hey just wondering if you need an ecu to do the conversion. and another set of 5 spd harnesses? please help thanks chad

 

Most people justl ive with the CEL, I believe.

But I'm not sure.

IanS

 

It will run on an auto ECU, but if u want it to run like a true 5 speed, then put in a 5 speed ECU, and yes your going to need the harness too

-ChRi§

 

ask craig mack..hlh did this too, didnt he?
yes i know "get back in your own forum 3rd gen boy" hahaha.
chad, PM or IM me, i have a question for you..matt might get to you before you read this, either way..

 

yea he replaced harness and ecu. This not only got rid of CEL light but also made his car feel more like a 5 speed because it didn't rev higher than normal on certain occassions.

my car was converted and i replaced the ECU with manual but didn't replace the harness. When i checked the codes, i have codes for CANISTER bullsh*t and cylinder 3 misfire due to a problem with my manifold or something. None of the codes had to do with my conversion, not sure what codes come up due to conversion. However i think the CEL light might go away with just ecu replacement but for FULL feel of 5 speed u should probably replace harness as well.

I actually gave skeelo my 5 speed ECU when my car was totaled and if his CEL light is still on (have to ask him) then u definitely have to replace both (harness and ecu) to get the code out.

i doubt it though

 

5spd feel? What the hell are you talking about? Ive owned a 5spd, and my converted 5spd, and I never noticed a difference. My car doesn't idle any higher, or rev funny or anything. The only codes I have are related to the auto not being there any more....

 

ask craig mack, he'll tell u what the hell i'm talking about. He said that when coming out of gear and going to neutral his car would stay in higher rpm's longer before than when he changed all his harness and stuff (something like that). I personally never experienced such problems with my car converted and don't know exactly how different the feel may be because i never drove a 4th gen 5 speed before converting my car. I'm really just going by what he said, sorry for making it sound like converted cars are crappy because they aren't. Matter of fact my 97 feels pretty much the same as my converted max, just the adjustments on the pedals were awful and made it mad hard to drive my converted car...plus i had act vs stock now which is a lot more smoother with shifting....

 

Not to discredit Craig Mack or anything, but... He payed a lot of money to have the harness installed, so naturally he is hoping like hell it was worth it, which tends to cloud a persons judgement. My converted car with auto ECU and harness drives just like other factory 5-speed Maximas I've driven (except for the ACT clutch, as you also mention). Well, also my Max is faster.

 

I remember reading that thread and we decided that the conversion is fine without an ecu swap, but in some cases the owner may want to swap ecus if their car is not behaving normally.(Craig)

 

Ok boys, looks like I gotta clear a few things up.

First, you do not need to use the 5spd ECU/Harness. BUT, if you DO NOT use them, your Check Engine Light will stay on, your ECU will be tripping codes, your cruise control won't work, and in my case your reverse lights will get mixed up with the nuetral position. With the 5spd ECU/Harness, my car is just like a stock factory 5spd. Everything is 100% functional and I am throwing no codes. Everything works perfect now.

Mecca, thanks for backing me up, and no I am NOT imagining what I said people. Go look up my old thread.

1)With my auto ECU, when coming to a stop at a stoplight, when I came to a complete stop, the rpms would stick around 1500 for several seconds, then drop down to idling speed. With my 5spd ECU it immediently drops down. 2)The same thing happens when I revv it slightly. With the AUTO ecu I would tap the gas,(in neutral, clutch disingauged) and the RPMs would stick around 1500, then drop. With my 5spd ECU, they almost immedietly drop back down. 3) With my Auto ECU, while cruising in any gear, when the RPMs would sink to 2k and below (still ingaged in gear) my exhaust would get very quiet. With my 5spd ECU, my exhaust gets almost louder as the RPMs sink seem to sink harder. The difference is sound is distinct and I am positive of this.

Stephen Max, Many times people's judgement can get clouded, but not in my case. No one can prove me wrong, unless they swap out harnesses and ECU's in which case they will end up agreeing with me. I got a damn good deal on the ECU/Harness swap and wouldn't justify the price by making up ****. So don't accuse me.

Chad, did you email me a while back? Did I respond? If not, I'm sorry...i've been busy lately. I hope i've answered your questions now though. Good luck in the conversion.

 

Okay, Craig, since you insist. Actually, I have noticed the rpm not dropping immediately, but how often does that affect your driving? I only notice it when I'm looking for it. It certainly doesn't affect driveability, and I don't think it justifies spending big bucks to correct. Just my opinion.

I didn't know you got a good deal on the harness and ECU. I asked you how much you paid in your other thread and all you said was that it took the dealer all day to install. So I had to assume eight hours times $55/hr plus cost of harness and ECU, which comes out to a sizeable wad. Maybe if you had stated you had gotten a good deal in the first place there wouldn't have been a misunderstanding. Not that it is any business of mine, though, and I certainly respect your right to privacy.

The difference in sound intrigues me. I have noticed that my car seems quieter since doing the conversion, but I attributed that to the engine not having to work as hard getting power to the wheels.

Peace.

 

The noise is on decelleration. I have no idea why it does it now. My guess is that since w/the auto ECU it told the RPMs to stay around 1500, the new manual ECU has less much less electronic involvement, thus giving no signals to the RPMs, so they freefall. And freefalling means that the engine is louder.

Just a sketchy guess tho.

 

I notice a slight delay at 1200-1400rpm with auto ecu.. before dropping completely when i come off of it.. but as far as exhaust noise, I can tell no difference whatsoever between my auto ecu and my 5spd ecu... ?

 

Thats because, you sir, do not have dualies.

 

I do however, have full 3" mandrel bent... and something to fill it

 

Craig Mack = Dualies
hlh0501 = Turbo Kit

Craig Mack's Maximahlh0501's Maxima

 

I second the fact that the engine does rev a little with the auto ecu. It is abit annoying when you come to stops. Nothing serious though. I'll report when I swapt in the 5spd ecu.

 

That pretty much sums it up. I have the looks, Harold has the *****.

 

With the completion of my 5-speed swap, I do not have any of the problems as stated by Craig Mack or Harold (no offense guys). I kept the auto ECU and harness. However, what is still funky, my cruise still works. Granted I had to wire up my reverse lights and neutral position, everything works fine. I do not have the weird drop off after revving it like you guys do. I do not think that is controlled at all by the ECU because "giving the car gas" is mostly mechanical (not drive by wire like the newer 5th gens). And the 5-speed swap only changed the flywheel and added a clutch, which is all mechanical. So I do not know why the ECU would conflict with "revving".

 

The ecu does play a role. For example, when the engine is cold it revs higher until its warmed up. This doesn't require your foot to move it.