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Manual gearbox conversion

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Manual gearbox conversion

Postby andy120 » Wed Jun 08, 2016 7:04 am

Hi. I'm looking for a bit of help as to how to mount the manual gearbox cross member. From my partners one (already converted when we got it) it looks like there has to be 42mm between the bottom of the chassis rail and the top bolted face of the x-member. That one has a 25mm pad welded to the rail then a bunch of spacers to make 42mm. I was aiming to do the same but have been advised, don't weld the chassis, warrant/inspectors get all bent out of shape over that, bolt it on. So what methods have others used to mount the x-member? Currently thinking thru bolting L brackets to the rail.

Many thanks
Andy
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby geeves » Wed Jun 08, 2016 3:12 pm

Only one I ever had anything to do with used adapter plates to allow the x member to be less back but still bolted to the factory mount
Sanding your knuckles before starting work can help. That way you cant skin them
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby andy120 » Wed Jun 08, 2016 3:42 pm

Currently we are thinking angle steel welded to the x-member then thru bolted to the rail. Don't quite know how we will drill those yet and work around/with the existing forward brackets.
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby geeves » Thu Jun 09, 2016 4:02 pm

If you can avoid any modification to the chassis your life will be easier at wof time. Even welding a bolt on x member seems a little close to the rules but if your wof man gets upset at least you can get another one and plan b
Sanding your knuckles before starting work can help. That way you cant skin them
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby andy120 » Mon Jun 13, 2016 11:36 am

Any idea what the chassis box thickness is? Do the bolt holes already there have nuts welded in the box?
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby andy120 » Wed Jun 15, 2016 8:01 am

I see what you mean re using the existing mount. Far easier method.
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby andy120 » Sun Jun 19, 2016 1:34 pm

Is there any tricks to the electrics on conversion? I can think of the rewiring the reverse switch, bridging the start inhibit. What else could hang me up? (96 Wizard).
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby geeves » Sun Jun 19, 2016 2:41 pm

electronic speedo Might work but might need the other sensor. Disconect the tps not that it should matter any more. Much easier than going the other way
Sanding your knuckles before starting work can help. That way you cant skin them
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby Gazza1904 » Fri Jun 24, 2016 3:09 pm

Let me know how you go with this as I'm looking at fitting a manual trans out of a 92 Jackaroo 3.1 into my 96 Wizard
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby andy120 » Sat Jun 25, 2016 5:51 pm

Ok, day 1. Chronological order. Auto selector removed. 4 screws from handbrake console (to uncover rear two screws of selector surround). 4 screws in that surround. 4 bolts and 2 screws in the plate under the selector. Disconnect the brake interlock, 1 nut and clevis like thing. Remove the 4WD selector stick, 2 bolts. R-clip off the bottom of the selector. Front jacked onto stands. Put a jack under the back of the gearbox somewhere, the cross member has to come off, 4 bolts a side + 2 14mm nuts on the mount. Move the selector on the gearbox the neutral, 3rd click from the back. Driveshafts off. All bar one bolt came off easy. The last was persuaded with cold chisel. You need to turn a wheel to rotate the universals to get at all the bolts. Bolt holding the oil cooler pipes and remove rubber hoses. We just hacked the pipes of at the gearbox end fittings. Drop the back end of the gearbox, this uncovers the bell housing top bolts. You can get at them with a heap of socket extensions thru the selector hole. Mirror and torch required. Unplug what you can (we chopped anything not cooperating) Starter motor and the other bell bolts. Remove screws from the small plate under the flywheel. 6 bolts in there from torque converter, lever the flywheel around to get them. Now the fun part. My exhaust has no flanges where it passes right to left. We let go what ever exhaust mounts we could for wiggle room. Put a jack under the motor sump and one under the gearbox front. There is a pin in the top of the bell housing what is a pain. We tied a strop around the rear flange and pulled back while crow baring the join and getting the transfer case over the exhaust and cross member. We had 3 people for this bit. That pin kept getting stuck on the flywheel. Eventually the schizer came out and dropped it onto the ground off the jacks and dragged it out. Flywheel removed and manual one went on and clutch installed. Pull out the 3 groups of wires from the gearbox. On the passenger side there is a bracket holding 3 plugs, the 2 nuts are nicely accessible in the wheel arch. We broke the clutch hard line at the bleed block. Feed the upper hard line down and reattach it to the bleed block. Mine has a second battery position making things more difficult. The block bolts thru where the bracket was. The bottom hard/flex join bolts to a small bracket right in front of you if you are sitting in the tunnel. At this point we gave up for the night soaked thru (outside in the rain with leaky tarps). ~7 hours. Probably missed a few things.
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby andy120 » Tue Jun 28, 2016 6:12 pm

Day 2 Feed the clutch line across the firewall, it goes behind the AC hoses. Gearbox in. We had it sitting on a 3 ton jack and a small one under the transfer case. Went in easy. Do front drive shaft before putting in the cross member. Rear drive shaft in. Remove the box in the pedal box area. Clutch master in followed by the pedal box.
Still working out the ABS wrinkle. Wiring changes to follow.
Wondering if the conversion was a good idea.

PS Unplugged PCM altogether speedo still works. Test drove fine. Just need to sort pedal height/stroke out. Still playing with ABS.
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby andy120 » Sun Jul 10, 2016 1:04 pm

ABS sorted.
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby geeves » Sun Jul 10, 2016 7:13 pm

what was the issue with the abs? I cant see how the trans affects the abs
Sanding your knuckles before starting work can help. That way you cant skin them
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby 96wizard » Tue Aug 02, 2016 6:47 pm

geeves wrote:what was the issue with the abs? I cant see how the trans affects the abs

Apparently there is a switch which I think screws into the transfer case which disables the ABS in 4L.
Also apparently there is a plug which can be removed from non ABS boxes and the switch screwed in.
Only got told this from a guy that replaced a manual box in a MU that had ABS with a manual box from a Jackaroo that didn't.
Interestingly he also said that engine RPM at 100 kph in 5th was 200rpm higher with the Jack box? doesn't make sense unless it was a MSG box.
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby turnturn » Tue Aug 02, 2016 8:15 pm

My understanding regarding ABS and manual gearboxes is this.

There is a switch on the gearbox that knows when you are in 1st of 2nd gear (regardless transfer box ratio selection). Between the switch and the selector rods there is also a ball bearing and a small pin (about 20mm long) that is moved by detents on the selector rods. The switch gives a yes or no signal to the ABS and this somehow changes the parameters of the ABS ECU. If this small rod, and/or the ball bearing, is missing (as mine is) or the switch is faulty the ABS ECU will give an error message. I unplugged my switch and the error went away (I will fix it one day). It seemed to be triggered by the ABS ECU getting a signal from the speed sensor of say 80kph+ but the ECU thinking that the gearbox was only in 1st or 2nd gear.

FYI the Isuzu code JE5 = ABS
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Re: Manual gearbox conversion

Postby andy120 » Wed Aug 03, 2016 6:32 am

ABS was simply the plug to the front left sensor was removed with the rest of the gearbox stuff (explained why i had a brown plug with no apparent home). I pulled the two wires out of the plastic tubing all the way back to the main plug then enclosed it in is own plastic tube and ran it back down. The ABS port was on a small bracket almost directly under the fuse box and near the bonnet catch lever.
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