I have been presented with what seems quite the bargin, a complete (based on the HLH 5 speed conversion instructions parts list) auto->5speed conversion kit. Mmmm its LSD as well... (NZD $1200)

but my worry/question now, is it worth the hasssle to do?

I will be doing it with my mate..the haynes manual and the HLH instructions.. so no expert mechanics on tap..

Have you had problems with your setup?
After conversion did you decide you should have sold and brought manual?
Tell me ANYTHING please that'lll help me decide either way?

My auto is fine, shifts perfectly... which makes the it harder to decide whether to convert or just live with the auto which I have no problems with. I have power to burn it seems with my auto now so the reason for manual is purely fun based.

My car is similar to pic on right, with foot e-brake instead of hand brake

 

by any chance is that a Right hand drive Maxima, or did you just invert the picture?

 

After doing the swap, I can say that I enjoy my maxima more as a manual tranny car, but at times I long for the auto. its all your preference, my maxima is my play with car, I still need to find another car, but the max is lovely with the swap, its like unlocking some of the hidden potential in the car. OH...and the car becomes lighter...another plus

 

Yip its a righthand drive alright... very astute

 

Thats along the lines of what I wanted to hear, thanks ! Just making sure people are running into problems after the swap...

 

Honestly though...u will run into some problems...initially, but u should be good if you follow Hal's directions...

 

OK, so I am thinking about doing a 5 speed swap as well. My problem is where would I find the transmission with all the needed components. My other problem is that I have 2 left feet when it comes to the mechanical aspect, so how long would it take a real mechanic to do the swap (trying to get an idea of how much $$$ I need, or if it will be worth it).

 

my suggestion would be to find an experienced org member to help you with or do the swap for you. It will be much cheaper that way. That is what im gonna do, Stephan Max in Austin, TX is gonna do mine and he can change the motor mounts as well i believe for about $900. I local shop here wanted to charge 1600.00 for the swap and they said the price might even go up. people here on the org are selling there's if you want a tranny i know some guy's trying to sell them. as for other parts get what you can at a junkyard to save on money and the rest from the dealership and here on the org in the group buy forums. Sorry to be so lengthy but i want to be clear in what i explain.

 

There is more power delivered to the ground, and it is very worth it.. But sometimes when i'm stuck in traffic, I would rather have an auto.

 

If you truly enjoy driving, swapping to a 5-spd will be well worth the effort. It's a completely different car.

 

Does anyone know of a shop In ny that would get all the parts and everything and do the swap.. Im tired of having an auto

 

swapping to 5sp will be one of the best decision you we every make. I say go for it, you will love your car more and more every time you get in it. If you do decide to do it your self take your time and make sure you have all the tools you need, cause if you don't it makes it that much harder to do the swap, also make sure you have some one helping you.

 

Thanks guys Sounds GOOD GOOD GOOD!

I'm reading up in the Haynes manual to get a feel for how complicated things will be, the Haynes manual leaves me with the impression its defintely do-able but isn't going to be a 2 day job for a novice like me ..


Meet the Donor car lol

 

Good luck on this. I think you will learn a lot and be thankful in the long run (not that I have any experience doing this).

 

I think by doing the conversion I will learn alot and not be at the mercy of mechanics so much.. should be able to do things in the future like swapout clutches and the like with confidence

 

hey, is there anyway to convert an auto to a 6spd from a 2002 maxima???

 

I'm available on the West Coast side of the world to help with swaps. Hardest thing was trying to figure out the wiring from HLH's write up. Was a bit vague and misleading so had to spend some time in the good ole FSM chasing pinouts FYI..in HLH's write up I believe at the bottom it shows the pinouts saying "while looking at the front"...it's actually the pinouts of the back where the wires come into the adapter. Nonetheless, tis a easy swap IMHO. Would do it over and over again.

 

I have over 11k miles on my 5spd swap and I've loved every second of it -- including the aching knee in heavy traffic. I'm no longer a passenger in my own car when I drive! I swear on my life it's been by far the best $2.5k I ever spent, and I never ever regretted it -- even when my left knee was hurting so much from driving the car all the time that I couldn't even walk properly (true story). It's every bit as gratifying now as it was the day I got it.

 

i would also love to get a 5spd swap... hey if i happen to find a manual tranny in a junk yard per se.. how do i go about checkin whether its a good tranny or now?

 

Should be almost the same thing as auto-to-5spd for the 4th gens.

You can't, really. All you can do is test the linkage and see if it goes easily into all the gears, but beyond that you either have to take it to a shop and have it opened up (expensive) or just put it in your car and pray. Try to get it from a yard that will give you some sort of money-back or exchange guarantee.

 

What is that donor car??? It looks like an I30, but when you showed a pic earlier, it was right hand drive, is the donor car a RHD japan max??? And I cant help but notice theres a car in the background with s14 SE rims on it....

 

Meet the Cefiro.

 

Thanks for the input everybody. Greatly appriciated.

 

Heh yeah.. New Zealand is Japan Import heaven Sylvias(200sx), Skylines, proper Integra type R's, cheap wrx's, turbo mitsi legnums, starlets, evos.. pretty much any turbo japanese car is a relative bargin.