Coverting a TD5 Auto ECU to Manual
As the availability for TD5 ECUs seems to get lower over time, it might be good to know you can convert a TD5 Automatic ECU form a Discovery into a Manual one for a Defender. However, some small issues need to be taken care of.
The Auto ECU from the Disco has a CAN Bus Chip integrated to communicate with the Gearbox ECU and (and this is the tricky one) it does NOT contain the necessary parts for proper identification of the clutch switch.
While the CAN Bus Chip can be ignored, the Clutch Detection can’t. Without it the engine speed won’t drop when changing gears.
Time to modify
Another well known problem is the inversion of the temp signal. This can only get corrected by replacing the whole Firmware of the ECU. We can take care of that for you so that the temp gauge will work as expected.
Also we can install the missing parts for the Clutch Switch identification, making a proper Manual ECU from your Auto one.
Please note that this is only possible with the NNN Type ECUs, which contain Flash Memory.
In this case we converted a NNN000130 Auto ECU from a Disco-2 into a NNN500020, but there are more options available.
Only the other direction (converting a Manual ECU into an Auto one) ist more challenging, as the CAN Bus interface chip is missing inside the Manual ECU. In thise cases it might be easier looking for another Auto ECU.
Some background info…
SWITCH – CLUTCH PEDAL
The clutch pedal switch is located on the clutch master cylinder and is activated when the clutch pedal is operated.
The ECM uses the signal from the clutch pedal switch to provide surge damping during gear change. Surge damping stops engine speed rising dramatically (engine flaring) during gear change. Surge damping assists driveability as follows:
• Smoother gear change.
• Greater exhaust gas emission control.
• Improved fuel consumption.
