OK so im thinking about swapping out my automatic to a full 5-speed manual, But I wanted to know from those of you who have done it, How much did it cost you? How long did it take? and Was it really worth it? Have you had ANY type of problems afterwards? Any input would be good....

BTW I already checked the link in the stickies and it SnCKS BALLLS!!! Doesn't even work...

 

Cost me about $2500, parts and labor. It took a busy shop about 2 weeks once I found the parts, but they also installed my new audio system in that time. If you have two or three people working on it, it should only take about a day.

Was it worth it? See my avatar for details. You have NO IDEA until you drive it daily. Night-and-day doesn't even begin to cover it.

That swap is what made me start actually being interested in the car. In the week after I got it back from the shop after the swap, I drove it so much that I literally could barely walk up stairs because my left knee was so sore. Now, I can literally sit in Manhattan gridlocks for hours with that knee feeling like it's on fire and I don't regret it for an instant. The car is much faster, responds much more instantly and directly, and is so much more fun to drive that I have a hard time imagining why I even got the automatic in the first place.

I have had problems because I was an idiot about buying the transmission: I bought a used one from a junkyard that had 107k miles on it, without having done the research that would have told me that they can have bearing failures above 100k miles. Then, when it broke, I put in another junkyard special, which of course broke as well. If I had to do it again, I would definitely have gotten a rebuilt transmission right off the bat and been done with it.


Some advice on what to get:

- New 5th gen Maxima clutch disc, pressure plate, and throwout bearing
- New Nissan clutch master and slave cylinders
- Technafit stainless steel clutch line
- Rebuilt transmission, preferably with VLSD (PM dgeesaman for a good rebuild at a good price)
- Raxles axles
- Relatively new or recently resurfaced flywheel
- New starter

Everything else (trim pieces, motor mount, shift linkages, pedals, etc.) can be bought used.

 

wow thats nuts. mine cost around 2000 and if i had the timing ring it would have taken me a day and a half in my driveway.

is it worth it ? of course it is ! i wouldnt worry about the starter thats VERY easy to replace anytime.
+1 on the ss clutch line saves you about 2 hours of work for 30 bucks its worth it.

another +1 on the rebuilt my rebuilt was 800 bucks...

 

WOW! thats some damn good advice! $2000-2500 isn't so bad, considering that I would spend that much JUST on a down payment on a car that was stick shift already..Im seriously gonna look into doing this. I just gotta find a place that can do it, cuz Im pretty mechanically inclined, but im not that good! LOL Is that list you put up EVERYTHING you need to do it or is it just like the basic parts? If not, is there a link where it shows every little thing you need?

THANKS!!!

 

im after 5 spd swap. and now i know that im driving.
problems?? make sure that bearings inside the tranny are in good shape (mine were bad)
all parts were around 2000$.
it took me and my friends 8 hours to convert my car.

 

Cost me ~$1500.

 

i did it for 900 bucks.

 

$900 BUCKS!!!!!!

 

Parts, as far as I remember:


Transmission w/ all bolts and sensors (there are two)
Shift fork
Clutch disc
Pressure plate
Pilot bearing
Throwout bearing
Flywheel
Clutch master cylinder
Clutch slave cylinder
Hydraulic hard lines (take off a parts car or find someone who can make them for you)
Hydraulic soft line (a.k.a. "clutch line")
Axles
Starter (MT version)
Shifter
Shifter mount hardware
Shifter boot and console trim piece
Shifter linkages
Shifter mount bushing
Brake pedal (the auto one is too wide)
Clutch pedal
Manual transmission motor mount
Gear oil (Redline MT-90 or Amsoil MTG)
Brake fluid (for clutch hydraulics)


Optional stuff:

ECU from a MT car (to prevent CEL)
Rear main seal (might as well do it while the transmission is off)


Am I missing anything?

 

Wow, thats alot of ****in parts!!!! LOL I guess Ill start looking. Is there a write up somehwere on how to do this? Im not gonna do it myself, I just want to see the actual step by step process.. and maybe see how each individual part looks like....

 

to save some money i used auto shifter trim, auto brake pedal (just cat it), you can also use same starter like i did.

 

It is a lot of parts, but you can get a lot of them in groups... e.g. clutch disc + pressure plate + bearings, transmission + bolts + sensors, shifter + shifter mount + hardware, etc.....

 

search for HLH's 5spd conversion page it lists everything also go to VQpower.com its in the how to's.....

 

Cool, im gonna check it out..

Thanks

 

wow i really want to do this on my car, but figuring since i still owe about 1500 on it, this seems impossible right now. m next car will be a brand new stick shift for sure though.

 

two words: parts car.

 

5spd swap is easy if you know the proper technique of getting the new 5spd on the car...I can get the tranny on and bolted up in about 10 min now.

I HIGHLY reccomend getting 12 and 14mm ratchet wrenches for the swap. The 14 will come in really really handy for when you're putting on the support rod, and will also help when you put on the bottom 14mm tranny bolts. The support rod alone will take you an hour or two if you've never done it before.

 

MAN, if you only lived closer to me!

 

there is a stikie about this in the engien threads

 

Yeah, i just saw it, thanks.

BTW Anyone in Sothern Cali know where I can get this done????

 

One thing I forgot to ask, is there any particular year 5-speed I should look for/stay away from? I heard you can even use the 5 GEN 5-speed? I am going to get a rebuilt one thats for sure.

BTW for those who paid for someone to do the switch, how much did you pay?

THANKS!!

 

5th gen trannies will bolt right up. They'll just make the shifter sit slightly further back.

The newer the transmission, the better. At the very least, try to get '97 or newer; there is apparently a slight difference in the synchros starting from that year.

The biggest difference in durability, though, is between the LSD and non-LSD transmissions. If you can, try to pick up the transmission from a 2001 Anniversary Edition, any Infinity I30, or any Canadian Maxima because those all have the LSD. Just make sure you have the axles that go with whatever transmission you get.

I paid a shop to do my swap, and it wound up costing me just under $2500 for parts and labor. That was with a used transmission, but the labor was a little more expensive than some others are seeing.

 

oh ok, which one do you have? I think I would go with the newer one, but the way it sits back farther back, is that a big deal? I also heard you need a 5-speed computer, 5-speed starter and something about auto/5-speed transmission bolts? have any ideas on these things?

 

I have a plain-jane, non-LSD, rebuilt 4th gen transmission. Couldn't afford the LSD...

If you don't want the shifter to sit further back, just get a '95-'99 transmission. Just make it as new as possible.

You only need the 5-speed ECU if you don't want a CEL. The other things, you do need.

 

2 questions...

in doing the swap do u alter the ignition any and is there any difference on the wire harness as far as auto and manual? is it really plug and play?

 

Or you could try doing what I did, I bought a whole 5-spd Maxima and will be doing the swap from there. Considered keeping the car whole, but it was in a little rough of shape and had body work I dont want to be bothered with. This way I have all of the parts needed right here and dont have to track anything down, unless I find that something is in bad condition. However, I am lazy and have had the 5spd max here for almost a year and havnet started on teh swap yet. This week I just started stripping the car down and am going to part out the rest to help make up for the cost. Should work out ok in the end.

 

post #16........

 

still, thats good. I don't mind having the same year 5-speed. Always good info d00df00d.

Thanks..

 

pm me if your looking for parts .

 

I know I read it.... its the best way IMO