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

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
pfiermka said:
Is there anyone who buys the auto tranny for a core?
I sold mine to a tranny shop... think it was worth $400 with the hole in the case...
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
The PRD123 part is just blank now... when you take the TCU out it stops displaying anything.
 

midntdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
Location
New London
TDI
2015 Golf SE 6SP
I wonder if there would be a way to display something useful in that spot... any got any ideas?
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
Since it's a simple LCD, it's just going to have PRNDL
 

pfiermka

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2007
Location
Monroe, Ohio
TDI
2002 Black TDI
The swap is sucessful completed. I test drove it in the snow, we got 12 inches of snow last night, mad it hard to see how she really runs but it goe thru all the gears fine.

Thanks to Alphasenior's and Gdb's instructions. The only thing I would change on Dgb instructions is that in step 8 you cut away the wire from the 175 socket and attach it to the wire you cut away from pin 3. You need to leave enough wire in the socket side of the wire you cut away from pin 4 to connect it as instructed in step 14. I had to pull the connector out of the socket and solder a wire on it, no big deal, otherwise the instructions are flawless.

My deep gratitude goes to Alphasenior and Gdb for these instructions!!

Thanks guys,
 

GdB

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Location
Cypress, California, USA
TDI
Golf IV swap 2002
Strange, I thought I worded it to insure that would not be a problem.

If you are sure about the correction, please correct it and repost it.

Thanks,
GdB
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
You're welcome! enjoy the snow... we never seem to get much here in TX
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
on the justveedubs page:
1) they don't know how to spell "coming"
2) it's $2500
3) It's available "up to" 1999, which means no A4's, and therefore not applicable to TDIs since the A4 was the first platform with an automatic.
 

dieselgeer

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2007
Location
North Hill, Maryland
TDI
2001 Jetta GL TDI
another successful swap !!!!

Many thanks to alphaseinor and GdB and others for their input on this awesome thread.
I just returned from a vacation to Florida putting 4000 trouble free miles on my newly installed 5 spd. Average fuel consumption with full trunk and 4 people was a welcome 50 mpg. Up from 40 mpg with auto.
On my first test drive my speedometer wasn't working. The speed sensor has a top that comes off. I took it apart and it was empty inside!! I took apart the one from the automatic and found the missing part. The sensor must be a hall effect or something similar. I have the top half from auto and bottom half from manual. Now my speed sensor is staight up but clears both shift cables. I'm guessing my 75000 mile tranny I bought has more miles than expected.
I used a similar engine suspension 4 x 4 like the post #372 from DieselErik only I added a boat style crank over the transmission and lowered it that way. It worked great.
No check engine light and cruise control works perfectly. Thanks again, I never would have tried this on my own.
 
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alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
Excelent! Glad you are enjoying the added mileage, also it's good to know about the sensor...
 

csstevej

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 12, 2004
Location
north nj
TDI
2001 golf tdi 4 door auto now a manual, mine, 2000 golf 2 door M/T son's,daughters 98 NB non-TDI 2.0, 2003 TDI NB for next daughter, head repaired and on road,gluten for punishment got another tdi 2001NB,another yellow tdi NB
Just to post a mileage update,18,000 miles since the swap and running strong.:D
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
how's your mileage?
 

csstevej

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 12, 2004
Location
north nj
TDI
2001 golf tdi 4 door auto now a manual, mine, 2000 golf 2 door M/T son's,daughters 98 NB non-TDI 2.0, 2003 TDI NB for next daughter, head repaired and on road,gluten for punishment got another tdi 2001NB,another yellow tdi NB
I range from 48-52 depending on traffic,this beats the 36-39 i got with the auto,i do 110 a day:D .Again this is the best thread and came at the right time THANK YOU Alpha.
Steve
 

GdB

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Location
Cypress, California, USA
TDI
Golf IV swap 2002
A few others deserve lots of credit also.

dieselgeer said:
Many thanks to alphaseinor and GdB and others for their input on this awesome thread.
I just returned from a vacation to Florida putting 4000 trouble free miles on my newly installed 5 spd. Average fuel consumption with full trunk and 4 people was a welcome 50 mpg. Up from 40 mpg with auto.
On my first test drive my speedometer wasn't working. The speed sensor has a top that comes off. I took it apart and it was empty inside!! I took apart the one from the automatic and found the missing part. The sensor must be a hall effect or something similar. I have the top half from auto and bottom half from manual. Now my speed sensor is staight up but clears both shift cables. I'm guessing my 75000 mile tranny I bought has more miles than expected.
I used a similar engine suspension 4 x 4 like the post #372 from DieselErik only I added a boat style crank over the transmission and lowered it that way. It worked great.
No check engine light and cruise control works perfectly. Thanks again, I never would have tried this on my own.
 

MR. Frey

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 26, 2006
Location
Maine
TDI
2001 tdi Golf auto
Got Clutch?

I got the clutch and the 5th gear set in the mail. All i need now is the stubs or the axles and the starter did any one figure out if the auto one would work? should i try to fix the master cylinder i broke the resivoir tip off of or spend the $85 and be safe? at least I have the car pulled out of the snow bank and ready to go into the garage. so help me if we get any more snow I'm gonna kick a snowman square in the nuts!!!:cool: I like the home enginered engine hoist i will definatly be doing that.
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
The automatic axles will work if you get the flanges, the starter won't work from the automatic.

Here in TX, there's never enough snow for a snowman.
 

Losha

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2005
Location
Sioux Falls, SD
TDI
06 Jetta TDI DSG, 2001 Golf TDI, Audi S6, A8, Toureg
I would just get used manual axles from junk or forum and forget about headaches trying to find flanges from 1.8T then swap them. Also I think manual axles are stronger then auto ones, I had to replace broken passenger side axle on friends stock 04 GTI about month ago.
 

GdB

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Location
Cypress, California, USA
TDI
Golf IV swap 2002
FYI, My 0.658 5th gear does not like to shift fast (grinds). You have to make sure the selector is in 5th, which is tricky if the tranny is out and you don't know what 5th position is. I'm going to have to fix this ASAP.

Think about $85 = how many hours of potential lost time for you? Maybe you have time to fix it, just make sure your brakes don't go out if it fails (crash!).

I like the homebrew engine host also, but keep in mind you want to be able to raise and lower the engine to facilitate tranny removeal and install. I'm not sure if the homebrew one does that. So $120 saved means X hours making the homebrew version + X hours lost if it does not work as good. And you better make sure it does not break, that may get very expensive.
 

alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
I paid $60 for my engine support from northern.

Swapping axles is actually quite easy, especially when the tranny is out of the car.
 

Losha

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2005
Location
Sioux Falls, SD
TDI
06 Jetta TDI DSG, 2001 Golf TDI, Audi S6, A8, Toureg
alphaseinor said:
I paid $60 for my engine support from northern.

Swapping axles is actually quite easy, especially when the tranny is out of the car.
Yeap, six bolts at flange, then drive shaft nut at hub and one bolt for sway bar link. Then jack up control arm high as you can and pull passenger axle out, and for driver side same thing except don't need to jack up spindle just slide axle into engine bay and remove shaft from spindle and your axle out. I know it sounds very easy it takes some practice to get it out quickly. I'm sure now I can probably swap both axle in hour that includes jacking car up and torque all bolts down bolts.

Its less time comsuming and probably cheaper just to get manual axles and put in then getting flanges & swaping them to use auto axles.
 

Losha

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2005
Location
Sioux Falls, SD
TDI
06 Jetta TDI DSG, 2001 Golf TDI, Audi S6, A8, Toureg
GdB said:
Manual axles are cheap (~$220 for both) and faster. Thats what I did.
You got new ones, but you can get used ones for $45-80 each with under 100k miles on them. Thats what I did, and for second swap for fellow club member I got transmission w/63k miles on it $750, starter and both axles for $1,000 shipped to my door.
 

GdB

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Location
Cypress, California, USA
TDI
Golf IV swap 2002
Shipped from who? I also have a Jetta Wagon auto that I may have to do a swap. It work very good now, but in a few years?

Losha said:
You got new ones, but you can get used ones for $45-80 each with under 100k miles on them. Thats what I did, and for second swap for fellow club member I got transmission w/63k miles on it $750, starter and both axles for $1,000 shipped to my door.
 

Losha

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2005
Location
Sioux Falls, SD
TDI
06 Jetta TDI DSG, 2001 Golf TDI, Audi S6, A8, Toureg
GdB said:
Shipped from who? I also have a Jetta Wagon auto that I may have to do a swap. It work very good now, but in a few years?
I got it from junkyard in Rapid City, SD so it was just shipped across state. Total cost of parts for swap w/new clutch kit run around $1,500 in my area, depends on how lucky you get finding all parts for cheap. When I did manual swap on my own golf I spent around $1,350 total for parts, but for second swap around $1,600 that included getting coolant & gear oil and some other little parts.
 

pfiermka

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2007
Location
Monroe, Ohio
TDI
2002 Black TDI
I haven't replied back because we had some trouble with the crank seal leaking. My buddy put it in, we were both working on the car, and for some reason it was leaking. We took the tranny back out last night and the seal looked fine. We could not find anything wrong with it, no nicks nothing. We put a new seal in it today, got the tranny back in and it is finished, no leaks this time. We took the tranny out in an hour and put everything back together in about an hour and a half, including torquing everything down, not too bad.
The car drives great, what a difference from the auto.

While I had the car home this week I did the manifold cleaning, and wow did that make a huge difference too.

Thanks again to all who gave me advise, posted instructions, and took the time to educate all of us with the swap, without your help it would not have been much fun.

I recommend anyone with a failing auto to do it, it is not as hard as it sounds.
 
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