Full write-up on converting Vanagon from auto to manual

[uberaudi]

I'm almost finished with my manual conversion and wanted to clear up any confusion (that I had) about the reverse switch wiring.

When you pull down the wiring from the auto selector box you have five wires. Two larger diameter red wires, a small brown, black w/ blue tracer, and a black with grey tracer wire. Connect the two larger red ones together. The brown is just a ground so tuck it back up into the loom. The black with blue tracer is indeed the wire that leads to the reverse lights in the junction box. The black with grey tracer comes out of the D16 position of the fuse box and through fuse 15 (reverse lights). This is 12v when the ignition is on.

So. Run both the black/blue wire and the black/grey wire back to your reverse switch on your manual tranny and that's it, you're done. Plus you're still using the proper fuse position if anything comes up down the road and you need to troubleshoot.
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'84 Adventurewagen 1Z Tdi, '89 Tintop ABA, and a 86 Syncro tintop WBX.

[jlaudin]

Earlier in the summer, Ken at Van-Again in New Jersey put out an email saying he had a limited supply, knowing I-was going to do this project, I snagged one. Give him a call or leave a voicemail to see if he has any left.

[ALIKA T3]

Where did you find a brand new Vanagon brake booster?
I've been working on adapting something to offer up for the Vanagon, but plug and play is better...
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Silicone Steering Boots and 930 Cv boots for sale in the classifieds.
Syncro transmission upgrade parts in the Classifieds.
Subaru EJ22+UN1 5 speed transmission
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=416343
Syncro http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4...num+gadget

[jlaudin]

I am currently in the thick of this conversion using the instructions provided by original poster. I would like to add a couple of tips to help other’s avoid “gotcha’s” that I encountered.
Make sure donor tranny has the clutch lever arm VW part number 251-141-713b. Without it you are screwed as they have been extinct for 15 years. Also there is a difference between above part number for diesel and petrol versions.
If using later style master and slave cylinders with banjo fittings, the hole in the “firewall” is too small to fit either end of a soft banjo hydraulic hose. I opened up the hole with a hole saw.
I did invest in aftermarket repair kits for each joint in the shift linkage, from rebuilding shifter mechanism to all the joints and boots on the shafts for peace of mind.
Also taking opportunity to rationalize all the accessory wiring cobbled on over the years, adding sound dampening behind the dash, replacing brake booster and getting a new gas tank and replacing fuel lines from a-z. Plus cleaning the grime from behind the dash and in the engine compartment and redoing the insulation for hot foot syndrome. And wirebrushing and painting shift rods and parts. It’s nicer to work with clean parts even though it takes time. This is a job you don’t want to hurry. Also, have a zen like patience while waiting for parts. Hard to anticipate ahead what you need until you are in the thick of it.

[Zeitgeist 13]

I think you can flip the R&P around on those for rear engine configurations. I'd also want a real engine to go along with a Porsche trans...or any trans.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[danfromsyr]

the 914 5speed will only fit in a vanagon when you put it in the sliding door.

think about it, where is the engine orientated to the transaxle?

[dobryan]

[MaryvilleAirCooled]

Hi all,

I'm thinking about purchasing a 1990 Vanagon that currently has a 2.2L Subaru that was swapped some time ago. It has an automatic transmission, but the transmission has some fault that prevents it from driving.

Long story short, what all would I need to complete a manual swap? I have Porsche 914 5 speed, and I could come up with your average run-of-the-mill 4 speed.

Is there anything else needed that would be different, as apposed to the factory 1.9L?

Would any of the wiring be different for this application?

Thanks.

[MarkWard]

Glad to help. Felt bad about muddying up this thread. In my project I need to relocate wiring for backup lights, fuel pump, fuel sender, and to bypass neutral safety switch.
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[slackin' at work]

[MarkWard]

Hello, the black wire with the blue tracer is the power lead to the backup lights. If you add power to that connection, the backup lights should light.

So at a minimum, you'd need to run power to the backup light switch on the transmission on one connector and extend the blue black wire to the other pin on the backup light switch.

I can't say specifically for your van, but you should be able to find a connector for the backup lights in the wire box l/f of engine compartment and key on power, so no need to run wires from the front of the van if that makes sense.
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[slackin' at work]

funny that this thread got resurrected just a few days ago,
so I figure I'll post it here.

Im at the point of wiring for the backup lights. which wire is it?
the post below asked the question, but was never answered.

Im assuming the the single wire with the connection, but in the descriptions everyone is saying to run the "wires" to the rear... so now Im not sure.

thanks all.

[MarkWard]

My guess is towards the end of the vanagon era, they may have been using up whatever was laying in inventory.

Now what I did not take into account, is my carpet has a square notch in it where the autostick cover attached. Will need to deal with that at some point.

Thanks for documenting this. It's a good reference.
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[Dogberry]

Well that's why I asked if I was understanding you properly. No problems here at all other than there are caveats to the process. Your bracket is obviously different. Because you were mentioning syncro it confused me which is sometimes easy to do. My personal experience and the several conversions I have consulted on indicate the cast bracket is the norm. I wonder where that stamped bracket came from? Is it perhaps from an early Vanagon retrofitted into a 90 2WD? Anyway, glad you've worked it out. I guess the lesson here for me is if someone is considering this then determining which bracket you have is part of the process. Personally I'm glad to have have this new information.

PS: My 91 Vanagon is right towards end of the Vanagon production run and it has the cast cluster bracket, same as the 85 manual donor I salvaged from.
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91 Westy

[Zeitgeist 13]

Wow, I thought the stamped pedal assemblies were only used on the early vans. I guess you could just weld a bracket on there for the clutch master.

I think when I convert my van from manual to auto, I'll just cut the clutch pedal off with a grinder and thus avoid the bother of pulling that assembly--which is a major PITA with the dash in situ.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[MarkWard]

Dogberry, in the last picture I posted, the pedal cluster in the foreground is from a 90 2wd automatic. It is stamped sheetmetal and does not have a provision for the clutch master cylinder to mount. Nothing cloudy about it.

The pedal cluster in the back ground is cast aluminum and has the provision for the clutch master cylinder to mount.

I did not mean to cloud up a concise how to thread, but actually did my due diligence by searching the FAQ and asking about my 90 Automatic pedal cluster because it did not have a provision for the clutch master cylinder.

ETK does show only one part number for all vanagons, manual 2wd, automatic 2wd and syncros. It is only the factory manual that shows a picture that I posted above with a single pedal stamped sheet metal pedal bracket. Something changed in some of the later model vanagon 2wd automatics.

My guess would be after the run away automatic Audis, that VW changed the late model vanagon automatic pedal cluster to move the brake pedal away from the gas pedal some.

So, I may have clouded this thread with my question and findings, but if at some point somebody else is doing a conversion in either direction, it is worth noting. Thanks for understanding. Mark
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[Dogberry]

There is something going on here that is fogging up an otherwise concise thread about auto to manual conversions. I know empirically that the pedal bracket and pedals are exactly the same in late model automatic and manual 2WD vanagons. You mentioned your manual doner is a Syncro? I know nothing about that so must defer to your experience. The point being is that 2WD auto to 2WD manual is exactly as David and others on this thread have outlined. BUT if using a Syncro doner it's a different ballgame. So future visitors to this thread understand, use a 2WD doner or be prepared for a more extensive retrofit. Not that it can't (obviously!) be done
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91 Westy

[MarkWard]

Update, I pulled the pedal cluster from the 90 vanagon automatic and the pedal clusters are not the same even though there is only one part number.

Side by side.

If you are converting from automatic to manual, you may need the pedal cluster from the manual shift vanagon. The automatic cluster does not have a mounting ear for the clutch slave cylinder.

Edit: The brake pedals are bent differently between the automatic and manual vanagons.

I have successfully moved the entire pedal cluster assembly from the syncro donor into the 90 auto camper. Dashboards needed to come out of both vans.
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[MarkWard]

Despite ETKA and the info on this thread, I pulled the pedal support from the donor syncro. It is cast aluminum, looks identical to ETKA.

I then went out to the automatic and sure enough with a mirror and a flashlight, the pedal support bracket is made out of stamped sheet metal and does not have the provision for a clutch master cylinder as pictured above.

I am not at that point of installing the clutch pedal assembly in the automatic, but wanted to get the pedal support out of the syncro while it was in the shop. So, I will be having to swap this bracket in to the automatic camper to support the clutch pedal and master cylinder. I will post a picture when I have the automatic pedal support out. The automatic vanagon was built 11/89. I checked later and earlier years and nothing shows up as a pedal support bracket for any automatic vanagons.
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[MarkWard]

David, I was on my iPhone when I replied and it has very tiny print for my old man eyes. Oops Dogberry thank you for your insight. I'll post up photos of what I find. I sure don't see the aluminum ear hanging down that the clutch slave attaches to like I see on the syncro.

Having driven both our 82 camper with manual steering and a manual transmission and this 90 camper with power steering and an automatic, my preference for in town driving and being stuck in a traffic jam around Atlanta would be the 90. Plus done up correctly, it seems the automatics are better suited for upgrades in power and torque for the long run.

It won't matter for this donor, because it is well on its way to being a syncro. No turning back now.
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