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2001 Trooper Auto 4L30E to Manual AR5 w/TOD swap

74K views 142 replies 23 participants last post by  flydex28 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Well after a couple of years of owning the Trooper the auto transmission has started to go. So instead of having it replaced at a cost of $4,000, (local shop), I decided to swap it to the AR5 attached to the TOD transfer case instead.

I want to make this thread a detailed guide of sorts with links to other threads, videos, and lots of photos so that anyone else that wants to do this swap can reference this and have some of the guesswork taken out or at least get some ideas. Hopefully, it will help someone with their swap. I will keep updating this thread until I'm completely done.

Here is a list of all the parts needed for the swap:
AR5 transmission
OEM clutch kit
OEM Flywheel bolts
OEM Pressure plate bolts
OEM Rear main seal
Clutch pedal assembly (99 Trooper)
OEM flywheel (used/resurfaced)
OEM brake/clutch pedal pads
OEM clutch hard line and softline
Center console
OEM master cylinder
OEM slave cylinder
2002 trooper Manual ECU
New rubber h/p fuel lines (rear lines are too short if using the Manual hard fuel lines)

Various Nuts & Bolts you may need to buy:
Transmission:.....one - 80mm (m12x1.25)
Transmission:.....three - 45mm (m12x1.75)
Dust Shields:......two - 45mm (6mm x 1.0) and one 6mm nut.
Slave Cylinder:...two - 30mm (10mm x 1.5)
Clutch Pedal Bracket:...two - 8mm x 1.25 nuts w/ washers

I also bought a few tools for the job as well. I picked up a clutch alignment tool, 17mm 0* offset wrench, clutch bleeder, and a floor jack because I was always having to borrow one from someone.
I was trying to shoot for around $1,500 dollars but I exceeded that a little bit...closer to $2,000. I can put my costs up later if anyone wants them.
I started working on it last week and have been taking pictures, so hopefully, I can get those posted if Photobucket wants to cooperate with me.

Helpful Links:
VX 5 Speed Swap
https://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopi ... speed+swap
Has anyone put an AR5 in a 3.2 Trooper?
https://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopi ... 22&t=72724
John's Auto to Manual MUA5 Transmission Swap
https://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopi ... 22&t=49934
Hatfield's 2000 Trooper Build
https://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopi ... 1&start=50
Christmas in July! Zaphod's VX Manual Swap Thread
https://www.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic. ... 7#p5449247
Cruise Contol after Swap
Cruise Control after swap
Car-Part.com
Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

Videos:
Servicing Quick Connect / Quick Disconnect Pull Type Clutches

Bleeding a clutch by blocking the slave cylinder
 
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#27 ·
flydex28 said:
Awesome... I'm looking for some scrap metal to make a heat shield.
I ran into a potential problem today. I got the clutch pedal assembly mounted and the pedal attached to the master cylinder, but when I pushed in the clutch pedal, the clutch switch keeps popping out of its track that it slides in.
IT WILL DO THAT UN TILL YOU GET IT HOOKED UP TO THE M/C AND GET PRESSURE ON IT . THE PEDAL SWINGS TO FAR OVER CENTER , WHEN THE M/C IS BEING STOPPED BY THE PRES S BUILD UP. IT WILL STAY IN PLACE.
 
#28 ·
Ok thats a big relief.
I got to thinking, does anybody know if I am supposed to grease the pilot bearing. It is the actual OEM bearing with the seal on it and not a bushing. There seems to some disagreement here. I also read you can put a blob of grease back behind the bearing to keep it lubricated longer and prevent premature failure... not sure if that is accurate. Also do you grease the splines on the shaft... another disagreement. I am going to try to get some more work done on it in the morning.
 
#29 ·
flydex28 said:
Ok thats a big relief.
I got to thinking, does anybody know if I am supposed to grease the pilot bearing. It is the actual OEM bearing with the seal on it and not a bushing. There seems to some disagreement here. I also read you can put a blob of grease back behind the bearing to keep it lubricated longer and prevent premature failure... not sure if that is accurate. Also do you grease the splines on the shaft... another disagreement. I am going to try to get some more work done on it in the morning.
NO GREASE NEEDED IT IS A SEALED BEARING AND HAS GREASE IN IT ALL READY, HOWEVER I WOULD PUT A LITTLE BIT OF ANIT SIEZE EITHER IN THE CRANK SHAFT HOLE OR ON THE BEARING EDGE SO THATIT DOESNT RUST AND STICK TO THE CRAN K SHAFT , AND THEN ONE THE TRANS SPLINE PUT A ITTLE BIT OF ANTI SIEZE ON THE CLUTCH SPLINES TAKE A RAG AND SMEAR IT ON DOWN IN THE SPLINES JUST A VERY THIN COATING , TO KEEP THE RUST FORM CAUSING THE DISC TO STICK. AND DOD THE SAME ON THE COLLAR ON THE FRT OF THE TRANS WHERE THE THROW OUT BEARING SLIDES . JUSTA VERY THIN COATING
 
#30 ·
I already had the pilot bearing installed so I couldn't put any anti sieze on it, oh well. So anyway I did not change the rear main seal as I had originally planned. After talking to Jerry I decided that since there was no sign of oil leaking, I would leave the original (with the green sealant) in there. If I ever need to change it, I already have a new OEM replacement seal. The OEM replacement seals are a little different than the factory installed ones.
I got the clutch in as well. I cleaned up the flywheel real good with brake cleaner and got it bolted in. The FSM says to torque the bolts to 40 lb ft., but I torqued them to 45. I also applied Permatex thread sealer to the flywheel bolts before threading them in.
I then installed the clutch disk using an alignment tool I got from Rockauto for a couple dollars, and then bolted on the pressure plate. I only had 8 pressure plate bolts, but it takes 9, so I went to the store and bought a bolt and put some blue Loctite on it and used that. I think that should be ok. Those bolts I tightened to the FSM specified 13 lb ft.
 

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#31 · (Edited by Moderator)
I got the transmission and transfer case shifter plate ground down as well. The TOD transfer case will not fit to the AR5 transmission if you don't shave it down some. I took these pictures and you can see where you need to shave it down. Not the prettiest right now but I plan to clean it up some more with a Dremel before bolting it together. It does fit though. Major props for this post by buffy, took some of the guesswork out of the process: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=59041&hilit=vx+5+speed+swap

I still need to grind a little more material where that black line is so that you can remove the bolt under it. Also that bolt in the picture that is not tightened down will probably need some Loctite on it because I had to cut off most of the threads in the process.
0814161254-640x480.jpg

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0814161256a-640x480.jpg


Here it is together:
0814161253-640x480.jpg
 

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#32 · (Edited by Moderator)
Got a little more done yesterday. I bolted the transfer case and transmission together and tightened that middle shifter plate bolt down with some red loctite. I also ground down that area above the TOD unit shifter plate bolt that was partially hidden. I ground slightly too far back though, so if for some reason I ever need to remove that bolt I'll just shave some more off with a dremel or something.
0821161014-640x480.jpg


I looked at the wire harness for awhile and now am trying to figure out which wires and plugs I can eliminate completely to accomplish my goal of making the wire bundle smaller. Does anyone know what this plug is and do I need it (the wires going to it anyway)? I think its a speed sensor and the 2 wires that go to it are red and white :
 

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#33 ·
There are also wires going into these two connections (not the RMS) I want to remove if I can. The one on the left is a 4 pin connection, and the circular one on the right is a 6 pin connection. I have not removed them yet but that would be good if I could eliminate these as well.
 

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#34 ·
The two wire sensor on the transmission extension housing is the Transmission Speed sensor.
The four wire connector is for the transmission Pressure Control solenoid and TCC solenoid
The seven pin connector (6 active) is for the two Shift solenoids, Brake Band solenoid and ATF temperature.
The wires from these connectors are connected to the PCM and can be removed.
Click on image to expand.
 

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#35 ·
flydex28 said:
There are also wires going into these two connections (not the RMS) I want to remove if I can. The one on the left is a 4 pin connection, and the circular one on the right is a 6 pin connection. I have not removed them yet but that would be good if I could eliminate these as well.

HI CHRIS, I PUT THE WIRING HARNESS ADAPTER , IN THE MAIL THIS MORN TO REPLACE THE AUTO MATIC MODE SW WITH INSTRUCTIONS, ON WHERE THE ADAPTER PLUG WIRES GO . SHOULD BE THERE IN A FEW DAYS, JERRY
 
#36 ·
Thank you very much Buster and Jerry. I plan on starting on the harness this week; getting rid of wires and connectors I don't need and getting it ready for the transmission to go in. I'm getting close. I'll post more pictures as I go.
 
#37 · (Edited by Moderator)
Got the adapter in the mail yesterday. Thanks again Jerry.
This morning I removed the plastic sheathing and tape around the wire harness and removed the 6 wires that go to the round 7 pin connector. I cut them off near the starter and capped them with some heat shrink tubing. I also removed the 4 larger wires that go to the 4 pin connector. I was surprised to see that these four wires did not go thru the wire harness though; they actually are in the harness for only a few inches and then come back out and go up over the top of the engine into another connector at the top of where the bellhousing meets the engine. So while that didn't help me with making the main harness smaller, it did help in the end because I thought I was going to have to lengthen those wires to get around the new bellhousing. The really small red and white wires that go to the transmission speed sensor I didn't even bother with. I figured they were too small to even worry about, plus they went into the wire bundle farther down the line and they don't come out anywhere so they must be tied into something else or wrapped up in one of the yellow smaller bundles that run thru the harness.

Can somebody tell me what the other connector..."1st and 2nd switch" on the side of the transmission is?...Do I need to hook that up to something? The adapter Jerry sent gets connected to the reverse light switch. I read somewhere about transmissions having a 1-2 switch and a 3-4 switch but I'm not sure what they are.

Here's what I started with. You can see the 4 pin connector on the lower left and the 7 pin on the lower right:
0826160903a-480x640.jpg

Here is where the 4 pin connector comes out and goes over the top of the engine (disconnect and remove or just tie back):
0826160911-480x640.jpg

Spaghetti:
0826160917-480x640.jpg

Here is where I cut the wires from the 7 pin connector:
0826160958_HDR-480x640.jpg

Wires I removed:
0826161030-640x480.jpg
 

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#39 ·
Here is a 1-2 schematic.

The AR5 has a also backup switch to operate the backup lamps.
Pin 5 of the Transmission Range Mode Switch is +12 Vdc source for the backup lamps.
Pin 2 of the Transmission Range Mode Switch connects to the backup lamps.
Connect the AR5 backup switch between Pins 2 and 5 of Transmission Range Mode Switch connector.

The AT Neutral Safety switch is Pin 4 of the Transmission Range Mode Switch (+12Vdc crank signal) and Pin 1 of Transmission Range Mode Switch (solenoid relay)
Connect the Clutch Safety Switch between Pins 4 and 1 of Transmission Range Mode Switch connector.
Click on image to expand.
 

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#42 ·
Awesome, thank you sir. I also just found this post. Its for a Rodeo RMS, but you wrote every pin down and what it goes to. Looks the same as the Trooper. http://www.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=68134.

The Transmission Range Mode Switch is connected to a 8 pin connector designated E 53 on 2001 Rodeo 3.2L

Pin 1 Red--Switched to Pin 4 when in Park or Neutral (Energizes the Starter Relay)

Pin 2 Light Green--Switched to Pin 5 in Reverse (Turns on Backup Lamps)

Pin 3 White -- Switched to Pin 5 (+12) in Park, Neutral and Gear 1 Gear 3 (goes to PCM E-21-79 Pink/Black)

Pin 4 Yellow--+12 Vdc from CB3 10 Amp Starter Fuse with Ignition Switch in Start Position (Power For Starter Relay)

Pin 5 Light Blue--+12 Vdc from CB14 15 AMP Backup/Turn with Ignition Switch in Run/Start (+12 Vdc source)

Pin 6 Orange/Black--Switched to Pin 5 (+12) in Drive, Gear 3, Gear 2, and Gear 1 (goes to PCM E-21-78 Pink/Yellow)

Pin 7 Gray--Switched to Pin 5 (+12) in Reverse, Neutral, Drive and Gear 3 (goes to PCM E-21-79 Pink)

Pin 8 Pink--Switched to Pin 5 (+12) in Park, Reverse, Gear 2 and Gear 3 (goes to PCM E-21-77 Pink/Blue)
 
#44 ·
Hall of Fame stuff right here!

Hey it looks to me you are still using the chain case?
Why not move over to the gear driven case on the back of the Ar5?
It bolts right up to the rear of the Ar5.
 
#45 ·
lorenzo816 said:
Hall of Fame stuff right here!

Hey it looks to me you are still using the chain case?
Why not move over to the gear driven case on the back of the Ar5?
It bolts right up to the rear of the Ar5.
Thanks, Couple reasons I guess. The transmission came with the regular transfer case, but after reading some other similar posts where people did the swap with the TOD unit with great results, I figured I would try that route. I also wasn't sure if I was going to need other stuff like new manual hubs. So less cost I suppose. However I do have the original transfer case if the TOD unit ever goes out and I got a manual gauge cluster from another user on here so I wouldn't need too much more if I ever wanted to switch it out....I think anyway. Not sure if this was the best route, but sounds pretty cool.
 
#46 ·
Removed 3 few more wires from the harness this weekend (blue/white, blue/yellow, and yellow/green). These wires went into the RMS connector and came out the other side as the white, pink, and gray wires and were not needed. By removing these wires I was able to use a smaller wire loom tubing. I went from 1 inch to 3/4 inch which will make it easier to pass thru the heat shield on the bellhousing.
Here is a picture of the new RMS harness Jerry sent me and a drawing I made of it. Right now the harness is set up to bypass the clutch neutral safety by connecting the red and yellow wires, but I may end up cutting them apart and running them up to the clutch switch. As you can see in the picture the green wire goes to one side of the reverse light switch and the orange/black wire gets spliced into the blue wire and goes to the other side of the reverse light switch. (Reverse light switch is the 2 pin blue connector).
 

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#47 · (Edited by Moderator)
Next I reinstalled the bellhousing to the transmission using some blue loctite and torquing to 27 lb ft and removed the transmission mount. This made it easier to sit on the jack, plus my old mount was actually in better condition. Note the mount can be used for both the auto and the manual. Just turn it 180*. The mount is marked AT on one side and MT on the other.
I installed the throwout bearing next. Install it onto the input shaft collar using a little grease where it slides, where the fork attaches to the bearing, and a little on the end of the shaft where it slides into the pilot bearing. The bearing is sealed so no grease needed there (thanks for the info Jerry)....Do not snap it onto the pressure plate yet. I also used a little bit of anti seize on the splines of the input shaft.

I also had to make a small bracket for the fuel hard lines on the TOD case. I used the manual transmission fuel hard lines, and since I used the TOD case and not the regular transfer case, the attachment point is different. They are also mounted farther foward on the manual transmission, which means the rubber fuel lines that plug into the rear end of the hard lines were too short by like 4 or 5 inches. So I had to go down to NAPA and get new fuel injection rubber fuel line to replace them with.

The front fuel line bracket that attaches to the top of the bell housing also has to be slightly modified just a little bending to fit around the AR5 bell housing and grinding a corner off.

Here is the rear bracket I made (not the prettiest but it works and its pretty solid).
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Here is the Front Upper bell housing fuel line bracket:
Before:
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After:
0903161038a-640x480.jpg
 

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#48 ·
When bolting the AR5 to the engine, you can reuse most of the old bolts, but I did have to go buy a few new bolts because 4 of the auto bolts were a little too short. I bought 1 x 80mm (m12 - 1.25) and 3 x 45mm (m12 - 1.75) to replace the 70mm bolt with the nut and three 40mm bolts.
My brother came down to help me install the transmission, so I rented the transmission jack again and lifted the whole thing thing...transfer case and transmission together like the FSM said to do. I think if I had to do it again I might put them up separately. I'm not sure the reasoning behind installing them as one. At first we tried to install the transmission with both shifters in place but found that you cannot. I ended up removing the main shifter only and there was just enough room to lift the transmission up and bolt it into place. Took quite a bit of adjusting and wiggling to get it to go into place but we did it. Getting those top bolts in was easier than removing them, but it was still a pain. Now I just need to figure out how to get the front fuel lines in that front bracket...my hands are a little too big. But the hard part is done!!! I think I need a 1 inch body lift like Hatfield did. Probably would make life so much easier.
 
#49 ·
agree on the 1" BL.
makes working anywhere in the body front to back easier to get around and on the firewall side of the engine.

IMO, I think the FSM says to put the case up with the trans because it can make bolting together separate a b-itch, trying to fight gravity and sagging even just a mm.
I had a hell of a time trying to line up the bolts when putting my case on with the trans already on the engine. Thought I was stripping bolts, but then realized its hard to support the unit perfectly aligned to the trans output and bolt up. Had to wiggle here and there and tighten in a criss cross spaghetti pattern
best way to get the case on IMO, is to stick the bell on the ground and bolt up vertically - make sense?
 
#51 ·
flydex28 said:
When bolting the AR5 to the engine, you can reuse most of the old bolts, but I did have to go buy a few new bolts because 4 of the auto bolts were a little too short. I bought 1 x 80mm (m12 - 1.25) and 3 x 45mm (m12 - 1.75) to replace the 70mm bolt with the nut and three 40mm bolts.
My brother came down to help me install the transmission, so I rented the transmission jack again and lifted the whole thing thing...transfer case and transmission together like the FSM said to do. I think if I had to do it again I might put them up separately. I'm not sure the reasoning behind installing them as one. At first we tried to install the transmission with both shifters in place but found that you cannot. I ended up removing the main shifter only and there was just enough room to lift the transmission up and bolt it into place. Took quite a bit of adjusting and wiggling to get it to go into place but we did it. Getting those top bolts in was easier than removing them, but it was still a pain. Now I just need to figure out how to get the front fuel lines in that front bracket...my hands are a little too big. But the hard part is done!!! I think I need a 1 inch body lift like Hatfield did. Probably would make life so much easier.
This is the AR5 bolt configuration, click on image to expand.
 

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