05WRX 5 spd to 98 Legacy GT Wgn Auto 5spd conversion

I will try to document everything here and make things comprehensive for future swappers. Hopefully I have everything. The only thing I was not sure about is which drive shaft to use. I have the auto drive shaft that is on it, and I also have the sedan manual drive shaft. Neither of those fit; I later found out you have to use a full size wagon driveshaft that has a 5 spd from the factory.

 

I bought the swap from millennium auto on NASIOC. It was $1800 and included almost every thing minus the trans harness, sensors, pitchmount/bracket, and slave cyl. I found a donor 02 wrx and got all that stuff from it.

I will have pics of the goodies up soon.

Here is a pic of the wagon:

Its mods are:

3 angle valve grind

twe spring and retainers

new HG's

accel 8mm wires

NGK iridium plugs

Perrin LW pulley

Whiteline lateral links

04 Pink STi struts w/ black springs

some JDM goodness

215/50/16 BFG G-force sport A/S tires

05 OBS Enkei wheels

07 WRX 4 pot front brakes

07 WRX 2 pot rear brakes w/ hub conversion

Goodridge SS lines

2.5" straight pipe exhaust (no cats)

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=108&pictureid=782

Here are the goods.

2005 wrx trans rebuilt by Millenium.

2005 rear diff

pedals and lots of other stuff.

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and the shop

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Got the rear diff out, as well as the drive shaft, all 4 axles, exhaust, and heat sheild. 5 spd trans is in. Removed the auto and flex plate from the engine. Installed new 2 peice flywheel with exedy stage 2 clutch.

The only problem with using the 05 trans is the bell housing had 6 bolts (vs 4 from the 98). I took a 12mm bolt and made a 4" long stud. I then tapped the lower starter hole in the 5 spd trans with a 12mm 1.5 tap. I didn't tap all the way through the trans so my stud would have a stopping point. Then, I inserted the stud with some loctite on it into the trans. I had to drill the hole in the starter a little larger to fit over the stud, but everything is good now. Some people drill and tap the block, but I thought this was easier and since the auto is set up this way, it is proven to work.

The pedals were a PITA. You have to remove pretty much everything from under the dash. I didn't disconnect anything, but just unbolted and tied up out of the way. The new pedal box is a lot bigger then just the old brake pedal. The clutch portion of the box fits through the holes in the firewall where that black plug is next to the brake master cyl. The clutch master cyl bolts to that. replace all electrical stuff in a new home under the dash.

Manual trans went in like butter. SOO much more room under the car now. The auto is gigantic and I should be saving about 100-150 lbs from this swap as well. The bolt holes for the x member are by the control arm bracket. They had rubber plugs in them. These are a fine thread. 12x1.75. I used 30mm long bolts with a large washer on them. The two holes f or the shifter assy are also plugged up by where the shifter is. They are standard 8mm x 1.50 IIRC.

I used sedan axles. The 05 axles have exciter rings on them for the ABS. Our cars have a diff set up. These rings on the axle have to be removed. A punch and hammer makes quick work of that though. The reinsert into the car as normal.

The wiring was a little tricky. The 4 eat has 100x87597657 wires going to it. You only need 4. 2 for reverse, and 2 for neutral safety. There are also 2 wires that come off of the little switch on the shifter that allow you to get your keys out and I have heard turn on the fuel pump.

The 4 wires you need come off of the trans inhibitor switch selector harness. I used the factory pig tail tail and cut all the wires off of it except the 4 I need. This makes for a cleaner install and you can still unplug the trans from the harness. The pin numbers are 9-12 (9, 10, 11, 12) on the harness side of that plug.

9, and 10 are for the reverse lights. Plug them into the 5 spd reverse switch on the trans. It is the white switch at the back of the trans. There is a black switch on the trans as well, but we dont need it. IDK what it does. Mine must be bad because even w/ a mutimeter I couldnt get continuity out of it. I let it hang.

11 and 12 are for the Neutral Safety switch. I plugged them into the clutch pedal switch. There are 2 switches on the clutch pedal. The bottom switch is for cruise control dis engagement. You dont need to use that one. The top one is the NS switch. When you puch the clutch pedal down it closes the switch and completes the circut. Clutch is out circut is open and cruise works.

Use your old vehicle speed sensor. The newer VSS's have 3 prongs. Ours only have 2. They look diff but are a direct swap. You will have to extend the harness a bit to make it reach. Also, there is a little metal peice that goes inside of the VSS. Ensure this swaps over with the sensor. It falls out of the switch very easy.

Here is the bolt I made into a stud for the starter.

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Trans is in

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This is the bolt hole by the control arm for the x member

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Here is wiring harness part you use. The 4 wires come from this plug.

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The black wires are the NS switch. I routed them through the speedo cable hole to the pedal.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/iluvdrt/DRTY%20autosports%20projects/IMG_5520.jpg

Here is the NS switch on the clutch pedal. It is the black wires with elec tape.

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Here is the speed sensor switched over from the auto.

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The little black switch on the shifter is what you need to splice together. This lets your key out. I have heard it also closes the relay for your fuel pump.

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Here is the pedals w/ everything tucked up

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interior shots:

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Here is the wiring schematic from the FSM. I have added notes.

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Got the slave cyl installed. I had to use a hard line because noone sells a metric banjo bolt. I hope it doesnt break. Ill try to get a nice stainless line soon. I bled the clutch with a one man bleeder. It was SOOO easy and only took a few minutes. I highly rec getting one. It was $6 at Napa.

*Stolen pic from google images to illustrait the bleeder*

http://www.the-engineers-garage.com/130_3011.JPG

You just fill up the clutch master cyl, break the bleeder loose, and pump the pedal until no more air bubbles are in the clear line. Leave the pedal down, close the bleeder screw and pump it up. Done. Takes 5 min.

Installed the starter. The homemade starter stud worked like a champ.

I finished installing the intake plumbing and pitchmount assy as well. The top of the car is DONE.

I started her up and I did get a CEL. P1702. Basically it wants to know where the auto is. I told it it was on a pallett, but it didnt listen. I got the FSM out and with a little research found out that all ECM's for auto's and sticks are the same. There is an identifier pin you have to have to ground out to tell the car it is no longer and auto. Ill do that tonight and she should be all ready for the driveshaft to get here.

I finally found a driveshaft. The ONLY one that fits a lego or outback wagon is a lego or outback wagon 5 spd driveshaft. This is the 3rd driveshaft I have based on the rec's of fellow NASIOC'ers. But it should be here very soon. That is all that is left.

OK my ECU code was fixed. On the ECU's there is a pin that tells the ECU there is a 5 spd or an auto. There are no diff's between the 2 ecu's. In order for me to tell the ECU I no longer had a 5 spd I had to ground out pin#81. This is the MT/Auto ID pin. All I did was take a small connector that had a few pins in it. I removed a pin from the connector and inserted it into the ECU plug. I then grounded it out to the ECU mount.

 

CEL Gone.

 

Here is a list of ECU pinouts. They are on RS2.5.

 

http://www.rs25.com/forums/f72/t98804-ecu-pinouts-legacy-impreza.html

 

I filled the trans with 3 pints of synpower 75-90 and 1/2 pint of shock proof. The rear diff got GL5.

 

I am still waiting on my driveshaft to arrive, and then it is time for the madien voyage.

excellent. sounds like alot of work, some fabrication, and plenty of wiring that I don't know anything about, but damn. great write up...makes me wanna go spend a weekend doing this. how long has it taken you to this point?

I want to do this sooooo bad but my dad isn't budging very easy on the idea.

 

+1 on the time it took you?

excellent. sounds like alot of work, some fabrication, and plenty of wiring that I don't know anything about, but damn. great write up...makes me wanna go spend a weekend doing this. how long has it taken you to this point?

 

It really isnt a lot of work, and depending on what 5 spd you buy it isnt that expensive. I spent the $1800 because I had it, but I found others for around $800. I am sure you could peice it together for a lot cheaper.

 

If I had had the correct driveshaft it would have only taken a weekend (10-12 hour days). I have been waiting on a driveshaft for about 20 days....so I guess almost a month LOL. Finding a 5 spd wagon driveshaft is actually pretty hard, especially in NC where the only Subaru's are WRX/STi's.

 

I had all the wiring and mechanical stuff done though in about 2 days. As far as wiring goes it seems like a lot but really your only messing with about 10 wires total.

I want to do this sooooo bad but my dad isn't budging very easy on the idea.

 

+1 on the time it took you?

 

 

Ill let you know whether or not it is worthy here soon. Maybe if you got into auto-x or track days (assuming you dont) you could use that to justify the swap. With the manual you will have a lot more control over the car then with a conventional automatic. In addition, I expect maintenance costs to be lower and fuel economy to go up; not that that is the reason I did the swap.

 

Off the top of my head the parts you need are:

 

-Any EJ trans and matching diff

-Shifter assy

-tranny x member

-driveshaft

-front axles

-slave cylinder

-slave cyl master cyl

-pedal box (you dont even need the gas pedal unless you want them to match the rest)

-a little extra wire, splices and tape

-flywheel/bolts

clutch assy

-RTV (to re-seal the crankcase breather plate behind the flexplate, they always leak)

-Maybe a tap and drill for the starter hole stud/bolt

- a few misc bolts for the new hardware youre bolting up

-manual starter

 

Thats about it.

replace the breather plate with one for a newer engine as they are metal now. might not be so prone to leaking. funny, it looks like i have almost all this stuff left over from putting the 06 gt turbo drive line in my 98 outback. why did you need axles? aren't they the same auto and mt?

 

tom

replace the breather plate with one for a newer engine as they are metal now. might not be so prone to leaking. funny, it looks like i have almost all this stuff left over from putting the 06 gt turbo drive line in my 98 outback. why did you need axles? aren't they the same auto and mt?

 

tom

 

Good to know about the breather. I used an industrial RTV to seal it. I dont think it will ever leak, or come off ever again LOL.

 

The R160 rears are all the same assuming your diff has female axle inserts and not stub shafts for the EJ engines. The older EA models used different axles for the LSD diffs vs open.

 

As for the fronts the auto's are shorter because the the trans itself it a little wider. Also IIRC the stub shafts on the trans are diff sizes in diameter as well as the spline count.

 

Visually though the auto axles are noticably larger in diameter. They are a much beefier axle than the manual.

Got my driveshaft done. I ended up taking it to a machine shop and had the stock one legnthened with a 5 spd tail shaft installed. Works great.

 

I am very impressed with the how the power delivery and control is achieved with this swap. It is a new car, completely transformed. Anyone who is considering this swap needs to do. I dont know how much time I have lost on my racing (Auto-x) but normally I am about 13 secs slower then the fastest guy, now I am only 5-6. Ill go to the 1/4 mile and see what kind of diff is there as well. My previous attempts were a 17.1 @ 89. Ill get some dyno numbers as well. My best was 121hp/120tq with a drop in filter, some minor head work, Perrin LWP, and 2.5" exhaust.

 

It will be nice to how the numbers change now the power delivery is more linear.

now you need to install a turbo engine....

tom

Got my driveshaft done. I ended up taking it to a machine shop and had the stock one legnthened with a 5 spd tail shaft installed. Works great.

 

 

Do you know the process they used to lighten it and how they did the tail shaft?

Do you know the process they used to lighten it and how they did the tail shaft?

 

 

It didnt get lightened, it got lengthened (sp?).

 

The tail shaft and lengthening were done on a lathe with a mig welder. The basically cut the old welds off with the the lathe and install the tail shaft and a longer pipe on it, then weld it up. No balancing necessary on the lathe. It keeps everything perfectly straight.

 

This is the 3rd driveshaft I have had these guys make for me and everyone of them has been outstanding.

now you need to install a turbo engine....

tom

 

 

I will go turbo when this engine dies. Until then my 25D runs great with 205K on it and I am happy with its performance (or lack thereof).

bah, bad timing... I happen to have a 5MT wagon driveshaft and need a 5MT sedan driveshaft

LOL sorry man. The sedans was chopped to get the right diff flange for mine.

Well this was a little overdue for an update so here it is.

 

So basically after the swap I had a few problems with electrical componets.

 

-fuel gauge would not work with car off and read 1/4 tank low

 

P0130 O2 sensor fault

P1507 IAC fault

P1101 NSS fault

 

Stumbling when taking off, bogging down when I rev matched my shifts, poor fuel milage, stalling. So I went back to the drawing board.

 

I traced all the O2 sensor wires and they appeared good. I wasn't getting voltage from the ecu though and it wouldnt go to closed loop.

 

I saw a TSB for the 1507 and 1101 codes and how they were related, so I started with those two to try and get rid of the two codes first.

 

Looking at the ecu pin outs the NSS is on pin 82 which is pin 12 (blue w/red) on the auto tranny inhibitor switch (also used to start the car). The way I see it, is

 

Pin 12 on the inhibitor switch comes from pin 82 on the ecu and is hot from the ign switch on the auto (blue w/red) . The ecu its self also produces 5v from the same pin.

 

Pin 11 on the inhibitor switch goes to pin 86 on the ECU and is used to energize the starter (yellow w/ black).

 

Currently, these two wires are spliced together so the car will start..like it was in N or P.

 

I was thinking pin 12 on the inhibitor switch (the blue w/red) would also need to go to the NSS then to ground so that whenever the car is in gear it is grounded....BUT...

the start circut is intertwined with the NSS circut on my car from the factory, so basically, when the car starts (with the auto), the ecu knows it is in N. When you put it into gear, it knows it is now in D.

 

All I had to do was find the jumper wire between those 2 circuts which were at pin 82 on my ecu. I cut the ign switch wire off of the NSS wire (basically cut the wire coming off pin 82 on the ecu in half). I ran the NSS wire (the one coming from the ecu) to my switch then to a ground. The ign wire (the left over from the cutting) I just capped off by the ecu ( this was the jumper wire. it has no voltage now).

 

I ran wires 11 and 12 from the auto harness to my clutch pedal so the car will only start with the pedal down, like I did originally.

 

Now the cruise works, and the car stays in closed loop while driving (it used to just stay in open). My fuel gauge works now, and my O2 sensor code (P0130) is gone as well. I can watch the voltage from the O2 and it is perfect.

 

The car runs great now, no more bogging to rev match and stuttering when taking off. It's like a new car.

 

So in short, this little endevor fixed all the problems at once. In a nut shell the NSS (neutral posiiton switch) tells the ecu when it is in gear and when it is N. The ecu will not go closed loop if it thinks it is in N, and it will try to control the idle (rpms) when you are driving (the ecu doesn't know you are driving because it is stuck in N, hence the P1507 and P0130 codes). Because the fuel gauge shares the same ground circut as the NSS, when the car was off the voltage going to the fuel sending unit was instead sent to ground instead of the unit it's self because of the factory jumper. Once the jumper is removed all the circuts are isolated again.

 

So after ALL of that I have put about 5K on the car now and it is great. I even drove it from NC to CO without a glitch. If anyone needs further help explaining this just PM me your phone number and I'll walk you through it.

Thanks for the great write up! Ive been gathering parts for my own and now know precisely how it should go down.

well done sir. If I ever have 5K to blow this is where it's going.

Thank you so much for this write up. I did a swap on my 2001 and the wiring in that is still not correct, but its good enough for now. I will be doing a swap on my 1998 outback bc the auto is dying. How did you get the abs to work? is your trans control module still plugged in? On the third gen the ABS signal went through the TCM but it idled high when it was plugged in. Long story short I plugged in only one of the 2 TCM plugs and the ABS works, and it doesnt idle high. Was just wondering if you ran into anything like that