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RomPirate’s 5spd Swap Resource Thread

206K views 134 replies 55 participants last post by  wasabi4u 
#1 · (Edited)
I like rep.

As always.... I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU SCREW UP/KILL SOMEONE/KILL YOURSELF/DESTROY PROPERTY/DESTROY YOUR PROPERTY/BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN OR ANYTHING WHATSOEVER REMOTELY RELATED TO THIS THREAD OR ANY THREAD/RESPONSE TO A THREAD BY ME. INCLDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE AUTO TO MANUAL SWAP!!! DO EVERYTHING AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

QUESTIONS GLADLY ANSWERED!


IN NEED OF A CAMERA WITH FLASH!! enV phone SUCKS in the dark! Someone lend me a camera please to take some pictures! :spinface:

Current Progress:SWAP COMPLETE!! :D

This resource thread will include information for those looking to swap out their SS tranny’s with a 5spd. Pictures for All parts will be included, for those who like me, were n00bs with the working of manual transmissions.
Special thanks go to:
alpinefr3ak, geoffBB6 and conjur who answered questions about the parts needed and the process
www.prostreetonline Got some pictures from them, good thing they have logos

Should I do this?
Before asking, Check out alpine’s thread here on basics of deciding to swap:
http://www.preludepower.com/forums/showthread.php?t=280367
There is plenty of good info on there so I SUGGEST READING!!
You can ask me my opinion and i'll give you my best non biased answer :D

What transmission can I use?
Check out Kronn's list:
http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2548441
With the exception of those that have "ATTS" listed, these are the transmissions that will BOLT UP WITH NO MODIFICATION. What did I use? I used a M2A4. Any other H or F series transmission (With the exception of the S2000's transmission) will bolt on with no issues. HOWEVER gearing may be affected, so beware!!!

PARTS LIST
This is for the BARE MINIMUM of parts you need to swap. Keeping costs down is a plus in my mind. Those with a * MIGHT come on the tranny. Check out pictures to be sure.
-Transmission (M2A4 from a JDM 4th gen)
-*Trans mount+ Bracket-side (Used my auto mount, bought 5spd bracket.)
-Flywheel and bolts (Exedy OEM + Used Honda flywheel bolts)
-Clutch Kit and bolts (Exedy OEM + Used Honda Pressure plate bolts)
-Clutch Master Cylinder (Daikin OEM replacement)
-*Clutch Slave Cylinder (Daikin oem replacement)
-*Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) ( I used a 5th gen VSS with the auto sensor part)
-*Reverse Switch (on tranny)
-Hydraulic Clutch Line (custom made locally)
Note: PP member 98BB6er reported using:
You'll need:

2 Male -3 AN to Male 10mm x 1.0.

2 Steel -3 AN hose ends.

And I bought a 10 ft section of -3 AN braided hose. 10 ft is plenty, you will have to cut some off.

I routed mine coming out of the master cylinder, going across the fire wall, then down the passenger side of the engine. You can bypass the damper and go straight to the slave cylinder.

-*5spd Starter (Used from a 5th gen SH)
-Clutch Pedal Assembly (5th gen used)
-Brake Pedal Assembly (5th gen used)
-Shifter Assembly (5th gen used)
-Shift linkage (5th gen used)
-5spd Intermediate shaft (half-shaft) (Got mine from a H22 Euro SIR)
-Shifter Knob – Auto One will fit (I suggest you get the boot too) (5th gen used)
-Throw out bearing – MIGHT come with clutch kit (Came with clutch kit :) )
-Pilot bearing – Honda says you don’t need one. Helms doesn’t mention it. (Didnt use, works great)
-Cotter Pins (assorted sizes) (Autozone bought)
-Your Auto ECU (you can convert it to a manual ecu, see link below) OR a manual ECU (Used my auto)
-BOLTS:
You'll need the following bolts
1)n0rmaL bolt kit. See link below for pictorial representation. Can be your preference, but I suggest at least 1/4" in diameter.
a)~2.5" long 1/4" diameter bolt
b)3 washers
c)3 bolts
2)Flywheel + Pressure plate bolts. Dont go cheap and buy some from the hardware store. BUY ONES MADE FOR THE FLYWHEEL. There is alot of force going through them, dont skimp on quality. I'd suggest finding some aftermarket (which I never found) or get them off a prelude that is being parted out (best price). The dealership will run you about $60, which isnt bad but its nice to save money :D
3) Nuts that go to the master cylinder and hold the pedal up. These *might* be included with your pedal OR master cylinder. Mine didnt, just take your master cylinder down to the hardware store and pickup some that will fit on there.
4)Bolts that hold the slave cylinder to the transmission
ALL other bolts were reused from the auto transmission. We didnt use them all (some were left over) But no other main bolts were used
PICTURE TIME: Remember, *= might come on the transmission. The quality of my phone sucks, but all I got is an enV phone. Care to lend me a camera? :D
Transmission

Transmission 5spd mountYOU CAN USE THE AUTO MOUNT!!!

*Transmission bracket:

-----or alone-----

Flywheel :

Clutch Kit: (should include alignment tool too)
consisting of
pressure plate: (NOTE: picture for reference ONLY)

Clutch: (NOTE: picture for reference ONLY)

Hey, I bought them all together pretty cheap:

Throw out bearing – MIGHT come with clutch kit, mine did! (note the picture is of a USED one, buy a NEW one! My kit came with one!)

Pilot bearing – Honda says you don’t need one. Helms doesn’t mention it.
Clutch Master Cylinder

*Clutch Slave Cylinder
This Is where it is on the transmission:

This is what it looks like:

*Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS)
This is what it looks like:

This is where its located:

*Reverse Switch
This is where it is at on the tranny:

Hydraulic Clutch Line- Mine is 6' which is plenty and gives you some slack to maneuver it around. 5' MIGHT work but i say at least 5.5 feet. MAKE SURE TO GET THE 90* BEND AT MASTER CYLINDER SIDE
**Note 90* bend at one end**



*5spd Starter

Clutch Pedal Assembly


Brake Pedal Assembly



Shifter Assembly

Shift linkage (Cables that connect the transmission to the shifter assembly)

5spd Intermediate shaft (half-shaft)
Where it goes, and what it looks like


Shifter Knob + boot:

Flywheel+pressure plate bolts (flywheel bolts on left, pressure plate on right)





INTERCHANGEABLE PARTS
The following parts are interchangeable between the specified models. How do I know you ask? Let me say, THIS LINK will be your friend.

-Clutch pedal

- Half shaft: Between 4th and 5th Gens
4th gen
5th gen

NOTE: You can use your already existing automatic axles. NO NEED TO BUY NEW ONES!!!
5 Speed
Auto


-Master + Slave Cylinders between 4th and 5th Gens:
4th Gen
5th Gen

-Shifter assembly between 4th and 5th gens
MODIFICATION REQUIRED
Link

-Shifter assembly from a 6th gen accord
Thanks gnxpro24 !
Link



The Following parts do NOT have the same part numbers from Honda. However, you can take another approach. I simply went to the autozone website (a website for an auto parts chain) and compared the part numbers from 4th gen's and 5th gens. Therefore, I cannot personally gaurantee that they will fit. (I will use a SH starter on my M2A4 Transmission and report back) BUT! If you buy the autozone versions, take it up with them it doesnt fit :D

www.autozone.com

-Starter

Interchangeable Between SH and 5 speed Base

-Starter
SH
5spd Base

-Transmission Mount
5spd Base
SH


Note about 4th gen and 5th gen pedal differences:
The 4th gen and 5th gen pedals are sort of interchangeable, with some modification. First, the 4th gen has the brake and gas pedals spot welded together.


What I did was remove the spot welds by drilling them out:


The holes line up perfectly
(The rusty one is the 5th gen's)





Unfortunately, the top bracing hole does not line up :(


You could probably drill it, and put some sort of plate to reinforce it. Otherwise, the pedal works perfectly.

EXCELLENT THREADS:
Alpines thread:
An excellent thread with lots of information! A good read!

http://www.preludepower.com/forums/showthread.php?t=280367 Changing your clutch!
I like threads that have pictures, which is why I am including this. Helps with a visual representation of the way things are arranged:
http://www.preludepower.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245336

Poet's Questions Answered:
Gives info on wiring the reverse lights and getting the car started. Valuable tool.
http://www.preludepower.com/forums/showthread.php?t=278477&highlight=

Auto to manual ECU conversion
How to convert your ECU to a manual! Save some green! $$$$
http://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1275452

n0rmaL's way to brace the clutch pedal :
Speaks for itself, brace it right the first time!!!! THANKS doug684 !!!
http://www.preludepower.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290351&highlight=

4th Gen Shifter install:
http://www.preludepower.com/forums/showthread.php?t=253566&highlight=

Sort of writeup:

http://www.mazmo.com/zameoj/swap.htm


Mike's thoughts of the swap:
No, not Honda4Life, but another Mike from H-T and PO who was nice enough to post here :D
http://www.preludeonline.com/f60/update-auto-manual-swap-237132/#post2901694


Procedure *NOT DONE YET!!*
If you can click on it, it'll link to the helms instructions
TOOLS:
You'll need:
-Ratchet
-Several extenders
-The Following sockets:
17mm- 12pt (12pt for flywheel bolts)
10mm- 12pt (12pt for pressure plate bolts)
12mm- 12pt or 6pt (6pt recommended to avoid stripping)
14mm- 12pt or 6pt (6pt recommended to avoid stripping)
19mm- 12pt or 6pt (6pt recommended to avoid stripping)
-17mm,12mm,14mm,10mm- Wrench (6pt)
-Flathead/Phillips screw driver
-Torque Wrench
-Jack, jackstands (Or lift if you have one... DAM YOU!)
-Transmission jack/ engine hoist (EXTREMELY RECOMMENDED!!)

Removing Automatic Transmission
Photo Album: Photos
Tools used:
ALL TOOLS MENTIONED!!

Follow the helms manual. We found that removing the suspension components as helms mentions is a bit over kill. What we did to get the axle off was to remove the two bolts at the end of the radius rod, the bolt holding the damper fork, and the stabilizer link. After that, there was enough play to swing the whole thing out, enough to be able to pry the axle off with a prybar. This is easily done on the transmission side (prybar will swing off of transmission) but on the drivers side you will need a pipe. wedge it between the half shaft mount and the solid core of the axle. Use it as a pry bar and bam! Remember to buy new nuts (as requested by helms) or at least loctite them in place if your a cheap bastard! We had some issues with removing the bolts that connect the tranny to the rear engine mount... If you dont have air tools, prepare for a struggle! (No air tools here, it IS possible. I suggest a breaker bar and a shallow 17mm socket) Helms is sort of confusing on which ones to remove. No biggie, we removed all, even 1 wrong one. In the end it was just lining up the hole to screw it back in.

One more thing. I DID NOT have to remotely mess with the exhaust system. It was left on and not even touched. I've only heard horror stories of trying to get these craps off. I had NO ISSUES leaving it on.

In case your lost with the terms:


Good times

(Im on left, Vuman is on right)

Install Flywheel + Clutch + Pressure Plate
Photo Album: Photos
---> Recommend Reading 98vtec's thread with pictures! Linky
Tools used:
-Torque wrench
-Flywheel holder
-17mm 12pt socket
-10mm 12pt socket
-Ratchet

Quick Info:
Torque Specs for Flywheel bolts: 76 lb-ft
Torque specs for pressure plate: 19 lb-ft

Straight forward. Follow helms manual, be sure to torque down to spec!
Wear CLEAN gloves to prevent oil from contaminating flywheel and clutch. Grease the splines gently but efficiently. How much I cannot say exactly but give it "enough"





Install the Shifter assembly+ cables
helms available to remove center console
Tools used:
-Phillips screw driver
-12mm 6pt socket
-10mm 12pt/6pt socket
-Ratchet
-Ratchet Extender
-Pliers
-Flathead screwdriver
Photo Album: Photos
Use helms to remove the center console and unbolt the existing shifter. The tricky part is getting to the body where the cable passes through to the cabin. You will need to unbolt the heat shield a bit. On the passengers side right by the CAT, there is 1 bolt, unbolt it and it will give you enough room to wedge your arm in to slip the cables through. Where did I route the cables? After slipping them through the hole, I leaned them a bit towards the drivers side, then under the intake manifold and over the rear engine mount. The is the only way the ends would point into position properly. I didnt have a 5spd prelude to reference so you'll have to do your best. This can be done with the transmission in, but I wouldnt suggest it. I had a hell of a hard time routing it with the transmission in. I'd have been easier with out the transmission in there. Its possible, and helps to have a friend to help you route them!

This is how to it looks after you remove the bolt. Watch out for the O2 sensor cable


GTFO!!


lolz


The new shifter fits right in to the existing holes (unless you've got a non 5th gen shifter!)


Job well done:


Remove and install Half shaft
Tools used:
-14mm 6pt shallow socket
-Ratchet
-Short ratchet extender

Easy. Remove the drivers side axle the same way I recommended for the passengers side. Remove it before installing the manual transmission and install after the manual is installed (makes it easier to line stuff up). I cannot stress this enough... DO NOT HAMMER THE ENDS THAT GO INTO THE TRANNY/ AXLE!! that metal is very very soft and WILL BEND and render it useless. if you must hammer... use the bracket!!!
We had some trouble putting it on the drivers side. It looked like there wasnt enough clearance... there is just pull the whole axle away. It is possible. Believe in yourself.

Wiring Up Reverse Switch + Starting the Car
Tools used:
-Wire strippers
-~12g wire
-Electrical tape
-wire caps

Basics: There is a transmission gear sensor for the automatic transmission.



There is a 10 pin connector where the transmission was connected to. Because of the ECU, it still thinks you have an automatic transmission, which means that it wont start if its in any gear other than neutral or park. To make the car think that it is in park, short pins #3 and #1. It might be easier to find the wires that are assigned to the pins, tie them together and cap them off. You'll notice that #1,#3 and #10 are connected together in the chart. shorting only #1 and #3 WILL work, obviously #10 isnt neccessary


Keep in mind that the pinout is for the MALE side of the connection. Simply match up the proper pin to the female side.


The reverse switch on the transmission completes the circuit when the car is put into... Reverse. The same idea applies to an automatic transmission. What do you do? Connect the wires from the reverse switch on the transmission to pins #3 and #9. Cut the wires assigned to the pins, and tie them directly to the switch.



Keep in mind that the pinout is for the MALE side of the connection. Simply match up the proper pin to the female side. The male side is on the auto transmission, so you choose which one to connect it to.







Mounting the Manual Transmission
(see page 7 which tells you to go in reverse order)
Tools used:
-ALL TOOLS MENTIONED! Keep the 17mm socket and wrench handy!!
-Tranny jack
-Luck

Follow the helms. Make sure you have a transmission jack or a engine hoist. It helps to have someone whos done it before. If you have a transmission jack, make sure you strap the tranny down to it, or the transmission will slip off when you try to angle it. Clear the fork first, then the shifter part. Good luck Not too many pictures, my camera guy was the jack operator.


Install Slave Cylinder
Photo Album: Photos
Tools used:
-Ratchet
-12mm 6pt socket
Easy bolt on. Just attach it, make sure the head is on the fork indentation. Grease that sumuvabitch up.



Remove brake pedal
Tools used:
-12 mm wrench
-12 mm shallow socket. (Deep will also work)
-Ratchet extender
-Ratchet
-Pliers for cotter pin
This step... is very easy. I would however suggest you remove the brake pedal, leave it out until you finish / just about finish with installing the clutch pedal.
How to? Get your 5spd brake pedal and compare it to the already existing auto brake pedal. The brackets should be exactly the same, the only difference should be the pedal arm. FIRST remove the pin that holds the brake master cylinder to the pedal (which requires removal of the cotter pin which was a BITCH even with my skinny mobile hands.) There are 5 bolts total, 4 which go to the firewall, and 1 which is straight up. Remove the 4 which go to the firewall first, then the 5th. ALL are 12mm. You'll a wrench to remove the firewall ones and a 12mm non-deep socket to remove the one facing up. Replace everything how it was. Easy. I've included a helms of the way it is connected to the pedal. The hole in the end of the rod that connects to the pedal is where the pin and cotter pin goes. You will know what i mean when you see it ;) If you cant do it, dont do the swap and have someone to do it for you.

Cut holes for the clutch pedal + master clyinder + n0rmaL hole
Tools used:
-1.25" Hole saw (depends on master cylinder diameter)
-Assorted drill bits
-15mm + 14mm wrenches (depends on bolt used to n0rmaL brace)
-12mm DEEP socket (or the size for the bolts for the master cylinder)
-12mm wrench (Or the size for the bolts for the master cylinder)
-ratchet extender
-Ratchet
-Drill
-Punch (not neccessary, but recommended)
I would suggest drilling the n0rmaL hole right about now. Use THIS THREAD
as a reference to drill. Hey, but dont come crying to me when you F*** it up.

This is perhaps the most difficult part of the conversion. Quite frankly, it is a PITA to do. Getting it spot on is very difficult, in the end I ended up with a off center clutch pedal. No biggie, i've gotten use to it :D. I REALLY suggest doing this early, way early days/weeks before you start the main meat of the swap. Chances are your going to be so tired with dropping the tranny that you wont want to bother crawling under tight spaces to do this. I basically did this WEEKS before the swap, with small modifications to assure myself that i was happy with my quality. Work slow. Measure once. Cut twice.

lol.

First, take a somewhat thick piece of cardboard and trace the outline of the clutch pedal mount, cut it out and cut out the holes where the screws go. DONT CUT THE LARGER CENTER HOLE!



Why not cut the big circle? Well since the master cylinder isnt THAT big and comes in through that hole, we need it to be perfectly centered. Use your method of finding the best possible "center" for the hole. use a compass or ruler. I was lucky enough to have a caliper. Verify by placing the clutch bracket over it.

Find the maximum diameter of the part of the master cylinder that comes into the cabin through the firewall. Mine was ~1.21 inches. so, I used a 1.25" hole saw to drill the hole through the firewall to let the master cylinder come in. (The firewall is about 1/8" thick FYI)

When you look under where the pedals are you will see the black foam lining crap. Tear at it to expose the flat surface where the clutch pedal should go. You WILL know what it looks like when you see it. Its flat and about the size of the base of the clutch pedal bracket. Also, you may want to tear out where the top of the pedal should be reinforced via the n0rmaL method. Mine had a square, which i just removed. Gives perfect access.

Make sure to solder on the wires to the yellow switch (starter cutoff). See the section below for a picture.
Now, before you start drilling, you have to mark this stuff down. Get a sharpie and Your template. Go to where the clutch pedal should be mounted, and line it up. Sharpie through the cardboard where the 2 bolts from the master cylinder goes and the center of the big hole. Then verify the sharpie'd marks with the actual pedal. Use a punch to dent the firewall. The top right hole was a COMPLETE BITCH to drill, until i punched it a few times to keep the drill bit from slipping. PUNCH THE SHARPIE MARKS!! . VERIFY AFTER EVERY DRILL THAT YOU DID IT RIGHT BY MOUNTING THE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET!! MEASURE 5x DRILL ONCE. Drill out the two holes for the master cylinder and verify with the original bracket. Hope u didnt screw up. Now, do the same with the hole for the master cylinder... take your time.... Drill out the hole for the n0rmaL bracing, follow his instructions to reinforce. Here are some pics of the location:
Before drilling outside
( IDIOT alarm installers put it right where i had to drill. Luckly it was somewaht the center, made it easier to install)


After the driling:





I literally just eyeballed the n0rmaL hole, and tightened it when it was in the pedal.


Install master cylinder+Pedal
Tools used:
-12mm 6pt deep socket (NEED DEEP!!)
-Ratchet
-2x Ratchet extenders
Quick info:
Torque specs for master cylinder bolts:
9 ft-lbs
Before you tighten it all down, make sure to seal it with some silicon type sealer to keep it from rusting and keep the water out. Bolt it up. Make sure you have at least 2 extenders to put the top left bolt to hole the master cylinder and bracket to the firewall. Its impossible to do without a 12mm deep socket.

EDIT!!

After reading the mamzo writeup and the prelude online info, i've discovered an important missing link! 5speed preludes allegedly have some sort of spacer that goes between the pedal and the firewall, without it the clutch will not grab properly and slip! I've solved this by using a stack of wide washers stacked up 1/4" to substitute. It is still stiff as hell and am personally comfortable with the quality (but will liekly change it in the future)! Please take this into consideration! See below "why you need spacers" for a better explanation.
Pics:
Installed


Washers up close


Reinforcement WILL come in the future. This will do for now.

Hooray with pedals! :D

Crooked I know, but SCREW YOU!!

Installed:



With hose:




Adjust clutch pedal
Tools used:
-Snapping pliers (lock on jaw types)
-12mm wrench

Just as it says! One MAJOR thing to note... When you do install the pedal, and adjust it, at one point MAKE SURE THERE IS SPACE BETWEEN THE PEDAL AND THE SWITCH!! (see picture)



You may be asking... why? Well if there is no space, that means the clutch might not be fully engaged (see picture below). Which means it will slip. assure yourself there is space, and THEN adjust the switch/ pedal. Make sure the metal part of the switch is gently touching. Too much, and the clutch wont be fully engaged, and yada yada...

There was little space when I installed it, so I had to remove the plastic perch thing on the pedal, which is ok. I dont care much for the Cruise Control. You do what you can.

Wiring up clutch pedal starter cutoff
Tools used:
-Wire strippers
-wire caps

Ok, prepare for a mini lesson on how the car works. There is this little doo dad called the starter relay, its under the dashboard as seen here:


Basically, in order to have the starter crank, the light blue wire has to be grounded. What grounds this wire you say? The immobilizer. Now, we want it to be non-grounded when the clutch is not in pushed in, even if the immobilizer says "ok the key is right, start it up". So what do we do? We use the switch on the clutch pedal to prevent it from completing the circuit UNLESS the switch is triggered (in which the circuit would complete). This is what is going on.


To do this, first cut the blue wire that goes into the starter relay somewhere in the middle. Strip off the plastic off both sides. Then use some wire (I suggest 8g-10g), connect one to each side of the newly cut starter relay cable. The other end goes to the clutch pedal switch. What terminals exactly? Well, pictures are worth a thousand words

This is where it is at:


This is how you wire it. You can make either wire go to either thing, it doesnt have to be the way i show it, its just a switch.


I tore off the housing to reveal the two prongs, and soldered a wire to each. Proceeded to add sealant.


Find the starter relay:


Locate the LIGHT BLUE wire (NOT the blue/red!!!) :


Cut it:


Strip it:


Remember the red wires from the clutch pedal? Well, twist em, and cap em!



If your like me, doing this little by little your car wont start unless you press the switch... Its impossible to put your hand in there while cranking unless your some sort of octopus/stretch man hybrid. Solution? Well there is two:
(Recommended) Simply get some clip leads and clip the two light blue wires.


Or, clip the light blue terminal of the starter relay to ground. It'll always crank, even without the right programmed key!!




Converting your ECU to a Manual
If You've destroyed the resistor dont freak out yet! Check out this thread by xxFallacyxx: http://preludepower.com/forums/showthread.php?t=319072


Tools used:
-Soldering iron
-Small flathead screw driver
-10mm 6pt socket
-Ratchet
-Ratchet extender
-Phillips screw driver
All I can say is: Time is your friend take your time. I suggest grounding yourself and having some tweezers and a small screwdriver. To remove, GENTLY push the resistor as you slowly back and fourth melt the solder on both ends. It'll go free. BE GENTLE!!! THIS SHIT IS SMALL!!! To put it on the RP14 point, place it on with tweezers and then push down with the screw driver gently. And then back and fourth melt the solder on both sides of the resistor on the board.
THIS CRAP IS SMALL!!


CEL BE GONE!!


This is the one you modify:


When you go back to connect it, you dont need to connect the smaller box... This was the TCM (transmission control module) which is not needed now. you *could* connect it, but you'd get a flashing D4...


Why you need spacers:
short and easy answer: Or else your clutch wont fully engage, and it'll slip. But why? Lets see this drawing I made:


If there are no spacers, the rod on the master cylinder will never fully extend out. This means that it'll be "slightly pushed in" even when your pedal is all the way out. Most master cylinders (OEM and after market) dont have enough threads to simply screw the rod out more. Even then you wont have enough space with the clutch pedal arm preventing the rod from further being extended. A possible solution is to TAP the clutch arm, and cut the unused master cylinder rod portion (or whatever length is keeping you from fully extending. Just do it right the first time. Build some sort of spacer or a metal plate which will space and brace at the same time.

Wiring Cruise Control
Wiring it is easy. These instructions are for a 5th gen, but may apply to 4th gen as well. The wiring colors may be different.


You'll need to find the CC box under the dash. For 5th gens, find it on the diagram below:


The clutch pedal switch that is pressed in while the pedal is out, is the one for the CC. With the pedal fully out, pins 2 and 3 should have 0 continuity (open circuit). If your unsure how to do this, use a multimeter to check the resistance between the two pins. With the pedal out, it should read infinite resistance (open). With the pedal slightly pushed in, it should switch to 0 resistance (short).

You may need to adjust how much the switch makes contact with the pedal. Be beware of the metal portion of the switch pushing the pedal too much. You wouldn't want to create an artificial "riding the clutch"


Choose any pin of the cc switch on the clutch pedal. Wire one to a grounding point under the dash (there are plenty). The other one goes to the CC control unit. Cut the PINK wire (5th gen, according to helms)coming out of CC unit a few inches or more away from the end that is coming out of the control unit. Wire this pink wire to the other end of the switch.


Dont forget to:
Bleed the clutch

Add MTF
In conclusion
I purposely left out many small details, which would take years to describe. All I can say is to try your best to fill in these gaps. If you cant figure them out, well then maybe you shouldnt be doing this swap. This doesnt mean I wont answer questions, but keep this in mind!


Questions GLADLY answered!
 
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#2 ·
dude, good stuff, keep it coming. Once you have some procedure info in here we'll add it to the resource thread.
 
#3 · (Edited)
thanks for the rep+ :Di was planning on doing a writeup on this also, if you need help with it send me a pm i can help if you need it. good pics, i tihnk you have everything covered...actually i take that back make sure you get a picture of the switch on the clutch pedal and the plug that you have to wire in.. also a 5spd ecu or auto>manual ecu conversion should be on there. personnaly id get a new ecu, thats just me. cpouple of other things that could be added, but very good list with pics to boot.
 
#4 ·
i should have done a write up a while back when i did my swap
 
#5 ·
Bump for MAJOR update. If I can get some 5spd owners to pm/upload some high resolution pictures for the mounting point of the clutch pedal, I would greatly appreciate it. More the better, and i'll rep and give ya some credit!
 
#7 ·
What pics are missing? A few parts are missing, and so are some for the procedure. I havent started the actual build, so I did what I could on my computer lol.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Honestly, I am not sure. but let me tell you this, Honda has 2 separate part numbers for each mount:
Auto
5spd

I am not sure if you could, but honda would have used the same mount for both applications to keep costs down if it was a simple swap. You might be able to use it, but I wont personally guarantee it.
 
#10 ·
#11 ·
Bump for another update! :D Installed the clutch pedal bracket (will install pedal when it actually works!) and reinforced via n0rmaL method. Used sealant for master cylinder and installed reservoir.. Also purchased the hose that goes from master to slave. WHAT A DAY! :D all thats really left to do is "change the clutch", ECU and shifter assembly and i'll be golden!!

I NEED A CAMERA!! :D
 
#12 ·
Major update guys!!! My swap is done!! :D!!!!! I started it Tuesday morning, ended Thursday night with Friday morning to modify the ecu. It was great fun, hanging out with my childhood friend who I dont see too often. There were those stressful times, and easy times. Fun times and sad. But it was worth it. I did this with a tranny jack, jack stands, HAND TOOLS and lots of time. I with moderate knowledge of the manual transmission workings, my friend with a few semesters of shop class knowledge , my brother with his gentle understanding of suspension, and my brother in law with his previous encounter replacing the clutch on a old Toyota Landcruiser FJ40 were able to do it. It is possible. you can do it. Questions GLADLY answered.

Total cost of my swap: $~1100 I have my own tools, jackstands and rented the tranny jack.
 
#13 ·
Major update guys!!! My swap is done!! :D!!!!! I started it Tuesday morning, ended Thursday night with Friday morning to modify the ecu. It was great fun, hanging out with my childhood friend who I dont see too often. There were those stressful times, and easy times. Fun times and sad. But it was worth it. I did this with a tranny jack, jack stands, HAND TOOLS and lots of time. I with moderate knowledge of the manual transmission workings, my friend with a few semesters of shop class knowledge , my brother with his gentle understanding of suspension, and my brother in law with his previous encounter replacing the clutch on a old Toyota Landcruiser FJ40 were able to do it. It is possible. you can do it. Questions GLADLY answered.

Total cost of my swap: $~1100 I have my own tools, jackstands and rented the tranny jack.

welcome to the 5speed club. i finished mine a couple of months ago.. im loving it u will 2 trust me..
 
#16 ·
how much time do you think it takes from start to finish to do this swap?? also....how much money did you spend in the swap..leave out the price of the transmission. and one more thing....where did you get your parts from...im going to be doing this and ill be shopping for all of these parts....thanks man....and GREAT write up, ill be using it to be my bible in the next few weeks....and will i save time setting up for the 5speed with the motor out?!?!?
 
#17 ·
The removal of the transmission and installation of the clutch, flywheel, MT transmission, shifter assembly, shifter cables, clutch line too me 3 whole days. I'd estimate about 1/2 a day was lost going to the honda dealership to buy a broken sway bar link, 2x visits to Autozone to get some loc-tite and a 17mm deep socket and wrench. However, installation of the clutch pedal took about a whole weekend, prior to the swap. (great if your itching to speed it up and dont have all the parts)

Removal of the engine would make it easier to install the transmission, but I'd probally be harder to install an engine + transmission vs just the transmission itself. (if your going to do an engine swap, then hey why not?) Make sure you have proper tools, and air tool will be god like here, especially when removing the main bolts that hold the transmission and engine together (about 7? 17mm 5" bolts) A lift is not required, as you saw we used some jack stands and a transmission jack. (but would make it SOOO much easier!) Looking back, merely strapping the transmission to the tranny jack would have made it 100x easier because it was sort of an balancing act to line it up. OR an engine hoist to keep it steady would have probally worked better. Combined with 4x people we got it in there.

Parts alone, minus the transmission was about $700 with a new clutch kit (clutch, pressure plate, TOB) , new flywheel, new master and slave cylinders, new clutch line and everything else used. (I used Exedy OEM replacement for the new parts)

I got my parts from all over the place. There was a guy locally who had a junked prelude he was parting out (he took the engine) to recover some of his losses. This would ideally be the best to do, and become friends with the guy cause u can get lots of stuff for cheap!! Other parts were taken on ebay, others from people parting things out on forums, here and on Preludeonline. A hose fabrication shop for the clutch hose. (ealrs performance plumbing- google them!)
 
#18 ·
thanks man ill be checkin it out..im gonna try to cut that 700 down to like 5 or 400..because i would be out of a car for like an extra 3 weeks, but i better do it right the first time...so ill be thinking about and in the mean time try to get some xtra money for that....maybe try to see some parts.....well im gonna check out that plumbing shop and really really...thanks for the post...as in the starter...its a huge help and il be using it...well ill be in touch with you soon bro....thanks
 
#21 ·
hey i followed all these steps for my swap, and i modded the ecu from auto to 5spd i used the auto and soldered that piece u had to move. after the swap i had the idle revving and it sometimes just bounces in the same spot and its hard to shift.. i got a check engine light and it says its the IAC valve, low coolant, or vacume leaks. i checked for vacume leaks, and my coolant. they're fine. but i doubt the IAC valve would just mess up after my swap. Can you give me any idea if it could be just the ecu or anything else causing it??? thanks
 
#22 · (Edited)
Yeep! You probably fried the resistor or maybe not soldered it on properly. I forget who it was, but they had the same problem after moving the resistor. He went back and took it off and it acted the same way.

Make sure its soldered on properly. I just hope its not fried!

Before you go crazy, consider this post by alpine. I dont think this was the one I was talking about but still, I'll search:
Idle Problem: I just did my ECU conversion last night and noticed I was having some weird idle issues, IE the idle bouncing between 1200 and 900. I drove it around and when I got back home it had stopped. I'll figure out if it is fixed or not, and if it isn't then I will figure out the problem and post it.
-Turned out to be a combination of other issues, one being timing was slightly off, and needed to clean out a bunch of other crap. See this thread for what else I did that helped the idle, the ECU turned out to be fine. Oh yeah and my water pump was going out.
http://www.preludepower.com/forums/s...d.php?t=293138
http://www.preludepower.com/forums/s...d.php?t=290589
Also make sure you didnt accidentally disconnect something.
 
#23 ·
im sure the the 5speed i rdered came with a clutch and flywheel...but you think i should get new ones...i think it had like 45,000 on it...as in the whole transmission. Also i talked to the guy and he said that a lot of shit should come with the transmission...because they jsut pull them out of cars and everything comes with it when its shipped....and...he told me he would try to get a cables....i think there the clutch or whatever lines...i think they go for like 300+ bones...he is gonna throw it in for free...i should only haft to get axles...but i think you said i can use the ones from my auto right?!?!?!?! anyways......ill be getting it like beginning or middle of next week...its comming from CT and shipping was free...everything was 910 bones even...should be great...im also gonna be droppin my motor off at the shop like tomorrow or thursday...i got everything done i need to do....
 
#24 ·
OH i have one more question......im going to be getting new pistons...9:1 from JE i think.....and there of course forged and im gonna need to get sleeves too....but i was lookin at my block here and.....do you like replace the stock sleevees????? or like bore out what is there and slide the sleeves in....im thinking the first one...i have never done this before and i was just wondering....from the pixs i saw it looks like you need to replace the stock sleeves...nt sure so if someone can throw me in the right direction that would be choice!
 
#26 ·
Hi,

I am about to do my auto-5speed swap at a performance shop (Garage Five)
I have all the necessary parts but I have encountered one issue. The immobilizer that's in the ECU?
I was told by the mechanic who will be doing the swap that all 97-2001 Preludes have an immobilizer. Now my Prelude is American. Original owner bought it from Napleton Honda in Illinois. The car is now in Vancouver, Canada. I tried to see if my auto ECU has an immobilizer by calling Honda USA but the lady I spoke with just said the same thing the mechanic at Garage Five told me... all 97-01 Preludes have an immobilizer.
This doesn't make sense to me since I do NOT have the original keys to the car. I only have the spare key. I later on got an extra spare key cut (NOT at a Honda dealer) and that key also starts the car no problem. Where the original keys are? I have no clue It never came with the car when I bought it.

I understand my options are the following...

Convert auto ECU to manual, take the 000 resister and solder it to the other side of the circuit board. Will that remove the CEL permanently? So if there ever is some type of issue with the car the CEL will not turn on anymore? If that's the case I do not want that.

Use the 5speed ECU that I bought when buying all of my other 5speed parts. But then I will encounter this immobilizer issue. The 5speed ECU that I have has an immobilizer so how am I able to go around this? I was told that if I use the 5speed ECU the car will not start unless I am able to go around the immobilizer somehow?

Basically I'm in a bit of a rut here. I need this immobilizer issue solved. I never even knew that this would be an issue. Some of the threads I have read in the past never mentioned this part. I'm a bit skeptical on this swap now due to this but I am still eager to shift some gears in my Prelude!

Someone please help me!

Thank you in advance
Mike

PS: I hope it's alright to be posting my questions/concerns in this thread.
 
#27 ·
You were told correctly, all 5th gen preludes (97-01) have an immobilizer system as a standard factory installation.

What kind of spare are you using? There are certain replacement keys that can clone the frequency of the OEM keys and trick the immobilizer into thinking it's the real key.

As for converting the auto ECU, I (as well as others) have done that without issue. It does not disable the CEL (Check engine light/malfunction indicator lamp), it instead makes the ECU believe that it is a manual ECU.
 
#28 ·
I only have two spare keys. One that I got with the car when I bought it.
The other key I got cut later on. So I have two spare keys (and what appears to be NON Factory keys)



The black key is the key I got cut at the mall and the silver key is the one that came with the car. If it matters the silver key says HD103.

I PM'd RomPirate and he told me that it may be possible that the previous owner(s) may have put a "remote start" feature, basically a feature for an alarm (in which case there should be a board somewhere which basically plays back the immobilizer signal to allow it to start).
But as far as I know the alarm I have on the car does not have a remote start feature. unless in this case the remote start acts in a different way, instead of pressing a button and the car starts by itself without having to step inside and turning the key.
So like he said there is a signal being played back to the immobilizer allowing to start the car.

Looks like I'll be using the auto ECU. Is there any difference between the auto ECU and 5speed ECU, performance wise perhaps? Or basically all the same?
 
#36 ·
I only have two spare keys. One that I got with the car when I bought it.
The other key I got cut later on. So I have two spare keys (and what appears to be NON Factory keys)



The black key is the key I got cut at the mall and the silver key is the one that came with the car. If it matters the silver key says HD103.

I PM'd RomPirate and he told me that it may be possible that the previous owner(s) may have put a "remote start" feature, basically a feature for an alarm (in which case there should be a board somewhere which basically plays back the immobilizer signal to allow it to start).
But as far as I know the alarm I have on the car does not have a remote start feature. unless in this case the remote start acts in a different way, instead of pressing a button and the car starts by itself without having to step inside and turning the key.
So like he said there is a signal being played back to the immobilizer allowing to start the car.

Looks like I'll be using the auto ECU. Is there any difference between the auto ECU and 5speed ECU, performance wise perhaps? Or basically all the same?

if your green key light comes on when you turn the ignition on and blinks 5 times when you turn the car off the immobilizer is still in the car and the orginal transponder key is hidden somewhere under the dash, so it will always see the hidden key and start.
 
#31 ·
Well the 5speed conversion is finished. I've been having some issues with the clutch not fully disengaging but I think I've figured out the problem. RomPirate has been giving me advice/helping me out with this through PM and all I have to say is:

This is the best damn thread ever! and RomPirate is an awesome guy/PP member/Prelude enthusiast !!!!!

Thanks to everyone else who has help out as well!!!
 
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