2005 MR2 Spyder SMT to 6 speed manual conversion
I'm putting this out on the net for the next guy who wants too convert an SMT to manual. Hopefull it fills in some details I couldn't find and learned from the school of hard knocks. Bought a 2005 SMT MR2 spyder 53k miles for $2,000 since the SMT(Sequential Manual Transmission) wouldn't shift. Had it towed home as it wouldn't move. SMT is a manual transmission without a clutch pedal. Clutch works by computer and hydraulics. Offered on MR2 Spyders from 2000-2005. Era Ferrari's also offered it. Prior owner had paid $10,000 and the SMT quit a few months later. He took it to Muffler King and it sat for 4 months in the rain unfixed. MK said needed new transmission showing how little they know about SMTs. Some idiot put ATF in the HPU thereby ruining all the seals and preventing fixing the SMT without taking out rebuilding the HPU and GSA. Hoses likely ruined, new accumulator likely needed. Supposed to have only brake fluid in it. Taking out the HPU and GSA took me two afternoons of work and had to lift rear up car on blocks to access. Since my car won't move I couldn't drive it onto my lift. The SMT parts can be sold to MWR. The SMT parts can be fixed but you would still face some important parts only available used and not reproduced. It would be tons of work to re-install the SMT parts IMHO.
Unique to 6 speed SMT conversion is new reverse lockout so 1st and reverse shifting is more sure. 5 speed conversions don't require a new reverse lockout. I like the 6 speed manual as it cuts down the 70mph rpms by around 500rpm.
I found the MWR instructions for the conversion to be necessary for the conversion. I posted on the MR2 Spyder SMT facebook group asking for them and someone posted them.
Cost of this effort:
$2,000 2005 SMT car
$600 Donor parts from junkyard, manual shifter, manual shift shaft and bell crank, clutch and brake pedals, shift cables, manual ECU, manual throttle body
$100 Used clutch master cylinder and new slave cylinder
$199 MWR reverse lockout MR2 Spyder 6 speed
$235 MWR shifter shaft mr2 Spyder 6 speed
$69 MWR clutch release hose MR2 spyder SMT to manual conversion, this hose is long enough to go from the firewall back to the transmission
$49 MWR clutch fork release adaptor SMT fork manual conversion
$100 Miscellaneous do dads from Toyota
($750) Credit for selling SMT parts
$235 Replace SMT gauge cluster and steering wheel with used manual gauge cluster and steering wheel (not necessary but desirable, SMT gauge cluster and steering wheel will work but are different than manual items)
$350 new IAC as the used one on the used throttle body I bought was frozen
Unique to 6 speed SMT conversion is new reverse lockout so 1st and reverse shifting is more sure. 5 speed conversions don't require a new reverse lockout. I like the 6 speed manual as it cuts down the 70mph rpms by around 500rpm.
I found the MWR instructions for the conversion to be necessary for the conversion. I posted on the MR2 Spyder SMT facebook group asking for them and someone posted them.
Cost of this effort:
$2,000 2005 SMT car
$600 Donor parts from junkyard, manual shifter, manual shift shaft and bell crank, clutch and brake pedals, shift cables, manual ECU, manual throttle body
$100 Used clutch master cylinder and new slave cylinder
$199 MWR reverse lockout MR2 Spyder 6 speed
$235 MWR shifter shaft mr2 Spyder 6 speed
$69 MWR clutch release hose MR2 spyder SMT to manual conversion, this hose is long enough to go from the firewall back to the transmission
$49 MWR clutch fork release adaptor SMT fork manual conversion
$100 Miscellaneous do dads from Toyota
($750) Credit for selling SMT parts
$235 Replace SMT gauge cluster and steering wheel with used manual gauge cluster and steering wheel (not necessary but desirable, SMT gauge cluster and steering wheel will work but are different than manual items)
$350 new IAC as the used one on the used throttle body I bought was frozen
3325120080 Lever, Shift, Inner. Something missing from MWR SMT conversion, it is not essential but to get the shifter feel you are used to you will need it. Currently out of stock. It gives you the sure feeling when in neutral. Other items of note: you must remove the gas tank to fish the shift cables. Celica GT ECU is the easiest unit to use as it doesn't have an imobilizer. I tried using a flashed manual ECU but the flashing ruined the memory for the emissions ready status so it wouldn't pass OBD2 test required where I live. If you live outside a big city emissions ready status is not a concern. I also replaced the steering wheel and dash guages so car would look like a manual car that it now is after conversion. I tried to do as much as I could for the conversion but got hung up on fishing the new shift cables so I hauled it to DDPR for finish work. I didn't get the shift shaft replacement partts installed correctly either as no good pictures around the net to compare. Didn't have a clutch master cylinder template handy so I had to wing it but it worked.Still working to get all the details correct. It is a big but doable job for the advanced DIY mechanic but the MWR directions leave out some details like they use a 2000/2001 Celica GT ECU. I did get the check for $750 for the removed SMT parts I returned. I am sending the dash cluster out to get the odometer reset to the manual miles.
Parts List:
clutch hose mwr
clutch master rock auto
clutch slave rock auto
ecu donor car
firewall cut pattern mwr
firewall grommet donor car
pedals donor car(clutch pedal set and smaller pad brake pedal)
shift cable bracket donor 5speed transmission
shift fork adaptor mwr
shifter adaptor plate mwr
shifter bracket/bolts mwr
shifter cables donor car
shifter stick donor car
shifter shaft donor trans
steering wheel donor car
throttle body donor car
throttle body connectors`donor car two required
throttle body IAC donor car
instructions mwr
Great how to on spyderchat with pictures SMT to Manual Conversion - How I did it...
https://www.spyderchat.com/threads/who-has-a-template-for-cutting-holes-for-clutch-and-shift-cables-smt-to-mt.152459/#post-2099655
http://mr2spyder300.blogspot.com/
MWR has a complete kit but is pricey due to lots of new parts. MWR MR2-S SMT MANUAL CONVERSION KIT- Complete - LHD
This video is good, however doesn't cover everything. Can get many of the parts from a wrecking yard. I got the shifter from a spare transmission.
This site documents some of the procedures not included in the above how to's
clutch hose mwr
clutch master rock auto
clutch slave rock auto
ecu donor car
firewall cut pattern mwr
firewall grommet donor car
pedals donor car(clutch pedal set and smaller pad brake pedal)
shift cable bracket donor 5speed transmission
shift fork adaptor mwr
shifter adaptor plate mwr
shifter bracket/bolts mwr
shifter cables donor car
shifter stick donor car
shifter shaft donor trans
steering wheel donor car
throttle body donor car
throttle body connectors`donor car two required
throttle body IAC donor car
instructions mwr
Great how to on spyderchat with pictures SMT to Manual Conversion - How I did it...
https://www.spyderchat.com/threads/who-has-a-template-for-cutting-holes-for-clutch-and-shift-cables-smt-to-mt.152459/#post-2099655
http://mr2spyder300.blogspot.com/
MWR has a complete kit but is pricey due to lots of new parts. MWR MR2-S SMT MANUAL CONVERSION KIT- Complete - LHD
This video is good, however doesn't cover everything. Can get many of the parts from a wrecking yard. I got the shifter from a spare transmission.
This site documents some of the procedures not included in the above how to's
HPU high pressure unit, makes the high pressure hydraulic fluid to work clutch, stores 800psig fluid in accumulator. A knipex wrench makes getting the hose fittings off quite a bit. Use penetrating oil and wack the fitting with a punch and an open end wrench can do the job being careful not to round over the nut faces. Quite a lot of fiddling to get this out.
GSA this unit operates the clutch, hoses go to HPU. Quite a lot of fiddling to get this out.
Switches for GSA, working switch cost $249 at MWR as they aren't reproduced and are scarce
Got some new parts from MWR, Monkey Wrench Racing, 6 speed shift shaft, 6 speed, 6 speed reverse lockout, clutch lever adaptor, flex clutch hose for a whopping $600! Note that clutch hose isn't pictured)
Junk yard and Facebook friends parts from a 5 speed Spyder , throttle body, shifter, shift cables, shift shaft, brake pedal, clutch pedal
MWR(Monkey Wrench Racing) offers $750 for used TCU/GSA/HPU
MWR offers the following for sale:
Working TCU $499/$679, will test yours for $199
Rebuilt GSA $1149($600 core charge)
Rebuilt HPU $1349($600 core charge)
Accumulator $259
New Quick connects $49/$79
Working pressure sensor $189
Working positions sensor $249, 3 needed
Can get quite expensive buying SMT parts from MWR. A Facebook friend sells new accumulators and rebuild kits for HPU and GSA cheaply.
Local SMT expert Dave Staba at DDR in Sealy, TX says if you have to pay someone to fix your SMT you may as well convert to manual for a few $$$ more and no more SMT worries
MWR offers the following for sale:
Working TCU $499/$679, will test yours for $199
Rebuilt GSA $1149($600 core charge)
Rebuilt HPU $1349($600 core charge)
Accumulator $259
New Quick connects $49/$79
Working pressure sensor $189
Working positions sensor $249, 3 needed
Can get quite expensive buying SMT parts from MWR. A Facebook friend sells new accumulators and rebuild kits for HPU and GSA cheaply.
Local SMT expert Dave Staba at DDR in Sealy, TX says if you have to pay someone to fix your SMT you may as well convert to manual for a few $$$ more and no more SMT worries
End result of this effort is to move the 6 speed mechanism from 6 speed SMT shaft and the bell crank mechanism for the donor 5 speed shft to the new MWR 6 speed shaft and reverse lockout. On the left is the new MRW 6 speed manual shaft and reverse lockout. On the right is the 6 speed SMT shaft and lockout. Move the shift mechanism from the SMT shaft on the right to MWR manual shaft on the left. 6 speed manual shaft already has the 5 speed bell crank on the end.
6 speed manual shaft with the 6 speed SMT mechanism installed on left. Install the mechanism so that it is pointed down consistent with the flat spot at the end of the shaft. 5 speed shaft on right.
Left over parts. On the left is 6 speed SMT shaft and on the left is the 5 speed manual shaft from the junk yard donor. 5 speed bell crank is used on the 6 speed MWR shaft. Mechanism from the 6 speed SMT shaft is used on the new 6 speed MWR shaft.
End result is new MWR 6 speed shaft and reverse lockout with SMT 6 speed shft mechanism and donor 5 speed bell crank
Fishing shift cable thru firewall. Drill some holes thru the firewall.
New holes must be drilled in the firewall to install the clutch master cylinder. I made my own template from my manual MR2 Spyder. Clutch release adaptor is also pictured.
New hole in bulkhead to fish shift cables back to transmission
Take the cover off the gas tank for a side view of the fishing. The fit is tight. Gas tank must be dropped to fish the cables, very tight fit otherwise.
Wiring instructions from MWR part 1, I found this part to be straight forward
Wiring instructions from MWR part 2 Found this to be confusing.
The clutch switch connector is taped to the factory harness to the left of the clutch pedal assembly. Remove tape. Tee a wire into the black/yellow wire of the clutcfh switch harness. Run the new wire to the ECU behind the driver's seat.
The clutch switch connector is taped to the factory harness to the left of the clutch pedal assembly. Remove tape. Tee a wire into the black/yellow wire of the clutcfh switch harness. Run the new wire to the ECU behind the driver's seat.