Subaru Manual Swap - Part 6: Wiring - Dirtcheapdaily : Ep.30

In this episode of dirtcheapdaily, Aaron finishes the wiring for the manual swap!
There are a few different ways to go about it and in this episode, Aaron shows you 2 of them.
The first way is pretty jerry-rigged, but it gets the job done by just tricking the ECU into thinking the car is always in neutral.
The 2nd way is the legitimate way, switching the ECU into manual mode and not throwing any check engine lights or codes!
This video is 2nd gen Subaru Legacy specific, but with a little research it will apply to other Subarus.
UPDATE: Be sure to check out the update video where I worked out a couple quirks I had after about a month of dallying it.
Buy #dirtcheapdaily window Vinyls here:
squareup.com/s...
Check out instagram @dirtcheapdaily for daily updates on projects and other tips for doing your own mods!
/ dirtcheapdaily
or check out Facebook:
/ dirtcheapdaily
or Twitter:
/ dirtcheapdaily_

[@owendittrick8406]

7 years later and this video is still saving lives🙏. Thank you dude I was so lost once I got to the wiring.

[@romanceexplosion231]

Dude, thank you so much for these videos. Im working on gathering all the parts for this swap, I love my automatic impreza but i hate the automatic. Its starting to shift a little funny so now I have an excuse to get a manual in there finally and your videos have answered many questions i have been worrying about. Respect

[@braulio1o4]

Mate, thus is such a good guide... Everything is so clear and easy to understand. I'm working on my Gtb legacy, it came automatic and I just got a full manual swap for it... I just needed to figure it out the wiring and with this video... Is easy as! Cheers!

[@marka1837]

You are the Man!!! Excited job and thanks for going through everything to help us all from losing our minds!🤪

[@obancameron]

This is gold 15:26 is the second and most correct way

[@ryandownie3574]

Just finished the series! Planning on going back and watching all the videos 1 or 2 more times, then doing a 5 speed swap and turbo motor swap on my 06 impress 2.5i this December! Thank you!!!

[@zache8135]

Ryan Downie did you end up doing it? I got some questions on the swap if you ddi

[@burrowssj]

Thanks for this video man, I couldn't find a proper diagram for my car bc5 JDM, just manual swapped it and have learnt heaps from your video. Got the inhib switch working and reverse lights done thanks to your video helping me and some common sense. Turns out bc5 is wired same as your car too, so bottom 4 wires do inhib switch and reverse lights. :)

[@lavachemist]

Wouldn't it be cleaner and look nicer to clip the 4x3 pigtail off the automagic trans and take out the pins that you don't need? Then you could connect the reverse lights, etc. to the pigtail scavenged from the auto trans.

[@DanielGarcia-ek7wf]

You sir are a lifesaver in 2019! Thank you!

[@drakepearson964]

Life saver in 2024🫡

[@ziggychris24able]

Hey thanks a lot man u cleared up a good bit for my car that I've been struggling with this whole time to rebuild

[@oscarchurapemartinez1060]

Did you ever find a fix to the reverse lights staying while in any gear?

[@Ryden4Legend]

I had the same issue, found out he used the wrong switch, use the grey switch and if it doesn’t work first swap the wires around on that switch. He hooked it up the brown which is actually the neutral switch. Hope this helps as it was driving me crazy not having an answer to this

[@Plazmattack]

One thing, with the Gen 1 Legacy, the Reverse and Neutral Switch came through 1 connector with 4 wires from the transmission.

[@konradm.374]

This helps alot, thanks! ✨👍 Last thing I don't know is how turn on ABS after this 🤔

[@lucasbelo7107]

Hey man, you've helped a lot. Many thanks :D

[@jeffonda]

Im planning to convert my 08 wrx to manual thanks for these great vids

[@KakinoHorsepower]

How did it go? I wanna swap my 08 legacy

[@zache8135]

Also wondering how it went

[@corypatterson4568]

I love the content and lucky for me I see Ben at dancing so I can pick his brain, that being said would it be easier to swap the ECU and wiring harness from a manual to the automatic?

[@cousinharry2.0]

Just swapped my own 2000 impreza rs with a 99 obs 5 speed swap. Mine did the same thing, starts in gear only. There is talk online of the nss polarity but there is no polarity on this switch its either Its either open or closed. Doesn't matter which wire goes to which. The issue here what the switch does in neautral vs the what the ecu knows is neutral is flipped. On gd wrxs the STI 6 speed the nss must be changed to match the wrx ecu, and if you're running an sti ecu with a 5 speed you must have a matching switch because it's flipped. (theres another way to flip the values in the rom file but for simplicity lets not talk about that since its impossible on the older ones) As to why this is happening on a previously automatic car with a swapped 5mt. Which otherwise starts fine in gear. Is the the automatiic ecu expects a flipped signal. which is turn leads me to believe the ecu id pin isnt actually changing the rom loaded onto it. the test and the solution is to either 1. use a manual ecu for your application and see if it works 2. use a nss from a 6 speed and see if it works. the only reason I want this to work right is because I think the ecu has different timing values for neutral vs in gear. and by tricking it to stay in neutral it wont be as good as it could be? Ill comment back if the 6 speed nss fixes the issue.

[@x11xphantomx11x]

Dude i love you you saved me from a big headache 😭😭😭

[@elijahslonaker2178]

I bought my 2.5rs off of someone else who manual swapped it, i can’t figure out why I have to put it in second gear to start the engine. He only mentioned it was easier for him

[@thatGRprick]

Thank you

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+Parrish McNeill glad do help. Be sure to check out the wiring update I posted too 👍🏻

[@11ba6750]

I couldn't tell from the video, but does your car have ABS? If so, does it still work w/ this swap? My 97 Outback Sport has ABS and I'd really like to keep it as a precaution because I drive it in the snow.

[@riverkcarolina]

Could the brown “neutral” plug from the transmission be wired to the ignition wires under the hood?

[@dirtriderz6881]

Thank you so much these videos are the best!!!

[@littlerobbie9648]

love it. what is this? GT sedan 2.5, 97?

[@hamburgerhelpah6618]

Thanks man , doing a 05 FXT , trying to figure out where to bring speed sensor wiring and look for proper ECU pin to ground

[@frankseden8833]

Hey bro I have a 04 xt and having problems with the wiring could you help in this

[@hamburgerhelpah6618]

@@frankseden8833 possibly 🤷🏻‍♂️ , I ended up taking out my harness and sent it to IWIRE

[@DIRISANJI]

I absolutely love this but I am desperately looking on how to wire my speed sensor which I thought you were going to cover in this but didn’t see please is there any help you can give me on this?

[@janspor]

Hey man how do I wire up my speed sensor to the manual transmission? Can you do a vid on that?

[@immadevivo4822]

after my swap the ecu shows a p0600 for the check engine light. How do I remedy that?

[@KenfieldZ3]

Imma DeVivo did you ever figure out the check light? I have p0600 still

[@adriangomez3424]

Do you think it would be similar with a 1995 Subaru SVX?

[@ignaciogonzalez9730]

hello friend, very good video, I have in mind to make a swap and with your videos I have been guided too much but I do not understand the issue of the cables in the ecu for the backup lights, could you help me with that issue that I speak Spanish and I do not have how translate your video for better understanding.

[@shannonsmith9022]

hey man big fan of your work.. after taking out the tcu, did you have any problems with the ignition lock out?

[@Blanco_SubieForester]

Can you put a Turbo Transmission on a NA Engine?

[@norlanburgos2756]

This work for 05forester Xt manual swap

[@johnsontrucks8806]

how do I fix the starting in gear problem I don't need the clutch lockout thing just need to be able to start the car in neural

[@robertallen3928]

Where'd you get your wire diagram I have the same ecu and plug in, but I can't find a pinout anywhere. My car doesn't seem to exist. 1997 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT

[@IronFishChannel]

If I were to get the wiring harness from a manual version of the car should I be able to just replace the whole thing and not have to worry about any of this? Thanks.

[@fifthstreetgarage4145]

Yes

[@tommylee6767]

hey man i doing a swap on a 2003 baja and im having a hell of a time figuring out what one to ground so my car doesnt idle at 2500 its the last part i need to do to get it to work do you happen to have any info on that?!

[@alejandrospena6266]

Hi I have a question...your brake switch on stop pedal is they same as automatic?

[@svrsxlt]

I have some questions for you, any way you can hmu? Currently doing the swap and I've ran into an issue. The starter solenoid just rapidly clicks after bridging the neutral lockout. Car won't start, and battery voltage drops while attempting, but shows 12.8 when not

[@RSRbuilds.666]

Hey man if I was to go manual to auto would I need to get a whole new harness

[@frankseden8833]

Hey buddy if I have a 2004 forester what wirer do I ground on the ecu is it the same

[@rickyanderson7556]

Did subaru stay with the same ecu for auto and manual with an 06 forester xt do you know? If so is it still the wire to the left of the neutral switch if upside down?

[@Jakanddaxter1999]

What do you change if you want to start the car in neutral

[@juliolucero3412]

where did you ground it to?

[@donnellhenry273]

Hey man, I really enjoyed your videos. I am wanting to do a h6 (EZ30) swap to my 2003 forester, and wiring was my biggest concern. My forester is manual, but all the EZ30 harnesses and ECU are all auto. Do you think that what you just did will work for the swap? Look forward to a responses. Thanks a much man for the video's and knowledge.

[@johnsontrucks8806]

hey did you end up doing it let me know how it went

[@GetWRXT]

great series of videos. Does tricking the ECU into thinking it's a manual fix the fueling at idle? Or does it not swap from an auto map to a manual map.

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+Brad putting it in manual mode switches it to a manual ECU. If you just trick it into thinking you're in neutral all the time, you're still running the auto fueling

[@GetWRXT]

Dirtcheapdaily Got ya that's still really helpful in the meantime, could always invest in something like a greddy blue instead to adjust fueling and timing.

[@fightingfalconfan]

Just find a used but known good ecu out of a manual for the manual fuel map. Problem solved.

[@alejandrospena6266]

Impreza and legacy as the same models in bcm?

[@bradspangler6161]

So what wires go to the parking lockout?

[@1bizvip]

Do you the at mt pin for my 03 outback

[@stress212]

Can this ground ecu work with a 2002 wagon?

[@duncan9168]

Not enough credit for this video, I put a 5speed out of a 96 impreza into a 97 legacy and you saved my ass on wiring, I couldn't find out how to wire the NSS or reverse lights. So it idled at 2k and no lights for 358 miles till I found this video lol

[@andrewalker6402]

I just did finished up a swap on my jdm 97 impreza and it's also idling at 2k.... the NSS needs to be hooked up?

[@janspor]

How do I wire up the speed sensor? I don't know where to start

[@julianwiebe5276]

Any chance any of you figure out how to get the speedo to read the speed.i have a 01 forester with everything done already(bought it this way) but the speedo doesn't work.

[@the.bt.effect2270]

Did you swap out the speed sensor on the trans?

[@jOoomOooo]

whered you get your wiring diagram

[@keigansmom2008]

Have a question. About the speedometer... We have done a 2002 Subaru legacy auto to 2000 Subaru legacy wagon manual swap everything is great except the speedometer don't work... We don't have speedometer cable we have wires and I'm needing to know what wires to hook up and to where they hook up. ... Because I'm a speeder lol and I definitely need my speedometer to work could u or anyone please help me out ? Took the motor from wagon to sedan

[@zache8135]

Did you figure it out? I’m also wondering about the speed sensor wiring

[@joncole9094]

Nice vids bud. Do you know if the mk3 (be9) legacy is much different to do a swap to?

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+Jon Cole I don't know personally, but I assume it's gotta be pretty similar.

[@subaruej22d84]

@@Dirtcheapdaily pop

[@fifthstreetgarage4145]

While I was trying to remove the motor from my parts Subaru, the bottom motor mount bolt got stripped cause it was so rusty and I don't know how to get it off. Can you make a video on how to get a stripped motor mount bolt off?

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+Fifth Street Garage I'd just cut it off and get a new mount or figure out how to rig up a new bolt. If I ever have the issue, I'll be sure to film it. Haha

[@elliottness218]

Dirtcheapdaily do you know if this will work for a 2004 wrx swap to manual? I would use the tranny from 02-04 whichever is available.

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+Elliott Nunez yea, it'll work. The wiring is going to be slightly different, but same basic concept.

[@jabadahut50]

is the ECU also the same in the cvt's? I really hate my cvt and I want to manual swap it.

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+jabadahut50 not sure. I don't know anything about the cvt

[@fifthstreetgarage4145]

Wouldn't I just be able to put a manual trans ECU on with the swap and I won't need to cut all those wires and everything??

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+Fifth Street Garage the ECUs are the same. You could swap in a manual wiring harness that includes the grounded manual pin, but I think splicing together those 4 wires and adding a pin to the ECU yourself is easier. If I would have had this video or someone to tell me what wires go where, I could have finished up all the wiring in 20 minutes.

[@cristianandressolanosanche2676]

Los otros 2 Cables aparte de las luces de reversa de que son no me quedo muy claro

[@fifthstreetgarage4145]

So what do you do with the grey plug and what does it do

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+Fifth Street Garage which grey plug? The one coming off the manual?

[@trigez9618]

I only have one side of the neutral/reverse plug, the ones connected to the transmission. do I need the other side of the plug with different color wires? we're can I find it if I don't have a manual close to me??

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+ArC Hoax you don't need it. You can just splice into it for now, or get those quick release connectors from the auto parts store.

[@trigez9618]

Dirtcheapdaily so instead of having a green and yellow after the connecter, just cut it before the plug?

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+ArC Hoax yup

[@trigez9618]

on both plugs is one a power and one ground? so just get a volt meter see which is which, then just follow the steps as seen?

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+ArC Hoax yup!

[@tamagage2206]

so with that blue wire u jump dose that allow the car to start

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

+Tama Gage sorry what?

[@corahughes7768]

@@Dirtcheapdaily Hey dude, so I had a question about that pin you added to the ECU... I'm trying to do a manual swap on an 04 Impreza and I know you don't know wiring for those, but it seems you just added a pin in somewhere there's an empty pin, or does it have to be in a specific location for it to work? I'm looking at the wiring diagram for a 97 Legacy and pin 81 doesn't have anything or is even listed to have anything... So I'm assuming it's just any location that's empty the ECU just needs to be grounded right?

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

@@corahughes7768 Wrong. the pin I grounded was the Manual mode pin. Don't just throw a pin into any spot

[@cristianandressolanosanche2676]

@@Dirtcheapdaily al cable Rosa verdad?

[@SunKalioGaming]

You can avoid all of this by getting a manual ecu for the version of the car your swapping

[@Dirtcheapdaily]

These cars didnt have a manual and auto ECU. They're the same thing and you just ground the correct pin on the ECU to differentiate.

[@SunKalioGaming]

@@Dirtcheapdaily ohhhh thats interesting

[@subienewbie3876]

How did you hook up the speedometer?

[@sandrechristian2102]

Yes I need to know this

[@loudpath]

That is what I am needing to know i have a 1999 legacy that I am putting in a 1998 and the speed sensor is a 2 pin

[@eflanagan1921]

Pin # would be helpful .

[@RCracing.garage]

El video más importante y no tiene subtítulos 🤨😑