Updated the post on page 1. I'm going to have to break it into two posts, and the latter part will go here.
I went ahead and installed my shift boot on my center console. The center console for the auto WILL WORK for the manual conversion. On the underside there is a place to mount the shift boot - it takes two phillips screws (like the ones that hold on your dash parts).
In my quest for better FE, I figured I'd better try to stop my oil consumption (about 1 qt per gas tank). This is the engine going on the engine stand so I can replace seals and gaskets.
Engine on the stand. Here I'm removing the crank pulley. The silver bar is on the crank pulley bolt and the black bar is holding the crank pulley still. This black tool is an alternative (more expensive yet easier) to using the 2x4 method I outlined and that Matt used
HERE.
This is the rear plate and the rear main seal. The engine is inverted in this picture with the oil pan removed. To pull the rear plate and the oil pump, you've got to take off the oil pan. I recommend replacing the rear main seal every time the flywheel is off because it's cheap, easy, and peace of mind. I unbolted the four 10mm bolts, wiggled the plate off the locating dowels, pressed out the old seal, drove in a new one, cleaned the mating surfaces on the plate and the block, applied fresh Hondabond, and torqued the plate back down. Make sure the seal is fully seated, or the flywheel can chew up the new seal. To see if it's fully seated, look at the back side of the plate...it will be obvious if it isn't.
Inverted engine, oil pan off. I've removed the timing belt so I can remove the oil pump to replace the crank seal. Five 10mm bolts hold the pump on. Seal replacement is exactly like that in the step above.
Back at the shifter on the 10-pin plug, find these two wires (YEL and GRN/BLK). These wires will turn on the reverse lights when connected. If you want to do it down and dirty, just run wires directly from these to the reverse light switch on the manual transmission. I, being a hideous neat freak when it comes to wiring, will show you how to do most of the wiring inside the engine harness using existing wires.
On the engine wiring harness, find the place where the auto tranny lockup solenoid plug is - it should be a YEL wire. Solder a lead onto this wire for the reverse light switch. I have lots of wiring harnesses laying around, so I just chopped the plugs off a junk harness.
I'll have to explain this one later when I have my notes.
What a freaking mess! You can see my engine harness on the left, the junk harness on the right, lots of old electrical tape and my meter in the foreground for testing continuity. I like to use zip-ties to hold the harness together when I have the loom off.
Here you can see where I have run the second lead for the reverse lights through the harness. Again...once I have my notes, I can explain this better.
Go ahead and remove the auto ECU.
Run a wire from the YEL wire on the 10-pin plug at the shifter to...
...the YEL wire on the white ECU plug (I call it pin A8). It's four over on the bottom when viewing this plug from the wire side. If you have a HELM, it should be the pin that controls the auto tranny lockup solenoid.
Once I have my notes I can tell you how to finish the wiring.
Linear Mode
