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Always gotta have a little bit of orange with my changes! Needed a 1.8 clutch, so I got a SPM 4-puck. I was surprised on the price and capacity on this thing. Also trying supporting Left Lane Designs with the fender vents.
While I was getting bits and pieces together I found myself wanting to get spoon-fed. There wasn't a central post/page/etc to get all the details I needed. So I've started a spread-sheet for this.
Initially, it will have the listing of all the components, the prices I paid for them, and where I purchased them. Eventually, I hope to have additional pages with more details on variations, the install process, and performance results. We're(9LR) are even going to make a Kmiata compatible splitter kit. It should be a simple clearance on the back of it, but one less custom fab users need to do.
I'm really excited about this! I've dreamed about this swap ever since it was teased. I really appreciate David for answering all my random questions and dealing with my school-girl-giddiness during this whole process <3
So this update will be long...... I've thrashed a few times since the last update. I'm also in the middle of moving, which adds to the fun right?
Big shout out and thanks to @alienmiata1 for coming over and helping me get the wiring and other odds n' ends together for this.
Starting off from where I left off, receiving a bunch of parts. I continued to order more parts! And as a reminder, I have a running spreadsheet with costs and extra bits I had to purchase for my version of the Kswap here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing
There certainly are parts that I wish were in this kit, but each swap is going to be a little different than the next. I discussed this with David and I can see how it can be a nightmare logistically. I'll mention the parts I bought along with each picture here.
Getting the engine prepped and only ran into...... a few snags lol.
For anyone reading this that is beginning their kit or is planning on it....... buy this tool for your Hondabond:
The tube WILL explode out the back and 1/3 of your Hondabond will land on the floor. Then you'll be sad like me...... don't be sad.
The oil jet on my block (2013 TSX) was not threaded, apparently, some are and some aren't . I used the included m8x125 allen bolt with a tad of RTV on it..... it's not coming back out of there.
Oil pump install was pretty straight forward. The pic doesn't include the pick-up tube. I ran into an issue with the bolt length for the pick-up tube bracket and baffle pan location, it was too short. It was a 10mm bolt, but needed at least a 15mm. Source a 15mm myself and it was good to go.
My dumbass ordered the wrong time-belt tensioner. The 2013 Accord =/= 2013 TSX for anyone wondering...... That delayed the progress by a week, basically.
Got the engine timed and also found a cool tip for K-series and setting timing. On the back of the head, there's a small hole for each cam, once you set each cam in its proper position you can put a dowel pin in the hole of the head and hole on the cam. I actually just used the chuck end of a drill-bit that was conveniently the same size as the holes.
Got the oil-pan installed, mine lined up surprisingly well. The only modification I had to do was a bit more clearance for the bolt-heads.
I thought all was moving smoothly..... tried to turn the engine by hand and THUNK...... it's not turning past about 90* from TDC. Set timing two other times, so at least I'm comfortable with that now, but no luck afterward. Went to the Kmiata FB page, 3 people instantly told me to check oil baffle-pan clearance I checked this once when I installed it, but it's difficult to see where it hits. It actually didn't contact until I put my oil-pan on as well..... maybe it's pressing down the pick-up tube?
Took oil-pan off and spun the engine. It now spins freely, but I can hear and feel it contact the baffle-pan. So I baffle-pan off and took a look at it. I was in a hurry while doing this, so no pics sorry. I saw where the rod bolts were hitting, took a dremel to it, and still hit. The baffle-pan isn't that thick so I wasn't comfortable grinding it down anymore. Put a washer underneath the long bolt at the oil-pump/pick-up tube, still hit a little. Put a washer at the pick-up tube bracket, spot...... still hit a little. So I put another washer on the long-bolt at the oil-pump and no more contact.
Ok, got that sorted, then I put the super duper fancy timing-chain cover on. This thing is ridiculously nice, almost feels out of place on my haggered-*** car. There's 3x m10 bolts, the long ones in the picture below, that aren't included. The cover might be ok without them, but I'll source some to put on anyways.
Took the flap-disk to the side of the block to make room for the passenger side engine mount. Managed to get some pictures of this, oddly enough.
Engine prepped and ready for the rest of drive-line modifications.
So I got to the point of bolting the Kmiata flywheel, adapter plate, clutch, and tranmission together BUT....... I didn't have the flywheel bolts So pushed back another week on progress, but they came in and I did some work with friends.
It's worth noting..... don't mix up the bolts of bags Kmiata supplies. They have them separated on purpose lol. I was also surprised at how much angle the engine is in correlation to the transmission. Also, the usual orange sprinkled about my car.
Modifying the 6spd to work. Taking off this plate was tougher than I thought it was going to be. I think I was just paranoid I'd damage the transmission. Also used a 2" hole saw to make clearance for the starter. Like others have done, I went too far back on bell-housing, but it's somewhat hard to gauge. I also could have done it a bit higher up on the bell-housing. It still clears the starter easily, though.
Mocked it up, drilled the holes, then ran the lines. At this point, I realized I could have made the top hole further inward, not a deal-breaker but still a better route. Good news is..... after I got the engine physically in the line reached the clutch master cylinder without issue. Note, the Kmiata release bearing routes on the other side of the trans vs the 5spd release bearing.
I ground down the bottom of the transmission to help down-pipe clearance. I don't know if this was enough yet or not. I deferred to some other k24z3/6spd users and they said this should be enough.
And yes, the down-pipe is oval-shaped
And then, wam bam thank ya mam.......
There are several different combos to get this engine into the car with the type of engine mounts it has. I still don't have the engine in 100% proper. It needs to tilt about 5* to the passenger side. I think part of that problem is the subframe is in the way around the oil-pan. I clearanced about 1/8" before putting the engine in, but it needs another 1/4" probably. The fit is SUPER tight at the steering rack, a tab on the rack ended up making quite a mark on the front of the oil-pan. I'll be bracing the engine as-is and dropping my sub-frame to shave off more on the sub-frame and to orient the engine properly onto the subframe. This honestly might be the best way to remove/re-install this setup..... from the bottom. I'll follow-up after I try that, though.
Update..... it runs! Big milestone on the project for me. I've got the alignment and tune-day scheduled now as well. I should be on track in Oct!
In other news, I got a new crash-bar to help with air-flow and eventually oil-cooler placement.
I also upgraded my brake setup. Went with V8Roadster's ST42 Stoptech brake kit with the 11.75" PFC rotors. It's a super nice setup just from installation and it arrived sooner than initially planned!!! Side-note, PFC 11 pads are ~$175 for the 1.8 brakes, these use the DR22 pad and I got PFC 11s for $111 I also have high hopes that these rotors will last me a long time too, lol.
In an attempt to help the balance, I went with sport rear rotors, still 1.8 calipers and PFC 11s. Using the FlowForce adapters that made it to me from Tarmac88 in a roundabout way(bought them from Midtenn)
It's worth mentioning Kmiata's EXCUSE ME K Power Industries' full exhaust system is super nice. It was a breeze to install and it's quieter than my old BP setup at least at idle and a blip to 2500rpm. My BP setup has an 18" resonator and Borla muffler, peaks at around 93dB. I think the size of the muffler on this setup is a big factor to the noise reduction. @alienmiata1 came over again and helped me get it started
I had to redo the Hondabond job on the timing chain cover, I'm dumb and forgot to put some between the two pieces. I've got to extend some wires, clean up the wiring over-all, finish the coolant hoses, install the intake/iat, and then the usual engine swap checks/fixes. Getting really excited about this now!
Do you mind measuring the distance between the inside of the spoke on the 9.5" free forms to the face of your front caliper?
So many ideas floating around in my head for front brakes... STR42 11" Stoptech, the STR42 11.75" v8r or the STR43 11.75" setup. Not sure where it becomes overkill...
Originally Posted by AutoFreak57
You think these will need an oil cooler? I saved mine from the BP just in case, but left it off for now.
An oil cooler is never a bad idea as long as you have a proper thermostat to ensure it doesn't run too cool for some reason. I've seen stuff floating around on FB about oil temps in K swapped Miatas and the guys racing without coolers are a bit higher than I'd like. I've seen numbers like 240 to 270 range tossed around. The K swapped FWD Hondas I've seen running definitely need them, not sure why they seem to run hotter in those chassis. I know good synthetics can do just fine up to like the 280F range but I'd rather have my engine hanging out in that 230F range if possible.
I've settled on using an Improved Racing thermostatic sandwich plate with the 212F opening temp option and a small dual pass oil cooler mounted where the passenger headlight used to be.
Do you mind measuring the distance between the inside of the spoke on the 9.5" free forms to the face of your front caliper?
So many ideas floating around in my head for front brakes... STR42 11" Stoptech, the STR42 11.75" v8r or the STR43 11.75" setup. Not sure where it becomes overkill...
An oil cooler is never a bad idea as long as you have a proper thermostat to ensure it doesn't run too cool for some reason. I've seen stuff floating around on FB about oil temps in K swapped Miatas and the guys racing without coolers are a bit higher than I'd like. I've seen numbers like 240 to 270 range tossed around. The K swapped FWD Hondas I've seen running definitely need them, not sure why they seem to run hotter in those chassis. I know good synthetics can do just fine up to like the 280F range but I'd rather have my engine hanging out in that 230F range if possible.
I've settled on using an Improved Racing thermostatic sandwich plate with the 212F opening temp option and a small dual pass oil cooler mounted where the passenger headlight used to be.
270 was the coolest my turbo BP would ever get. Guess I'll plan to mount mine eventually.
Doesn't ST5 penalize for big brake kits? I've been targeting 4 so I haven't worried about it, but I thought you lost some power for that in 5.
Doesn't ST5 penalize for big brake kits? I've been targeting 4 so I haven't worried about it, but I thought you lost some power for that in 5.
That's right, it's a -0.2 penalty. If I were building a max effort ST5 car I'd be using NB sport brakes since those are allowed via the update/backdate rule.
Yeah I'll grab that measurement for the ST42s and Freeforms. It's got quite a bit of distance iirc. I'm not really sure where the overkill is, but having a good brake setup is never a bad thing right? Less weight, should be less drag than OEM too, better pedal feel from less flex, cheaper pads, better pad wear, etc etc. I pondered on doing STR42s, they're stiffer and all, but the lead-time was longer on em too.
And yeah I'll be taking the -0.2 penalty on the brake mod. I think it's a silly mod for that class considering everything else that can be done. Brakes aren't a HUGE expense for that class/speed and it could be a safety item for some cars at that prep. Rules are rules though...... I would also try the NB sport brakes for a max effort ST5/TT5 formula.
I don't know if I'll need an oil cooler or not. Some other k24z3 track guys have seen pretty high oil temps like Aaron mentioned, though. I have plans to do a Setrab 19-row setup around the same time I put Mat's crash-bar on the car. Wanna get it all sorted, do a shake-down event, and see where those temps are to see how soon I need to put a cooler on it.
0.2 isn't bad. If you want some sport brakes ,you can have mine! I'm over them from running the great combination of high power, old street tires, and no aero at NCM and killing pads in less than a weekend
01-29-2020, 06:32 PM
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. I used the included m8x125 allen bolt with a tad of RTV on it..... it's not coming back out of there.
So pushed back another week on progress, but they came in and I did some work with friends.
I also have high hopes that these rotors will last me a long time too, lol.
Guess I'll plan to mount mine eventually.
