoscan when you get your VCDS. Also post the coding on the ECU.

The clutch switch will be the one on the bottom (there are actually two clutch switches), it takes +12v in, and the other one goes to pin 66 on the ECU.

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I love reading this stuff , went back and found the wireing connection a dozen different places was going to come back and edit this , I took the module out yesterday and checked it , no joy, I'm like a lot of these guys wireing slows me down with out actually looking at it , I have a complete 01 golf diesel 5 spd donor car so parts aren't a problem, thanks

babydoll said:

I love reading this stuff , went back and found the wireing connection a dozen different places was going to come back and edit this , I took the module out yesterday and checked it , no joy, I'm like a lot of these guys wireing slows me down with out actually looking at it , I have a complete 01 golf diesel 5 spd donor car so parts aren't a problem, thanks

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If you haven’t already, take a look at the 5/6 speed auto to manual swap in my sig below. It has pictures and diagrams that might help. One’s first swap is always a major challenge. After that, it’s really pretty easy.

I bought this car almost as a basket case , 2 broke motor mount bolts , torn up timeing belt leaky exhaust push button starter button, toggle switch for backup,
idle so rough I had to reduce fuel quanity, [ probably what broke the bolts]
fixed the starter and back up lights, the 175 relay was laying by the seat prongs bent out and the middle one twisted off, looked like they made a 55 relay out of it, the tcu computer is gone under the cowl , connector is there
they may have did some of the cruise wireing , I will be checking it out , luv my cruise not to mention my TDI S

I looked under cowl vent t c computer is gone , the two in the middle are there don't look to be modified, everything looks factory behind the relays under dash , no clutch switch[ I have one on my totaled 01 golf plus about everything else] guess I will bite the bullet . I was hoping they may have done some wiring there but that may be a good thing.
are there 2 clutch switches ? I only saw a hole for one.

door module

alphaseinor said:

I don't think the door lock is associated with it, especially if your lights flash... maybe a door lock module thing... Get an autoscan when you get your VCDS. Also post the coding on the ECU.

The clutch switch will be the one on the bottom (there are actually two clutch switches), it takes +12v in, and the other one goes to pin 66 on the ECU.

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didn't find but one clutch switch on my 01 golf tdi [donor car] took it and the wiring harness of it , came up with idea too hook it and the door module in at the kick panel eliminate the wiring and present door module and see if locking system works ,also close the latch on my donor module ,haven't tried that yet