Tranny swap suggestions

kuso

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2023
Location
North Carolina
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI 2003 Jetta TDI
I have an 03 Jetta with the 01m that I would like to get rid of. I essentially have a 5 speed transmission swap kit from the PO but I'm not sure if this is enough since I cruise at 85-90, so I'm worried about rpm's and fuel mileage. I know a 6 speed (02M?) swap kit exist but I'd have to import that from darkside into the US and it's a bit pricey. There's a 5th gear upgrade but I'm pretty sure it's only a couple hundred rpm drop so it doesn't seem worth it to me. I have heard of people adding 6th gear on to the 02J transmission, I thought it was crazy but apparently it exist. So I think those are all my options, what do the forums suggest?
 

Brett San Diego

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2013
Location
San Diego
TDI
02 Jetta wagon manual
Option 4...


Brett
 

Rrusse11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
Go for a taller 5th, and as per my signature, I went with a slight drop. Trust me, it IS worth it.
You won't gain much, if any, additional fuel economy, but it makes the transition from 4th>5th
much better. And the engine loves it, you want to cruise in the mid 2k rpm range in my opinion.
 

Rrusse11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
Here's a discussion on the various 5th gear options, advantages et al;

 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
You can run 85-90 MPH all day and night with a totally stock 5sp ALH. Much of the miles I've piled on mine are about those speeds. The ALH is perfectly happy. You can buy taller 5th gear kits if you really want... the downside there is the gap from 4th. I occasionally tow with mine, and didn't want to have to downshift on hills if I was not wanting or able to maintain 75+.
 

kuso

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2023
Location
North Carolina
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI 2003 Jetta TDI
Option 4...


Brett
This looks like a J.O.B and probably is probably above my pay grade lol
Go for a taller 5th, and as per my signature, I went with a slight drop. Trust me, it IS worth it.
You won't gain much, if any, additional fuel economy, but it makes the transition from 4th>5th
much better. And the engine loves it, you want to cruise in the mid 2k rpm range in my opinion.
You can run 85-90 MPH all day and night with a totally stock 5sp ALH. Much of the miles I've piled on mine are about those speeds. The ALH is perfectly happy. You can buy taller 5th gear kits if you really want... the downside there is the gap from 4th. I occasionally tow with mine, and didn't want to have to downshift on hills if I was not wanting or able to maintain 75+.
I think I'll stick in the 5spd as is. I'm coming from a 8th gen SI so I'm used to cruising in the mid 3k's. I'll then move to the Eurotuning 6speed conversion if I feel like I need it after I drive on it for a bit. From my understanding, I'd be able to keep the same flywheel, clutch and axles. Pretty big deal for me.
 

kuso

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2023
Location
North Carolina
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI 2003 Jetta TDI
@oilhammer You mentioned towing, what do you tow? I'm curious about the limitations what my options are when it comes to towing for my Jetta.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Other cars, utility trailer, my camper, etc.





But I have a proper OEM type European (Bosal) hitch, good for 3300 pounds, attaches to the holes in the unibody rails that Volkswagen put there when they built it specifically for that purpose. This isn't the cheesy drill holes in the spare tire pan crap like U-haul sells.
 

Rrusse11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
I'll second the Bosio hitch! My teardrop loaded up comes in at ~ 1500#s, out west I found I'd hit 80mph no problem.
Always felt rock solid. Bolting into the frame rails are key!
 

burpod

teh stallionz!!1
Joined
Nov 27, 2004
Location
cape cod, ma
TDI
82 rabbit vnt ahu, 98 jetta vnt ahu, 05 parts car, 88 scirocco.. :/
the eurotuning.cz is my favorite option :) since installing it.... i could NOT live without it... driving a stock geared tdi makes me want to rip my hair out on the highway. ughhhhhhhh. almost wish i had never wasted time/$$ messing around with 5th gear swaps and instead just saved for the eurotuning 6spd add-on.. you can usually sell your stock 5th so you can likely get $150 back on that...
 

Ovrhill

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Joined
Jul 9, 2019
Location
Haltom City, Texas
TDI
'04 Jetta Wagon BEW, '06 Golf BEW, '15 Golf TDI(sold), '05 Golf TDI (wrecked)
You can run 85-90 MPH all day and night with a totally stock 5sp ALH. Much of the miles I've piled on mine are about those speeds. The ALH is perfectly happy. You can buy taller 5th gear kits if you really want... the downside there is the gap from 4th. I occasionally tow with mine, and didn't want to have to downshift on hills if I was not wanting or able to maintain 75+.
How concerning is the potential long term 5th gear oiling issues that I occasionally hear about with the 02J? I've seen that there is a mod for better lubrication but I've never known if it was worth the trouble.
 

Zak99b5

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2021
Location
Albany NY
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
Just my opinion, but if you change out the tranny fluid with the car on ramps (so you can overfill it a little AND make sure the level stays put, you won't need to drill out anything for 5th gear oiling.

I half suspect the engineers kept that wall solid to ensure that 5th doesn't lose lubrication during hard left turns.

Next time I change my tranny fluid, I'm going to pull the side cover off to drain that area and remove any contaminates that might be in the oil. Regular drain won't get much of that fluid out. With the car on ramps that area should get new fluid, since the fill hole will be higher than the wall with the car on ramps.
 

burpod

teh stallionz!!1
Joined
Nov 27, 2004
Location
cape cod, ma
TDI
82 rabbit vnt ahu, 98 jetta vnt ahu, 05 parts car, 88 scirocco.. :/
Just my opinion, but if you change out the tranny fluid with the car on ramps (so you can overfill it a little AND make sure the level stays put, you won't need to drill out anything for 5th gear oiling.

I half suspect the engineers kept that wall solid to ensure that 5th doesn't lose lubrication during hard left turns.

Next time I change my tranny fluid, I'm going to pull the side cover off to drain that area and remove any contaminates that might be in the oil. Regular drain won't get much of that fluid out. With the car on ramps that area should get new fluid, since the fill hole will be higher than the wall with the car on ramps.
exactly. put on ramps (or jack up a little), drain. fill with 2L and you should be all good. if you have the trans apart, then i'd take the 5 min to drill a couple extra holes :)
 

Rrusse11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
Here's a 5th gear option that won't break the bank, I've been running one for 5yrs or so without problems.
You can do the change with the tranny in the car, though it would obviously be even easier with it out before
you do the auto>manual swap.


 

Ovrhill

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2019
Location
Haltom City, Texas
TDI
'04 Jetta Wagon BEW, '06 Golf BEW, '15 Golf TDI(sold), '05 Golf TDI (wrecked)
I have considered if a little overfill might be ok. I did a level fliud change a few months back. I might put it back up at a tilt and add some.
 

turbocharged798

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Joined
May 21, 2009
Location
Ellenville, NY
TDI
99.5 black ALH Jetta;09 Gasser Jetta
I firmly disagree with overfilling the transmission is a good thing, I find the fluid is overworked and starts to burn/degrade and then shift quality goes down. Just put it at the proper level and you won't have any problems. Oiling is only a problem if you let the fluid run low.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I just make sure I get 2 liters in there, which is easier to do with the mount loose and the trans rolled a wee bit. And of course check it once in a while.
 

burpod

teh stallionz!!1
Joined
Nov 27, 2004
Location
cape cod, ma
TDI
82 rabbit vnt ahu, 98 jetta vnt ahu, 05 parts car, 88 scirocco.. :/
I firmly disagree with overfilling the transmission is a good thing, I find the fluid is overworked and starts to burn/degrade and then shift quality goes down. Just put it at the proper level and you won't have any problems. Oiling is only a problem if you let the fluid run low.
it's not overfilling by putting in 2L with the car up on ramps, there was even a TSB about doing this from VW... more than that yes, probably does some harm. just did this the other day while doing a clutch :)
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
If you've ever driven a mid'80s 911 Turbo (that were only 4 speeds) you will realize how pathetic a TDI is, and with enough power and a flat-as-a-pancake power curve, only four ratios is perfectly fine. And you get up to speed faster because you only need change gears once to be into the illegal side of the speedo. :D

The wife's new Mini is a 6sp, and it's too many, too. But if you want to keep the engine in a very narrow RPM band, you can.
 

burpod

teh stallionz!!1
Joined
Nov 27, 2004
Location
cape cod, ma
TDI
82 rabbit vnt ahu, 98 jetta vnt ahu, 05 parts car, 88 scirocco.. :/
If you've ever driven a mid'80s 911 Turbo (that were only 4 speeds) you will realize how pathetic a TDI is, and with enough power and a flat-as-a-pancake power curve, only four ratios is perfectly fine. And you get up to speed faster because you only need change gears once to be into the illegal side of the speedo. :D

The wife's new Mini is a 6sp, and it's too many, too. But if you want to keep the engine in a very narrow RPM band, you can.
no, i have never driven a 911 turbo. sure would love to...:) but i don't think a 911 would come close to getting the kind of mpg as my mk1 gets with 6spd etc doing 90mph and ~2300rpm :) not to mention being right in a serious torque zone. at 100mph in 6th if i step on it... holy crap... :D rarely ever drive that fast, because i want to keep my driving privileges and my tires/suspension/body really would need some work at this point to be safe at such a speed.

but i would not call the power curve of any tdi's i've driven myself as "flat". my mk1 has gobs of power at 4500rpm it's rather quite scary...
 

burpod

teh stallionz!!1
Joined
Nov 27, 2004
Location
cape cod, ma
TDI
82 rabbit vnt ahu, 98 jetta vnt ahu, 05 parts car, 88 scirocco.. :/
yeah, but you do use "cheat codes" :D
most definitely! 😁 just a wee bit of number fudging :) wish i had the time/money to do transplant into an mk2 golf. my mk1 with a crunched in rear bumper, crappy tires, worn suspension.. just can't be trusted safely at high speeds anymore. cruising at 85-90mph is pretty solid, but beyond that gets a bit sketchy...
 

kuso

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2023
Location
North Carolina
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI 2003 Jetta TDI
Other cars, utility trailer, my camper, etc.





But I have a proper OEM type European (Bosal) hitch, good for 3300 pounds, attaches to the holes in the unibody rails that Volkswagen put there when they built it specifically for that purpose. This isn't the cheesy drill holes in the spare tire pan crap like U-haul sells.
I'll second the Bosio hitch! My teardrop loaded up comes in at ~ 1500#s, out west I found I'd hit 80mph no problem.
Always felt rock solid. Bolting into the frame rails are key!
This is really impressive. Throw some roof racks on top and I'd have a pretty good road tripping setup. I think I'll look into to this after I swap. Where is a good place to buy? A quick google search shows most of them being the "U-haul" type.
 

kuso

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2023
Location
North Carolina
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI 2003 Jetta TDI
the eurotuning.cz is my favorite option :) since installing it.... i could NOT live without it... driving a stock geared tdi makes me want to rip my hair out on the highway. ughhhhhhhh. almost wish i had never wasted time/$$ messing around with 5th gear swaps and instead just saved for the eurotuning 6spd add-on.. you can usually sell your stock 5th so you can likely get $150 back on that...
I'm leaning towards this. How would you rate the difficulty of this and how were the shipping times?
 

kuso

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2023
Location
North Carolina
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI 2003 Jetta TDI
Another question for anyone reading, could it be more practical and/or easier to import from EU? They offered the 02m in mk4's as a standard option there correct? I don't know anything about importing or anything just thinking up hypotheticals here. I bring this up because I'm now on the fence about my sedan. I think I'd be more happy long term with a wagon. If I could get an alh wagon with a 6spd already in then that'd be a dream. However, I can't even seem to find a tdi wagon within 500miles of me here in the US, but one can hope (y)
 

Brett San Diego

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2013
Location
San Diego
TDI
02 Jetta wagon manual
This looks like a J.O.B and probably is probably above my pay grade lol
You don't know if you don't ask. Maybe there's a good price for "early adopters." I have no idea, but it was a cool project to follow especially since I had just finished 2 O2J rebuilds myself. On the other hand, there is a good argument to spend the money on tuning the engine rather than a "fancy" transmission if you think you'll be towing.

Brett
 
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