auto to manual swap questions

[PrimeTimeSlime]

Oh, I get it, you are in a town called Georgia in VT. I thought you meant you were down south. Doh!

[tiFreak]

lol, yeah, it's confused a couple people

[THAT318]

you have been PM'd sir.

[MFEnthusiast]

When swapping from an automatic to a manual, what are the issues to deal with? I understand the driveshaft swap issue, but what about the wiring harness? Should I use the wiring harness from the manual car, or is there some way to rig the auto harness to account for the reverse indicator switch? What other issues are there?
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
Mark

[Bluebimma]

I just sent a getrag to the east coast for 50$ at 70lbs. Auto to manual requires a slave install, clutch lines, master resevoir tap, pedal mount, reverse light, driveshaft, and rear end change for ratio.

[kuleinc]

I got a 96 318ti for $700...

I hate the Auto in it, I've driven a 95 with a 5 speed and it just felt more responsive, and I prefer stick. I live in CA so I need to know if anyone has converted to stick and gotten the CEL to not come on and pass smog?

Its easy enough for me to get a 6 cylinder transmission and just reuse my auto dif with its low gears. There might need to be drive shaft length changes though? couldn't one just use the six cylinder manual from a Z3 and corresponding drive shaft? or is the Z3 too different from a Ti? It looked like they were very close under neath the bodies?

I've read and read threads, but have not seen anyone just swapping a manual tranny from a six cylinder Z3 into an auto Ti and leaving the stock diff and M44 engine alone?

[Marv17]

well if you leave the stock auto diff you will be reving high and quick throughout the gears. when i did my swap i used my auto diff for a week or so and i went thru gears like butter. i was in 5th gear just trying to cruise around town and it was at 4k rpm's. Thats why you haven't heard ppl keeping their auto diff on when they do a manual swap.
THERFORE, you need to get a drive shaft from the manual car, ie. manual Z3, ti, coupe, sedan, then get your hands on a diff with a ratio of either 2.93 - 3.73, depending on your liking and goal of your outcome. Lower numbers mean lower rpm's at high speeds and vis versa. and yes you will get a CEL light when you do a swap unless you reset the ECU or something. Tony knows more about it.

[kuleinc]

I'm talking about using a 6 Cylinder Manual trans with my auto diff, to keep the ratios correct, the auto is basically a 6 cyl geared tranny with a super low rear end because its mated to a 4 cyl engine...

Do you have Tony's email address or someway to contact him? I don't know him personally...

[PrimeTimeSlime]

Originally Posted by kuleinc

I'm talking about using a 6 Cylinder Manual trans with my auto diff, to keep the ratios correct, the auto is basically a 6 cyl geared tranny with a super low rear end because its mated to a 4 cyl engine...

Do you have Tony's email address or someway to contact him? I don't know him personally...

The number of cylinders doesn't make a difference as all 318tis are 4 cyl. The transmissions are the same as other e36 tranny's as far as I know.
You need either a diff from a 318ti or a e30. Other e36 diffs wont fit.

[Bluebimma]

All you need is the front half of a manual driveshaft, or purchase a full driveshaft that will or will not be in balance anyways. Any drive shop can balance a drive shaft for you. Reuse your rear half of the shaft, then the front of a manual. Rear end is pure preference. IMO, 3.73-4.10 is the perfect ratio for the M50, havent had any problems and get pretty damned good gas mileage, 25mpg city and i dont drive like a grandma. On the highway, i easily catch 31-33mpg 4.5k at 80mph. Ive had the 3.25lsd and it was too harsh on city mpg and only yielded a mere 2 more mpg on the highway. 4.44 IS too much for a manual 6 though. I ran that for every bit of 4 days. The car was undeniably quick through the gears and out the hole, but way too much goin on. 4.10 puts torque when you need it, always. Whether its off the line, or passing, you dont have to drop gears just to pass someone.

3.25 gearing



4.10 gearing


4.44 gearing


Even though taken with a 6 cyl, you get the idea. The 4 cyl would respond slightly differently than the 6. From my trip to new hampshire, we drove at about 85-90mph the whole way back in my 325ti and the clusbport 1.8, the clubsport managed almost 500 miles to the tank while the 325 made very close to 400...3.45 vs 4.10, 4 vs 6. The manaul swap isnt too complicated, just tedious.

[kuleinc]

How do you do the manual swap and get the check engine light to not come on? I was under the impression that because the computer expects to be hooked up to the auto and isn't that it throws three or four codes on the CEL...

So the 6 cylinder manual trannies are not geared differently then the 4 cylinder manuals?

[kuleinc]

Just to be clear, which I don't think I have been, I want to use:

-M44 Engine
-Manual transmission from a car with a 6 Cylinder
-M44 AUTO Rear End

Would it still be geared too low?

[Bluebimma]

Like i said, i posted with my 6 cyls, it translates exactly the same for a 4cyl.

[kuleinc]

you have a six cylinder engine and a transmission out of a 6 cylinder car?

So wouldn't the four cylinder engine need a bit lower rear end gearing with the same transmission that your six has or am I like missing something? I feel really dumb...

[Bluebimma]

No, i use my stock 4 cyl transmission, its the SAME transmission. I use a 6 cyl engine with a 4.10 rear limited slip.