type s tranny into ep3

[Jacksond]

Ok First off, i apologize if this is in the wrong section, but I am getting a type s transmission with 50k for like 110$ in parts plus my 5sp transmission. I have done some searching, but just want to make 100% sure before I take the plunge. For the swap I will be ok using my USDM ep3 axles correct? I will be able to use my stock USDM ep3 shifter housing, cables, etc without hassle with the added sixth gear correct? I have read that the gear lockout and reverse lockout will not work with my ep3 harness but that is not a necessary feature to drive my car correct? It simply wont have a lockout on those gears which is not a big deal to me. Is there ANYTHING I will need to do this swap aside from the complete transmission? I will be removing my ep3 5sp transmission, putting on a new exedy oe spec clutch kit (pressure plate, throw out bearing, etc) and putting in the type s transmission. I will check tomorrow that the transmission is not from a 05-06 because it is my understanding that the VSS differs. If someone could confirm this for me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

[AKEP]

its bolts right in. the biggest thing the reverse lock out does is keep you from overshooting 4th-5th into no-man's corner. 5th-6th is not a big deal, you can't possibly hit reverse unless you did it on purpose.

you might run into a problem with the stock shifter, you might not. some do some dont. if you do, its a matter of trimming the right arm (it moves up and down when the stick goes left/right) on the bottom. or buy/find buddy club short shifter.

[lil_Eggy]

For the swap I will be ok using my USDM ep3 axles correct?

Yes

I will be able to use my stock USDM ep3 shifter housing, cables, etc without hassle with the added sixth gear correct?

From what I read on the forums, it depends on the year of your car. My '02 had no issues using the stock shifter with the type s transmission swap

I have read that the gear lockout and reverse lockout will not work with my ep3 harness but that is not a necessary feature to drive my car correct?

Correct, the solenoid will be left unplugged

Is there ANYTHING I will need to do this swap aside from the complete transmission?

Transmission fluid

[Jacksond]

Thank you guy for your help, I'm kinda tight on money right now and don't really NEED this transmission, but getting a type s transmission with 50k miles for 110$ Qnd my old trannt with 110k miles was just too good an offer to pass up. I plan on ordering an oem spec exedy clutch kit, or if you can suggest something a little better I'd appreciate it. My plans for this car are to convert/swap in a k20a2 or a k24 down the line and turbo or supercharge depending on which engine I end up with. I am just a poor college student right now so for at least another year or two I will be performing minor misc minor mods ( suspension, i/h/e,etc) with minor spirited driving except for my desire to start autox if I can find a club in northern Indians/south Michigan/Illinois. I by no means want a race clutch or anything that will drastically reduce deuvability or mad cash yo, but wouldn't mind something slightly more aggressive. My next question would be about the difficulty/cost of replacing the synchroa or any other normal wear part of the transmission before I install it. Thanks for all the help!

Cliff notes:
Thanks for help
Replacing clutch, suggestions for slightly more aggressive than oem
Replacing synchros difficulty/cost?
Anything else I should change/ OR upgrade while tranny is out?

[cyllarus]

I just did the exact same swap as part of my k24a2 swap

Everyone is correct here.. as far as hardware it bolts right in.
if you have an '02 or '03 you might not need to modify the shifter... i did not have to.

One thing that was mentioned but i overlooked:
the stock ep3 5sd has a 4.7 Final drive.

Many of the RSX 6 speed trannys have a 4.4 final drive.

If you install a tranny with a final rive of 4.4 your speedo is going to read about 20% higher.

You have a couple of options to fix it, but all of them involve splicing a signal adjuster into the wiring harness.

search around for dakota digital speed sensor converter.

[lbk02si]

its bolts right in. the biggest thing the reverse lock out does is keep you from overshooting 4th-5th into no-man's corner. 5th-6th is not a big deal, you can't possibly hit reverse unless you did it on purpose.

you might run into a problem with the stock shifter, you might not. some do some dont. if you do, its a matter of trimming the right arm (it moves up and down when the stick goes left/right) on the bottom. or buy/find buddy club short shifter.

how in god's name could you possibly go from 4th to reverse??? lol! 5th to reverse POSSIBLY if you are an absolute retard. i remember when i was swapping my motor over to the z1 and i can't remember who it was that told me this on here, but they were absolutely correct. don't even worry about reverse lockout, if you hit reverse from 5th you shouldn't be driving.

[Slip_Angle]

I just did the exact same swap as part of my k24a2 swap

Everyone is correct here.. as far as hardware it bolts right in.
if you have an '02 or '03 you might not need to modify the shifter... i did not have to.

One thing that was mentioned but i overlooked:
the stock ep3 5sd has a 4.7 Final drive.

Many of the RSX 6 speed trannys have a 4.4 final drive.

If you install a tranny with a final rive of 4.4 your speedo is going to read about 20% higher.

You have a couple of options to fix it, but all of them involve splicing a signal adjuster into the wiring harness.

search around for dakota digital speed sensor converter.

Oh? Can you enlighten me? I've got an 02 RSX-S transmission going in this Thursday/Friday. Also, I have an 02 Si. What part of the shifter needs to be modified should I run into that issue?

Seems to me this is only the case if you mis-match a low speed and high speed setup. If you have them matched, you should be fine no?

[cyllarus]

Sorry for late reply, have been spending nights doing 2nd gear pulls, working the rich parts out of the tune you gave me :)

luckily i didnt have to notch my shiftier to get into reverse, at times its a little tough to get into reverse, but i think its more of an issue that the setup is still new to me.

I also did not wire the reverse lockout, as many say, without it the possibility of going into reverse when shifting from 4th or 5th is pretty small once your hand gets a feel for where the 6th gear gate is. however i could see this still being a danger if you are driving HARD and really jam it into reverse thinking you are going to 6th.

Eventually i WILL buy an RSX harness and wire the reverse lockout, just for peace of mind.

On the speedo:
I know the sticky in this forum says that the only time a speedo mismatch is a problem is when you mix a low frequency setup (02-04 trannys) with a high frequency setup (05-06 tranny)

however i can provide data logs to prove this is not always the case. Right now in 6th gear @ 3.7k RPM my speedo reads 94 MPH! I know from the old 5spd that this should be somewhere between 75-82, even with the different final drive.

Slip, I'd be very interested to know if you end up with a similar speedo inconsistency once you have your tranny in.

[Slip_Angle]

Sorry for late reply, have been spending nights doing 2nd gear pulls, working the rich parts out of the tune you gave me :)

luckily i didnt have to notch my shiftier to get into reverse, at times its a little tough to get into reverse, but i think its more of an issue that the setup is still new to me.

I also did not wire the reverse lockout, as many say, without it the possibility of going into reverse when shifting from 4th or 5th is pretty small once your hand gets a feel for where the 6th gear gate is. however i could see this still being a danger if you are driving HARD and really jam it into reverse thinking you are going to 6th.

Eventually i WILL buy an RSX harness and wire the reverse lockout, just for peace of mind.

On the speedo:
I know the sticky in this forum says that the only time a speedo mismatch is a problem is when you mix a low frequency setup (02-04 trannys) with a high frequency setup (05-06 tranny)

however i can provide data logs to prove this is not always the case. Right now in 6th gear @ 3.7k RPM my speedo reads 94 MPH! I know from the old 5spd that this should be somewhere between 75-82, even with the different final drive.

Slip, I'd be very interested to know if you end up with a similar speedo inconsistency once you have your tranny in.

Hrm... That's not good. Did you just swap an 02 transmission in with no changes?

It's going in tomorrow!!! So... I should be able to tell you by Friday/Saturday what my results are.

[sleepy ep3]

I have the Hybrid racing VSS converter on my 06 si trans. Seems like it always reads low. I'm always thinking "I'm on doing 5 above the speed limit, why am I flying past everyone?" lmao

[Euro-Yellow-Ep3]

Greta info. I will defiantly need this when I get my trans

[Slip_Angle]

Transmission is in!

Observations so far...

1. No issues with the Speedometer readings. They are correct.
2. New Competition OEM clutch is even softer than stock, grabs a bit quicker.
3. Acceleration is much more linear than the 5 Speed.
4. The lower revs with the 4.3FD in 6th gear are nice.
5. The triple cone syncho's are a nice addition (Smoother shift) for the 1-2 / 2-1 shift. (5 Speed is triple only on 3/4/5)

Since the clutch, pressure plate etc are new, I'm taking it easy. I'm also getting used to the differences in shift gates. I was worried about hitting reverse but as others have said, it's really hard to do.

More to follow after I get seat time.

[Slip_Angle]

Additional observations.

6. If I rest my foot on the clutch pedal I get a vibration through the clutch pedal. Once it's pressed past about 1/2 inch further the vibration goes away.
7. Initial 1st gear engagement causes vibration. Almost like a motor mount is broken/lose but once I let the clutch out and have engaged 1st gear everything is normal after that.
8. The car generally feels more "raw" - kinda like the difference when ESMM's are installed vs. stock.

Clutch is new, pressure plate is new, throw-out bearing is new, flywheel was machined. Ideas? Do I just need more break-in time?

[cyllarus]

I agree with all of slips observations, except the clutch issues, i put in an exedy stage 1, and it feels and drives like stock.

I agree that the overall feel of the car is more "raw" with the tighter gears.

As far as the shuddering you are feeling, id have to say its clutch related, as i am experiencing none of these issues.

VERY INTERESTING that you dont report an issue with your speedometer...

One thing i remembered the other day:
I swapped trannys with a person who had a 6 speed. When we swapped, he KEPT the VSS from the 6speed transmission, and i KEPT the vss from the 5 speed transmission.

I wonder if these 2 VSS's are designed to work with a particular FD ( the 5spd VSS for the 4.7 FD, and the 6spd VSS for the 4.4 VSS )

interesting...

[cyllarus]

I agree with all of slips observations, except the clutch issues, i put in an exedy stage 1, and it feels and drives like stock.

I agree that the overall feel of the car is more "raw" with the tighter gears.

As far as the shuddering you are feeling, id have to say its clutch related, as i am experiencing none of these issues.

VERY INTERESTING that you dont report an issue with your speedometer...

One thing i remembered the other day:
I swapped trannys with a person who had a 6 speed. When we swapped, he KEPT the VSS from the 6speed transmission, and i KEPT the vss from the 5 speed transmission.

I wonder if these 2 VSS's are designed to work with a particular FD ( the 5spd VSS for the 4.7 FD, and the 6spd VSS for the 4.4 VSS )

interesting...