Project Transmission Swap: Tiptronic to Manual

Hi guys yet another one here iniciating this project, and trying to do a write up of it
After having done my homework (meaning doing lots and lots of research) I am about to iniciate this project. But let me start at the beginning here

Troubled History

I am a Dutch guy living in Brasil and about 2 years ago in need of a new car.
When still in europe I allways was a loyal VAG driver (1 Audi and 2 Jetta’s at the time) so this time around the choice again wasn’t that hard, so off I went looking for an A4.
Problem is here in Brasil: prices of used cars are skyhigh and even worse if they are imported cars so it was not that simple.
My preference was an A4 b5 1,8 turbo but basicly hard to find with the limited budget I had.
To make a long story short: I basicly did a very bad deal in the end, buying a 2,8 – 30V V6 with tiptronic (even though I had a preference for manual tranny but couldn’t find one)
When I bought it I was aware of the bad state, but not aware it would be that bad.
To get it home was a drive of about 3000km wich went ok exept for 1 thing….The Tiptronic was in emergency mode from the moment I bought the car.
So I ended up with a car with basicly zero maintanance and a buggered tiptronic tranny. Along many other problems ( non working cruise control and a lot of oil and water leaks)
After a thorough check I concluded that this car must have been from a young guy showboating with an expencive car and with a rich dad because a normal person wouldn’t treat a car this way. To give an example: the underside engine protection plate was missing and both carters (from engine as well as transmission were welded multiple times and one damage incident caused a foreign object to penetrate the engine carter at the bottom and exit via the top part of the carter just under the cranckshaft pully)

The options:

So here I am with a 1997 A4 b5 front wheel drive Limo with a 2,8 30V (or 5 per cylinder) ACK engine with a 5HP-19 tiptronic transmission (trans.code DSS) that clearly went to the eternal hunting fields.
(note : the ACK engine is very similar to the US marketed AHA engine as I understand)

So what were the options:
1: get rid of the car
2: get the tiptronic reconditioned
3: convert it to Manual Transmission

Option 1 was out of the question for me for 2 motives; 1, car would be impossible to sell in the state it was and 2: I finally had an A4 (hard to get here) and did not want to art from it.
Option 2: To get a Tiptronic here reconditioned you start with prices of about R$ 5000,00 but easaly end up to pay R$ 10.000,00 ( between 1600 and 3500 US dollar).Another thing……I always drove and prefered manual transmissions Now I fell for the tiptronic because of the actualtiptronic function …in my eyes a nice gadget if it works , but in my ca rit never worked.
So now option 3 became a real attractive option for one simple reason...You can buy the complete kit here (the box, drive shafts, pedals , flywheel,...the lot, for less then R$ 4000,00 here (about 1250 US dollar) Ok I know in the States that is still a fortune,but here it is concidered a bargain. Besides I had that preference for manual anyway . Tiptronic is nice as long as it works without problems. The moment you start having problems with it then you are f..cked, because of the lack of local specialists / expertise. And with that in mind and possible paying double the price to get it reconditioned as the price I would pay to convert it to manual….
Long introduction story but in the end the choice was simple

So we go to “manual”

Ok ..first step was the hunt for a manual gearbox and if possible a complete kit.easier said then done but it looks like I managed to find a complete kit.
Probably a CWZ box from 95 or 96 v6 12 v limo breaker
So first step taken .

Current status: I am waiting for the complete kit to arrive .

I am at the stadium now where I am analising the loopholes of this project and trying to make an inventory of them here for you guys.
I have done a lot of research on this subject and found a lot of related and very helpful info from others that allready did this conversion allthough I have not found one that is comparable to my situation. I will later on edit this write-up to include the names / links of the helpfull topics.

So the way I see it: the difficult parts:

Flywheel and Clutch:

My engine has a speed pick up sensor that would have to Mount on the casing of th manul gearbox and I will have to adapt the flywheel (my current flywheel has a ring with holes behind the starter gear (sorry guys don’t know the english name for it) for the speed sensor to pick up the signal…I have to transfer that ring to the donor flywheel that does not have that
Ring. Also another point……original on the manual version of my car the flywheel should be dual mass….don’t know if the donor flywheel is dual mass. I know it is not a nessecity but still.
Furthermore I have decide to bolt on the used clutch kit or use the oportunity to Mount everything new. In any case no matter what I would have to mont a new clutch release bearing.
All above this in mind I seriously concider buying a complete new kit (flywheel (being straight away the right one) with clutch kit and release bearing to avoid any problems in the near future with the clutch
One more issue; I need to put the right spigot bearing (bush) in the cranckshaft at the flywheel side for the manual gearbox

Reprogramming of the ECU and bypassing the TCU

Re-wiring the revers lights

Repair the cruise control now that I have easy access to the pedals with the switches on brake and clutch pedal

Sofar these are the issues I have encountered or remembered to be important with this modification.
Even though I have a garage I do not have a lift so I need to improvise a bit. Good thing is that I have decided to take out the engine with tranny as a complete unit so that I can resolve the engine issues also in an easy way. Please feel free to comment or write tips to help me tackle this project.

regards Luke

 

Today I received my transmission kit. Everything included it seems.

Manual transmission (CWZ code) with supports
Pedal Cluster Unit
Driveshafts
Flywheel & Clutchkit
Gearchange Levers
Driveshafts
etc

Only thing missing seems to be rubber and the cover from the gear change lever

Right now trying to make a quick inventory about additional stuff in need to get or buy. As well as to see what things I need to addapt.

Additional parts:

Layshaft bearing (the one that fits in the cranckshaft)
Clutch Bearing (better not taking any risks and just change)
Accelorater Cabel (You could use the old one from the auto transmission but that has the kick down switch integrated. Mine is bad anyway so I decided to change it)
I am still thinking about the clutch group as I have to see how the current one is, IfI should get it reconditioned, or by a new kit with or without the flywheel.
Seems I need the Gear shift lever rubber as well and also the coverplate in the center console
I need a vacume switch on the clutch pedal for the cruisecontrol but maybe I could use the one on the current pedal cluster (if there is one there)

Things to adapt

I bought a manual gearbox with gearbox code CWZ
This gearbox comes from an A4 with a 2,8 12 v engine. (usually mated with an AAH, AEJ or AFC engine)
This engine did not yet have a flywheel sensor so even though there is a hole for the sensor in the gearbox, there is nothing to secure this sensor so that I have to adapt. What is harder is the flywheel. That also is different and has not the sensor ring on it. I could either try to transfer this ring from the auto transmission flywheel to the manual transmission flywheel but that is a rather precise and tricky operation. Another option is to buy a complete new kit including the right flywheel (Clutchkit and flywheel) This will be rather expencive and heavy to send by mail to brasil.
So have not decided on this issue yet