[FlannelFairlady]

So between the first thread I created for a manual swap and the second thread I sort of hijacked on accident I figured it would be a good idea to round up all of the information that has been put together in one place for this project. Several ideas have been tossed around including stealing the drivetrain from another car which while great in theory adds a lot more headaches than are necessary. Let me get this out of the way now, yeah I could sell the Juke and another car that would be AWD and manual like an Evo or a Focus RS but that wouldn't be the same since it wouldn't be as unique and cool as the Juke in my mind.

What I ultimately settled on is to modify a FWD Juke Nismo RS 6 speed transmission to accept the AWD Juke CVT transfer case and then using the AWD rear end connected to an aftermarket AWD controller. The modifications to the 6 speed transmission will include modifying the case to allow the transfer case to bolt up, this includes the larger seat for the larger race bearing on the passenger side of the differential. Welding on the splined section from the differential in the AWD transmission to the 6spd LSD. The passenger size axle from the RS might be able to be adapted for the AWD system or worst case it will be custom axle bar. The differential controller is from DCCD Pro and functions as a standalone unit meaning I can run a manual ECU which simplifies a lot of things. At this point I will still need to manual swap the car but by comparison this will be a much more straight forward task as it has been done before.

As far as tools go I a decent TIG setup that will get the job done when it gets there but I will likely farm out the precision machine work since I don't presently have a mill or a lathe. The plan is to pick up a new welding table specifically for this project so I can build fixtures for mock up and don't have to move anything while I work on other projects at the same time.

The first step for this will be to acquire all of the needed parts which will be as listed below and are separated into two lists, AWD conversion and manual swap parts. I will be getting a second CVT transmission and transfer case which adds some expense but I would rather do that then pull my daily off the road for this. The first part I will be going after are anything specifically related to the RS transmission since they are harder to come by. I may buy a wrecked manual car if I come across one for the right price. I might also see if it is possible to have a deal reprogram the body computer and cluster I have when I get to that point.

RS 6spd transmission
RS 6spd Axles
DCCD Pro AWD controller
CVT AWD trasmission (hoping to find a dead one so I don't have to cut apart a good transmission)
AWD transfer case


RS 6spd shifter
RS 6spd shifter cables
Flywheel
Clutch
Clutch pedal
Brake pedal
Clutch master cylinder
Pressure plate
Manual ECU
Manual engine and dash harnesses



Past threads

My first manual swap thread.
https://www.jukeforums.com/forum/nissan-juke-general-discussion/218121-juke-awd-manual-swap.html

The most recent thread on the topic, there is a good amount of technical information in here. (page 4 is where I came in and accidentally jacked someone else's thread)
https://www.jukeforums.com/forum/nissan-juke-general-discussion/219385-cvt-6-speed.html

 

[pboglio]

Very cool thread. Keep up the specifics.

If you can concentrate on the design portion of it and system integration, you could always farm out the welding if it becomes a stumbling block to finishing the project. Same goes for the machine work. I'm running into that right now. I have a job shop that does medical/aerospace potentially cutting some of my parts. I'm using an EDM shop that does tool&die, then my favorite machine shop for the prototype, then a heat treater. I'd even do some 3d-printed parts for mocking up the splined section to the differential for transfer case fitment. This would be fairly cheap using any of the online

Looks like a solid plan though.

 

[FlannelFairlady]

That's actually what I am planning to do. I am going to be farming out everything I don't feel completely confident about doing myself. I may have to pick your brain if I have to end up getting a new case half machined for the differential as far as materials go. I have a 3d printer that I was planning on using for some of the prototype work or I may use it as an excuse to buy an SLA printer.

Presently I am waiting on the manual transmission I ordered to show up which should be in the next few weeks. I tracked down a fairly inexpensive AWD transmission for my donor assuming the case isn't broken I will be picking that up when my manual transmission comes in.

 

[pboglio]

Yeah, now worries. If you have some ideas bounce them. The 3d printing should help out alot.

 

[FlannelFairlady]

One thing I have been thinking about a good amount, the setup used on on the Focus RS. Specifically the PTU (Transfer Case) that is used and how it compares to the one on the Juke. The Focus RS actually runs engine coolant to the case itself in an attempt to keep it cool under load but many people have found that under heavy use the the PTU will actually overheat sending them into a FWD only state. To combat this, external coolers are being added to prevent the overheating state. Depending on what temperatures look like in the Juke transfer case I may opt for a similar configuration. The other thing I am potentially concerned about is how torque the Juke transfer case will be able to handle, running the transfer case with the manual transmission is going to be a lot more shock load on the drivetrain components. The component I am mainly worried about is the splined ring gear shaft but maybe since it is only expected to handle 50% I could be over thinking it.

 

[pboglio]

Transfer case is overkill actually. The ring gear shaft is over 1.640" O.D. by 1.170" I.D.diameter splined and hollow. The output shaft is 1.390" in diameter, then it tapers upwards to meet the driveshaft flange. You could snap it but I highly doubt it. The internal gears are quite thick. You won't be breaking transfer case unless you do a clutch drop at high rpms and lightening all 4 wheels up. Spiral bevel gears have an efficiency of 95-99%. If they are getting hot then I suppose you could fabricate a cooler. You would have to be doing some pretty hardcore hooning to blow up a transfer case, but I suppose it's possible.

You could drop the ring gear and drive pinion and send them out for shot peening. This will greatly increase their durability at high torque and is a real good low cost upgrade option. I've done this on my Eclipse that kept breaking 3rd gear, fixed that problem. I'll probably be doing this on some CVT parts as well to improve durability in the planetary gears.

 

[FlannelFairlady]

Well that makes me feel a bit better knowing I don't have to worry about the transfer case for the most part. If during testing I found out I need a cooler I will fab something up. That was my only real concern regarding the conversion other than the pain in the *** it will be get the manual swap fully functional but one step at a time.

I will plan on sending out the those parts plus the ring gear shaft for shot peening just to make myself feel better.

 

[pboglio]

Sounds good. Transmission cooler is pretty straight forward to setup if things start getting too hot.

The shot peening was something me and the Transmission shop tried after nothing was working. I had the option to cryo treat and electro-polish but the shot peening is a known factory process that has been proven when nothing else works. I think my AWD car was putting down 404 w.t.q. at the time. I was getting about 5,000 miles per transmission rebuild and getting frustrated with 3rd gear breakages. The car would come on boost at 60mph and just shatter 3rd gear, pretty crazy. I'd launch it a few times but in reality it's not that easy to do on AWD to get a perfect launch. Anyway, I then had him shot peen the entire 5 spd gear set as a last resort and got 15k miles out of the transmission before the darned ACT clutch failed a hub spring, taking out the car for good. Still pissed at ACT for that one since the car would still have been running for a bit longer. When it went down I kind of didn't have the motivation to pull the transmission again and I ended up scrapping the car due to rust and neglect after a few years sitting outside in the elements. Miss that car like crazy though.

Transfer case you will totally be fine. Even the rear end should be good. Honestly, if you can just be soft on the launches and use a sprung hub clutch and preload the transmission on launches, it'll be good. I think it comes down to driving style, tuning, & clutch selection. I have none of these problems because the CVT has no chance to launch hard....lol......sigh.

Do you have a design yet for the differential spline adapter or bell housing case? I'm using Solidworks 2017 myself, works pretty good for assemblies, drawings, FEA.

If you get the AWD swap conversion down, I'd probably in a few years follow that route. Why did Nissan not give the AWD Juke a 6spd, it makes no damned sense.

 

[FlannelFairlady]

Yeah, if it comes to it I already know how I would set up the cooler setup using an electric pump, heat exchange, and a thermal switch.

That's quite impressive that shot peening made that much of a difference with your transmission. 404 wtq is really hard on components so I can't say I'm all that surprised you were breaking so many transmissions. There is a reason I haven't shot for very high power goals with my Celica, I don't want to break my entire drivetrain lol. The fact you had an ACT clutch fail like that though is pretty surprising, I have had a lot of good luck with their stuff in the past.

Since I wont be racing the Juke other than maybe autocross I don't expect I will have much in the way of issues. The plan is to keep things pretty moderate, as far as the clutch goes and when the car does eventually get a tune I will be planning on bring the power on gradually rather than all of it right off the line. HAHA yeah the CVT has possibility of launching hard, or being very reliable which is part of what drove me to this swap.

I don't have a design yet, I am waiting to get my hands on a second CVT transmission so I can take measurements from it. Presently I am using Fusion 360 because it's free and I don't have a large amount of experience with CAD software so I am learning as I go.

I'm fairly certain I will get it figured out, if it goes well I may make a few manual AWD transmissions. I keep asking myself the same question and I think it comes down to people wanting manual AWD cars not making up enough of the market share to make it worth their while.

 

[pboglio]

There'd be a few guys interested. But the Juke community is pretty small. A 6spd conversion would be fantastic if it could be done clean. That's kind of the trick, making mods that don't require a lot of hacking of the vehicle. The cost is the other part. A lot of owners these days just don't want to spend any real money. I never tried Fusion 360. I've tried some other CAD systems that were similar to Solidworks but were so bad they were almost unusable. Solidworks is really good in that it has a nice interface with good drawing capabilities and FEA as well. For this type of stuff, it's perfect.

 

[FlannelFairlady]

I think if there was enough interest depending on how this first swap goes I would probably come up with a kit of sorts for others to do. The real big problem would be keeping costs down to the point people would actually be interested. I went with Fusion 360 because it was free. I hear great things about solidworks but it's quite expensive for a hobbiest like myself.

 

[pboglio]

Fusion 360 looks pretty cool. They have the full CAE tools which are really what is needed for development. If I knew about this 3 years ago I'd probably wouldn't have bought Solidworks but for $495/year subscription it looks really good still. I paid about $6k for Solidworks and then for awhile was paying $2k per year for maintenance, which I don't do anymore. I planned on a side business so I needed official seats of the software. I was following all the CAD/CAM/CAE development 3-4 years ago but haven't in awhile, looks promising. If I retire with some cash in 10 years I'll probably buy a used VMC and start running some various machined parts. My 3-axis vertical mill mostly is designed for cutting aluminum so it's not really going to cut it for more demanding projects.

Always liked Autodesk. I think they purchased HSMworks Cam or something like that, which was a very slick high speed machining CAM software that could embed into Solidworks as well. They appear to package this with Fusion 360 which is awesome. For the parts I'm currently designing now, I need a very skilled machine shop.

 

[FlannelFairlady]

I have found it Fusion 360 works pretty well for what I need which up to this point has just been designing small parts for various projects which I then print with my 3d printer. At some point I would love to pick up a small mill just to open up my options when building parts for my cars.

RS transmission, shift cables, and shifter will be in by the end of the week. I will be cracking open the trans and pulling the diff almost immediately. I need to make time later this week to run up the wrecking yard to grab a CVT and maybe a transfer case.

 

[FlannelFairlady]

So far I've received both transmissions I've ordered. The RS manual transmission is in great shape and was from a low miles wrecked car. The AWD transmission is from a wrecked car as well but the wreck was bad enough to crack the case but the section I need from the transmission is totally fine so it makes no difference to me. I should have both my front RS axles, and the transfer case by the end of next week.

I started thinking about overall fitment of things like the cv axles. The drivers side axle isn't going to be a problem but the passenger side may pose a challenge. I think the diameter of the manual axles get wider further down the shaft which means it will likely have to be tuned down or I will need to have a custom axle made up. The other option would be to potentially source a passenger side axle from another car that uses the same 29 spline shaft that the RS 6spd uses. What I was able to find is that the 01-06 Maxima and the (forgot the year) Sentra SE-R uses the same 29 spline setup. None of the lengths of axles directly bolt on but it's something to go off of.

Next week the plan is going to be to set up a bench to rip apart the CVT on. I'm excited to see get started on this project even if I should be working on my cars that are actually fast. =P

 

[Cygnus_x_1]

following for an awd manual swap...

 

[FlannelFairlady]

I started tearing into my cheap damaged CVT and what I have come up with is that adding the transfer case mating surface onto the manual transmission just will not wok without re-positioning transfer case which would throw off the drive line angle and bunch of other things. While this sucks and it means a bit of money was wasted, it was a gamble at best. The outputs for the front axles are different on both transmissions meaning everything would have to be rotated.

But with that bit of unfortunate news I have some good news as well, I already found another way of making this swap actually work. What makes this news even better is it should almost be a bolt in affair. This will involve sourcing some parts from Europe as what is needed is a transmission from a manual AWD MR20DE powered X-Trail or Qashqai. I am talking with one of my friends in Denmark about helping obtain a whole transmission or at least the parts I need from it. What makes this so great is that the AWD transmission is model RS6F52A and the Nismo RS manual transmission is a RS6F52H. I was able to find a service manual for the Qashqai and was able to look up most of the parts between the two. The major difference is the between the two transmissions is that the A has double cone syncros on 1st and the H has triple cone. The bearings and everything else cross reference. The bad news with this is in order to use the AWD system I have to use the differential from the AWD transmission due to it being longer and having mount points for a gear that bolts to the differential itself. I will likely modify the fwd diff at some point so I can actually use the lsd in the awd configuration. Other things to note is that the Qashqai AWD system uses a R145 differential with a 2.466 ratio which is also used on the Nissan Murano which means that can be sourced in country. The rear differential is a different configuration from the Juke diff in that it has a single electromagnetic clutch on the input side instead of the output then a traditional open differential to send power to each of the rear wheels. There is a LSD available in the aftermarket for that diff so at some point I will track one of those down but that's a low priority.

So what I actually need track down at this point is a full Qashqai AWD manual MR20DE transmission and the transfer case. Alternatively I could also just buy the bell housing, reduction gears, front differential, and transfercase if I can find them on the used market. While those parts can be purchased new from Nissan in Japan it gets really expensive really fast for them. The RS manual axles and shifter I have should work just fine so that's not something I have to worry about.

There will be more to come as soon as I can get a lead on some of these parts.

 

[Macgyver]

I started tearing into my cheap damaged CVT and what I have come up with is that adding the transfer case mating surface onto the manual transmission just will not wok without re-positioning transfer case which would throw off the drive line angle and bunch of other things. While this sucks and it means a bit of money was wasted, it was a gamble at best. The outputs for the front axles are different on both transmissions meaning everything would have to be rotated.

But with that bit of unfortunate news I have some good news as well, I already found another way of making this swap actually work. What makes this news even better is it should almost be a bolt in affair. This will involve sourcing some parts from Europe as what is needed is a transmission from a manual AWD MR20DE powered X-Trail or Qashqai. I am talking with one of my friends in Denmark about helping obtain a whole transmission or at least the parts I need from it. What makes this so great is that the AWD transmission is model RS6F52A and the Nismo RS manual transmission is a RS6F52H. I was able to find a service manual for the Qashqai and was able to look up most of the parts between the two. The major difference is the between the two transmissions is that the A has double cone syncros on 1st and the H has triple cone. The bearings and everything else cross reference. The bad news with this is in order to use the AWD system I have to use the differential from the AWD transmission due to it being longer and having mount points for a gear that bolts to the differential itself. I will likely modify the fwd diff at some point so I can actually use the lsd in the awd configuration. Other things to note is that the Qashqai AWD system uses a R145 differential with a 2.466 ratio which is also used on the Nissan Murano which means that can be sourced in country. The rear differential is a different configuration from the Juke diff in that it has a single electromagnetic clutch on the input side instead of the output then a traditional open differential to send power to each of the rear wheels. There is a LSD available in the aftermarket for that diff so at some point I will track one of those down but that's a low priority.

So what I actually need track down at this point is a full Qashqai AWD manual MR20DE transmission and the transfer case. Alternatively I could also just buy the bell housing, reduction gears, front differential, and transfercase if I can find them on the used market. While those parts can be purchased new from Nissan in Japan it gets really expensive really fast for them. The RS manual axles and shifter I have should work just fine so that's not something I have to worry about.

There will be more to come as soon as I can get a lead on some of these parts.

A few people had pointed this out but never went ahead and imported parts for reasons of $$$ I would guess.

 

[FlannelFairlady]

A few people had pointed this out but never went ahead and imported parts for reasons of $$$ I would guess.

I've already tracked down a few transmissions in Japan so I'm seeing what it would cost me to get one here. I'm already committed to this plan at this point so may as well see it through.

 

[German]

Great info and updates!
All committed !

 

[H9Z711]

I was throwing around some ideas on how to do this swap, as I have and AWD, but I loving driving manuals. What about having a custom front half case made for the manual transmission that, externally, would have the mating point for the transfer case, but internally hold the manual bits with the upgraded output carrier and the spline shaft already in place. That was what I was going to draw up. It is nice to hear other people speak my language :triumphant: I am a CAD tech for the DOT in Oklahoma. I mainly do Civil drawing, but i still have all my student versions of the Autodesk software and solidworks which I still play around with. Been thinking about doing freelance work, but a bit gun shy about laying down the money for the subscription. Anyway, my plan was to draw up a modified front case half for the manual and have someone cut it out of billet, or if possible, a couple pieces of billet aluminum that would fit together with o-rings or seals to help keep cost down. I just don't have any spare transmissions, except the 6 speed out of my Versa that my daughter totaled, to work with and get measurements.

Getting parts from Japan can be expensive, but it can also be cheap. It all depends on what you are getting and how many. Obviously, if you could source an entire container of AWD parts that you could make work in a Juke, then I am sure could sell them. The Juke community may be small, but once a few start doing it and get some reliable numbers and mileage, then others will follow. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.