Project: KDA (Engine and Auto to Manual Swap)

[SVOboy]

I just updated my purchase thread, working on a swap checklist, and about to copy and edit the Haynes method of replacing an engine...

[SVOboy]

Haynes Swap Instructions (I will talk in italics):

1. Relieve fuel system pressure (I'm just going to try and keep it all sealed up, I don't want to pull that leaky injector if I don't have to).
2. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
3. Cover the fenders and cowl and remove the hood.
4. Remove the air cleaner assembly and the air intake duct.
5. Disconnect the charcoal canister hose from the throttle body.
6. Label things (screw all that) and disconnect them.
7. Label (no) and detach all coolant hoses.
8. Remove the coolant reservoir, cooling fan, shroud and radiator.
9. Remove the drivebelts.
10. Disconnect the fuel lines (skipping the step).
11. Disconnect throttle cable (prolly not).
12. Power steering, who has that?
13. Unbolt the A/C compressor.
14. Unbolt the alternator (I don't see why, since I'm not using this one).
15. Raise the vehicle and support it on jackstands. Drain the coolant. (I was planning on doing this first, but that doesn't make sense).
16. Drain engine oil and remove filter (I'll replace the filter once I drain it so the threads don't get banged up).
17. Remove the starter (nope, pulling the tranny too).
18. Remove the splash shields from the wheel wells and the underside of the engine compartment (I don't see why this is necessary).
19. Remove throttle control from transaxle (done).
20. Remove the inspection cover from the transaxle bell cover (no need to do this since the whole junk is coming out).
21. Remove the transaxle cooler lines (I'll figure out if I have these/what they are when I get there, ).
22. Do a bunch of stuff involving taking of the torque converter I'm not going to do.
23. Disconnect exhaust.
24. Stuff about supporting the tranny I'm not doing.
25. Attach and engine sling to the lifting brackets on the engine.
26. Hook up ye olde engine hoist.
27. Remove the driveshafts (doesn't say from the car or just the tranny, but it is the haynes version, which is lazy).
28. Stuff I don't need to do.
29. Remove the center crossmember to make it easier to access the engine mounts.
30. Remove the engine mount-to-chassis bolts.
31. Recheck to be sure nothing is still connecting the engine to the vehicles. Disconnect anything still remaining.
32. Raise the engine sligtly to disengage the mounts. Pop the engine out.
33. Drop the engine/tranny on the ground and make a big hole.
34. Seperate the transaxle from the engine (*shrug*).
More to come when I'm not so tired of thinking...

[GasSavers_Diemaster]

Originally Posted by diamondlarry

Bummer! That could pose a serious problem. Now, if you could just figure out how to make the starter turn backwards......

just unhook all electrical to the engine. conect plus to engine/trany and touch minus to the starter side of the solonoid.

DO NOT CONECT THE BATTERY BACKWARDS! if u do u will fry evreything not just the ecu. evrey thing from the ECU to the clock to the gauges and the seatbelt beeper etc..

i had a friend try to the same thing. ended up totaling it b/c it cost more to fix all the above damage than to have bought a used car.

[Bunger]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

Cylinders 1-4, Left to Right. What do you think, too rich?

Should I be concerned about this exhaust manifold or try to clean any of that stuff out?

My concern is the oil in the #2 cylinder. My guess is that your engine could use a re-ringing. If you have an air compressor, buy or rent a leak down gauge set and check the condition of your engine. Better to find out now, before you have the thing all installed.

On the upside, the clutch looks to me like its got a decent amount of meat left on it, I think you could get 20-50k out of it easy.

[krousdb]

Originally Posted by diamondlarry

It may cause the ECU to be highly offended.

Yes,
I meant directly to the starter, not the whole system. But I guess that won't work either.

[SVOboy]

Bunger, there's really no oil there, it doesn't look like it, but there isn't. The white **** concerned me, but *shrug* I need to get a compression tester from my dad, but he's a bum, I guess after work some day I'll have to drive to his house so he can't forget to bring it up.

[Bunger]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

Bunger, there's really no oil there, it doesn't look like it, but there isn't.

Both the #2 spark plug and the buildup in the #2 exhaust port look like oil from the pictures. And in my experience, in Hondas, it's normally the rings that go first. It is possible you have a stuck oil control ring, if you're lucky, you could drop the pan and load up each cylinder with some kind of solvant, don't see how it could hurt.

[SVOboy]

I plan on dropping the pan anyway, so please tell me what you're talking about. The number 2 runner is the same as all with the carbon in the EM, but it has this white sandlike **** in it.

[SVOboy]

Well, depression land time...

I just did the flywheel and crank pulley to torque, but checked up on bunger's suspicions...

Plan A (10%): The engine doesn't have a blown ring, it'll go in like I've been saying.

Plan B (40%): Head swap to my current engine + auto to manual.

Plan C (50%): Just auto to manual.

Either way, life sucks.

[Bunger]

I say go with plan B. The head swap should yield you some mileage. It is an 8V head right?