BLSTIC wrote:Hi people, seeing the amount of T5 conversions going on, and the lack of a tech document, I thought I would run through my conversion, which was started yesterday, and will be mostly finished today. Part 1 is remove the auto (this installment) Part 2 is install the T5 (later tonight) and Part 3 is the finishing touches (shifter boot, electronics, etc).
Part 1 (this one) is removal of the auto, part 2 is the installation of the manual, and getting it driveable. Part 3 covers the finishing touches, like killing that thermofan and stopping the fault codes.
So here goes
Part 1: Removal of AutoStep 1: Make workspace.
This is important. Working on grass is crap, and dirt is worse. The only acceptable surface is hard, flat, and dent proof. Concrete.
Ideally you will have more space than this, but this is the only spot I had to work with. Space behind the car is unimportant, as the EF has such a large rear overhang you can fit a jack under there when you touch park it to a wall. Space in front of the car is handy, but the sides are most important. Which is what I haven’t got much of here.
SWEEP THE FLOOR. It's really annoying trying to work in dust and dog hair, don't even try.
Get plenty of rags. You may not need them if you have more of a clue than me, and are quick with the drain pan, but have them handy. Old bed sheets are great for spills of the calibre I can pump out.
Step 2: Position the car.
Make sure you have enough room on at least one side to slide the gearbox out (and back in, with the manual). Jack the car up. 400mm from ground to whatever ford calls the chassis rails is a nice workable height, but go higher if possible. If you have a hoist for use (even if it’s a carton a day), use it. If you do that, get a large gearbox jack (telescopic jack, huge, goes really high), or two strong mates. BTR's are the heaviest gearbox I have had to carry (with the torque converter in anyway).
This is a good time to assemble your goodies. My list is:
1 T5
1 Clutch/Flywheel assembly
1 Clutch pedal
1 Clutch pedal pin
1 Clutch Cable
1 spigot bearing
6 flywheel bolts
1 pedal box (just for reference)
1 Spare inspection plate
Step 3. Remove the gearbox accessories.
Start on the inside of the car, lest you get grease on everything. Start by removing the flip up panel around the radio, then the trim that goes around all the gauges and buttons. There are two clips that hold it in after the screws are removed, these are near the clock/trip computer panel, so don't worry, just pull lightly around that area. Don’t forget to disconnect the buttons (this is a great time to install the factory aerial switch, its just an on/off button that holds its state. good for killing fuel pumps or arming nitrous/shift kits without looking suss).
The panel that has your window switches (below drink holder) only has to be removed if you have a button on it, as there is nothing important underneath. The gearshift handle can be removed, the nut on the bottom is only a locknut, undo it half a turn, and the gearshift can come off (like a screw, it has its own thread). The surround can be (gently) pried off with a screwdriver. Don’t forget about the power/economy switch. Around this area there are four screws holding the front of the console it, and there are two inside the compartment, on the floor. The console can now come up and back, unless you have a light in the back of it. You will have to figure out how to remove that (shouldn’t be any harder than the gearshift surround was though). I prefer to leave the shifter in Drive, as it leaves the gear position sensor in the correct spot (more on that later). Remove the four screws holding the shifter to the floor. Don’t pull on it yet.
Now you can get underneath the car and marvel at how well your oil leaks have prevented rust. Now undo the bolt connecting the shifter to the (for lack of a better word) relay rod. The other end is held on via an R clip, and takes about three seconds to remove. Now you can remove the shifter from the inside of the car, noting how greasy the seats would have been if you pulled the dash apart after you got under the car…

The gear position sensor is that little white thing with two plugs on the passenger side of the trans. After unplugging the wires and undoing the bolts, you can remove the sensor. After doing this, measure the resistance across the two-pin plug while the selector is in the D position. There is no external mark, so what you will have to do (if you have moved it, or started in another gear) is monitor what happens to the 4-pin plug. One of them is reverse, the other is neutral. When the neutral switches, and the reverse doesn’t, you are in drive.
After this you can remove the trans cooler lines. You will need to hold the larger nut while the smaller nut is being turned. Use a pipe spanner (ring spanner with a slot to get around pipes) if you have one, these can be tight.
Unplug the speedo sender unit (just the plug, don’t take the sender out yet), and the round multi-pin plug on the side of the auto.
Step 4: Remove the Gearbox.
Undo the rear cross member outer bolts. You will need the use of a jack. Then lower the gearbox slowly. This is so that you can get at all the bolts.
There are two braces going from the block to the bottom of the bell housing, you can get away with removing the bolts to the bel housing and just the forward bolts on the block, they can then rotate downwards. The other two inspection cover bolts can now be removed, and the cover can come off.
Now you can remove the starter motor. The bottom bolt is easy, but the top bolt was annoying. After loosening it with a spanner, I used a ¼ drive breaker bar straightened out to take the bolt out.
There are four bolts that hold the torque converter onto the flex plate, line them up so that you can undo one with a ratchet while you have a ring spanner on the next one (this is to pull the engine around so you can actually undo the next bolt. If your engine has a decent amount of compression, these bolts should come off easily enough.
The bell housing bolts are straightforward enough, but remember that there are two bolts two inches apart up the top on the passenger side. An air ratchet is a great help for the higher one.
The gearbox can now be supported by the jack under the oil pan, raised slightly (from the fully down position), and pulled backwards. Lower the jack, and the gearbox is free. I had to jack the front of the car up further (and remove the passenger side jack stand while the car is on the jack) to pull the gearbox out the side. Do NOT get under the car while the jack (with no stands) supports the car, just reach under and pull the box out from the side.

Drop the car back onto the (now replaced) jack stand, and get out your ¾ drive rattle gun and appropriately sized impact socket. I tend to undo the flex plate bolts in a pattern, but it shouldn’t matter. The flex plate should need no more than a light tug to remove after the bolts are out.

That’s it for part 1. Part 2 covers installation of the manual, and will be available shortly.
cya
Ben