So this is my first post on here and my first time swapping anything other than an air intake on my 4runner. (2002 limited 4x4 3.4L) I am no mechanic but I’ve been learning on this truck and do most of my repairs myself. From what I can tell from the months of searching these forums this should be a fairly straightforward swap… other than the wiring.

As for why I am choosing to do this, my multimode t-case has been problematic ever since I bought this 4runner (the multimode has been stuck trying to switch out of 4wd for over a year) and I would like to remove as much electronic control as possible as mechanical just makes more sense to me and is easier to work on.
As for the transmission, I understand the auto is significantly easier to wheel with, however I would like to have control over the power delivery. Mostly for fun but also for fuel efficiency, it seems my auto is a bit confused now that I’ve added extra weight with plate bumpers etc. When I put my foot down it’s either gutless and doesn’t downshift, or it drops right down to 2nd (I think) and screams all the way up to 5500 rpm when it doesn’t need to.

currently I believe I have all the necessary parts:

-longer manual driveshafts (as t case and tranny are shorter)
-manual transmission
​​​​​-j shift t-case
-clutch master& lines
-clutch pedal
-brake pedal
​​​​​-clutch
​​​​​​-flywheel
​​​​​​-pilot bearing ​​​​​​
-shifter boot + knobs

All these parts I got from TNT Toyota salvage they are located near the Kelowna Kamloops area and shipped the parts to my driveway. Overall great service and definitely would recommend.

note I did not get a wiring harness or an ecu for a manual 4runner because after a bunch of research I discovered it isn’t totally necessary to complete this swap AS LONG AS you trick the ecu into thinking the truck is always in neutral.
You can do that by connecting wires at the start neutral safety switch plug. From what I can tell all that is necessary is to connect the two black wires 9&6 on the diagram below. that seems a little too simple so I could be missing something for reverse lights and things. I did see something about plugging the SNSS back in under the truck even tho it just hangs under the truck because then everything else worked like normal. Not sure which approach is best.

now to the part where I’m confused.

The 2002 multimode t-case has a stand-alone computer that also runs the ABS, Trac, and VSC

-I want to be able to turn Trac on and off with a button.
-I don’t want VSC because drifting is fun.
-I want ABS because stopping on ice is HARD without studs but even with them is difficult at highway speed.
-The J-shift doesn’t require a computer, right? So can I completely remove the computer that is mounted where the clutch pedal needs to mount?Or do I need to relocate it somehow?
I’d prefer to remove it entirely and find a better solution for ABS and Trac but I have no idea what I’m doing there. I’m definitely not an electrician but I’m sure with some guidance it should be fairly simple.

And on another topic entirely I read complaining about high rpms on the highway even in 5th gear on this transmission. I’d like to learn about re gearing to find a solution to keep low gears for wheeling but improve the gearing for highway speeds

below is a list of screenshots from threads I thought were useful and photos of some of the parts on this swap where I am confused

Thanks for the help!



ABS, Trac, VSC and multimode t-case computer (mounted behind drivers side kick panel)










Start neutral safety switch pin out diagram (2002 auto 4runner )

Start neutral safety switch

(2002 auto) black wires on both ends with bigger connections