manual tranny...

[raver_boi_88]

I recently ran into a nice lump sum of money and I was wondering if anyone has attempted to convert there vx into a manual tranny and if it is even possible. And if it is how will it affect the TOD? Please neone with info it would be greatly appreciated because I absolutley hate automatic transmissions...

[thedutchguy]

Just across the border over here in Germany there are a couple of troopers for sale with a V6 and 5 speed manual gearbox.
Like this one for 4000 euro's:
http://bilder.mobile.de/images/autos/506164/11111111192859859-1220-1136193383.bild

[MrCrowley]

I know that the Trooper base model for a number of years maybe 97-2002? had manual trannies as options and using one of these is the best way to go, and prior to that the old 3.2 had a manual option for all models. The VX was also made to accept the manual. I know the body and engine are plug and play. Where i lose technical data and knowledge is transfer case to tranny. They should bolt up, but the TOD sensors may be a hassle. Good luck if you try it! If no other way is possible, a simple TOD bypass with manually selectable modes may be the way to go here, as this would bypass all those finicky sensors and not lose AWD. Good Luch if you try it. You will have found the holy grail of VXdom! :)

[transio]

You can't go manual and keep TOD. There was a Japanese RHD VX Rally car posted here a while back that was converted to manual. So it's definitely possible. :)

[kpaske]

Just for my curiosity, does anyone know if those Troopers with the Turbo Diesels had a manual tranny option? If I were thinking about doing a drivetrain swap, that would be a combination I would look into.

[MrCrowley]

I have considered importing the 3.0 turbo diesel from canada or somewhere else close. Go figure that we are the only country in the world that doesnt get the diesel (thanks big three!). From some chats with down under Jackaroo (Trooper to Aussies) owners, the diesel has the same tranny options auto and manual. I was going to attempt this swap for the trooper, but having a turbo engine warrants some serious attention since boost can be increased, and it already has an intercooler. The diesel Trooper has a hood scoop similar to the Subaru WRX stock. They also get crazy mileage with the diesels, and tow nicely!

If anyone can prove if the manual tranny bolts to the TOD unit, I know that a manually created signal can tell the TOD unit which setting to be in based on a switch of some kind. The DCCD (Driver Controlled Center Differential) unit on the Subaru STI is the same type of unit except it has Auto/ Manual and you can select in finer units than ours how much bias front to rear you want AND a 50/50 lock. There is even an aftermarket company that offers a plug in device similar to the tranny interceptor we have that adds more range of adjustment to the DCCD. Everything is just based on what electronic signal tells the Center Diff what to do. That means we can scrap ALL sensors and have a manual adjust to the same ranges that the truck already has programmed to go to with only one input source- the driver.

[mbeach]

Still working on this (the driver adjustable TOD) -it's not as easy as you're making it out to be. I could build the circuit for myself and make it work, but it would be difficult for others to reproduce.

The DCCD in the Subaru STI and the "Grid Dancer" ATTESSA controller available for the Nissan Skyline have exactly NOTHING in common with the Borg-Warner TOD except for purpose.
Neither of those cars use a transfer case -they both have center differentials.

The manual transmission can be done in a TOD VX, it has been done by rally teams. Rather than re-invent the wheel, we need to get an undercar shot of a rally VX -so we can see if a custom adapter was made to match the tranny and transfer case together. I'm not even sure what kind of transmission it is -it could be a commonly available Getrag unit from the aftermarket -you can't tell just by looking at the stick. I had assumed that it was an MUA-5, but this seems to be unlikely.

Someone find an undercar shot of a 5-speed 'rally' VehiCROSS and we'll have our answer.

[mbeach]

Every 5-speed VX that I've managed to find pics of has skidplates covering the important bits.

The Ssangyong Rexton is available with a manual transmission and "smart" TOD.
Anyone in Malaysia/Korea/Japan/Australia able to comment?

[raver_boi_88]

indeed the tod would be a problem to by pass but it would be nice to by pass rather than get rid of it all together

[Joe_Black]

Some of the rally VX's maintained TOD with the 5-speed and had dash-selectable ratios as well, while others either locked it in 50/50 or some other ration suitable for the competition surface.

[MrCrowley]

To continue down this road we will definitely need some international input. I will do what I can to find out some info about the overseas manual and AWD system. I almost insist that it would be the same trannys used on US manual Troopers but we will need some type of proof, though. Its a shame that the Aussies didnt get too many of this truck as they would have already done this stuff for us by now. If folks down there have already done this to Troopers, it should be the same task.

As to what I was saying about the other AWD systems, I was speaking in general about the principle of having elecrical signals dictating the variable output.

[mbeach]

The 5-speed Troopers have an MUA-5 transmission which does not work with the Borg-Warner TOD transfer case. Ditto for the Opels and the Holden variants.
A peek into the cockpits of a few rally VXs (the one in the "Rally VX for sale" thread, the Bell Sports VX, the 98 Dakar VX) all show stick shifts, but no TOD interface (at least not one that I can see). These could all be MUA-5 trucks -no TOD.
Now, look at the Geolandar or Baja VX. This one has some serious work done to it everywhere. If I were looking for a high-speed TOD interface, I'd look on this one. Sure enough, a peek into the cockpit reveals a.) a stick shift, b.) a transfer case lever, and c.) a 4-position switch -hmm, I wonder what this is for?
Look here:
http://park16.wakwak.com/~kero/vehicross/baja1000/25.JPG
This is the guy we really need to look at. There should be hundreds of pictures of Hanawa's VX out there. We just need a picture of its belly.

For those who haven't seen the links, here is a great page -save it to your favorites.

http://park16.wakwak.com/~kero/vehicross/main.html

EDIT: I should note, there are two 4-position switches. The one that really draws the eye (and is labeled "torque xxx") is located next to the "fire" pull on the left side of the picture.

As for the TOD, I've decided to keep it (rather than go old-school T-case). The TOD has been proven to take a 500hp beating, plus it has a cool factor that a simple 2 or 4 T-case can't match.
I only want manual control of it sometimes.
The TOD controller (as it is coming to be known) is really not going to be that difficult to construct. We need:
A PWM generator (maybe a 8038 IC, old but effective),
A method for adjusting the frequency -we want 50 Hz, or cycles per second. This matches the TOD's 20 millisecond response time.
A means to vary the control voltage, and therefore duty cycle of the pulse width. 20% duration and lower = 2wd, 85% and higher = 4wd, and everything in between.
A nice interface to the dash display -this is proving to be the most difficult part, but it should be engineered in from the start.
There's a recent thread which outlines most of these requirements, I've just been forced to put my testing and prototyping on the back burner for the last month due to a heavier load at work.

[mbeach]

EDIT (again):
It is my belief that the above vehicle (Hanawa's Baja Geolandar VX) was converted to an automatic sometime before the 2002 season. A little Googleing will lead you to the JMOUSA (makers of hi-po torque convertors). This VX is featured with a JMO TC, meaning that the 5-speed was ditched at some point.

[Joe_Black]

I just received my Isuzu Bighorn shop manual today and it has a TREMENDOUS amount of information, including details on the 5-speed tranny (for the 6VE1 no less) and both the standard and TOD transfer cases. It even includes all the pin-outs and signaling for the TOD system as well. Very nice manual, very nice. I bought it for info on the 4JG2 and 4JX1 turbo-diesels, but it has a wealth of info.

I'll be sharing the info once I cull through to the good stuff, which unfortunately may not be until after I get back from Mexico. In the meantime, it looks like a 5-speed for us should be very "off the shelf". :)

[mbeach]

Mr. Black,
You can't sit on this -please, for the love of God, share it with us!

At least tell me where you got the shop manual.

[Joe_Black]

Mr. Black,
You can't sit on this -please, for the love of God, share it with us!

At least tell me where you got the shop manual.
LOL! Where else? eBay!

Isuzu Bighorn Shop Manual on CD (http://cgi.ebay.com/ISUZU-TROOPER-BIGHORN-PICKUP-SERVICE-REPAIR-MANUAL-CD_W0QQitemZ8028401248QQcategoryZ100942QQssPageNam eZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

[mbeach]

I just got a soft copy of the RHD Trooper manual. It's full of great stuff.

Can you say AR5!?