Hi guys i am new to the forum only just found out about it hahah!

Last year i moved over from having both a s pac commodore and a BA xr6 to owning a tj VRX magna. WELL! the magna is far superiour to drive in my eyes, but still the ba was good fun as it was a manual.

back on topic, my trans is starting to give way (i think), i have asked a few mechanics up here on how they are going to service the auto but none of them have any clue on what they are doing. many say we change the external filter until i have to fight with them to show that there is no external filter. and have also had many problems with them addind additives into the service when i clearly ask them to NOT put them in!

am i better off getting an auto rebuild or should i go the manual conversion.
if i were to have EVERYTHING needed for a manual conversion is there anyone who could do it for me as i am not 100% confident on taking on such an extensive challenge? or do you think i should get the auto rebuilt?

Any comments and suggestions welcome :)

cheers
Rowan

Interested to know what the auto is doing... sometimes if they are flaring between gears it can just need a solenoid. I've known of two that were fixed that way.
Now I'm no expert, but I think the autos need the internal filter cleaned and fluid changed regularly and thats about it (feel free to correct me on this somebody).

As most of the people would say here the manual conversion is a lot of fun ONCE ITS DONE ;)
I've done a couple on rear wheel drives before and this is twice the job so don't take it on unless your pretty confident.

A lot of fun in manual compared to auto... although I had the 4 sp straight shifter. Wheel spin out of corners in second which never happened with auto.
Tried doing 0-100 the other night and just flat wheel spin to 50kph -entire first gear. I'd hate to think what they'd do with 200kw

If you can afford to do conversion comfortably I'd say do it for sure - as long as you can get a good box and clutch. If you are broke (like me) I'd try to sort out the auto and use it a bit longer.

Flush the transmission and see if that fixes it.

While the car still drives, drive to Melbourne and get Madmagna (Mits-fix) to do it. He can supply and fit the kits. Plus he knows his stuff, and even with fuel/accommodation factored in, he's likely to remain competitively priced compared to getting it done locally.

Like dreggzy said though, a fluid flush might fix it. Just buy genuine fluid so you know it's done properly.

manual all the way. Autos are rubbish.

Amen Dave!

For once we see eye-to-eye! MANual FTW!

Doing a manual conversion on the magna isn't as easy as a rwd due to lack of access. It's not incredibly difficult but you do need some mechanical knowledge to do it... and lots of time and patience! I've done a few now and it's more time consuming and tedious than it is difficult. If you've never done anything like it before, then I'd recommend getting it done professionally or contact someone who's done it before. I know a few SA boys have done manual conversions I'm just not sure if they personally did it or paid someone. You might just be able to bribe them with a bit of grog, food and cash :P

OP - when it comes to transmission faults, usually a flush with genuine fluid does wonders. The trick is to use genuine fluid and properly flush the transmission - there is a guide on Autoweb on how to flush a verada auto transmission. The filter for the TJ's were internal so that you cannot replace them without a strip-down, rather you can clean it well run through a few rounds of oil and flushing. Search for threads and there's plenty of info on how to do it - if you look for it :)

When flushing, retain the oil and look for any bits of metal. If you find largish pieces that are thin and bent then the wave spring could already been broken and is making its way through the transmission. Often the spring chews gears as it drops down.

If you want to keep it auto, then I'd recommend fitting up a external transmission cooler. The stock setup (bottom part of the radiator) is barely adequate so an upgrade helps keep the transmission cooler and runs better.

Otherwise auto transmission issues can be caused from a faulty solenoid or even coolant leaking on the ecu. These gearboxes can die from some parts failing - mostly the wave spring, oil pump or planetary gear, but there's usually little or no warning when it happens so I'm not certain you've got those mechanical issues yet.

So for now:
- Flush transmission with genuine mitsy oil
- Reset the transmission computer by removing the battery from the car for about 10 mins. Then do the re-learn procedure in the DIY know-how section.
- Fit up external transmission cooler.

There is nothing worse than performing the mundane task of shifting gears whilst fighting peak-hour traffic.

Thanks for all the replies guys!
i will definantly keep all of this in mind and take it on board :)

I am considering moving back home wih my parens to geelong, VIC as the work here, well isnt really keeping up to what i hopped.
So id be happy enough to see anyone in melbourne about all this, in which i think by oing by what has been said, Mal is the guy to see. so im guessing i will get a transmission flush then :)

In regards to solenoids is there anyway to check?

i would love a manual again but i think it wll be quite pricey. does anyone have a ROUGH idea as to what im looking at? again, if the transmission needed to be rebuilt and the manual conversion was similar pricing, then id definantly do the conversion.

To source a gearbox from the wreckers would be between $150 and $450. To install and do all the tasks necessary for it to work would be dependant on the installer. I' sure another member can give you a rough estimate of the time it takes. Keep in mind that there is much more that needs to be done to the car other than the gearbox itself. The ECU would need to be replaced (can someone confirm that?), the shifter would need to be changed and/or sourced, the clutch pedal would need to be installed. The flywheel would likely need to be machined. You would also need to make a decision on whether to keep the stock clutch or to go with a heavy duty one such as an Exedy HD, which would be a significant extra cost should you choose to go down that path.

The auto however, if you source another gearbox the same as yours, it would be a relatively simple swap (I am intending on doing one myself this weekend). It would effectively bolt on.


There is nothing worse than performing the mundane task of shifting gears whilst fighting peak-hour traffic.

:yeahthat:

In a big way.

thanks for the reply dreggzy!

say i were to have sourced EVERYTHING , just how much do you think id be looking at in labor?

ECU will not require replacement.

Pedal box, Lines, driveshafts, box, clutch, flywheel etc.

It'd definitely be a few hours labour.. If you're handy it can be done at home with a few mates over the weekend.

Wouldn't plan anything with the car that weekend though.. That way you make sure it's all 100%

SuFz

Big job,took a gun mechanic who knows magnas inside and out ,and myself ,about 11 hours to do it..

....mind you ,we were distracted a lot that day lol....no ecu change required either.

There is nothing worse than performing the mundane task of shifting gears whilst fighting peak-hour traffic.

So true, anyone that prefers a manual never drives in heavy traffic, to say autos are rubbish is a pretty stupid thing to say when about 60 % or more cars are autos

So true, anyone that prefers a manual never drives in heavy traffic, to say autos are rubbish is a pretty stupid thing to say when about 60 % or more cars are autos

I live in inner Sydney.

Autos are boring as batshit. Those who prefer to drive like zombies with druel hanging from their mouth as the car shifts gear for them have no interest in cars whatsoever. In my honest opinion.

Completely agree that manuals suck in traffic. If I drove in traffic a lot I would go for a tippy every time.
I drive half hour through the hills to work and back every day, auto sucked, manual makes it fun.

Anyone know what % of TJ's were auto? 95%?

I live in inner Sydney.

Autos are boring as batshit. Those who prefer to drive like zombies with druel hanging from their mouth as the car shifts gear for them have no interest in cars whatsoever. In my honest opinion.

:bowrofl:

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PS1Z4-oxAUE/0.jpg

In most cases, (apart from DSG gearboxes) auto's are for function and comfort. That is why they were invented and introduced. This is changing with new DSG style auto's but other than that - almost all of the time -manual equivalent cars are faster and more fun, however this isn't always the concern of city dwellers, which mind you is where the majority of the people live. It's not so much that auto's aren't 'rubbish' but they're more suitable for a large audience, most of which don't care about driving dynamics. Try and find proper sportscars in auto compared to their manual counterparts?

I drive heaps in traffic and I've had both manual and auto gearboxes in my magna...
For me, I'm perfectly happy to drive manual and change gears in traffic as the annoyance is easily offset by the much more fun driving experience outside said traffic conditions. Also, it keeps me far more awake and engaged while driving in traffic, otherwise I get heaps bored. But that's just me. I hated having auto and love manual. However I know others who've sold their manual cars in favour of buying auto.

It's a matter of horses for courses really. Sure, if you're driving heaps in the city in traffic and nothing else, then auto is a comfortable choice albeit lacking some power and lots of fun. (Can't beat having access to a clutch! :P )

The OP is considering a manual conversion and has driven cars in the past that were fast and manual, so I'd it appears absolute comfort driving in traffic isn't his (/her) No.1 concern.

OP - it is hard to say how much the manual conversion will cost. It'll come down to costs of labour and parts.
If you do it yourself, labour is going to be next to free. I would be putting aside around 2-3 days at least, esp if it's your first time.
However if you have to pay for someone to do it then expect a full days worth of labour, if not more. The mechanic will have to remove your auto setup, and then make some slight modifications and fit up the manual bits. Takes easily twice or three times more time than changing a clutch.
The other cost will be parts. Is there any local cheap wreckers you can the parts from? Have you considered buying a wreck off the auctions and transferring the parts? I'm sure you can find something up that way. Otherwise I believe you can buy a full kit (excluding brand new clutch) from Mitsfix for around a $1000.
Also you should definitely consider getting a new clutch - that will set you back around $600 approx.

I would say to budget around $1200 if you're going to DIY and around $2000+ with labour. Still somewhat cheaper than a 5sp rebuild which usually starts around the $2500-3000 mark. You have no real guarantee's on the longevity of manual bits whereas a full auto stripdown would be as good reassurance for rest of the gearboxes life to be trouble free. That being said, manual boxes a simple and hard to break unless you crunk diffs (transaxles).

Big job,took a gun mechanic who knows magnas inside and out ,and myself ,about 11 hours to do it..

....mind you ,we were distracted a lot that day lol....no ecu change required either.

Yeah, in aarons driveway with half of the WA crew arriving and the car on jack stands lol, will not forget that day in a hurry lol

No ECU change is needed, personally I would rather a manual in 99% of driving situations including traffic, if you know how to drive one properly even in heavy traffic gear changes are not needed all that often anyway. Reliability is better long term however for some, the thought of having to actually drive the car in traffic is not what they want to entertain. Remember it is not that long ago when Auto was an option that cost more and most used a Manual car.

Thanks for all the speedy responses everyone :) great to see some enthusiates shed their light!

Yes i agree with everyone, manual is much more fun and i have no trouble driving it innercity so i may aswell stick to a manual conversion :)

I have a few good buddies that have done a fair few manual conversions on other cars, i have aswell but on a vs about 5 years ago when i was in the "commodore scene" haha. Between myself, my dad (ex airplane mechanical engineer), cousin james (helicopter mechanic) and our close friend ryan whos a mechanic i think we should be able to get it done :)

I dont want this thread to become clogged with just about buying the gearboxes and clutches etc, so i will do my research and if i have any questions on the manual conersion i may just start a new thread to keep it on topic :)

And by the way everyone, my name is Rowan. But have been called muffin since i was a little tacker hahaha i know unlucky nickname but it has stuck!

So while i source this conversion gear i will service the auto with a genuine oil flush just to keep it going in the meantime. It may just fix it right up :) its not that bad but im just super picky, everyone i have showed about my concern with the auto has said i am just being too picky :P haha so if it is running good i may try sell the auto after the conversion, if it is worth anything but i cant really see anywhere or anyone that has one for sale to go off?
Thanks again

Ok update on this thread.

I got the trans flushed and what do ya know... Bits of wave spring were found inside the trans. Now the guy (from fluid drive) reckons itll be a 800-1000$ fix for a revised wave spring and new filter and sone other small bits n peices etc.
Now my first thought was O.o ... I swear it costs way more than that to get it fixed. But he assured me that the pump is mechanical and if it still functions and hasnt been broken it will not need to be replaced. Now im not too sure about the internals of an auto and etc. and find it hard to believe this $800-1000 fix.

Thoughts anyone?

... I really should just get a manual conversion lol

Maybe that is just for working on the auto once it is out of the car. Labour to take it out and put it back may be on top of that figure.

@jimbo nah that was take out fix up and put back on. Ill havr to call him tomorrow to confirm. I am still very weary on his "qoutes". Hmm

Sounds like a good price, unless they find other things wrong with the transmission when they open it up.