Turbo turd --> K20z3 swap
#61
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Posts: 104
Total Cats: 24
Couple of quick notes. We got hung up on the bolt circled in red while dropping the car in. Removing that bolt helped the oil pan clear the steering rack and gave us some wiggle room.
Also if you don't have one, do yourself a favor and get an engine hoist load leveler. It was essential to make this happen.
Sneaky tip I learned from @blackdbl9NB, if you slam the jacks at the front of the car, and jack the rear end way up, it's easier to shoehorn the motor into the bay.
Went in hot. Ended up removing the valve cover to get us more wiggle space.
It was a three man job maneuvering that motor into the mounts. It wasn't exactly what I would call easy, took pry 20 - 30 minutes of struggling before the passenger side mount slid into place.
Almost looks like it belongs there. Motor is cockeyed sitting in the bay, looks crazy mean.
I'd say it looks pretty great for my first motor swap.
Also if you don't have one, do yourself a favor and get an engine hoist load leveler. It was essential to make this happen.
Sneaky tip I learned from @blackdbl9NB, if you slam the jacks at the front of the car, and jack the rear end way up, it's easier to shoehorn the motor into the bay.
Went in hot. Ended up removing the valve cover to get us more wiggle space.
It was a three man job maneuvering that motor into the mounts. It wasn't exactly what I would call easy, took pry 20 - 30 minutes of struggling before the passenger side mount slid into place.
Almost looks like it belongs there. Motor is cockeyed sitting in the bay, looks crazy mean.
I'd say it looks pretty great for my first motor swap.
#63
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Posts: 104
Total Cats: 24
INCOMING BORING WIRING ****.
THESE WIRING DIAGRAMS ARE PULLED FROM THE '92 WIRING DIAGRAM. I DO NOT KNOW IF THEY ARE THE SAME FOR OTHER NA's.
I have a question for the forum, can somebody point me to exactly what wire I should be intercepting on the starter side? That's my biggest question.
Constant 12V I would assume runs straight from the battery, and switched 12V should come off a wire that pushes 12V once the car is on, so once I get that far I'll be editing those sections of the spreadsheet.
Wiring guide summary
Fuel Pump Wiring Diagram
It's one of those two points, I'm not exactly sure which wire I should be intercepting, but I THINK(?) it's the blue-red wire just before the fuse box.
MIL Light Wiring Diagram (Check Engine Light)
Oil Gauge Wiring Diagram
RPM Signal Wiring Diagram
Starter signal..........???????? Not exactly sure which wire to intercept there.
THESE WIRING DIAGRAMS ARE PULLED FROM THE '92 WIRING DIAGRAM. I DO NOT KNOW IF THEY ARE THE SAME FOR OTHER NA's.
I have a question for the forum, can somebody point me to exactly what wire I should be intercepting on the starter side? That's my biggest question.
Constant 12V I would assume runs straight from the battery, and switched 12V should come off a wire that pushes 12V once the car is on, so once I get that far I'll be editing those sections of the spreadsheet.
Wiring guide summary
Fuel Pump Wiring Diagram
It's one of those two points, I'm not exactly sure which wire I should be intercepting, but I THINK(?) it's the blue-red wire just before the fuse box.
MIL Light Wiring Diagram (Check Engine Light)
Oil Gauge Wiring Diagram
RPM Signal Wiring Diagram
Starter signal..........???????? Not exactly sure which wire to intercept there.
Last edited by dickamusmaxamus; 04-20-2018 at 04:00 PM.
#66
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Posts: 104
Total Cats: 24
This project has been a lesson in learning more car noob **** inbound.
A guy was over at the garage this weekend and had a hard look at my fuel setup and started asking some questions, and helped me sort out some issues I would have had.
Effectively I had a fundamental misunderstanding of how the fuel regulator worked. Pic below is how I imagined this would work, effectively filtered fuel would go in, and the fuel regulator would magically regulate the pressure in the line coming in to whatever I wanted.
I think there are a few options I have at this point. Either one of these ways SHOULD work, I think I'm gonna go with example below.
Just need to run a return line from the regulator to the return port on the sending unit. $20 in fuel line, and another $20 in fittings. Not really a big deal.
Another potential option.
A guy was over at the garage this weekend and had a hard look at my fuel setup and started asking some questions, and helped me sort out some issues I would have had.
Effectively I had a fundamental misunderstanding of how the fuel regulator worked. Pic below is how I imagined this would work, effectively filtered fuel would go in, and the fuel regulator would magically regulate the pressure in the line coming in to whatever I wanted.
I think there are a few options I have at this point. Either one of these ways SHOULD work, I think I'm gonna go with example below.
Just need to run a return line from the regulator to the return port on the sending unit. $20 in fuel line, and another $20 in fittings. Not really a big deal.
Another potential option.
#67
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Posts: 104
Total Cats: 24
Sorting out the sending unit.
Not sure if this is a 1.6 issue, or an NA issue, but the fuel pump was about a half an inch shorter than the pump that was provided. Because the fuel pump is clamped onto the sending unit from the bottom, the new pump created the following issue:
So I had to improvise on this one.
New longer screw and some rubber hose, and it seems pretty secure.
Completed sending unit.
Shop dog working hard
Got older this weekend too. Over the hill, on the way down now.
Not sure if this is a 1.6 issue, or an NA issue, but the fuel pump was about a half an inch shorter than the pump that was provided. Because the fuel pump is clamped onto the sending unit from the bottom, the new pump created the following issue:
So I had to improvise on this one.
New longer screw and some rubber hose, and it seems pretty secure.
Completed sending unit.
Shop dog working hard
Got older this weekend too. Over the hill, on the way down now.
#68
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Posts: 104
Total Cats: 24
The Dayco 71800 Lower Radiator Hose works as a complete solution for the lower radiator hose. $15.79 on Amazon.
New lip and skirts look better than I thought.
Perfect solution, just needs a little trimming to fit.
The recommended $16.45 Dayco 72277 Radiator Hose gets you right to where you need to be. That + a 12" aluminum tube gets you:
Right about this far. I picked up a simple 90 degree hose from Autozone to complete the cooling solution.
Interior is slowly coming back together.
Car sits pretty now.
Soon. Just need to figure out a few odds and ends and it'll be up and running.
#70
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Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Posts: 104
Total Cats: 24
This up coming Sunday will mark the sixth week I've been waiting on my harness from Wire-worx. Not super pleased with the turn around or lack of communication I've received from them. Really disappointed as it seemed like they had a pretty good name in the community.
#78
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Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Posts: 104
Total Cats: 24
Couple of updates.
Haven't had a ton of time to work on the car lately, had a work trip, etc etc. But the long and short of it is, my car made it around the block once or twice, and was then trailer-ed home from @blackdbl9NB's garage where a majority of the swap took place due to overheating problems.
While at home, I was working on the heating issues, when I went to pull my car back into the garage...........................................
https://photos.app.goo.gl/xtWC1me5s2HjPKRu5
Two trips around the block and my "freshly rebuilt" diff blew. *******. Awesome.
Fortunately I still have access to the old one, so I'm going to be working on getting my old diff swapped in, so I can get my "new" diff fixed. Fun ****.
As far as problems with the cooling system go, somehow I managed to forget to Hondabond the rear coolant neck -_-
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vqvQRT7PDD8gtLRs7
Got that fixed, installed two new low pro fans in the car, and run to the temporarily located switch. (old fans wouldn't fit on the thicker rad due to the sway bar being in the way).
https://photos.app.goo.gl/nsrYfoKEQamg8xZo8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/N9BtR22Mm1uCukrY9
Somehow on top of the two fans, I'm still having overheating issues. I'm almost certain it's air in the coolant system, I just have to get the thing lifted up so I can bleed it out.
The interior continues to be a work in progress.
But it's getting there.
Pulling the dash for flock here very soon.
Lots of little issues that are preventing me from driving the car, but we're getting there slowly but surely.
Haven't had a ton of time to work on the car lately, had a work trip, etc etc. But the long and short of it is, my car made it around the block once or twice, and was then trailer-ed home from @blackdbl9NB's garage where a majority of the swap took place due to overheating problems.
While at home, I was working on the heating issues, when I went to pull my car back into the garage...........................................
https://photos.app.goo.gl/xtWC1me5s2HjPKRu5
Two trips around the block and my "freshly rebuilt" diff blew. *******. Awesome.
Fortunately I still have access to the old one, so I'm going to be working on getting my old diff swapped in, so I can get my "new" diff fixed. Fun ****.
As far as problems with the cooling system go, somehow I managed to forget to Hondabond the rear coolant neck -_-
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vqvQRT7PDD8gtLRs7
Got that fixed, installed two new low pro fans in the car, and run to the temporarily located switch. (old fans wouldn't fit on the thicker rad due to the sway bar being in the way).
https://photos.app.goo.gl/nsrYfoKEQamg8xZo8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/N9BtR22Mm1uCukrY9
Somehow on top of the two fans, I'm still having overheating issues. I'm almost certain it's air in the coolant system, I just have to get the thing lifted up so I can bleed it out.
The interior continues to be a work in progress.
But it's getting there.
Pulling the dash for flock here very soon.
Lots of little issues that are preventing me from driving the car, but we're getting there slowly but surely.
#79
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Posts: 104
Total Cats: 24
Boy oh boy where has the time gone.
The good news is the car is running, for that I can be thankful.
The bad news is, for a variety of reasons, I've had the motor out 3 times this year to solve a range of problems.
When I first had the car finished originally, the car went about 3 miles before the flywheel came loose. Unfortunately, there was a mix up, and I didn't receive some washers from the supplier that would back the flywheel bolts out so they could correctly be torqued down.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2ZP4EbdwDUGaefnJ7
Pulled the pan, and there was aluminum in the pan. For me, that meant pulling all the bearings and making sure that everything looked right.
Now I've never done any of this before, so this was a bit of a trip, but all the bearings ended up looking OK, but the guy I was working with at the Acura dealership heavily suggested putting in new bearings, girdle bolts, and rod bolts.
Now this was going to cost a (relatively small at this point) chunk of change, so this not entirely being my fault I worked with Kmiata to work out some sort of deal. I would cover consumables, and labor, if they would cover the hardware. It wasn't much, I would cover roughly $80 of the rebuild, plus labor, and they would cover about $300. David quickly agreed, and was super great about the whole process.
About a week and a half later, a check showed up, and he covered all the rebuild. I seriously can't express how great of a company he's been to work with. Just outstanding.
Now I've been very insistent from the beginning that this is my car, my build, and I do the work. So under the watchful eye of a local Honda tech, I rebuilt the bottom end with all shiny new parts.
Got everything dumped back into the car, and easily the most nerve racking moments of the build occurred when we first turned the motor over on the rebuilt bottom end.
The car started up just fine, and we slapped everything back together just in time to make it to Honda's with Heart. It was my goal for the entire year to make it to this meet, as I had a Mazda with a Honda heart.
Escorted there by a couple of my buddies.
That drive there was nerve racking, as I was just driving it off the down pipe and it was ******* LOUD.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YihyGWA5sipLCjuh9
I got her all washed and waxed, and I was given a special spot in the Acura dealership overnight.
Aside from that, I've been dealing with some electrical gremlins, and have been working with an e-tuner to get a proper tune on the car. Naturally, I picked up the only version of Hondata KPRO4 that doesn't let me tune with an aftermarket wideband, so I'm just enjoying the car with the base tune I was given from the tuner while I try to find an O2 sensor for something a little more reasonable than $400.
The interior is still pretty trashed as it was before. I'm planning on stripping out ALL of the extra wiring, and building effectively a fresh "car" harness, to run what little electrical is left in the car that isn't the motor.
She's not 100%, but at least she looks the part.
The good news is the car is running, for that I can be thankful.
The bad news is, for a variety of reasons, I've had the motor out 3 times this year to solve a range of problems.
When I first had the car finished originally, the car went about 3 miles before the flywheel came loose. Unfortunately, there was a mix up, and I didn't receive some washers from the supplier that would back the flywheel bolts out so they could correctly be torqued down.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2ZP4EbdwDUGaefnJ7
Pulled the pan, and there was aluminum in the pan. For me, that meant pulling all the bearings and making sure that everything looked right.
Now I've never done any of this before, so this was a bit of a trip, but all the bearings ended up looking OK, but the guy I was working with at the Acura dealership heavily suggested putting in new bearings, girdle bolts, and rod bolts.
Now this was going to cost a (relatively small at this point) chunk of change, so this not entirely being my fault I worked with Kmiata to work out some sort of deal. I would cover consumables, and labor, if they would cover the hardware. It wasn't much, I would cover roughly $80 of the rebuild, plus labor, and they would cover about $300. David quickly agreed, and was super great about the whole process.
About a week and a half later, a check showed up, and he covered all the rebuild. I seriously can't express how great of a company he's been to work with. Just outstanding.
Now I've been very insistent from the beginning that this is my car, my build, and I do the work. So under the watchful eye of a local Honda tech, I rebuilt the bottom end with all shiny new parts.
Got everything dumped back into the car, and easily the most nerve racking moments of the build occurred when we first turned the motor over on the rebuilt bottom end.
The car started up just fine, and we slapped everything back together just in time to make it to Honda's with Heart. It was my goal for the entire year to make it to this meet, as I had a Mazda with a Honda heart.
Escorted there by a couple of my buddies.
That drive there was nerve racking, as I was just driving it off the down pipe and it was ******* LOUD.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YihyGWA5sipLCjuh9
I got her all washed and waxed, and I was given a special spot in the Acura dealership overnight.
Aside from that, I've been dealing with some electrical gremlins, and have been working with an e-tuner to get a proper tune on the car. Naturally, I picked up the only version of Hondata KPRO4 that doesn't let me tune with an aftermarket wideband, so I'm just enjoying the car with the base tune I was given from the tuner while I try to find an O2 sensor for something a little more reasonable than $400.
The interior is still pretty trashed as it was before. I'm planning on stripping out ALL of the extra wiring, and building effectively a fresh "car" harness, to run what little electrical is left in the car that isn't the motor.
She's not 100%, but at least she looks the part.