LOL dude I know where you live we'll take care of this during off duty hours.

 

I converted mine and yea the 6 speed is a lot more smoother but I actually like the 5 a lot better. Plus less shifting lol but it is somewhat notchy. My 6speed was grinding so anything is better then that.

 

So after reading through this ENTIRE thread I am still confused, some people say to use the harness based off of if your car is an 8 or 9 and some people say to use the harness based off of if your trans is an 8 or 9. Which is it? Sorry to bump up an old thread..

 

I have a evo 9 mr and with some slight modding to the wiring i made it work on the 5 speed, just some simple soldiering but i don't exactly remember what has to be done. Btw i put in a evo 8 5 speed

 

From post#137

Also I emailed Jacks recently as I'm wanting to do a 5 speed swap (Evo8 trans into Evo9 MR) and inquired about their "5 Speed Installation Kit". They stated using the Evo8 trans would not be a problem and the differences are in the car, therefore I would want the install kit for a IX. It would seem the harness would be the difference.

 

I did the swap last year. Mine is 09 MR with evo 8 trans, using evo 8 harness.

 

its not the year of the transmission that makes a difference. Its the year of the car. 05-06 used a different speed sensor and reverse sensor connector. You need the transmission harness specific to your year evo. 03-04 is different from 05-06

 

Hey. I'm doing this swap soon, I have Buschur Racing Underhood bushings for my 6 speed. Will they work with the 5 speed transmission?

 

no^^

 

Hey, how is everyone liking their 5spd conversions? I have a stock IX MR with 23k, and 2nd is starting to feel notchy. I suspect the previous owner auto-x'd it or really liked shifting fast. Other than a mild notchy feel, which improves a little when warmed up, the rest of the gears shift like new.

Shep said it could be as simple as a new 2nd synchro, or as bad as a 2nd shaft/hub/slider/gear/synchro kit, which is $1150, and then $775 labor to rebuild.

I have a bone-stock car that will never make more than stock power and will never see anything but highway. I like the 6spd and it sounds like they are only a problem at power levels and driving conditions that mine will never see.

So, somewhere between roughly $1000 and 2000 to fix my 6spd, or $3500 for a brand new 5-speed + conversion kit? Which would YOU do if you never intend to race or mod? I think the car deserves to be 100% stock, not stock-with-a-5spd. Also, I am getting too old and busy for this s*** (LOL!) so I'm not keen on sourcing used parts and transmissions from all over the forums. I'm ready to spend $3500 on a 5-speed, so cost is not a factor this time, it all boils down to whether I want a brand new Shep-treated 5, or a Shep-repaired 6

Thanks!

 

My MR transmission started giving me issues at 35k miles. They seem to start having issues way earlier than 5-speed trannys do. Think about that if you are looking to just rebuild the 6-speed. How long have you owned the car? A lot of people say they are not going to modify it and end up doing so. Its a performance car, you are bound to want more power or tend to drive it like a racecar every once in awhile.

 

Being a DSMer since 2001, I know the temptation to mod, and I can resist it. I've had the car for 2 years and still have ZERO inclination to do anything to it other than keep it stock. I certainly modded my Talon a lot over the years and now they are so rare ( http://www.ecmtuning.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74212 ) that I am glad mine is still on jack-stands since 2009 instead of parted out. Some day I'll get back to the Talon and get it on the road again, and THAT will be the car I romp on, not the Evo.

So yea, hearing about your 6spd wearing out so soon is a little unnerving. 2nd in my car is NOT really that bad, just annoying and I always skip it whenever possible to avoid any further wear. Maybe I'll buy a 0-mile Shep 5spd outright and just keep it in the basement until the day my 6spd wears out. I travel 50% of the year for work, and the Evo only sees occasional use, maybe 3000 miles/year so its not like the tranny is going to wear out that fast.

Decisions decisions....

 

mine lasted 70k before 4th started getting hard to put in. Had it rebuilt I like the 6 speed better but if I was going to do the 5 speed I'd go with the ultimate ratio 5 speed.

 

2nd gear notchiness is typical of the 6 speed. Mine was worst when it was new, and over the course of 50K miles of use, its gotten progressively less notchy. When it was new, it was impossible to shift into 2nd gear without getting a slight grind, but now its grind-free into 2nd gear. If you are seeing an increase in notchiness, perhaps its due to cold weather, or maybe its time to consider a different gear lube. However, if you've been wailing on the tranny, maybe the second gear synchros are wearing out.

 

Lots of confusion on the harness in this thread. The sensors on the trans is the same, but the plug on the engine harness side is different between 8 and 9. If you have the wrong harness (ex: I had a 8 MR with a 8 5spd going in but a 9 harness) Its really not a big deal, just depin/Repin the correct connector from your previous 6 speed trans harness or cut and solder. Its like 3 wires.

I blew an input shaft bearing 3 years ago and swapped to a shep 5spd. Its definitely not as smooth and I actually liked the 6spd ratios better. But no denying the 5spd is a lot stronger. 6spd is the better DD and weekend trans as long as you don't abuse it.