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Automatic Transmission Up Grade

TomtOm

By TomtOm,
in Engines & Forced Induction

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J3TR33 Community Regular

J3TR33

Posted
Posted
hi guys

was just wondering if theres anyway to to upgrade the tectonics transmission so it reacts faster. =S and would installing a manual gear box be a cheaper option? have anyone done a auto to manual conversion before?

Cheers

i have a stage 2 shift kit in mine but my car isn't NA, the other thing is to do a stage 3, which is a fully manualised auto, with a ratchet shifter..

call knox automatics if your in melbourne, they did my stage 2 and very happy with it, im pretty sure they do a stage 3 as well...

RBPOWA-(TJ) Grand Master

RBPOWA-(TJ)

Posted
Posted

try the full stage 2 rebuild. mines getting done atm.

insted of just the valve body its clutch packs, bands, O-rings. what ever comes out gets upgraded :P good for 350-400kw and under 2k

but for a non turbo .... just sell it and buy a manual one. , it will cost more then the auto, but you will save the labour $$$ and time and bullshit in converting it to manual ...

john-e boi Mentor

john-e boi

Posted
Posted (edited)

manual conversion isnt a cheaper options. alot of work and labour is involved.

not too sure if theres much difference between the r34 NA and turbo gearboxes, but the only place i found that does shift kits for turbo r34 gearboxes is MV Automatics in Adelaide.

only searching up for turbo gearboxes, i found out with a shift kit, you will benefit alot shifting wise (from what i have researched) shifting is almost immediate with throttle released and 0.5~1second with full throttle. which is a huge different comparing to the standard 2~2.5seconds. also with a shift kit it doesnt flare causing friction that builds up heat. heat kills gearbox.

i received my stage 2 shift kit and 2800/3000rpm stall couple days ago so hopefully it will be going in sometime early next week. if you like, i can let you know what differences i felt with then two items in. cause when i tried finding out about the two not much was mentioned.

with my shift kit it was $350 for the shift kit, $91 for core deposit (you get it back when you send back your standard valve body) + freight. not too sure how much different it will be with a NA gearbox (if theres any difference) also remembering labour cost for removing and refitting the valve body if you're not doing it yourself. its also a good idea to find a 2nd hand gearbox so your car isnt off the road for the time its all getting done (in a week or so roughly)

but if you interested in a shift kit i highly recommended MV Automatics as they are reknown for automatic skyline gearboxes and theres a fair few members on sau using their products. call Mike on (08)83700430

Edited by john-e boi
  • 11 months later...
N-DAWG Mentor

N-DAWG

Posted
Posted

Where abouts are you located? If in Brisbane, Western Suburbs Automatics do Performance boxes and completely overhauled mine and rebuilt the valve body, installed HD Kevlar Clutchpacks and Clutch Bands, new solenoid set (if you're going to work the gearbox, might as well do solenoids as R34's have a history of shit**ng themselves in their age). Car shifts really quick now!

If a gearbox is flaring a bit a valve body upgrade can clear this up and strengthen the box. If it's beyond that point, then a valve body upgrade will just make it worse and the box will need rebuilding/overhaul. You'll find the majority of auto specialists will ask to test drive before performing the upgrade. With that said, MV Automatics, Knox Automatics or Western Suburbs Automatics will be able to help you out.

The other option is to throw in a manual box, but there's a lot of labour work involved with pedals, clutch master cylinders etc... not to mention the R34 Automatic ECU has the shift logic built in and I'm not sure whether you will need to change the ECU also...

R34mac Enthusiast

R34mac

Posted
Posted
The other option is to throw in a manual box, but there's a lot of labour work involved with pedals, clutch master cylinders etc... not to mention the R34 Automatic ECU has the shift logic built in and I'm not sure whether you will need to change the ECU also...

Auto ECU is fine on a manual conversion. I've got both ECU's here and tested them. Also if you run the manual ECU the TCS is disabled (you get TCS and SLIP errors on the dash permanently) - they must have had slightly different sensors in the manual R34's.

N-DAWG Mentor

N-DAWG

Posted
Posted

Lack of TCS on GT's shouldn't be a problem then :cool:

As for cost? well... I went the expensive path. My gearbox showed a fair bit of flaring after turbo conversion, then after bumping up the boost to 12PSI the gearbox pretty much had its day. Diagnosis was complete overhaul.

$3300 for overhaul with HD Kevlar Clutchpacks, HD ClutchBands, new solenoid set, overhauled torque lock up plate, new transmission oil, valve body upgrade. that's a discounted price as I wasn't expecting it to be so much.

I would also advise a transmission fluid cooler (next on my list). I was going to do that sooner but my transfer casing turned out to be porous and leaking out the top and had to be sent for repair (another $500 odd dollars) so I'm still without trans cooler.

I look back now, and if I knew how bad it was going to be, I would have bought a second hand GTT Box in good cond. and kitted that, but anyways all done now! allow around $500 odd for a valve body upgrade. If you do a transfer service (they replace your valve body and take yours to upgrade for the next customer) it works out a bit cheaper.

N-DAWG Mentor

N-DAWG

Posted
Posted

not sure at 12PSI, wasn't much more cause the power loss to the failing gbox, haven't had it dyno'd for a power run since, but definitely pulls a lot harder! which to me is more important than a peak power result. It's the power under the peak curve that counts for daily driving.

R34mac Enthusiast

R34mac

Posted
Posted
Lack of TCS on GT's shouldn't be a problem then :)

As for cost? well... I went the expensive path. My gearbox showed a fair bit of flaring after turbo conversion, then after bumping up the boost to 12PSI the gearbox pretty much had its day. Diagnosis was complete overhaul.

$3300 for overhaul with HD Kevlar Clutchpacks, HD ClutchBands, new solenoid set, overhauled torque lock up plate, new transmission oil, valve body upgrade. that's a discounted price as I wasn't expecting it to be so much.

Yikes.. my manual conversion total cost was $3300. Each to their own I guess.. I imagine your auto must shift pretty hard. :)

I still found the gear ratio's on my old auto to not be very nice though.

N-DAWG Mentor

N-DAWG

Posted
Posted

Yeah gear ratios could be better since the turbo conversion... I believe an LSD upgrade will make them more suitable? something to consider later on I guess :) Yeah doesn't shift AS hard since the transfer casing leak left me almost stranded at Garden City Car Park after it all but lost pressure! Still nice and snappy though, and to be honest I prefer a bit smoother for daily driving as 1st to 2nd off-throttle shifting was a bit of a jolt!

  • 1 year later...

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