VT_Maverick's 5 Speed Swap

[bartmanS4]

I will be doing this swap this summer, if I can get all the parts together in the next few weeks. Any help would be much appreciated. The only part I am unclear on is the wiring. Anyone have a great source, or search engine for finding a '99 manual Trooper?

'98-01 Trooper S models are your source vehicles. If you get a '00-01 you'll need to source the ECU separately since the later models have a different computer setup. Easy to tell though as the correct ECUs are located where our are under the dash, the wrong ones are in the engine bay.
Wiring is actually pretty easy. All you need to do is jumper out the thick wires at the mode switch connector M-25 1 to 4 to bypass the need to have the brake on when starting. Hook up the reverse light switch on the AR5. Connect pins 1 and 12 of the cruise control module through the normally closed clutch switch.

[LittleBeast]

Is the "S" part crucial? I have found some '99 Manual Troopers in TX, but I guess I need to call them to see if they would sell the entire vehicle (if it hasn't been picked apart yet). Is there a specific Junk Yard search that I should be using? Or just call and ask questions?

[eternal21]

Is the "S" part crucial? I have found some '99 Manual Troopers in TX, but I guess I need to call them to see if they would sell the entire vehicle (if it hasn't been picked apart yet). Is there a specific Junk Yard search that I should be using? Or just call and ask questions?

I usually visit car-parts.com It has served me well over the years. The model variation is b/c some of them didn't come w/TOD, so the ECU/ECM will be different. Make sure to ask about TOD.

[bartmanS4]

Is the "S" part crucial? I have found some '99 Manual Troopers in TX, but I guess I need to call them to see if they would sell the entire vehicle (if it hasn't been picked apart yet). Is there a specific Junk Yard search that I should be using? Or just call and ask questions?

No, the S model is just the only models that came with the manual option I think. If you found a manual you're good to go.

[eternal21]

No, the S model is just the only models that came with the manual option I think. If you found a manual you're good to go.

Dunno, man....this is an S and it's an auto www.ebay.com/itm/Isuzu-Trooper-S-/131493001528

[bartmanS4]

Dunno, man....this is an S and it's an auto www.ebay.com/itm/Isuzu-Trooper-S-/131493001528

I'm not saying all S models are 5 speeds. I'm saying I believe all 5 speeds are S models.

[eternal21]

I'm not saying all S models are 5 speeds. I'm saying I believe all 5 speeds are S models.

"I see," said the blind man to his deaf son.

[Buffy]

I would recommend an additional item for anyone doing this swap and that is the fuel line that runs from the back of the engine to the rear of the trans. This is a hard line that routes around the trans and is different for the two models. You can bend the lines by hand but the correct lines make for a cleaner install. Just my two cents.....

[LittleBeast]

Gotcha. So that line will meet up at the fuel filter connection on the passenger side? How hard is that to remove with the tranny out? Is the connection on the engine side accessible through the hood easily?

[Buffy]

The line will connect at the back of the engine with rubber lines then turns to hard lines that run along the trans then back to rubber lines behind the transfercase. It connects at the same locations as the auto lines. Pain to take out when engine and trans is int the car but is a breeze to replace with the trans out of the car.

[eternal21]

The lines are connected to each other by brackets, which are welded to the lines. A couple of those brackets are used to bolt the lines to the tranny housing. They are basically shaped to run along the tranny, and since the tranny shapes are different, the line shapes are, too. I tried to use the auto lines to save time, but there wasn't any feasible way I could see them fitting, so I went ahead and swapped them.

You'll also need the 5MT Y-pipe that connects both sides of the header.

[LittleBeast]

I am still searching the vast Internet for any signs of a donor vehicle, this is a harder search then I thought it would be. Most of the Troopers I am finding are autos. Wonder what the percentage was of each?

[eternal21]

I am still searching the vast Internet for any signs of a donor vehicle, this is a harder search then I thought it would be. Most of the Troopers I am finding are autos. Wonder what the percentage was of each?

Last weekend my buddy and I went to look at a parts Trooper for his Trooper, and the guy asked if we were the guys from Houston that had called to see if it was a manual *lol*. I told him nope, but I know who it was *lol*.

It was by the grace of God that I found what I needed. I had been looking off and on for months, and the exact Sunday I decided that I was going to go all in, one appeared on Craigslist *that morning* in San Antonio that had been wrecked the night before. I had it in my garage the next day. So while I can't comment on the ratio, I know they're scarce.

[LittleBeast]

Will either of these work?

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/5029538734.html

http://neworleans.craigslist.org/cto/5000578833.html

[bartmanS4]

Will either of these work?

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/5029538734.html

http://neworleans.craigslist.org/cto/5000578833.html

Definitely!