4th gen manual swap thread

Hey guys I'm manual swapping my 4runner and I'll continue to update here.

The parts I'm using
Transmission from a 2009 Tacoma
Clutch assy, flywheel all from a Tacoma.
Clutch pedal and lines from Tacoma.
Transfer case from a 2019 trail edition 4runner (basically just a manual fj case)
Input shaft from a manual Tacoma tcase.
Ecu from a v6 manual Tacoma
Probably will need more along the way

Here's the car in it's auto state



Step one was to disconnect all the wires off the old trans and tcase which wasn't too bad, disconnect cooler lines and support the trans with a jack. Than I unbolted all the bellhousing bolts and had my buddy kick the shit out of the trans untill it separated from the motor.

Here are the two transmissions next to each other

If you look closely you can tell that without the tcase the auto is only 2 inches approx longer than the manual trans which means rotating the offset cross member (which bolts right up to the manual) will work flawlessy with no modification.

Next I began to disassemble the transfer case from the Tacoma to remove the input shaft. The transfer case on tacomas fj cruisers and 4runners all have the same bolt pattern the only difference is the spline count and orientation on the input shaft. I'm using a transfer case out of an automatic car that has part time 4wd. So the shaft must be swapped.
That's about the point im at right now as of November 8th 2020 because I'm waiting on the clutch to arrive but tomorrow I'm going to crack into the fj case to swap the input shafts and marry the tcase to the trans.

Today I swapped out the input shafts and it was a massive pain in the ass.


And here is the old 4runner input shaft


November 12th
Finally got the clutch flywheel and pressure plate mated up. Stabbed the trans and bolted up the cross member. Im super happy that the cross member actually bolts right up. Tcase mounted right up to the trans and I got started on the interior.






I still don't have the clutch pedal in due to me really procrastinating on it. But today I got the car to start by removing the neutral safety switch off the automatic transmission and plugging it into the harness and switching it to park. It starts and runs fine with only two engine lights for the trans. The ecu from a 6 speed Tacoma is entirely different from the 4 runner one and requires repinning and I might get around to doing that if the car hates what's happening but if the auto ecu does fine I'll just run it.

 

This looks very intriguing, but do you have to worry about smog inspection? If you do, have you checked with your local referee to make sure it will pass with the transmission swap?

 

If the 4Runner was a manual, I wouldn’t have my taco. Good luck.

 

Sub’d.

 

The car is driving now and only has trans codes. The smog shop In town passes me with long tubes.

 

Been researching this for a while. Thanks for sharing info about the process. Did you have to modify the Tacoma clutch pedal assembly? And did you keep the 4runner brake pedal or swap in a Tacoma unit? What did you do about driveshaft lengths? I live in a smog test region so if I go through with this I hope to figure out the wiring/CEL and will share anything I learn!

 

Yo yo, so currently I have 8 check engine lights that I can't get rid of but I'm talking to a shop near me that might be able to get rid of them the Tacoma clutch pedal was very hacked up but works perfect. Clutch still isn't engaging properly and chatters like crazy so I'm gonna have to pull it out again. Yes two new driveshafts where needed after the swap.i kept the brake pedal but I currently have no e brake.

 

Hopefully that shop will figure out how to fix the codes. With so many computers in these cars it might need the manual ecm to feel happy again.

As for the clutch pedal I think there is some adjustment in the pedal unit itself, which could help with the engagement issues but probably not the chattering. I’m sure you’ve already played with it though. If you have any pics of what you did with the clutch pedal assembly to make it fit and how you attached it they would be much appreciated.

My thought was to use FJ cruiser stuff (e.g. manual ecm and maybe 4wd brain) because they seem more closely related to the 4Runners in terms of electronics, but that’s untested and FJ stuff is rare and expensive.

 

To use another ecm the whole harness has to be repinned. I'd rather tune out the errors than do that. 4wd is nearly impossible to retain with the swap so I opted for an fj cruiser transfer case. I can take some pics of the clutch pedal in the morning. It's engaging at the right spot it's the clutch/flywheel itself not meshing correctly. Add me on instagram or snapchat it's alot easier to explain things. @oodiegoo on instagram and @diegotomato02 on snapchat

 

Thanks. For some reason making the pedal assembly work is the biggest source of anxiety about this project.

 

It was mine aswell, I did the entire swap minus the clutch pedal and it took me a couple days to find the motivation to get the clutch pedal in. It's honestly not that bad though, you just have to remove the e brake assembly. I mounted the clutch pedal to a piece of flat stock. Cut a big ass hole in the firewall and welded it in place

 

Is your first photo there from the Black Rock?