-Manual Trans Conversion for a 2002 PT Cruiser-
I have decided to give a blow-by-blow overview of how I did the manual transmission conversion on my 2002 PT Cruiser. This should give you a good idea of how much stuff costs / what you need. I'll do an update with costs when I get home and look at my reciepts. This conversion should work on any PT Cruiser from 2000-2002. I can’t say anything about 03+ PTs because the TCM became integrated into the PCM. IE, in the 2002 and under cars, you have the trans computer separate from the engine computer and it is easier to fake the car out and make it run properly.
Be forewarned: this is not a project for the faint of heart. It took me 4 solid weeks to complete, mainly because of the issues I had with obtaining appropriate parts from the dealer / junkyards. Try to get everything you need before you even turn a wrench; you’ll thank me. The project also has some pretty intimidating wiring involved with it. So, if you aren’t good with a soldering iron, find someone who is. All in all, you only have to cut / resolder about 6 wires to make the car work. Also, be prepared to have a check engine light on…like forever. Also be prepared to not have a locking steering column. It does lock, but only in one position; all the way to the left.
My major recommendation for this project is to find a junk-yard PT with the trans in it still. Pull what you can yourself then have them pull the trans. I used car-part.com to find local places with manually equipped PT’s. A few phone calls to make sure they had the car there and it still had the trans in it, and I knew what I needed and who had it.
So, onto the parts list. You will need to obtain the following components:
• Manual transmission NV-T350 (was in a lot of cars besides the PT)
• Shifter assembly (4x clips for cables, boot, knob, bracket, etc). Might consider upgrading to a short-throw shifter while you are at it. The throw on the OEM is HUGE!
• Shift cables…make sure they aren’t busted on the ends.
• Shifter bushings, Mopar can’t sell them, so get some Boogers…they are better anyways http://www.boogerracing.com/boogerbushings.html
• Clutch / Brake pedal assembly. Make sure it has at least the “clutch is down” switch on it. You don’t need the “clutch is up” switch.
• Clutch master / slave cylinder assembly. This is hard to find complete. I ended up just ordering it all from the dealer. Junkyards like to cut the hoses off and sell you just the slave or master, when you need the hoses intact. Mopar won’t sell you just the hoses….so make sure you have all the parts you need. I didn’t use the clutch damper when I did mine; got the slave hoses from an SRT4 and the master from a PT. Make sure the slave has the appropriate bracket on it, as the dealer seems unable to sell it…I ended up making my own. I recommend actually taking the slave cylinder off a PT in a junkyard yourself for this reason…you need that bracket.
• Modular clutch assembly w/ throw out bearing. Get one from any 420a engine on eBay as they are much cheaper than the dealer wants. Same thing that was in the 420a eclipse, eagle talon, neon, etc.
• Engine “strut” and “collar”, as shown in this pic:
• One MC7808 1A 8V (+) Voltage Regulator. Get this from Digikey.com or PM me; I had to buy 20 of them. I’ll mail it to you for free. You need this to make your speedometer work, because the PCM is different and doesn’t have the necessary outputs
Onto the bulk of the project. I would recommend doing this in stages;
- Remove automatic trans
- Remove shifter assembly and shift cables / install new components
- Remove brake pedal assembly / install clutch cylinders, new pedals
- Remove torque converter and install clutch assembly
- Install manual trans, replace axles / drivetrain components
- Perform wiring modifications
So, go ahead and remove that auto. I recommend you start by removing the grill, AC condenser, radiator, wheels and axles. This will give you enough room to move around and get things where you need them. I would make sure it is jacked high enough to get under the engine and look around; there are a few tricky bolts holding things together that require some finesse…easier with more room. Disconnect all hoses, wiring connectors, and linkages so it will drop out when necessary and you don’t break anything. Also remove the tranny cooler; you don’t need it. Do NOT be tempted to remove the TCM. You need it; I will explain why in the wiring section.
Make sure you have a friend there to help you yank it out. It takes a lot of weird positioning but eventually it will come out. Also have some kitty litter ready; about 6 quarts of trans fluid will be coming out, and it will keep pouring out of the torque converter for a while.
Next, get that shifter assembly out. You need to remove the center console first, then undo the clips / cables holding it in. There is a cable that connects to your key / brake pedal / steering column. This is what prevents you from pulling your keys out unless you are in P, and assists in preventing you from starting the car in anything but P or N. Simply disconnect it, push it all the way in, and hide it up / to the side somewhere. Next, remove the cable that goes to the trans and install the new ones. Make sure they aren’t twisted funny. Now install the new shifter assembly, booger bushings, and hook it all up. Make sure you have the clips for both ends of the shifter cables; if not, these are available from the dealer.
I would now remove the brake pedal assembly. Save the clip that holds the brake master cylinder on, as it will be reused. Install the clutch master cylinder where the block-plate is. This is a PAIN to get in there, but persevere and get it done. I found it easier to pull the brake master cyl almost all the way out to get my hand up there. Have someone hold it in place and then put the nuts on from the other side. Put all that back together and move onto the fun part.
The torque converter is held on with 4 bolts, which were very difficult to remove. I would take the Automatic “collar” off at this point to allow better access to these 4 bolts. The modular clutch assembly hooks onto the same toothed plate that the starter drives, so don’t take that off. Pull the torque converter off and carefully install the modular clutch assembly. Torque the bolts to spec as in a Chiltons or Haynes…I cant remember what it was.
Next, put the throw out bearing on the trans and put that sucker on. Have someone help you! When it is on, put the axles in and drain it. Put new trans fluid in it. I used GM Synchromesh as it is highly recommended by SCCA people for any manual trans. ATF+4 works well too, I hear. The axels are the same on the manual and the auto, so that’s awesome! Put the slave on and hook it up, put the “collar” and “strut” on, hook up the shift cables, and put the reverse sensor onto the harness. It uses the same connector as the auto. Also very cool.
Onto the wiring. You need to be able to wire into the Vehicle Speed Sensor. If you weren’t lucky enough to get part of the wiring harness with your trans purchase, you can solder directly onto the VSS. Make a good pigtail and run all three wires up near the PCM. At this point, you will need a +12v signal from the ignition switch (I used one from my Amp / stereo), and a ground. Wire up the +12 ign to the input side of the 8v power converter, and the ground to the negative terminal.
Now, onto the PCM wiring mods:
Located in C2 of the PCM (lower connector), you need to open up and cut: Pin# 66 - G7:20WT/OR - Vehicle Speed Sensor Signal Pin# 76 - T41:20BK/WT - Clutch Interlock Switch Signal
Very simply, the manual trans has a sensor that gives the speedo the "road speed". The TCM used to output this data to pin 66, but you get the same effect from the sensor located on the manual trans.
Wire the new manual trans VSS like this: VSS Pin 1 – The positive terminal of the 8v power converter VSS Pin 2 – The negative terminal of the 8v power converter VSS Pin 3 - PCM Pin 66
This pic is of the connector, NOT THE SENSOR!
And, finally, Pin 76 needs to attach to the clutch pedal sensor (located on the clutch pedal near the top). One end goes to this pin, the other goes to a ground source anywhere. This allows you to actually start the car; the TCM used this signal to prevent starting the car unless you were in P or N. Now, you have to depress the clutch before you can crank.
Some more info:
Do not remove the TCM. Do not remove the fuse or relay for the TCM. You are basically tricking the car into thinking it is stuck in 1st gear. If you pull those things out, the car puts a rev limiter at like 4k, which you definitely do not want.
Drivability is good; it should not stall if you drive it properly. The car has the same rev limiter that the auto has when you have the clutch depressed all the way (kinda cool for launch control). It will rev, however, all the way to 6250 if the clutch is not depressed.
If you have any questions at all, do not hesitate to email me. I will do my very best to help you! I will be putting some more pics up this weekend when I get some time…should help explain more of what I am talking about. But, if you tackle it like I did, what I have explained should be sufficient. Pics will help those less technically inclined.
