Honda – importnut.net

Honda/Acura Engine Block Venting

importnut — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 21:00:00 +0000

Crankcase Venting

Block venting is a topic that’s been well covered and doesn’t need further explanation by me. If you want to read a great write-up about venting, check out Moto IQ’s article here.

Disclaimer

I will start by saying that this should only be done for “Off Road” use since the process is circumventing the emissions system. If you chose to pursue this project, it is possible to close the circuit by connecting a line from the catch back to the air intake.

Justification

Those who are familiar with the earlier Honda engines will recall the black breather can that fits into the back of the engine block. Best case scenario, the can will start leaking and forever ooze oil from the back of the block. Changing o-rings will not help the problem. The can acts as an oil separator for the PCV system and cannot simply be eliminated.

In the yellow circle is the black vent canister. Notice the line on top that attaches to the block? That oil passage will be discussed further later in the write-up.

The next problem involves sucking oil back into the intake manifold during hard corning during track events. During corning, oil can get trapped in the can momentarily and eventually pulled into the intake. The result is a James Bond like smoke screen until the engine could clear its throat. The problem usually surfaced if the oil level indicated from half way between the marks on the dipstick or higher.

Solution and What NOT to do.

Eliminating the stock breather canister solves the persistent oil leak and the oil in the intake during hard corning. There are endless options from fully venting the block to simply adding a catch can to the existing system. For the purpose of this article, I will cover how to fully vent the block.

I bought this kit from B&R Racing. I liked the fittings and the mount for the can. Originally, I bought the parts that would utilize the threaded holes in the back of the block. This option will fall under the do not do section below.

Preparations for installation

Parts and Tools Required

Breather kit
Either 1/8 NPT plugs or rubber caps to plug the existing fittings.
1/8″ MPT tap if you decide to use threaded plugs
1/8″ x 3/4″ x 3′ steel bar stock to make a plug bracket (if you need a plug)
Basic hand tools: Plyers, screw drivers, sockets and wrenches
Possibly jack and jack stands.

Once you’ve picked your breather kit and get your tools together, start by removing the canister on the back of the engine and all of the associated vacuum lines. As you work your way through it, keep track of fittings that need to be plugged.

Attaching Fittings

The most effective way to vent is to have fittings welded to the valve cover. There are options for simply drilling holes and bolting fittings in place. Either way, when done properly, the fittings will utilize the original baffle plates and prevent excess oil from escaping the engine.

If you chose to use the weld-in fittings, this is the only part of the project that goes beyond hand tools. I dropped the valve cover off with a local fabricator and had the fittings welded.

Once the fittings are attached, it’s time to decide where to attach the catch can. Originally, I had attached it to the firewall. This is a very typical installation and it is fairly straight forward. My only issue is that crank case smell works its way into the interior.

I used rivet nuts to attach the can to the firewall.

Once the can is secured to the firewall, decide on hose routing, cut them to length and attach the fittings. This is a very typical installation.

The process to finishing the can installation and hose routing is relatively simple. After a season of smelling the inside of the engine, I decided to move the can towards the front of the car. To allow for easier positioning, I removed the built-in mount of my catch-can. I bought a mounting bracket from Moroso which gave me the flexibility I needed to mount the can down by the transmission mount.

I decided to remove the built-in mount on my catch can and use this Moroso mounting bracket. Using this bracket allowed more flexibility in mounting options.

The new location resolved the crankcase smell and prevents oil from getting trapped in the hoses.

In this position, I had adequate clearance around my radiator hoses as well as a path towards the can to prevent the oil from getting trapped in the hoses.

Plugging the Holes

Bypassing the original block venting will require plugging a few fittings in the intake manifold, valve cover and possibly the block. Your options include rubber caps, which is the easiest, or threaded caps. The threaded caps are a more permanent solution that will not fail if done correctly. However, you need to ensure proper clean-up so shavings don’t end up inside the intake manifold.

Start by wrenching out the original fittings in the valve cover and intake manifold. Use a 1/8″ NPT tap to add threads.

Once the shavings have been cleaned, screw in a 1/8″ NPT plug. Use Thread-lock to keep it in place.

On my B18C1 block, the fitting above the original can was already threaded. Remove the original fitting and install the plug.

Plugging the Block

It is worth noting that a B20 or a later engine block that didn’t use the black breather canisters. In that case, your project is complete. If not, you’ll need to plug the hole in the back of the block. There are several companies that sell an o-ring’ed plugs that slip into the hole. Installing it is as simple as removing the breather canister and slipping in the plug.

Or is it?

It is important to note that I was skeptical regarding the ability for this plug to stay in place. Most do not include a bracket. I decided to trust it and I had no issues for about a month. During one of my runs at an autocross, the plug popped out. Fortunately, the aluminum plug gleamed in the sunlight and I was able to find it and put it back in for the ride home.

Now confirming that a bracket was necessary, I decided to make one and use the exhaust manifold mount just under the hole. Using a stick of bar stock from the hardware store, a 3′ x 1/8″ x 3/4″ piece, I started by bending a “z” shape into the end. I cut a 3-4″ piece and drilled holes into each end. Paint the part for corrosion resistance. As an added layer of protection, I added a stud to the plug itself to prevent the bracket from slipping over time. I drilled a hole (not all the way through) then added threads with a 6mm x 1.0 tap. I secured a bolt in place with thread-lock and cut off the bolt head.

Now it’s ready.

Once the plug and bracket were ready, I pushed the plug into the back of the block and used a header/manifold bolt to hold it in place. For overkill, I made a rubber pad to act as a cushion between the bracket and the plug. I was concerned that temperature changes would put lateral pressure on the plug and encourage leaking….like I said, overkill.

Making and installing a bracket will ensure the plug never falls out!

Do Not Do This!

Originally, I used a back-of-the-block venting kit. These blocks offer this unique opportunity for venting. I liked the idea of a clean, bolt-in solution with no drilling required.

Why this is a bad idea. If you scroll back to the top and review the picture of the short block, you can clearly see the holes where oil drains back to the oil pan from the head. This oil passes over those plugs and the original breather can. During aggressive driving, oil will get sucked into the hoses attached back there. At my first autocross with this setup, I managed to pump more than 2 quarts from the engine in less than 8 runs! I’ve also seen others have the same problem during track days.

Even so, the kits are still available for this option. Don’t do it. Please.

The fittings attach to plugged ports in the back of the block. Although this is an easier, and cleaner option, it will give you huge problems.

I realized after I finished this, that I didn’t need to remove the intake manifold. I didn’t have to remove it when I pulled the fittings out and threaded the original plugs back in.

Conclusion

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I had removed the intake manifold to give me better access for the back-of-the-block plugs. I did learn that it was unnecessary. Even so, by this point, you shouldn’t even be considering the back-of-the-block option! Aside from that, if you plant to tap and plug the fittings on the intake manifold, and you struggle to control the shavings, you may want to consider removing it.

Satisfied!

Installing a breather kit may be beyond the scope of a simple bolt on project. There are options for simplifying the process however there is no way to thoroughly eliminate oil consumption through the factory system without complete separating the crank case vent. Having finished this project, and struggling through the growing pains, I’m completely satisfied with the results.

5G (EG) Civic Gauge Install

importnut — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 22:00:43 +0000

Why is this important?

It really isn’t…I just thought I would share the idea.

While I was working on the upgrades that I outlined in “Project Civic – Letting it Breath” write-up, I needed to install gauges. I’ve never been a fan of gauges mounted in non-OEM locations and because of that have always avoided adding gauges to my Civic.

Years ago, I ditched the stereo and added the factory block-off plate that normally came with Civic of this era due to the fact that a radio was optional on most trims. Until recently, this plate was still available new from Honda. Ebay may be you friend if you want to find one.

There is nothing glamorous about this part. It snaps into place and has a socket in the back to hold the radio harness and antenna.

I decided to use that block-off plate to install gauges. I felt it was a clean spot to add gauges without cutting other parts of the interior.

This write-up only covers using the OEM plate to install gauges. The rest is up to you.

Also worth nothing, the 6th Gen Civic also has a block-off plate available. Bonus, it is a double DIN giving you even more space to install gauges!

Tools Necessary

2″ hole saw (or a 2 1/16″ if one exists)
Sanding drum
Drill
Tape measure or ruler

Measuring Twice…

A 2 1/16″ gauge will fit in this space. There is room for three gauges. In order to get the spacing right, I took measurements and mapped out “centers” for drilling the holes.

In the picture below, you can see all of the dimensions and where the marking for the center needs to be. From the top, 3 cm down. From the side, measure 3.2 cm, 9.5 cm and 15.8 cm.

Here is the math done for you!

Marking the centers is easier if you cover it with masking tape.

It’s easier to see your markings if you cover the piece in masking tape.

Before drilling holes, I would suggest cutting away the webbing. When I drilled mine, the center hole’s webbing caused the drill bit to shift off center. I was able to work around the mistake by ovaling the hole. Cut the webbing as indicated below.

When drilling the center hole, be aware that the webbing in back will shift your drill bit. It’s a good idea to cut this away before drilling.

Ultimately, you can start each hole using the drill of your hole cutter. I didn’t have a 2 1/16″ hole saw so I used a 2″ saw and then ground out the hole with a Dremel tool. Once thing to note: Even thought he plastic is somewhat pliable, drill very slowly to avoid breaking it.

Drill slowly and carefully and you’ll get through the piece without breaking it.

A quick test fit.

If you have to use a 2″ hole saw as I did, it’s a good idea to slowly open the hole with a drum sander. In the case of this PLX guage, there is no bracket to hold it in place. It needs a tight fit. Slowly open the hole and frequently stop to test the fit. Most other gauges will have a mounting bracket and not require a perfect fit.

Grind then test fit often.

Considering that most gauges have some form of mounting bracket that is installed from the back, there is no worry about making the hole perfect. As long as the gauge slides in, it will be held in place by the bracket. Below: I’ve recently loaded the panel with AEM gauges.

A that has mounting hardware that clamps the gauge in place is easier to manage since the hole doesn’t have to be perfect.

Final Thoughts

Using the original radio slot is not the best location as compared to mounting gauges on the pillar or on top of the dash, but it gives you a chance to install gauges without cutting up the rest of your interior.

Although not idea, it’s still easy to take quick glances while on the track.

Project Civic – Letting It Breathe

importnut — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 23:00:56 +0000

Justification

Following the 2016 refresh and having addressed all of the stumbling blocks I encountered, I realized that I needed to develop a long term plan based on how I use the Civic. Building an engine that makes huge power sounds like a blast but what will I gain? I run very competitively at my local autocrosses but realize that I would be pounded at a national level. Will I ever run nationals? If I do, will it be to win at nationals? I may venture out to nationals for the experience but I won’t make it my life’s work. I don’t need the most powerful, best handling car in my class if I’m just heading out for fun. Also, if I target big horsepower, I will have to bump up tire sizes and upgrade more of the suspension. All of this is considerably expensive for minimal gains. Worst yet, it is a huge sunk cost that I could never recover if I decided to sell that car.

With that in mind, I knew I needed to draw a line…a stopping point where more money isn’t going to give me more value. I would continue to maintain the car and replace work/broken parts as necessary but not have plans for huge upgrades. What was that line? I spoke to Mikey Singhaseni of Mspec Tuning fame. I explained my intentions and we came up with a plan. He explained that the older engine computers do not have the ability to properly compensate for breather modifications and tend to run lean when breather modifications are introduced. Knowing that, I decided to install a Hondata equipped ECU. After that, he recommended a fresh set of injectors to replace the 20+ year old OEM units, an aftermarket intake manifold and throttle body. He also strongly recommended a wide band O2 sensor.

The Parts List

Armed with a plan, I started accumulating parts. Here’s what I bought:

A refreshed P28 ECU equipped with Hondata S300v3 upgrade from Hamotorsports.com
Skunk 2 ProSeries intake manifold from JHPusa.com
Skunk 2 Alpha series 66mm Throttle body JHPusa.com
PLX SM-AFR Wideband DM-6 Gauge Combo (GEN4)
OEM Acura RDX 410cc injectors and adaptors from Xenocron Tuning
Blox TPS sensor
OEM Type R throttle cable
OEM Type R throttle cable keeper
Vibrant Performance 3″ Aluminum tubing and Silicon Couplers
3″ K&N Filter
PLX SM-FLUIDTEMP – Fluid Temp Sensor Module
AEM X-series oil pressure gauge

On with the story!

The bulk of the parts. Intake manifold, throttle body, ECU, injectors and misc bits and pieces.

Rather than install the Hondata on my vintage P72 computer, I elected to buy a refurbished and modified P28 from HAmotorsports. They claim to replace components and then run the ECU through a simulator to verify proper operation. Bonus: The ECU looks brand new with an excellent finish!

I wasn’t surprised to see the how much slimmer the new manifold was compared to the original dual runner intake manifold.

For injectors, I chose an OEM set for the RDX. It is a somewhat less expensive alternative that I hope would provide OEM Honda reliability. I bought them along with the harness plugs and adapters through Xenocron tuning.

Installing the intake manifold and throttle body is very straightforward. The RDX injectors will drop right in with the adapters. I pulled the PCV port, tapped and plugged the hole since the engine is vented. Wrapping up this part of the project, I installed the new throttle cable and attached all of the vacuum lines, fuel lines and injector plugs. After I configured the Hondata with the new injector specs, the engine started and ran smoothly.

Knowing the breather lines would interfere with the air intake’s new location, I elected to move the can down by the transmission mount. B&R’s breather can has a nice mount welded to it that makes it very challenging to install…anywhere. I needed the Moroso clamp to attach the can once I ground off the attached mount. The new bracket was much easier to use.

Simplify!

The new throttle body needed a 3″ air intake vs the stock size of 2.75″. I couldn’t find an aftermarket kit in that size and made my own using Vibrant tubing and a K&N filter. Before ordering, I used a protractor and eyeballed the angles I needed. I used a 30 and 45 degree bend for the project.

In the end, I probably could have used two 45’s but after more eyeballing and rough measuring, I made it work.

Once I finished the intake, I worked on relocating the breather can and cutting the hoses to length. In this shot, you can see the new O2 sensor wire I’m routing through the engine bay.

Why am I showing you this? Old Car Problems…that’s why. This is one of the VSS wires. When I took the Civic for the first test ride, I had a CEL and no speedo. I had already tried cleaning the pin prior to taking this picture making it hard to see the corrosion. I spliced in a new pin from a spare harness and used connector grease to keep it from corroding in the future.

Prior to heading out to the dyno, I decided to go through the engine to make sure everything was ready. I found that I may have been off a tooth on the timing belt (I’m really not sure on this one…but better safe than sorry), and went through the valve lash. I also swapped out my replacement distributor from last year for an OEM distributor. It’s amazing to see a 20+ year old distributor work better than a brand new aftermarket unit.

I installed the PLX SM-AFR Wideband DM-6 Gauge Combo. Mikey Singhaseni highly recommended PLX’s unit. It provides a signal that feeds into the ECU allowing the Hondata to control A/F using the wideband rather than the original narrow band unit.

Once all of the new parts were installed and the maintenance work complete, it was time to head to the dyno.

Wrapping it up and the tune

Mikey had to reschedule my dyno appointment which put me in a bind. I had an autocross the following weekend and didn’t want to run it without a tune. Mikey put me in touch with another tuner who helped generate a base tune using data logs. After passing data back and forth over email for a few days, the tune was good and safe to run hard. The only issue I had was rapid throttle tip in which only revealed itself during autocross runs. The wideband would bottom out on the rich side causing the car to hesitate. Not to worry, my time on the dyno was a few days away.

Mikey uses Performance Solutions’ Dynojet dyno outside of Chicago. After adjusting the fueling parameters during throttle tip in, he ran a few pulls, made minor adjustments and landed on a peak of 180 whp at 7800 rpms. I never got a copy of the dyno curve so you’ll have to take my word on the numbers. I would agree that they are a bit optimistic for a 20 plus year old engine with basic bolt-ons. I’m sure the number would be more conservative on a Mustang dyno or something similar.

The more you know…I added an AEM oil pressure gauge and a PLX fluid temperature sensor. The ability to read two sensor inputs swayed my decision to use the PLX temp module. It reads oil temp and water temp.

One more thing

Mikey suggested that I feed air to the filter. The location behind the light can suffocate the intake and proved it by turning the intake up and gaining a little more than a horsepower as a result…I used a 4″ dryer duct, along with some creative cutting of the fake air intake in the bumper to feed the air intake fresh air.

I wanted to move the air filter over the new dryer duct. I had to move the ABS fuse box out of the way to make room. I’m tempted to get more tubing with different angles to square up the filter and then make a wall around the filter. Maybe next year.

Conclusion

I would love to say that all the work made a huge difference. In reality, the changes were subtle. The engine still makes good torque and power even though I dumped the dual runner intake manifold. Was it better? My autocross runs felt stronger than I ever remembered. Better power delivery in the mid-range helped me edge further up the overall results at my events. Power gains aside, one very big difference was the improvement in throttle response.

Overall, I’m glad I did the work. Any future work I chose to do on the engine will benefit from the parts I installed this summer. During my discussions with Mikey, we talked about a mild build to freshen the untouched 20+ year old engine. Fresh internals, head work, cams, etc, etc….it’s that whole slippery slope of modifications. If I can keep the engine together for the next few years, I may be more amenable to a build.

Unrelated to the Civic:

Over the past few years, I’ve thought about the fact that I’ve been driving and building this Civic (and the coupe before it) for nearly 24 years. I’m very comfortable with it and can drive it at the limit like it was an extension of my body. However, I want to try something different to hone my driving skills. Something RWD. I miss my old 240SX and in some ways wish I still had it. I have no intention of buying another and I can’t afford another project car even if I sold my Civic. In order to accomplish the idea of trying something different, I’ve asked to co-drive a friend’s Firebird next season. I’ll chip in for mods/tires for the season which will be significantly cheaper than starting from scratch. I look forward to the challenge!

Next year:

If all goes well, I hope to keep my Civic expenses to a minimum with fresh brakes and track-day fun. Here’s to hoping!

My First Engine Swap

importnut — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 23:30:52 +0000

Once upon a time, circa 2000, I set out to do what would be the biggest automotive project I had done to date. I swapped the engine in my Civic and it turned out well. These days, this engine swap isn’t a big deal however I want to share my adventure from concept to completion. When I started working on converting my site, I thought about rewriting this story to add my current experiences and recommendations. In the end, I decided to preserve my adventure in its entirety. Most of the shops and resources that I used are long gone and I’ve removed the links. If you’ve been at this game for a while, you my remember those long gone shops.

Looking back over this story, I realize how much I didn’t know then, and how much I’ve learned in the nearly 20 years since. I only had this Civic for about 2 years before I totaled it. The story lives on in the hatchback I bought shortly after and still have to this day! On with the story!

What can I say? I did it. Years of planning and dreaming of a swap have come to a very satisfactory end. This page will include my experience with the operation as well as some pointers and ideas if you chose to do the same or in the process of researching this project.

Dreaming Process
Research Process
Locating the Parts
Check is in the mail
Prepping the Civic
Prepping the Engine
Dropping in the new engine
Driving Impressions
The Next Step
A Year Later
Pictures from the swap as well as current pictures

Dreaming process….

It all begins with the thought of, “what can I do to seriously add power and enjoyment to my ride?” I had all sorts of crazy ideas floating through my head. Chips making 20hp, intakes producing 15hp, headers that give you a whopping 20-25hp!!!! Uh…okay. Most of us start off on the wrong foot. Believing everything in the magazines.
Once the painful truth emerged, I realized that to make some serious horsepower it was going to take more than an air filter and a cam to get what I wanted.

With that in mind, I looked into more elaborate modifications. Quite honestly, anything more than an intake or exhaust was going to kill me financially, so I decided to look for the option that would give me the most bang for the buck as well as future potential. I looked into turbos and superchargers, but when you look at the numbers, it doesn’t look good. With the stock bottom end on the original D16Z6 single overhead cam VTEC engine, it isn’t possible to
safely boost over 5-6 psi. With the Jackson Racing supercharger, the civic puts out roughly 145-150 hp. Having lined up to a JR SC equipped civic at the drag strip, I realized that the kit was a joke. Running a pathetic 15.6 in the quarter was enough to make me realize that building the stock engine, in any way, would be a waste. Turbos seemed to give better quarter mile times, but I was still not impressed.

What now? The answer is obvious. Engine Swap. The good guys at The Hybrid Garage provided enough information to first fuel the dream and then later pursue it. Which Engine do I want? There are so many to choose from. There’s the Integra RS/LS/GS 1.8L DOHC non-VTEC engine (B18B), the Integra GS-R 1.8l DOHC VTEC(B18C1), Integra Type R DOHC VTEC (B18C5), The Del Sol VTEC 1.6L DOHC VTEC (B16A3). For starters, any non-VTEC engines were pretty much out of the question. In a way, I didn’t feel like loosing the technology that I already had; that being VTEC. The concept of VTEC is awesome and the thought of loosing it seemed ludicrous. The Type R engine would have been awesome with it’s 195hp, tightly geared transmission, and LSD, but the thought of really digging into the wiring harness was a bit frightening. The same goes for any ’96 and up engine due to the emissions friendly OBD-II computers. It came down to the Integra GS-R engine and the Del Sol VTEC engine. For a while, I thought a 10 hp difference would be negligible. I was horribly wrong. Some people will argue that the B16A
engine is a better choice for a swap, however, the lack of low end torque makes it a bear to drive at times. On the other hand, the B18C1 develops very nice torque at the bottom. Although most of us would like to race “all the time” the reality of normal driving would dictate that nice low end torque is a necessity. In all honesty, having to drive the car like “you just stole it”, for normal driving can be rather tiresome.

That solves it. The Integra GS-R engine was the choice.

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Research Process…

Once I made the decision, it was time to determine exactly what I needed and what had to be done to make this work.

The nice thing about having the EX civic was that I already had most of the wiring necessary. The only wires that had to be added were the Intake Air Bypass wire and the Knock Sensor wire. Piece of cake!

In order for everything to work properly, I would need the engine, transmission, shift linkage, half shafts and intermediate shaft, and the ECU. To retain the stock AC compressor, I would also need the Del Sol VTEC AC bracket. To retain Power Steering, I would need the Integra power steering pump. I would also need to pick up the GS-R’s catalytic converter for the reason that the O2 sensor is mounted in the cat. The alternative would be to pick up a B16 Exhaust manifold.

In the process of doing research, I discovered a potential problem. My civic had factory ABS. This was an option that I requested when I originally ordered the car. The civic’s ABS pump was mounted low on the firewall on the passenger side. After having studied the B18C1 I realized that the intake manifold’s bizarre shape positioned the
throttle body in a bad spot with respect to the ABS pump. Not sure if it was going to be a “serious” issue, I pressed on.

**A note for anyone that may be doing a swap in the future, the ’96-’98 B18C1’s will work with the OBD-I computer. The engine was the same from ’94-’98. All you would need to do is pick up a ’94-’95 computer. The only disadvantage to using an OBD-II engine is the cost of picking up an OBD-I computer.

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Locating the parts…

I had contemplated trying to locate a Japanese version of the engine (JDM) The same engine in Japan produces a little more power than the US version. This is due to the higher compression pistons they use in Japan. I had read on several occasions that JDM engine suppliers have a very limited time to pull engines. This can lead to a rather messy engine in terms of wires or hoses that have been cut, rather than disconnected. Another issue, is that most JDM packages do not come with wiring harnesses, shift linkage and axles or even transmissions.

Back in 1997, I met an individual by the name of Jerome Soh over Honda Performance email list. At that time, Jerome was a small guy that sold a few parts over the internet. Over the past 3 years, I’d gotten to know that his service and commitment are matched by no one. Along with that, he developed a used Honda parts company called Sohfast Auto Parts, Inc. Jerome carries probably the most complete packages that you can buy. You do pay a little more for it, but he makes sure you are 100% satisfied. He earned my trust over the years by the little bits and pieces that I had ordered from him.

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Check is in the mail…

It was time to commit to the project. My original request was for a B18C1 with a Type R transmission, but there wasn’t one available at the time. Since I had already allotted the money for the transmission upgrade, I thought I would add a few more parts to the list. Along with the engine, I ordered an ACT 6-puck clutch, Xtreme pressure plate
and a Sohfast Lightened flywheel.

After I sent in the payment, I decided that some maintenance hardware was in order. The new engine had about 50,000 miles. As anyone would know, doing any maintenance to an engine is easier when it isn’t in the car. With that knowledge, I ordered a new water pump, front main seal, rear main seal, cam seals, timing belt, timing belt
tensioner and valve cover gasket. I also ordered a new distributor cap and rotor as well as plug wires.

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Prepping the Civic…

Obligatory “sitting in the engine compartment” picture.

I was forced to start the swap process earlier than I had planned due to a spun rod bearing.

At this time, I didn’t even have the donor engine in my possession. At any rate, I started the process by removing the old engine. I was rather amazed by how easy it is to disassemble a Honda. The wiring is so easy to remove. On the civic there are 3 harness plugs on the passenger side, and three on the driver’s side. Disconnect them and flop them over the engine. That’s it! A few hours later and the engine was hanging by two motor mounts.

With the engine out, I was able to work on the wiring. I discovered that it was easier to use the civic’s original EVAP purge wire for the IAB control. I swapped the EVAP purge wire for the IAB on the ECU plug harness and ran a new EVAP purge wire as well as the 12v wire to a 4th harness plug on the passenger side. You have to get this from the
integra harness. After that, add the knock sensor wire and the wiring is done. Mind you, this is in an EX civic. On any other trim, you may have to add more wires. Here are a couple of shots of the new wiring that I passed through the firewall.

Other than doing the wiring, there isn’t anything else that needs to be done.

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Prepping the engine…

After washing off nearly every molecule of dirt, I started to do the maintenance work on the B18C1. First off I replaced the water pump, timing belt, timing belt tensioner, front main seal, and cam seals.

Another option I picked up was STR’s cam seal. A common problem with B-block Honda’s is an oil leak caused by the cam seal in front of the distributor. The seal becomes hard over time and cannot prevent oil from leaking out. STR’s solution is a machined aluminum version that utilizes O-rings. The installation was very easy and has not leaked a drop since I’ve installed it.

After procuring a clutch centering tool, I was able to install my new rear main seal, flywheel, pilot bearing, clutch, pressure plate and throw out bearing. With the tranny back on the engine, I reinstalled the Intermediate shaft as well as anything else that could be installed prior to installing the engine. With all of the maintenance work complete (see pics below), it was time to shoe-horn the engine into the civic.

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Dropping it in…

The installation went really well. I can honestly say that there were no real complications throughout the entire process. The only tricky step was getting the rear mount back onto the engine. After that, it was just a matter of plugging the harness together, attaching hoses, finishing up the motor mounts and adding fluids.

The ABS pump did pose a problem after dropping the engine in, but nothing serious. Some minor brake line and wire rerouting and everything was fine.

The only outside help that I needed was to take the car to an exhaust shop to have the exhaust lengthened. The exhaust manifold and cat combination was shorter than the original engine. Not a problem. Sounded pretty cool on the way to the shop.

One other important note that I think should be made is that the Civic’s stock radiator has smaller fittings than the GS-R’s. Temporarily, I’ve double clamped the hoses but I intend to either pick up an aftermarket radiator or a Del Sol VTEC’s radiator.

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Driving Impressions…

The first thing that I noticed with the new equipment, is that the throttle response is much better with the new lightweight flywheel as compared to a B18C1 with a stock flywheel. The 6-puck ACT clutch was a challenge to manipulate. Once on the road, the difference was immediately noticed. There is torque everywhere. Although it still
isn’t a great deal of torque, compared to the stock D16Z6, if feels great. After pushing it to redline, all I could do was grin. The tighter gear ratios are also readily apparent. The extra torque makes traffic maneuvers so much easier and requires so much less effort.

I’ve discovered that I can casually drive the car now. Before, I felt the need to beat the car in order to keep up with traffic or to get moving. Power shifting and redline were an everyday event. Now, I almost never power shift and 5-6k is the general limit for each gear for perky take off’s.

The ACT is a remarkable clutch offering very quick shifting when you need it. Grinding gears is pretty much a thing of the past…aside form driver error. However, it is a bit much for normal driving. It is very difficult to slip the clutch and take off smoothly. I’ve grown accustomed to technique necessary to use this clutch, but ever so often I botch my launch or let up on the clutch to quickly, resulting in a herky jerky shift.

Bottom line? I’m completely satisfied with the results of the swap.I would do it again in a heart beat!!

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The Next Step

I’ve already been asked the question as to what my next project is going to be. I’ve thought of what I want to do and come to this conclusion: I want to enjoy the car right now. The swap took a lot of energy and time. I would like to enjoy what the car has to offer now before I start digging into another big project.

However, here’s a list of things I’ve been considering:

I may swap in a more “user-friendly” clutch in the near future. I’m still debating whether or not to leave the 6-puck alone.

I need to do some suspension work before I really do anything else. My Tokico HP’s are loosing their effectiveness. Plus the shocks cannot compensate for the extra weight of the new engine. After shocks, I need to look into replacing a few bushings to try and tighten up the responsiveness of the car.

Once that’s out of the way, I’ve been toying with the idea of using the Honda CR-V’s engine block to make some intense low end torque. The CR-V’s B20 block is compatible with any B-block hardware available. What I would like to do with a B20Z block is send it out and have it prepped to work with my current cylinder head. Before I decide how I’m going to build the block, I need to determine if I want to go turbo later.

If I don’t choose to go turbo, in the future, I would like to raise the compression as high as I can while still using premium pump fuel.

If I choose to go turbo there are many other factors that need to be resolved before I can install a turbo.

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A Year Later…

After year of tinkering and tuning, I thought it would be a great idea to give my impressions after about 27,000 miles. First, I want to address the concerns and issues the I brought up in “The Next Step”

I nearly logged 14,000 miles on the ACT 6-puck clutch and decided that the aggressive nature of the clutch was too much for a daily driver. Driving to work in the morning with one eye open provided to be a very challenging task. I broke down and installed ACT’s Street disk and used the same pressure plate. Read about my impressions
here.

It didn’t take very long to realize that my Tokico’s just plain sucked! After a few autocrosses, I realized that I was running slower than I did with the old engine. Why? The car was too fast for the suspension to keep up. At first, I was very disappointed with the fact that a relatively stock DX hatchback could out run me. My first step was to replace the 80,000 mile Tokico HP’s (yeah, I think they had a lot to do with it!). I installed KYB AGX shocks. I could tell the difference immediately! I picked up the pace at the track but I was still not satisfied. I was still encountering nasty under steer. My next step was to replace the Bridgestone RE730’s with their S03 Pole Position tires mounted on Kosei K1 racing wheels. In the meantime, I added Z-10’s radius arm kit.

Armed with the new hardware, I headed out to see what I had accomplished. Much to my surprise, the car handled superbly. The combination of new shocks, tires, wheels, and radius arm kit proved to be a winner. I managed a spot as the 5th fastest out of 110 drivers on my first day out! Each race following that successful event was met with equal or better performance.

I’ve learned quite a bit about racing and my car this last season. The need for finesse and proper tuning became very obvious. What I find really interesting, is that I’m not done with my proposed handling modifications!

I also resolved the problem with the small radiator fittings using Fluidyne’s Civic radiator with larger Integra fittings. Read about it here.

Another modification that I feel needs to be mentioned is making cheap Poly Urethane motor mounts. Ben, my Nissan buddy, pointed out that you can buy different forms of Urethane that can be used to fill motor mounts in order to make them firmer. The newest trick was to use 3M’s window weld. Check out my how to and impressions
here.

On the topic of the B20 and the possible future of the B18C1: I don’t think I’ll go through the trouble to gain .1 l of displacement (B18C1 crank in a B20 block). Prior to picking up my 240SX, I felt that I wanted to build a turbo engine that started life out as a turbo engine. The SR20DET from the Silvia is a perfect candidate. That will be covered
in another article. I realized that I love the way the civic feels and sounds. I decided that any engine building will be strictly NA. I’ll probably go with some CTR pistons and cams, do a little work with the head and intake manifold and run a Hondata stage 4 ecu.

What do I think after a year of fun (and frustration)? I still couldn’t be happier with the car. I won’t publish my quarter mile time simply for the reason that I can’t nail down a good launch. I build this car to race on a track, not in a straight line and it shows. I will say that I managed to run better than 95 mph trap speed. That should be enough info to give you an idea of the potential!

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A few more pictures of the operation

Recent Pictures

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Project Civic – Suspension Upgrade and More

importnut — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 23:00:26 +0000

(This write-up was originally written and published in 2006)

After a long weekend at Putnam Park Raceway in Indiana, I realized that my hatch needed a far more aggressive suspension. As great as it was on the street, it was severely lacking on the track. For the 2006 season, I planned for a massive suspension overhaul. While I was selecting parts for the suspension upgrade, I also included extra bracing and tackled a few maintenance items.

For starters, I was never happy with my Ingalls camber kit and knew I needed something better. Omni-Power makes a kit that allows for adjustment at the ball joints rather than the inner mount. My alignment guy was much happier with the Omni-Power components. I also installed the adjustable upper link in the rear. (Update, Omni-Power is no longer in business. Skunk 2 along with other manufacturers, now make the same part.)

Having addressed camber adjustment, I needed to resolve the issue of the Eibach Pro-kit springs not holding up to track use. I turned to Ground Control for their coilover conversion. The Ground Control kit allows for nearly any aftermarket shock/strut to be used with minimal to no modification. I also elected to buy the optional spring hats which moves the shock shaft mounting point higher. The new hat helps maintain proper shock travel on lowered car.

I wrapped up the suspension upgrade with a new set of wheels and tires. Details below.

Later in the year, I installed a Walbro Fuel Pump, B&M adjustable fuel pressure regulator and an MSD external coil.

I thought the ground control setup made a nice mantle piece decoration, but my wife didn’t think so…that and the fact that I really wanted to use them…moving along!

The complete list:

Omni Power front and rear camber kits
New hood release
New inner bushing mount for the front upper arm
ASR rear sub-frame brace
Fast Idle Control Valve
Ground Control Coil-over setup with 400 lb/in front springs and 450 lb/in rear springs
16″ Rota Slip Streams & 205 40 R16 Falken Azenis RT615
Password JDM front 3 point tie bar
Password JDM rear 2 point tie bar
Schroth Ralley 3 Harnesses
JDM front fenders and side markers

This picture represents nearly everything that went into the hatch during this upgrade.

I had ruined the front fenders the year before so I ordered a pair of new fenders from Password JDM with JDM side markers. Why not?

Front Omni Power Upper Control arm with adjustable camber at the ball joint. A significant improvement over the Ingalls camber kit.

Rear Omni Power adjustable camber link.

Along with the springs and camber kit, I installed an ASR rear lower arm brace/sway-bar mount. This area of the uni-body is very flimsy and needs the extra support.

I also upgraded my springs to Ground Control’s coil-over springs. I utilized 400 lb/in springs in the front and 450 lb/in springs in the rear. I used all front length springs in case I wanted to swap the springs from front to back.

Password JDM 3 point front strut tower brace.

Password JDM 2 point rear brace. The impact of this bar is questionable, but it was fairly inexpensive.

No project is complete without a few seriously lowered pictures for the fun of it!

Finally, all of the new parts are installed and the ride height has been set.

The handling of my hatch was truly amazing! Between the LSD and the tighter suspension, I was able to drastically improve my lap times! Body roll was minimal compared to the milder suspension that I had replaced. A two day driving event at Gingerman Raceway was the perfect proving ground for all of the new equipment and it did not disappoint!

I attended a HPDE event at Gingerman Raceway hosted by the Audi Club.

Beyond the suspension upgrade, I added Schroth Rallye 3 harnesses. Read more about them here.

Racing harnesses do not have much to do with the suspension, but they make one of the most important upgrades. By utilizing the rear seat belts upper mount, the harness works at the proper angle for maximum safety.

As I mentioned in the intro, I later installed an MSD external coil conversion, a Walbro fuel pump and B&M adjustable fuel pressure regulator. I was trying to address a strand high rpm misfire. I will discuss the outcome in the next installment of Project Civic.

Honda Civic Acura Integra Sway Bar Install

importnut — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 22:00:19 +0000

Upgrading the sway bars, or simply installing sway bars is a very cost effective way to drastically improve the handing of any car. I’ve outlined the installation of Eibach’s sway bar kit.

Eibach’s kit requires factory installation points. Most top trim civic’s came with front sway bars. The Civic EX four door came with front and rear bars. Any other civic will need front lower control arms from either an Integra or Si/EX model and a rear lower control arms from an Integra or Civic EX four door.

This write-up applies to ’92-’95 Honda civics and ’94-’01 Acura integras

Tools Necessary

Socket set
Combination wrenches (box wrench)
Jack and Jack Stands

Your best bet would be to lay out all of your parts and make sure you have everything you need. For my civic, I needed all of the rear sway bar hardware and lower control arms. For the front, I had everything that I needed since my hatchback was equipped with a front bar.

Front Bar Install

Raise the front and secure it with jack stands.

Remove the end links that are attached to the control arms.

Remove the D-brackets that hold the sway bar to the sub frame. Before you can remove the sway bar, you will need drop the exhaust and shift linkage.

Take a moment and check out the difference in the size. The stock front bar is 20 mm and the Eibach bar is 25 mm.

Slide the new bar into place, you can reattach the exhaust and shifter at this time.

Eibach supplies a spacer to properly shim the new bar. I had to grind the holes in the spacer in order to get get the bolts to line up properly. Mounting the front bar took quite a bit of effort. I had to use a jack to put enough pressure on the clamp and bushing in order to get the nut and bolt attached. Make sure you apply the supplied lube.

Before you attach the end links, check to see if the sway bar is binding in the bushings. If the bar does not drop under its own weight, or with minimal effort, I would strongly suggest using a sanding drum to enlarge the bushing opening. Take a little bit at a time and test. Once the bar moves freely, attach the end links with the new hardware included with the kit.

If you need to swap out the control arms, all you need to do is pop the lower ball joint, remove all of the hardware and slide the new arms in place.

Rear Bar Install

Raise and secure the back of the vehicle.

If you are upgrading to a larger bar, it is as simple as removing the stock bar, swapping all of the mounting hardware and reinstalling.

Eibach’s rear bar is 17mm. Since I did not have a rear bar, I could not compare the size. If I remember correctly, the stock rear integra bar is 14mm and the stock civic EX 4dr bar is 11mm.

For my rear sway bar install, I had to pick up lower control arms with sway bar mounting holes drilled. You can pick up arms from a 4dr EX civic or an integra. If you are ordering bushings to go along with the control arms, note which arms you have. The Civic’s bushings are smaller.

In the picture , you will see all of the hardware necessary to install the sway bar. To save some money, try to locate used parts. More than likely, the kit will only include the bar and bar’s bushings.

Every 5th gen civic I’ve ever seen has always had the sway bar mounting point for the brackets pre-drilled and tapped.

Attach the sway bar bracket to the uni-body

Assemble the sway bar with all of the mounting hardware and attach it to the mounting brackets. As with the front bar, check to see if the bar will drop under its own weight or with slight pressure. If not, use a sanding drum to open the bushing. Remove small amounts and test until the bar moves without binding.

Finally, attach the end links to the lower control arms.

One last recommendation I would like to make is to use a jam nut on the upper part of the end link. It is possible to over tighten the bolt which will bind. I recommend snugging the first bolt until you feel bind in the end link, then back it of slightly. Finally, add the jam nut and snug it tightly. Make sure the end link still moves freely.

I would take a moment and double check all of the bolts, nuts or any other hardware to make sure they’ve been tightened properly.

Important Note: I want to reiterate the importance of avoiding binding in the sway bar bushings or end links. It is very important to ensure proper operation. Binding sway bars will generate inconsistent rises in roll stiffness that will lead to unpredictable handling.

Driving Impressions

The sway bar upgrade was worth every penny. Prior to installing the bar, I was having problems drastically unloading a front tire through hard cornering. This was reducing the effectiveness of my Quaife differential. With the new bars installed, body roll has been drastically reduced. The added bonus is that my Quaife diff works properly given the fact that all four tires are staying on the ground.

Probably the most noticeable advantage, or I should say unnoticeable advantage, is that the ride quality has not been compromised. The bars are virtually invisible until you need them.

Hybrid Racing 8th Gen Civic Clutch Master Cylinder Upgrade

importnut — Tue, 26 May 2015 21:36:02 +0000

One thing that always bothered me about my ’07 Civic Si was the fact that it was almost impossible to shift quickly at redline without grinding or missing gears. To me, it never felt like the clutch fully disengaged. Fortunately for me, my daily commute didn’t require the kind of driving that would find me exploring this problem.

One day while browsing websites for performance parts, I stumbled upon Hybrid Racing’s clutch master cylinder upgrade for the 8th generation Civic Si. Curious, I clicked on the link and found a simple solution to a nagging problem.

Hybrid racing describes the problem as follows:

On the OEM 06-11 Honda Civic clutch master cylinder there is an offset chamber that the fluid travels through to get your foot motion to transfer to the clutch. This chamber actually causes the fluid to slow, resulting in a clutch that does not disengage or engage fast enough. Which leads to an inconsistent foot-shift movement and in some cases transmission grinds.

Their solution is to replace the original clutch master cylinder with one from an EM Civic Si. Complimenting the OEM Honda clutch master cylinder is a great looking and functional fluid line that replaces the rubber and preformed steel lines found under the hood. You could skip the clutch line and buy the master cylinder from another source however the installation while using the original lines, will be diabolically difficult.

I picked up their kit and a few hours later, agonizing as they were, my Civic was transformed. While driving to an area conducive to red line shifting, I was concerned that nothing had changed. The clutch felt exactly the same as it did before. Once I was out in the open, I hammered down. My anxiety level was fairly high as I approached red-line in 1st gear and started to clutch and and pull the shifter. So many times before, more often that not, something bad always happened. Not this time. Clutch in, pull back, clutch out, no drama. Awesome. I continued “experimenting” with the new clutch master cylinder and it continued to live up to expectations. This is a cruicial upgrade no matter what you do with your Civic!

Check out the kit here.

What about the installation? Well, if you’ve tried to do anything under the hood of an 8th gen Civic, you know that even trivial maintenance can be frustrating. Access to the clutch master cylinder is limited to what you can feel with your hands.

Take a close look. Can you see the clutch master cylinder? No? Look harder. Still can’t see it? That’s because it is completely buried under the cowl and brake master cylinder. This work is done completely by feel.

Comparing the original CMC, you can clearly see the pressure damper that simply doesn’t exist on the new old style CMC.

The bolt pattern is the same. The only modification necessary is swapping the rod and clevis which is straight forward.

Rod and clevis swapped and the new line attached, it’s time to install the new hardware. It appears that Hybrid racing modified the CMC side of the hose by utilizing a banjo fitting. A minor change that will make installation easier.

Secure the line with zip ties or similar fasteners.

Once the CMC is in bolted in place, route the line to the clutch slave cylinder. Make sure the routing doesn’t interfere with any moving parts.

Hybrid Racing provides a detailed installation guide. They do a fantastic job of giving you the resources to complete any project with confidence. Check out the CMC guide here.

Project Civic – Hot Rod Engine Build

importnut — Tue, 19 May 2015 22:00:17 +0000

This story starts out with a little garage mishap by a close friend of mine. As with most projects, one thing leads to another and a fully built engine emerges…or at least, in this case it does! This write-up discusses my thoughts, research, parts sourcing, and final production of my Civic’s hot rod engine.

The entire project started out when the distributor was installed incorrectly causing the camshaft to bind, the timing belt to slip and every intake valve to be bent. At the time, I felt it would be easier to remove the entire engine than it would be to remove the head on it’s own. With that in mind, why not rebuild the bottom end with fresh bearings, and piston rings? Then the process goes to “why not pick up some mild cams, a set of JDM ITR pistons and a Hondata?”

Good idea. I called up Tom Payn at Payn Technologies and started to talk about what I wanted to do and how I wanted to go about doing it. Very quickly, Tom talked me out of using OEM pieces. With the idea of useful power in mind, we set out to make my B18C1 a real autocross monster.

During the first call, we decided to go with a set of Wiesco forged pistons, Eagle forged H-beam rods, Comp Cams state two cams, RC Engineering’s 370cc injectors, Hondata S200 ECU, Hondata thermal intake manifold gasket. Rather than perform a simple valve job, Tom also sold me on having the bowl portion of the ports reworked. He preferred thoughtful bowl reshaping to a full port and polish. More power came from opening up the bowls!

Very quickly, I sent Payn the cylinder head. While waiting for a set of pistons, Tom talked me into a few more details. First, his attention to detail regarding bearing and other clearances sold me on the idea of sending him my block and rotating assembly in order to have his shop do the assembly on the short block. An engine that can spin up to 9000 rpms needs to built well! Along with that, we decided on balancing the crank, add a new oil pump and a Mugen oil pan. One of the final details include the ceramic coating on the pistons.

After several weeks, the assembled short block and reworked head arrived on a neatly packed pallet. Within a few days, I had the engine completely assembled and dropped back into the engine bay. It quickly and uneventfully fired up. Once I ran it casually for about a thousand miles, it was time to head up to Payn’s shop and have the ECU tuned. The base tune seemed considerably rich after 5000 rpms. Fortunately, the tune was adequate at lower rpms to allow for proper break-in. Once I drained the break-in oil and refilled with Mobil1, I headed out to Payn’s shop.

We discovered that my suspicions of a rich tune were confirmed. The base tune went wildly rich after 5000 rpms. The peak whp was 145, but at 4800 rpms. After ten or so runs, on a Mustang dyno, the engine peaked out at 197 whp at 8250 rpms and 133 ft-lbs of torque at 7500 rpms and the engine tops out at 9200 rpms.

For its time, the engine was a beast. Under the hood, it looked stock. For daily driving, it felt like a normal B18C1. It made nice smooth torque that would pull without having to downshift. Working with Tom, we designed and built an engine that would function comfortably as a daily driver and handle track duty without breaking a sweat.

After finishing the engine installation, I realized that my half shafts needed to be replaced. I installed Drive Shaft Shop’s stage I axles. They are rated for horsepower up to 225 whp. This should be more than enough for my new power plant.

Drive Shaft Shop Stage 1 half shafts. Using brand new parts and improved to handle more power, they are worth the extra cost.

Check out a few of the project build pics below along with a few dyno pull videos. The next installment will cover the suspension work completed after the engine was built and tuned.

Read all about Project Civic Here

H-Motors Online – Review

importnut — Tue, 05 May 2015 22:00:01 +0000

When I managed to destroy another engine, through a rather embarrassing water compression experiment that failed, I needed another one. The shop that I had used for years for swaps was starting to have quality control issues and as it turned out, customer support after the sale was poor. After searching for a supplier, one name stood out above all others.

H-Motors Online

Click on the image to check out their site.

Pricing and shipping costs were on par with other shops. My concern was the quality of the engine. B-series engines are getting older as time goes on and trusting claims of low mileage and high quality tends to diminish. Banking on the good word of many sources, I ordered a replacement for my Civic. A B18C (JDM GSR) long block.

One of the bold claims that H-Motors online makes is that the engine will arrive with all sensors intact. Anyone that has ordered a used engine knows that the throttle position sensor is always destroyed. Considering my experiences, I was skeptical.

A short time after the order was placed, the engine arrived. Regrettably, I was so excited by what I saw that I completely forgot to take a picture of the engine before I peeled away the wrap. What I saw, looked like a giant white cocoon attached to a pallet. The engine was wrapped in an amazing amount of Styrofoam padding! My urgency to unwrap had to do with confirming the claim of “all sensors intact”. I found more than I ever would have anticipated.

Before I move on to what I found under the packaging, I put a call into H-motors and asked if they would send me a picture of a packed and ready to ship engine. I spoke with Steve and he was more than happy to provide.

Shortly after speaking with Steve at H-motors, he sent me this picture. This is exactly what showed up on my door step. I’ve never seen this much attention to detail and quality with respect to engine shipment. The efforts pay off when you find what’s hiding underneath all of that material!

The fine folks at H-motors delievered on their claim and did so by removing the intake air temp sensor (IAT) and throttle position sensor (TPS). They were attached to their respective connectors on the harness and tucked safely aside.

You can see the TPS dangling in the picture. In all honesty, the way they wrapped the engine, the sensors would have survived. This extra step ensured that there would be no problems.

Having noted that they honoring their word on the sensors, I noticed that the engine was immaculate! There were minimal signs of use especially for an engine that was fifteen years old (at the time when I ordered it). The way it was attached to the pallet also protected the oil pan from being damaged. Topping it all off (pardon the pun) was a valve cover that had been refinished.

If the exhaust manifold bolts weren’t rusty, you’d swear this was a brand new engine.

Other than a freshly built engine, I have never seen the area around the crank so clean!

Appearances aside, once I completed the maintenance and installed the engine, it started immediately and ran well.

There are many sources for used Japanese spec engines as well as many opportunities to run into a bad sale. H-Motors online is a reputable shop that lives up their word and can be trusted to deliver. Whenever I’m asked for engine sources, I always recommend them.

Honda Civic Steering Wheel Swap

importnut — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 22:30:52 +0000

Aesthetics aside, swapping the steering wheel removes a great deal of mass that tends to numb steering feel. Back in the day, steering wheels tended to be over-sized and housed comically large air bags. Swapping to a smaller and lighter aftermarket wheels allows the driver to easily feel the impact of losing tracking and wheel lock-up.

I do need to add this disclaimer that disabling safety equipment on a street driven vehicle is not recommended and should only be done so for off-road use only.

The mechanical portion of this swap is fairly straight forward. The challenging portion of this swap involves the wiring required to retain the horn and cruise control. This write-up is specific to the ’92-’95 Civic, but is very similar to just about any honda/acura on the road up to the early 2000’s.

Tools Necessary:

Socket set
Wire cutters
Wire crimper
Soldering iron
Hand drill and drill set
Torx set
1/4″ wide brass strip (purchased at local hobby shop)

You may want to disconnect the battery and wait about 15-30 minutes before you start this process. You risk having the airbag deploy and cause serious injury if you don’t disconnect the battery.

The 5th gen civic was equipped with a passenger’s side airbag from ’94-’95. If you want to completely remove the airbags, you will need to find a dash board from a ’92-’93 civic. You will not need to do the swap, but it will make for a cleaner final product.

If you plan to swap the dashboard to a ’92-’93 non-airbag dash, scroll down the page to the dashboard swap section.

Steering Wheel Swap

If you aren’t going to swap out the dash, or you have a driver’s side airbag only civic, then you can start here with the steering wheel swap!

Start by removing the caps and torx screws on either side of the steering wheel.

Remove the cap and torx screw on the left side.

Remove the cap and torx screw from the right side.

With the screws out, the airbag is ready to be removed.

After you remove the airbag, remove the 19mm bolt in the middle. Removing the wheel is as easy as wiggling it until it pops off.

Remove the steering column cover by pulling out three screws located on the bottom.

Remove the spiral cable by removing 3 screws.

You will find that the wiring harness works it’s way under the column to a clip you can find under the dash.

If you didn’t pull the entire yellow airbag harness, you may want to do it now. If you want to retain the horn and the cruise, if so equipped, you’ll need to modify the wiring.

The yellow airbag harness attaches to a plug found on top of the fuse panel.

The entire airbag harness consists of gray wires. Using the Helm manual and a multimeter, I was able to determine which wires were necessary for the horn and cruise functions. As you can see, all you need is 3 wires, 1 if you are only wiring a horn (see the diagram below for the horn wire).

This picture is of a Civic without cruise control. The single wire shown is all that is necessary for the horn.

The breakdown of the wiring necessary for the buttons and horn are shown in the following wiring diagram:

Using the provided wiring diagram, you will be able to properly wire two buttons for the use of cruise and the horn.

Leave slack for the horn wire. Solder this wire to a strip of 1/4″ brass stock. The brass strip should be bent and drilled as shown.

With the buttons wired, and the horn’s brass strip attached, you should have something that looks like this.

You will be able to use one of the holes that secured the original wire loom.

Screw the strip in as shown. The back of the entire momo hub is contact area, so placement of the brass strip is not entirely critical.

Reattach the halves of the steering column cover.

Install the hub. You may need to use trial and error to determine the center position of the steering wheel. Do this in a parking lot or somewhere else away from traffic.

Once you center the hub, you can attach the steering wheel. Wire the horn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

The final produce is worth the effort in both appearance and function!

Dashboard Swap

If you want to go all out and get rid of the passenger side airbag, you’ll need to find a ’92-’93 civic dash. Below is the outline for swapping out the dash. (An alternative to the swap is to buy an air-bag cover from Password JDM)

Start by removing the glove box. There are two small bolts under the box as well as one screw located on the right side.

You will need to remove the climate control linkage which is found behind the glove box.

This is accomplished by pulling the black tube out of it’s clip and then sliding the control wire off of it’s post.

Remove the console below the radio. There are two screws under the radio and one on each side. There is also one harness plug that must be disconnected before you pull the console out.

Once you have the console out of the way, you will see a large harness plug. This is the wiring for the climate control. It needs to be disconnected just as I’ve shown in the picture.

There is a plastic cover on each side of the dash. Pop them out to gain access to the screws behind them. Remove the screws and set them aside.

Removing the top dash vent can be tricky. The vent is very easy to break if you do not know how to remove it. Slowly pry the side closest to the windshield until it is all the way out.

With the top vent out of the way, you can remove the single bolt that you will find.

Looking under the dash, where the glove box used to be, you will see a cover held in by two plastic screws. Remove these screws to gain access to the airbag wiring and mounting bolts.

With the cover out of the way, disconnect the yellow air bag harness plug. Also, remove the two nuts located on either side of the yellow plug.

Remove two screws on the right of the glove box opening.

Remove the single bolt found near the floor behind the console that was removed earlier.

Remove the plastic cover under the steering column by removing three screws, two on the left and one on the right. Next, remove the metal knee bolster. There are two holes in the bolster. If you look into each hole, you will see a bolt. There are two that you need to remove.

After you remove the metal bolster, you will need to drop the steering column.

Remove the nut on both sides of the column.

Remove the bolts on the lower part of the column. Take care to keep the nylon spacers in order when you remove the bracket.

The last bolt that needs to be removed is near the fuse panel.

At this point, the dash can come out. The dashboard harness plugs into the chassis harness just above the fuse panel. As you pull it away, take care to disconnect the ground wire that attaches to a metal tab behind the cluster. Watch or any other connectors you have missed.

The yellow harness is the airbag harness. You will need to remove and modify it to get the horn and cruise control to work.

Take a moment to remove the airbag computer. The computer is located in the center of the car near the firewall. You will need a torx bit to remove the computer.

With the dash out, you can easily remove the cluster bezel and all other hardware that needs to be transferred to the new dash.

Pop the hazard button by prying it out with a screwdriver. Under the button is a screw that needs to be removed. There are two more screws that need to be removed just above the instrument cluster.

With all three screws removed you can pry out the bezel around the instrument cluster. Do so carefully as you can break the plastic. Remember to unplug the clock if you have one.

With the wiring removed and the dash out, you will need to transfer all for the wiring and hardware to the new dash. There is a harness for the instrument cluster and buttons in the dash, a harness for the radio and climate control.

There are two more small vents that need to be transferred. These are easy to break and should be removed by squeezing the clips from behind.

Here is a shot of what you should have before you drop the dash back into your Civic.

At this point, slide the new dash into place and reverse the removal process.