danthemanx07
New member
Even if you manage to get the 5 speed bolted up and get the transfer case working, your year limits to only automatic transmission compatible ECUs. You'll throw a CEL for the missing automatic transmission components. There will be a lot of now defunct wires left over from the auto transmission harness.
Manual swap in 01-02 would not be a fun thing to do IMO... 99-00 have manual transmissions available, making an ECU swap of the same year a solution to auto ECU CEL's. I don't think theres a way to make the auto ECU not throw codes. That could be annoying to look at daily, moreso when inspection or smog come around
This is true. Without a manual ECU available, you are going to have to fool your ECU into thinking the transmission is still there. You can do this using a method mentioned below by Singtoe.
I disagree.
Wiring the neutral safety switch isn't going to fix it. A 3.4 auto ECU will definitely throw codes, there are missing solenoids and sensors. Those will be missing whether or not you're in neutral.
Here are some codes I found online of typical 5 speed swaps on the 3.4 using the automatic ECU:
P0710- Transmission Fluid Temperature Sensor Circuit Malfunction
P0753- Shift Solenoid B Circuit Electrical
P0758- Shift Solenoid B Circuit Electrical
P0773- Shift Solenoid E Circuit Electrical
Is there a way to manipulate the ECU into thinking the missing parts are there and in functioning order? If even a malfunction can throw a code, the readings must be very specific.. I don't see how it could be done without ridiculous amounts of extra effort, or a simulator of some sort. I'd start looking at 2002 Tacoma 3.4 5speed ECUs and try to get one of those to work, there's pinouts online and in the FSM, it could be compared and repinned if need be. I am unaware of differences maybe involved with throttle by wire or other Tacoma/4Runner differences, but that's a good place to start looking.
A great quote on TTORA from mosk
Tacoma ECUs are different I believe. I know they were in 1998, the year of my 4runner, so you can't just pull a Tacoma one without running the same risk that the OP would run by popping in the ECU he already has from the 1996 donor vehicle.
WADR,
I didn't say the neutral safety switch.
Make the ECU think the transmission is in neutral.
This is from a '91, but same principle:
Automatic ECU into Manual - YotaTech Forums
This may be true, but it assumes that there are no additional sensors in the later model years that the ECU looks for. If anyone is going to get creative, they should get creative and build some shift solenoid simulators as Singtoe suggest. This should work fine.
I think the easiest way to fix this is to Take an ohm reading of each solenoid and buy the equilivant ohm resister and wire it in.
The ECM will see the load on the circuit and think all is fine.
Do the same for the Temp sender. Find a ohm value for the correct temp and wire the corresponding resister in place.
I think this would be the best way to do it without an ECU. A fella over on TTORA I think started this project before we found a way to swap in manual ECUs without frying them. Unfortunatley, that information is not freely available for 4runners. The guys on TTORA compiled the data about ECUs for the Tacomas. I just got lucky that the guy doing the work had a 1998 4runner and the data for it.
Oh good.
Yeah I already have the ECU out. Maybe I will swap the harnesses that seems like the best bet.
Edit: The more I think about it, wouldn't it just be easier to find a 1997 manual trans V6 ecu?
You run the same risk that I mentioned before. There is no way of knowing that the manual and auto ECUs have the same pinouts. You could get the info by buying a one day subscription to the toyota information system. If you go to that thread on TTORA that I mentioned in an earlier post, you can get an idea about the differences between the manual and auto ECUs. Truthfully I have never compared any ones other than the ones for a 1998 4runner, but I know that in 1998 the ECUs were different.




