VW Beetle Golf Jetta Automatic to 5 Speed Swap

Step 2: Remove and rewire!

So you thought the previous was easy... well... most people can get that far in a day, so now that you've burned off the first two hours of your day... here's more!

Disassemble the knee plates (Beetle version, Golf/Jetta is similar)
Remove the fuse panel cover
Remove the Headlight switch by pushing in and turning the switch, then pulling the switch out
Remove the dimmer switch
Remove the cover plates on the hazard switch panel
Remove the four screws on the Hazard switch panel
Remove the six screws on the knee panel
Remove the knee panel
Remove the four screws on the Metal knee panel
Remove the metal knee panel exposing the relay panel
Remove the two 10mm nuts holding on the relay panel
Remove the 175 relay (we're going to be using the socket for the 53 relay shortly)
Remove the insulation covering the firewall where the clutch pedal will go
Remove the plug where the clutch goes

Please reference your Bentley manual for actual pin-outs, and wire colors as these vary by year/model, also make sure to check for continuity on all items.

Connect Reverse lights
Cut the transmission range connector off of the wiring harness this is the connector on the back of the transmission near the ABS pump.
Use the Black/Green wire to one side of the reverse switch 
Continuity check the Yellow/Blue or Grey/Red wire from the 175 relay socket to the matching color on the Transmission range switch wiring.
Cut this wire at the 175 socket
Cut the Black/Blue wire with enough wire to spare a butt connection later for the clutch cancel switch and connect side that leads into the harness to the yellow/blue or the grey/red wire in the previous steps. This is a standard butt connection that connects the reverse switch to the reverse lights. Heat shrink this connection
Connect the transmission range side of the Yellow/Blue or Grey/Red to the other side of the reverse switch. Heat shrink these connections

Connect Clutch Cancel Switch
Cut the brown wire at the 175 relay and connect it to the Grey or White clutch pedal switch (on the top bracket)
Connect the other wire from the switch to the Black/Blue wire you cut for the reverse lights in the above underlined and bold step.

Connect Cruise
Cut the Green/Black wire from the backside of the 175 socket (should be pin 5, or the one directly in the middle of the socket) and connect it to the blue or black clutch pedal switch (the bottom one)
Cut the Grey/Red (yellow/green on 2000+ vehicles, should be Pin 9)
Check for continuity on the Grey/Red or Yellow/Green wires in the TCU connector to the grey/red or yellow/green on the 175 socket
Connect the Grey/Red or Yellow/Green wire on the 175 socket to the other side of the blue or black clutch pedal switch
Remove the TCU from the car
Pull apart the TCU connector
Disconnect the ECU harness and pull apart the large connector
There will be a yellow/red wire that has continuity with pin 19 in the ECU large connector. Cut this wire at the TCU
Connect the Yellow/Red wire in the TCU to the Grey/Red or Yellow/Green wire in the TCU.
Move the wire from ECU pin 19 to pin 66 (98 and 99 beetles are pin 44 so verify the connector pin in your bentley before doing this).
Heat shrink the Butt connectors.
Wrap the unused connectors in Gaffers tape or other harness tape. (You may also cut the unused harness out of the loom).
Reassemble the relay panel
Place a 53 relay into the modified socket.

You now can start the car! (almost!).

Comments

[pkoupelka]

Hi, I did the swap on my 2001 vw jetta vr6. all is working fine but only one thing seems to be weird. when I shiffting, pressing the clutch pedal down the RPMs raises up. it looks like that I don't know how to shift gears. :-) rpms go up on every shifting gear.
I never hook up the cruise control and clutch cancel switch. It could be this problem?
Thanks for any help.

[wcraft]

What did you do with the extra wiring from the automatic? Remove it or tuck it away somewhere?

[lsf627]

I have been looking over the article, and have not found anything about the wiring for the speedometer. Do you have any information of where to hook that up in the car. THanks.

[alphaseinor]

The VSS on the 01m connects to the same place as the 02j (and 02m 6 speed).

If you have a 5 speed manual, then you'll have to wire it up to the Instrument cluster, and sometimes a few other places.

[KnowledgeMotorsport]

OK, no one has ever responded to this question on any forum that I have looked in. I finally got the speedo working on my conversion.

1.)For the 04 and up models you MUST obtain a manual transmission ECM and Cluster ( I was able to utilize the original automatic cluster though) and then have them coded and to recognize each other. If you don't obtain the manual ECM you will have a code for no communication with TCM. Same goes for the cluster. The dealer is the only group that can obtain a secret key code from Germany which allows the modules to be recoded and immo to be set.

2.)Next you must have the immobilizer in the cluster programmed to recognize your old key (04 up only; immo3). 04 and down you should be able to just put the key in the ignition, turn the ignition switch to on, keep the drivers door open and wait for ~ 10-20 minutes. The cluster will recognize the key at this point and recode itself.

3.)
a.) Finally, last but not least the speedo issue. On your manual transmission ECM find pin 28 on the green connector on the back of the instrument cluster (This applies to 04+ cars check the wiring diagram for your specific vehicle to find the pin for speed signal input). Strip enough wire to be able to solder in the signal wire that will be run from the manual transmission speed sensor.

b.) The speed sensor, located on the back of the transmission, is a three pin type. The old harness from your donor vehicle should consist of three wires; Black (12v switched/supply), Blue/White (raw speed signal, run this wire to pin 28 on the green cluster harness) and Brown (ground_ I grounded this wire to the cylinder head)

c.)For the black wire find a wire on the AT harness that has 12 volts when the key is switched on, hardwire these two together.

d.)Find yourself about 3 feet of wire to hardwire/solder to run from the blue/white wire and feed it through the firewall grommet of your choice and connect this wire to pin 28 on the cluster (green connector_ should be a solid orange wire_ count up from pin 17 which should be on the far right of the connector).

e.)As for the brown wire find a suitable ground free of corrosion an make your ground connection here ( I grounded mine to the cylinder head valve cover stud on the rear of the head). Make sure its a good ground!

f.) Viola, you should have a working speedo at this point! This worked for me on an 04 Beetle convertible.

[alphaseinor]

Nice Reply!

Actually, you can use a VAG-Tacho, or a Vag DashCAN (better) cable to get the SKC. From there you can program your keys, cluster, and ECU with the VAG-COM cable.

Also on the 2003+ 1.8T You will have a problem with the Cruse, There is no A27 bus connection for the Manual ECU. I don't seem to have enough time to find the exact pins to connect in the bentley... however I'll see if I can get around to it soon.

You can retain your automatic cluster if you really want, you will need to adapt channel 0 on your CAN gateway, then it "should" get rid of the TCU missing message code.

Thanks!

[jkelley6]

under the connect cruise section when i cut the grey and red wire off of the 175 socket do i connect the harness side of the grey and red wire to the other end of the switch or the 175 socket side to the switch? I'm confused because once i cut the wire there would be the two wires to choose from unless i cut it flush to the 175 socket then it would be obvious to use the harness side which would then be the only side.

also on the ecu connector my pins are not numbered. I checked for continuity to see which pin on the ecu the yellow and red wire on the tcu was connected to, I am assuming this was pin 19 but i am not sure and i don't know how to locate pin 66 any ideas would be great.

and when i removed the flex plate from the crankshaft there were a set of shims. do i use the shims or just bolt the flywheel straight up and has anyone modified the automatic dust tins to work? What might be the negatives to not having a perfect covering dust tin?

I love this instructable and it has become my home page until i finish this project, i don't know how you figured all this out but its mind blowing. these are just some things i am stuck on.

[alphaseinor]

The only wire you don't cut flush to the 175 socket is the blue with black.

The pins are numbered on the corners of the connector near the edge, you may need a magnifying lens to see them.

You don't use the shims

The automatic Dust shield will rub on the flywheel


The connector doesn't have any pin numbers, but the relay does.

You also need a 53 relay instead of the 175 that's in there.

Thanks!

[jkelley6]

do you know where to get the programing software? is there a specific version? just trying to get some more info before i buy. is there a difference between vcds and vagcom? can i start the car without the programing?
thanks again,
jake

[alphaseinor]

I get mine from www.ross-tech.com, if you need to talk with a car 2005 and newer you want to get the hex-can device.

there are also people on the forums that can help do it for you: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=296841

The programming is not needed to start the car, but it will have a check engine light and an intermittent power loss where you'll have to shut off the car, and restart it. not to mention the cruise control won't have a clutch cancel... potentially hazardous.

as for vcds versus vag-com... Uwe Ross originally called his device the VAG-COM, but VAG I believe is a trademarked name, so he renamed it VCDS, it also cuts down on ambiguity between the Chinese knockoffs which IMHO don't work for re-coding, unless you license the system from Ross-Tech... either way you'll have to deal with ross-tech eventually.

thanks!

Brian

[KnowledgeMotorsport]

If your car is an 04+ you WILL need to have the cluster and ecm reprogrammed for your old key to work. These cars use immo3. You must take the vehicle to the dealer or someone that has access to a 5051 computer and a workshop code supplied by VW.

[dmcdougall iii]

I was hoping for a little more clarity. For example, "Cut the Green/Black wire from the backside of the 175 socket (should be pin 5, or the one directly in the middle of the socket) and connect it to the blue or black clutch pedal switch (the bottom one)". It does not specify if the wire is being connected from the harness side or the relay side. Does anyone know and could they clarify the other connections as well? Thanks so much.

[swozniak4201]

You are misreading, because there is only one side to the green black wire after you cut it and it is the harness side.

[dmcdougall iii]

if i cut the wire, there would be two wires, one that leads to the relay socket, and one that leads back to the harness. that was my confusion. once i got into the wiring, it was not difficult and these instructions were very helpful. i just wanted to fully understand what i was doing before ever looking under the dash and i was confused. it seems the best approach is to just start doing it and to double check that everything is correct before connecting the battery and starting the car. Also, when connecting the cruise wires at the tcu, be very careful as there are two yellow/red wires. i followed these instructions almost to the letter (starter interlock override) and have a working car with working cruise. i hope i did not confuse anyone and cleared up a couple of things i was confused on. thank you for all the help, this writeup made the job so much easier and i knew what i was getting into. i will be sure to browse the tdiclub forums and other writeups and share as much knowledge about this swap or other related projects as i can. the more everyone talks, the more everyone knows.

[alphaseinor]

updated the wiring description to clarify any ambiguities...

[alphaseinor]

Please reference your Bentley manual for actual pin-outs, and wire colors as these vary by year/model, also make sure to check for continuity on all items.

Connect Reverse lights
Cut the transmission range connector off of the wiring harness this is the connector on the back of the transmission near the ABS pump.
Use the Black/Green wire to one side of the reverse switch
Continuity check the Yellow/Blue or Grey/Red wire from the 175 relay socket to the matching color on the Transmission range switch wiring.
Cut this wire at the 175 socket
Cut the Black/Blue wire with enough wire to spare a butt connection later for the clutch cancel switch and connect side that leads into the harness to the yellow/blue or the grey/red wire in the previous steps. This is a standard butt connection that connects the reverse switch to the reverse lights. Heat shrink this connection
Connect the transmission range side of the Yellow/Blue or Grey/Red to the other side of the reverse switch. Heat shrink these connections

Connect Clutch Cancel Switch
Cut the brown wire at the 175 relay and connect it to the Grey or White clutch pedal switch (on the top bracket)
Connect the other wire from the switch to the Black/Blue wire you cut for the reverse lights in the above underlined and bold step.

Connect Cruise
Cut the Green/Black wire from the backside of the 175 socket (should be pin 5, or the one directly in the middle of the socket) and connect it to the blue or black clutch pedal switch (the bottom one)
Cut the Grey/Red (yellow/green on 2000+ vehicles, should be Pin 9)
Check for continuity on the Grey/Red or Yellow/Green wires in the TCU connector to the grey/red or yellow/green on the 175 socket
Connect the Grey/Red or Yellow/Green wire on the 175 socket to the other side of the blue or black clutch pedal switch
Remove the TCU from the car
Pull apart the TCU connector
Disconnect the ECU harness and pull apart the large connector
There will be a yellow/red wire that has continuity with pin 19 in the ECU large connector. Cut this wire at the TCU
Connect the Yellow/Red wire in the TCU to the Grey/Red or Yellow/Green wire in the TCU.
Move the wire from ECU pin 19 to pin 66 (98 and 99 beetles are pin 44 so verify the connector pin in your bentley before doing this).
Heat shrink the Butt connectors.
Wrap the unused connectors in Gaffers tape or other harness tape. (You may also cut the unused harness out of the loom).
Reassemble the relay panel
Place a 53 relay into the modified socket.

[KnowledgeMotorsport]

You really should list what each pin is for on these relays, switches and connectors. For those that don't have the same year model cars it would be easier for us to look at our corresponding diagrams and fine the pin related to the specific wire.

[alphaseinor]

The green and black wire is cut out of the connector side, this is only used for power on the cruise switch on the clutch pedal.

The blue with black wire needs to be cut with a little length at the connector side for the starter cancel switch on the clutch pedal.

[elrafa40989]

Hello alphasenior, I have done a swap from auto to manual transmission on my Jetta 1.8T 2003, I have done all the wiring jo, removed TCU, installed starter cancel switch (the white switch from clutch pedal to relay 53), connected rear lights, speed sensor, etc but I want to have wired up the cruise control to make it functional, at this time blue switch from clutch is not wired up. I have used the existing auto ECU and car run fine at this moment, my doubt is if I can make functional the cruise control with the automatic ECU or if I really need to change to standard ECU to get cruise control feature. According my wiing diagram (from mitchell on demand software) one wire from blue switch need 12V (ignition signal) and the other one need to be landed on terminal 39 of ECM, could you help me to complete this last task please.