A couple of answers to some 5-spd swap Q's

[240vert93]

So anyways I just finished up a 5 spd swap and in the process found answers to alot of questions that were answered with "it (should) work". Anyways here are a couple of things anyone planning on a swap should know:

1. Do you need a whole 5 speed driveshaft to complete the swap?

A: No, all you need is the front half including the output shaft (the part that slides into the transmission) off of a 5 speed S13. Just take the front half off of your convertible driveshaft and bolt on the one off of the 5 spd. It does not matter if the front piece is off of an abs car or not, they are both the same (the back pieces are not however so beware of this)

2. Can you use a 5 spd engine on an automatic harness?

A: Definitely although you will have an extra plug hanging off of your engine (It's the one that plugs into the WOT sensor on your tps). You will also have to modify the transmission harness as indicated in the how to 5 spd swap thread.

3. Do you need the green shift lock box or can you just toss it?

A: You can definitely throw it away as long as you take one precaution. Disconnect your battery with the key out of the ignition. If your key is locked in when you remove the battery and/or green shift lock box it will be stuck in there as the box will not be there to unlock it.

4. Can you use a manual ecu with an automatic harness?

A: Yes. The car will actually work alot better with the correct ecu as the automatic ecu has different idling properties.

5. Do I have to jump the neutral switch or is there some way to connect it to the transmission?

A: It really is just a personal choice. I connected mine to the transmission just for kicks and the only difference is the car will only start in the neutral position (even if you push down the clutch in 1st it still will not start). I find it alot nicer for the fact that I can start my car without pushing in the clutch. FYI you can still do this if you jump the wires but you can also start it in gear causing the car to jump forward if you're not careful.

These are just the questions off the top of my head so if anyone has anything else they want to know just let me know. Also if anyone is curious how long the swap takes, it took me and my buddy 48 hours (3 days minus 8 hours of sleep a night) to do it. It took us a bit longer due to the fact that the engine and transmission were still mounted in my donor car when we started. Hope this helps a couple people out there. It would've helped me lol