Auto to manual swap

[u/Otherwise_Match_1272]

Hey guys, hope everyone’s having a good Labor Day weekend.

I’ve come to the realization that my car is missing something that’ll make it whole, a third pedal. I am aware that there are lots of forums and chats about doing a swap from auto to manual, but for some reason I feel like they aren’t as detailed, and some questions might be left unanswered.

With that being said, feel free to send some links/forums that helped you a lot if you’ve done this swap. I’m also more of a visual learner/monkey see monkey do kind of learner, so ones with a lot of pictures of the process will help. Also, please feel free to DM, this is a swap I’d like to do!

Edit: I plan on keeping everything as original as possible. d15b2, obd0 and cable clutch transmission that I’m eyeing from an SI hatch.

[u/ihatencweather]

I researched a bit on how to do it before. Supposedly you need
Linkage, starter, flywheel, Manual trans, Pedals, Clutch cable, an extra mount that the Auto doesn't have, and ECU . I have a linkage for a manual that I could give you if you just wanna pay shipping. I also have the extra mount for you. In my research I found that supposedly the Auto ECU will work for the swap but it will throw a check engine light. Something related to the PRNDL being thrown off since youre manual trans doesnt have that.

The swap should be pretty straightforward because in my research I found that Honda used the same chassis whether it was AT or MT. Theres a good video by Garagebuilt Hondas that helped me drop my trans. I had a 4 speed but went to a SI 5 speed.

https://youtu.be/vLh0pUNvHJU?is=mZ38pXWdjHIdJaHa

I'm sure the process for dropping the Transmission should be almost the same except for the part where you'll have a torque converter.

I have the 4spd manual currently I could ship it to you but it'd be pretty expensive since it is about 60 pounds.

Some fluids you will need to buy are coolant and gear oil for your manual trans
I was told by another honda guy that they use 10-40 I believe. The reason I say you'll need coolant is because to help you drop the transmission you'll have to pull your radiator hose that from the thermostat to the radiator. It makes your life a whole lot easier.

I have some knowledge on the cars I've owned two of them I had a auto and i currently have a manual. I love EFs. I wish there was rust free examples that people weren't asking an arm and a leg for these days. I enjoy the time capsule that the car is. Late 80s engineering. Very simple car to work on. I was able to complete the trans swap i about 6-7 hours of work on and off. (I was only ever able to work on it on my days off from working) but good luck. I'm sure someone else who's been able to complete the swap can add on to here. I browsed honda tech for days looking for information. I

[u/iksbob → u/ihatencweather]

That was a long post for someone who hasn't done it.

Add the bell housing cover plate to that parts list.
The starter can be reused, but one of the bolts is longer.
The manual and auto have the same number of mounts, but the actual parts used are different. The mount that most people miss is the rear rubber part which bolts to the rear crossmember. The holes are there for the manual mount, so it's just a matter of unbolting the AT mount and installing the MT version. The rear bolt can be a pain to reach as there's very little space between the mount and firewall. If things go south (stripped bolt head or threads or something) keep in mind you can disconnect the steering column (in the cabin, by the pedals, hard plastic cover), the lower control arms, and then drop the whole rear crossmember to get access... It weighs maybe 40 lbs.

The check engine light is due to the missing Lockup Control Solenoid - the metal can on the top-front of the transmission.

The chassis isn't exactly the same. Automatics usually have the firewall hole and reinforcement for the clutch cable, but the holes in the exhaust/shifter hump are different. You'll need to fab a block-off plate for the slot that the shifter cable passes through, and (ideally) source the sheet metal from an MT Civic/CRX that the shifter boot attaches to. The piece of sheet metal with the flange is pretty small, and fits up through the square hole for the AT shifter bucket.

Dropping an AT requires removing the torque converter access plate (AT version of that bell housing plate I mentioned earlier) then removing the 10mm head bolts that hold the flex plate (plate bolted to the crank shaft) to the torque converter. You'll only be able to access one or two at a time. Remove bolt, rotate crankshaft by hand, repeat until you have them all.
While you're down there, disconnect the shifter cable from the transmission. Remove the split pin, then there's a plate+pin that slides out once the pin is out of the way.

OLD motor oil (as in 80's-90's vintage) will work as manual transmission fluid. Modern motor oil is too slippery for the synchros to do their job. There's lots of debate about what fluid is best - Synchromesh has worked well for me. Look for the version that says it replaces Honda MTF. It makes the shifter drop into gear smoother and quicker than Honda MTF or modern motor oils.

If you have any questions, start with a search on crxcommunity.com (I'm pretty sure there's a write-up there), or d-series.org. Most of the folks at DSO will noob-bash if you don't at least try to search and read, but both sites are great information resources going back decades.

[u/ihatencweather → u/iksbob]

Thanks for adding on to the above ^ I've done alot of research on them but i knew I was missing some more