Is it possible to change an automatic transmission to a manual transmission on a 2004 Dodge Neon SXT?

Answer

It is very possible.

for information on this go to www.neons.org and www.2gn.org and search around the forums. you will find plenty of information about this. many people have done it.

Answer

There are a lot of instances of this question on the Honda, Mitsubishi, Toyota...forums. Here's what happens, and it's why we get so many of this question.

What's happening here is some kid buys something like a Civic or an Eclipse with an automatic to turn it into a "Fast and Furious" car. He spends all this money to put a nice interior, a good stereo, cold air intake, speed chip, MSD, fart can, 20-inch wheels, kewl paint job, all that, on his car, and by the time he's done he's got two years and ten grand invested in the car. It's nice. And then he takes it to Run What Ya Brung night at the dragstrip and gets his ass kicked by some dude with a manual transmission.

Guys, guys, guys. One of the big reasons you got stomped on your first time at the track, is that the guy in the other lane knows how to drag race a lot better than you do. He'd beat you with an automatic in his car. He'd beat you if you swapped cars for a pass...because he knows how to drive better than you do. I've never driven a Mitsubishi of any stripe or a Toyota with a manual, but Honda's automatics perform real well--well enough that a good driver in an automatic Honda will stomp an okay one in a manual ten passes out of ten. Drag racing school might be a better investment than a new transmission...and consider that when you drive in town, automatics are better. Your leg doesn't get nearly as sore. Yeah, you can push-start a manual, but if you keep your battery and starter in good condition this really isn't an issue--most guys will never have need to push-start a late-model car.

But if you still want to do this, here's how to do it. Every car is different; this is a basic broad outline.

There are usually four, and sometimes five, differences between a car with a manual and a car with an automatic. First is the transmission, then the pedal cluster, the console, sometimes the engine control unit and every once in a while the engine itself is different. There are a vast number of parts you need to change--you know the halfshafts are sometimes different in length between auto and manual?

Start by purchasing two more cars--one that runs, one that's been hit in the rear. The rear-ended one, where you will extract all your parts from, needs to be the same make and model as what you've got. It should ideally be the same year, or at least the same year group--1986 to 1991 Honda Accords have interchangeable parts, as an example. Body style isn't critical; if you've got an Accord Coupe, an Accord Sedan will work fine as a donor. A good source for these cars is insurance agents--go to all the insurance agents you can find and tell 'em that if they total out a (whatever you drive) that's been hit in the rear, you'd like to buy it. If you go to a junkyard to get a whole car, assuming they'll sell you one, you stand a real good chance of getting a car that's missing stuff...like, oh, some real small valve the car won't shift without. Your Fast and Furious car is gonna be Non-Running and Up On Jackstands for at least a month if you're doing this in your spare time, so you've got to have wheels. Hence the old beater just to get around in. The one that's been rear-ended you need because the best way to get ALL the parts you need, is to get them from a whole car. Buy the factory service manual. Make sure you have plenty of tools, including a transmission jack and probably an engine hoist. Work safely. Take your time; there's no rush. Be prepared to replace a lot of hoses--I'd put all new ones in, just to be safe. And have help--some of this work requires two people. I would NOT recommend getting your girlfriend to help. This stuff will absolutely ruin your nails--and dude, every guy I have ever met with one of these cars has a girlfriend with a $50 manicure.

The procedure, while it's a LOT of work, is real straightforward: everything from the firewall forward, plus the console, the shift mechanism and the pedal cluster, has to come out of the donor and go back into your car. Half you guys wrapped your consoles. You're gonna do it again.

Answer

You can change ANYTHING to ANYTHING if you want to bad enough. In your situation the easiest thing to do is to "A" trade your car in on one with a manual and be done with it. If you want to do this silly thing,"B" find a wrecked donor car and start swapping parts. By the time you are done you will wish you had used "plan A"

Answer

If its a V6 model then you cannot change the transmission to manual. The closest thong to a V6 manual would be swapping Acura CL engine + 6speed tranny in. If its the I4 im guessing you would have to change the ECU too. Ask your mechanic how much he would charge you for a tranny swap and then start looking around junkyards. Or like the other guy just said just go trade in

First answer by Racer12306. Last edit by Racer12306. Contributor trust: 117 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 13 [recommend question]