4EAT -> 5MT swap - Your biggest mistake

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Wed May 03, 2006 5:20 am

Ive read every post and writeup on the subject, but Im still scared that Im going to forget some vital part and get stuck for 2 weeks while I wait for it to arrive.

So for those of you who've done this, what was your biggest mistake or oversight, so that I and others may learn from it?

555BCTurbo · Post by **555BCTurbo** » Wed May 03, 2006 8:29 am

Matt#1 dropped the 4EAT through his hand...

So make sure you don't do that

gt2.5turbo · Post by **gt2.5turbo** » Wed May 03, 2006 8:59 am

Just make sure you double check everything to make sure you have all the parts in hand i know i made 3 trips to the junkyard in one day for little stuff.... Make yourself write down everything that you need and triple check it. And then once everything is going together dont let yourself be to eger to start it up... (i was so excited i started putting it back together and was going to start it up with out tranny fluid...

Best of luck its WAYYYY worth it

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Wed May 03, 2006 5:51 pm

So far the best deal Ive found on a 5MT $800 CAD, from a 91 Turbo

Post by **DLC** » Wed May 03, 2006 5:52 pm

In my experience, the things that held up the project, or put it in danger of being extended longer than I could stand were:

Transmission brace. It's different from the automatic to the manual. I was lucky and found one from an Impreza that worked perfectly.

Starter. Again, different between 4EAT and 5MT. It was impossible to find new, but I was able to find the one 5MT Legacy with an engine in it in a junkyard that had at least 10 others, mostly auto.

I'm sure others can add to this, but those are two things that I hadn't even considered, but nearly drove me crazy.

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Wed May 03, 2006 6:30 pm

Go to the junkyard and get various OEM nuts and bolts. You'll probably break and lose a lot of the stock ones.

Buy an M12x1.25 tap and die, and an M10x1.25 tap and die. They will be come priceless when you need them most.

As for tranny, what about your friends RS tranny? If your gonna have one built by us, just look for a WRX tranny and send it. We'll build it and send it back and you can save yourself from doing the job twice.

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Wed May 03, 2006 7:04 pm

My friend with the RS is keeping his now

He's afraid he's gonna break the one in his car.

I cant afford to get a built one yet, but I need to do this swap, I dont mind pulling the tranny twice.

Post by **Legacy777** » Fri May 05, 2006 1:27 am

I pretty much had everything.

The main thing for the FWD to AWD though was the difference in the fuel separator between wagon & sedans.

It's not too bad.....I was just looking back over my journal of the work....and the majority of my issues were with the performance parts I put on.....or waiting for the parts to show up.

206er · Post by **206er** » Fri May 05, 2006 2:48 am

do some stuff like rear main seal
trans seals
that wierd plastic plate on the back of the block

make sure you have all the relays and computer for the cruise, and that you understand how to wire them
stuff like speedo cable may be different, there are quite a few versions the difference mainly being length but a 5mt unit is a safe bet
RUN THE FLYWHEEL ACCESS HOLE COVER!!! cant stress this enough. I was told by the local subaru "experts" that arent actually very "nice" that there is no need to run one and they never do. well anyway I had debris go into the hole and wedge the flywheel to the trans causing me to have to pull the motor and go into a whole fiasco with that.

that s all for now any questions PM me

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Fri May 05, 2006 3:06 am

I dont have cruise control anymore, I took it out.

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Fri May 05, 2006 3:16 pm

There are no externally accessable transmission seals.

THAWA · Post by **THAWA** » Sat May 06, 2006 2:21 am

My biggest mistake was swapping from 4eat to 5mt.

dzx · Post by **dzx** » Sat May 06, 2006 10:38 pm

THAWA wrote:My biggest mistake was swapping from 4eat to 5mt.

I like it, It's just a shame that the transmissions can be really weak.

Subtle · Post by **Subtle** » Sat May 06, 2006 11:37 pm

Built 4eat

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4EAT -> 5MT swap - Your biggest mistake

4EAT -> 5MT swap - Your biggest mistake