Auto to Manual Conversion - Toyota Starlet 1996 (4E-FE)

A brief video showing the process of swapping an automatic to manual transmission in a Toyota Starlet. Since the original car was made in both models, the conversion process is a little easier as the mounts are very similar. A couple days job, but well worth it for the better efficiency (as much as 10%).

The trickiest part is getting the clutch pedal in, due to the very tight space and awkward positioning of bolts, this can easily be the most frustrating time you've had in weeks :)

The clutch disc I got from the yard was fairly worn, but out of curiosity, I tried it in to see if it would slip or not, and of course it slipped pretty bad even under light to moderate acceleration. The clutch material was only just approaching the rivets, so that gave me a fair idea of how much clutch material is needed for proper traction between the engine and transmission.

I ended up redoing the clutch overnight, and the first thing I noticed is the point where the pressure plate starts pressuring the clutch disc has a good 8-10mm or so whereas the worn clutch and pressure plate might've only been 3-4 mm of compression or so. This would equate to less than half the frictional force in your spring constant equation (Force = kx) and (Friction = u x Force). So its a good learning experience for me too :)

The only wiring change that was made was shorting (jumping) the 2 large female pins on the auto transmission connector which I've heard is the neutral safety switch. After that, the car started like normal.