AU 6cyl manual conversion.

[sprjenkins]

Hey fellas, I've done a search but couldn't find anyone that has done this conversion. Would love to have a chat with someone who has and find out whether they did the work themselves, or paid someone to do it etc.

Thanks in advance, Joel

[The Monty]

GlennBA, and LG I think.

[sprjenkins]

Thanks mate

[Mark351]

Sell yours, buy a manual? Changeover would be less than the conversion nowadays.

[Mitch_]

afaik bascially same as an e-series conversion, you just need to get ford or someon to program the new ecu if its AU I Update onwards...

[sprjenkins]

program the new ecu?

[sprjenkins]

Originally Posted by DeathXR

Sell yours, buy a manual? Changeover would be less than the conversion nowadays.

Theres no way I can sell mine and get a manual series 1 forte for less than it would cost to do the conversion. Then I would have to change over my springs, shocks, CAI, exhaust, extractors. The exhaust and extractors have been cut and welded so unless i got the new car before selling my current one I wouldn't have an exhaust to put in it anyway. The manual kits gonna cost me $1450 and if theres blokes willing to lend a hand to do the change over in exchange for beer, bundy, beam and snags hopefully thats more or less it. Plus then I can sell my auto trans to get some cash back.

If I had to sell my current AU I would end up with maybe $4500 after everything it would cost me and to install all the gear on the next car.

If you then add the $1450 i would spend on the manual kit to the $4500 thats how much money I have to spend on the new car.

So if you can find me any manual AU sedan in decent nick for under 6 grand i'll buy it, otherwise there is no way in a million years its ever going to be cheaper to sell my car and buy a manual.

[Mitch_]

when you put the manual ecu in, if you au is may 99 and after the ecu will need to be setup with the keys, because they are chipped keys. to do this you'll need to take it to ford or find someone that can do it...

[sprjenkins]

hmm, going outside to check build date

[sprjenkins]

ok april 1999, does this mean any manual ecu is going to be ok?

[51OAU]

hey umm yea glennba has done it i don't think it cost him that much i think he said $300 for it all and he did it himself i think. IVe got a manual au3 forte and theres not many around and its oringinal not after market

[bodes-sh]

you also need to get your driveshaft shortened or buy an aftermarket, or a sedan manual one

[mik]

Originally Posted by sprjenkins

Hey fellas, I've done a search but couldn't find anyone that has done this conversion. Would love to have a chat with someone who has and find out whether they did the work themselves, or paid someone to do it etc.

Thanks in advance, Joel

it might pay to have a chat with ferntree gully auto parts.

[sprjenkins]

yeah the kit comes with the manual drive shaft

[AC]

I had a discussion with a workmate today... Not that i agreed with much of it.

Recons that.

The fire wall needs to be chopped and modified to put the manual in.
A different computer is needs for the box itself.
Said it would be around $4000 do complete the conversion.

He rambled for ages making it sound really hard...

[bodes-sh]

with the problems people have had with firewalls cracking you could get it strengthened, as for the ecu, you could get a manual one, or somewhere there is a list of which plugs to bridge in the auto loom to get the thermo's working properly and limp home mode disabled....
as for the cost it's usually anywhere from $1500 up, depending on the cost of parts and how much of the work you do yourself

[AC]

This biggest point i can think that didnt sound right is that, Why would Ford mass produce a car and make significant changes to the fire wall just for the difference between manual and auto. It doesnt make sense.

Surely they would make one universal firewall and fill or block off the holes that arnt required.
This is what they have rubber gromets for. To fill holes that arnt optioned with that version.
And vice versa for the auto's.

[bodes-sh]

yeah, but apparently the firewall isn't strong enough to withstand the force of a cable clutch, which is why they flex and crack

[AC]

So how do the factory fitted XR's and SR's survive ?

If it were a huge problem there'd be a huge recall id assume.

Im not arguing the point, just trying to get my head around such a major flaw...
I was really hoping to get our AU converted.
The Mrs doesnt like Auto's, And i miss the fun of a manual.

[TwistedEL]

What I have heard is that even on the factory manuals the firewall cracks over time due to the clutch

[AU dude]

You'll need a series 1 manual ecu. Series 2/3 ones wont work because of the difference between Smart lock and Smart Shield. So you will have to find a series 1 conversion.

Edit: unless it says smart shield in the rear quarter glass

[bodes-sh]

Originally Posted by 2ndOwner

So how do the factory fitted XR's and SR's survive ?

If it were a huge problem there'd be a huge recall id assume.

Im not arguing the point, just trying to get my head around such a major flaw...
I was really hoping to get our AU converted.
The Mrs doesnt like Auto's, And i miss the fun of a manual.

yeah i know what you mean, but most of them seem to be more pronounced now, years after the cars were built, they obviously didn't put enough r&d into developing a strong enough firewall.....it's still got me buggered why they put cable clutches into such new cars......i guess they figured the problem out by ba and that's why they put hydraulic in them, although i'm pretty sure some if not all el's had hydraulic, don't quote me on that tho....