Switching from Automatic to Manual

[trikkonceptz]

Hey guys, I have an 2004 Auto Vibe. I have taken it beyond saving gas, as that was the easy part @ 44 mpg + per tank average, I am now setting my sites on 60mpg.In order to get me there I will have to switch to a manual tranny. So I have 2 questions.Is there a manual version of the standard Vibe? 5 spd? Or will the GT 6spd work in this vehicle?I will be going to U-pick every week collecting parts for the conversion, but in the end will I have to swap ECU's?I believe the brake cylinders are different too from an auto to a stick. Chime in with any thoughts ... Thanks

[Herb]

Would be cheaper and easier to trade in for one that already has it.

[trikkonceptz]

Never .. as long as junkyards exist, I can purchase all components for less than $400, Vibe's tend to hold their value, therefore I am on the right course.

[NibCrom]

Switching transmissions may be more difficult than you think. Good luck to you.

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by trikkonceptz »I can purchase all components for less than $400, Good luck with that. The cheapest used 5 speed I could find was about a grand. You definitely want to get a warranty on the tranny, since bearing failures in the 5 speeds is way too common for my wallet.If mileage is so important, why did you buy an automatic to start with? Auto to manual tranny swap has come up a lot. Search should turn up some of the previous times.If you looked at the gear ratios, you'd see that the GT six speed is undesirable for your purpose.

[lovemyraffe]

If you can get a tranny that cheap, let me know where. We buy used tranny's all the time for my f-i-l's shop, and the cheapest we have ever bought was around $800.

[trikkonceptz]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »If mileage is so important, why did you buy an automatic to start with? I didn't buy the car, it was given to me, so this has become another project car in my collection. I have the mechanical skills to do the job, however I wanted to gather what engine components are different between the auto and manual. I'll be making multiple trips to the yard picking up pieces until I am ready to do the entire swap.

[Whelan]

It is do-able, nothing is impossible given the time, materials and know-how.I am assuming you are pretty adept with cars and mechanics as well.The 5spd. is what you want, stay away from the 6. It is funny cause when I had my 1st gen Saturn, lots of kids with SL2's (DOHC 124hp) desired the SL1 (SOHC 110hp) 5 spd. because it had longer gearing.

[trikkonceptz]

Someone mentioned that their may be other threads on this subject. Has any member carried out this conversion? I am interested in a unique parts list for the conversion, no need to bring up price as I can manage to get it done inexpensively, I just want to prepare and gather components that aren't the physical transmission ahead of time.

[JohnC]

I have performed many engine/tran swaps, and my best advice to you would be to purchase the whole donor parts car. This way all the parts you need will be in one place and you can compare fitment as you work. When you are done there is always someone else that needs a parts car. The ideal donor would be a rear collision victim.

[Whelan]

If you haven't looked, check out http://www.matrixowners.com There may be other info there as well. The Vibe and Trix are identical for the most part with engines and drivetrains.

[northvibe]

I know of at least one to two owners on newcelica.org that have done the swap (same engine car) and it was semi labor intensive. Are you good at custom fabbing parts/welding? Im pretty sure some of that was involved in the swap... look luck and keep us posted!

[trikkonceptz]

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »I know of at least one to two owners on newcelica.org that have done the swap (same engine car) and it was semi labor intensive. Are you good at custom fabbing parts/welding? Im pretty sure some of that was involved in the swap... look luck and keep us posted!Thanks for that, I want to get to the bottom of it, because while I am capable of resolving any issue that comes up, I do not want the vehicle down for several weeks while I wait on parts ...I thought it would be a easy swap, the difficult part being mounting the clutch petal and related cables/lines and not knowing what to do with any sensors that may be attached to the auto that the manual will not have or vice versa .. If you or anyone could point to that thread I would appreciate it.

[joatmon]

I'd be surprised if there was any custom fab required, just a matter of figuring out what's different between the two and getting all the parts. I don't think anyone has compiled a complete list of parts, so if you do it, take good notes and post them up, because this has come up before and it will come up again.You probably want to get a service manual for the car, the easiest would be to download the softcopy version of the matrix manual from a link on matrixowners.com, but I prefer the actual GM manual to the Toyota manual. I know they list different part numbers for the drive axles for the auto and 5 speed vibes. The master brake cylinder in the manual also serves as the master clutch cylinder.If you are out there scrounging free parts from junkyards, keep an eye out for center console lids. The lid on your 04 is the good one, in 05 they started using a one piece lid, and 05+ owners seem to want all the earlier version dual lids that can be found.