When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Getting the engine was quite interesting, I found a perfect candidate 450 miles from me in WV. A guy had bought it to do the same swap and then changed his mind.
So $400, 102k miles, and the place who pulled it is very reputable and gave it a clean bill of health before pulling it.
He was a great sport about helping me get it into my 2012 Chevy Sonic Econobox.
Wow, that is one clean engine! I laughed at the photo, as I used to take my race engine to be rebuilt the same way. First time at a shop, they said" swing your truck around back, and we'll unload it", they kind of drew a blank when my little Jetta pulled up! Good luck with your build, car looks great!
Following as I just got a K24Z3 myself. I saw your post on Trackable Miatas.
However, you have a **** ton on the build sheet that doesnt really match up:
NB Suspension/ Steering parts. Z3 swap keeps stock subframe, so you can use your NA stuff.
Tstat housing, K Miata kit comes with it (according to the site)
Wiring Harness, K Miata lists a "wiring conversion harness" in the parts list.
You budget $900 for an exhaust, but the full 3" from K Miata is $500. Curious as to why you chose to make a custom exhaust.
You need a new fuel rail.
You need a Type-S oil pump
Also, the K motors are notorious for chain tensioner failure. Maybe replace that while you're in there doing the chain guides.
$160 for a 3D printed Intake seems steep. Maybe look into elbows, couplers or a different 3D printing service like Shapeways?
I would consult your local tuner on which Honda tuning software to go with. In my area, Hondata is the most popular.
However, you have a **** ton on the build sheet that doesnt really match up:
NB Suspension/ Steering parts. Z3 swap keeps stock subframe, so you can use your NA stuff.
Tstat housing, K Miata kit comes with it (according to the site)
Wiring Harness, K Miata lists a "wiring conversion harness" in the parts list.
You budget $900 for an exhaust, but the full 3" from K Miata is $500. Curious as to why you chose to make a custom exhaust.
You need a new fuel rail.
You need a Type-S oil pump
Also, the K motors are notorious for chain tensioner failure. Maybe replace that while you're in there doing the chain guides.
$160 for a 3D printed Intake seems steep. Maybe look into elbows, couplers or a different 3D printing service like Shapeways?
I would consult your local tuner on which Honda tuning software to go with. In my area, Hondata is the most popular.
Nice to meet another person doing the z3 swap!
To answer your questions,
I thought it was oil pan clearance that prevented you from using an NA rack, but looking at Kmiata's post about the Z3 pan it does look like i can use an NA depowered rack.
I dont see anywhere where it says the kit comes with the Thermostat housing? I know it comes with the upper rear coolant neck, which is where the temp sensor lives. On the A2 swap they tell you to reuse the A2's plastic tstat housing, both parts of my plastic tstat housing are broken and the KTuned part is only a bit more than the OEM parts.
Correct they do, but after talking on the phone with them they cleared up that it is not the whole engine harness, it's a harness that adapts the honda engine/charge harness to the miata's original harness.
I'm going with a custom exhaust because 1. I want a cat and theirs doesn't have one 2. I want to do a helmholtz resonator (J pipe) to cut down on drone 3. I've always wanted to do a custom exhaust
Where'd you hear that? David from kmiata told me I could use the Z3 one and run rubber lines
Good catch I'll add that in there.
I've already got a new tensioner and chain in the budget. I'll replace the guides if they look to be in bad shape.
Take a look at this thread, asmasmdid a TON of work on this 3d printed intake crossover pipe that will fit between the radiator and the hood. I am planning on scaling it up for 3in piping. I will get more into the changes i'm making for the kswap once I'm closer to getting it printed. I will probably wait until i have the engine in the bay so I have the exact measurements.
I'm in the Philly area and I talked to my local Ktuner shop, FAST of West Chester, about the project and they seemed like a quality bunch who would be happy to tune it.
Thanks for all the questions! helps me sort things out.
However, you have a **** ton on the build sheet that doesnt really match up:
NB Suspension/ Steering parts. Z3 swap keeps stock subframe, so you can use your NA stuff.
Tstat housing, K Miata kit comes with it (according to the site)
Wiring Harness, K Miata lists a "wiring conversion harness" in the parts list.
You budget $900 for an exhaust, but the full 3" from K Miata is $500. Curious as to why you chose to make a custom exhaust.
You need a new fuel rail.
You need a Type-S oil pump
Also, the K motors are notorious for chain tensioner failure. Maybe replace that while you're in there doing the chain guides.
$160 for a 3D printed Intake seems steep. Maybe look into elbows, couplers or a different 3D printing service like Shapeways?
I would consult your local tuner on which Honda tuning software to go with. In my area, Hondata is the most popular.
Nice to meet another person doing the z3 swap!
To answer your questions,
I just confirmed with kmiata, you're correct the NA steering rack and intermediate shaft will work.
I dont see anywhere where it says the kit comes with the Thermostat housing? I know it comes with the upper rear coolant neck. On the A2 swap they tell you to reuse the A2 plastic tstat housing, both parts of my tstat housing are broken and the KTuned part is only a bit more than the OEM parts.
Correct they do, but after talking on the phone with them they cleared up that it is not the whole engine harness, it's a harness that adapts the honda engine/charge harness to the miata's original harness.
I'm going with a custom exhaust because 1. I want a cat and theirs doesn't have one 2. I want to do a helmlotz resonator (J pipe) 3. I've always wanted to have a custom exhaust done.
Where'd you hear that? David at Kmiata said i could use the Z3 fuel rail.
Correct you are, just added the oil pump to my list.
I've got a chain tensioner and new chain in the parts list as well. If the guides are in bad shape i'll replace them too.
For the intake asmasm did a TON of work designing this 3D intake that goes over the radiator. I plan to scale up the design for more flow and maybe some other changes. for a print that large and complex I think 150$ is pretty reasonable, it's what shapeways quoted it for.
I'm in the Philly area and FAST of West Chester is my local Ktuner shop. I talked to them about the project already and they seemed excited to see it finished and tune it.
Thanks for all the questions! It helps me catch my mistakes and work things out before i start the build.
Ah I didn't realize the coolant neck wasn't the tstat housing. Not too familiar with the K motors, I just assumed.
Looks like I need to add a harness and a few more things to my budget list...
I also just assumed since its a different fuel feed style (return vs returnless) that you would need a new fuel rail to make it work. I could be wrong. I plan on getting a hybrid fuel rail so I can use AN lines anyway.
I've seen that intake floating around on the web. Always thought it was neat. $160 doesn't seem so bad for it anymore.
Why did you chose the acuity hall effect TPS over a normal B series TPS?
Are the cam position sensors different between the A2 and Z3?
Do you know if the new K Miata manifold plugs the water outlet next to the intake flange, or do we still need to use the tractuff bypass? I would like to keep heat in my car.
R package tie rod ends are certainly nice. I have the Garage Star rack risers, let me know how much clearance you have between the oil pan and the rack so I can tell if I can keep my rack risers...
You and I seem to be doing this in parallel so I hope you don't mind the endless questions.
I read a bunch of K20a threads about B and K series TPS issues because the sensor uses physical contacts that dont do well with lots of vibration. There's also some posts on the miata Kswap FB group about it. So i decided to remove the headache and go for the Hall style sensor which is way more reliable and accurate.
According to David the cam position sensors either have different plugs or different wiring on the Z3, not sure which, but it's not plug and play. I'll revisit this once I get to wiring.
You can get the Manifold with or without the coolant port according to the product page. Maybe I should check to make sure I'm getting one with the water port since i also want to retain heat in my car.
Judging by how you have to shave the PS fluid ports off the rack to make it fit, i doubt there's room for rack risers, but once i get there I'll let you know how much clearance i've got.
Not at all man, I welcome the questions! You're helping me and anyone else who comes across this thread.
And to convert from return to returnless you just need a new FPR in the engine bay. I talked to aeromotive about it and they recommended part #13129, and to run the lines like the picture below. (which i stole from an LS1 forum)
I read a bunch of K20a threads about B and K series TPS issues because the sensor uses physical contacts that dont do well with lots of vibration. There's also some posts on the miata Kswap FB group about it. So i decided to remove the headache and go for the Hall style sensor which is way more reliable and accurate.
According to David the cam position sensors either have different plugs or different wiring on the Z3, not sure which, but it's not plug and play. I'll revisit this once I get to wiring.
You can get the Manifold with or without the coolant port according to the product page. Maybe I should check to make sure I'm getting one with the water port since i also want to retain heat in my car.
Judging by how you have to shave the PS fluid ports off the rack to make it fit, i doubt there's room for rack risers, but once i get there I'll let you know how much clearance i've got.
Not at all man, I welcome the questions! You're helping me and anyone else who comes across this thread.
And to convert from return to returnless you just need a new FPR in the engine bay. I talked to aeromotive about it and they recommended part #13129, and to run the lines like the picture below. (which i stole from an LS1 forum)
Makes sense with the TPS. Also the cost isn't that bad compared to a OEM B series TPS.
I think because the harness is from a different motor you need to change the sensors. Like changing the knock sensor over to the K20 style if you're using an RSX harness. Guess we'll see what happens.
The IM looks like it has the water outlet built in.
Looks like I need to sell the rack risers for R package ends...
We'll see how my fuel system ends up, while I have the motor and trans out of the bay I would like to clean it up. Getting the fuel lines away from the exhaust is my #1 priority.
Well parts are slowly trickling in. Got my Aeromotive 13129 FPR from amazon for 110$, fingers crossed it isn't a fake. Also got my AEM analog wideband. Kmiata says the kits will ship later this month.
I've been thinking over my intake solution. I've seen a lot of k20a2.com threads of people making significant gains by running smooth intake piping with a velocity stack. So im wondering if i should just save myself the headache of doing a 3D printed intake and just do a simple 180 degree bend, a straight, and then a velocity stack inside the engine bay. Maybe i'm just getting ahead of myself...
Also, I visited a cool custom fabrication shop in Exton, PA, Freedom Motorsportz. My buddy was getting a ton of work done to his big turbo KA powered 240 and after talking with the shop owner for a while I convinced myself that this was the shop to go to for my custom fab exhaust and getting it tuned. That way the final step of the build can happen all in one place.
Also jumped on board with the Z3 swap. I am going in with the plan to turbo, so my swap is also involving a zf 5 speed and v8 roadster getrag differential swap. Look forward to seeing how things go with your swap!
If you're receiving this email it's because you've pre-ordered one of our new K24Z3 swap kits! We can't wait to get these kits on the way to you all, and I wanted to keep you all in the loop with a quick shipping update.
We have been pushing hard for a November ship date, however we have run into a couple unforeseen delays with our suppliers. Thankfully, most of the components have already been machined and are ready to go. We are wrapping up a couple final pieces in-house over the next week, and then we're just waiting for some final bits to arrive from suppliers.
At this point we are looking at an early to mid-December ship date for all items except downpipes and exhausts. Our exhaust supplier took much longer than expected to develop the fixtures, so we will be shipping all of the rest of your components first, and then following up with a final shipment for your downpipe and exhaust kit (if you opted for one).
We don't want to rush anything and jeopardize quality, so we thank you for your patience and support as we work overtime to get these exciting new products to you soon.
Additionally, we have some new K24Z3-specific items that will be added to the website soon, such as:
K24Z3 style Type S oil pump upgrade kits (parts list is different than the K24A2 kit)
OEM connector pack that make it easy to run an OEM RSX or Element harness
Custom K24Z3 engine harnesses built specifically for this swap with all correct connectors in place. It gives you all new wiring and connectors and eliminates the need to source a used OEM harness.
We're still working on the installation guide as well, and that will be emailed out once it's been completed.
As always, don't ever hesitate to call or email me directly with any questions. Have a happy Thanksgiving and we will be in touch soon.
Best regards,
I want to say how freakin stoked I am that they are finally doing a complete engine harness for the swap. The $65 used A/T Element harness i bought is a piece of crap and I was dreading having to work with it
Oh you've got to be frickin' kidding me. I literally spent all day figuring out all the connectors and conversion parts I needed. I also already bought an RSX Harness, ECU and starter .
Kmiata just released the oil pump kit for the the k24z3 swap. It's basically a required part for the swap, it's all modified OEM stuff. But it's another significant cost I had not foreseen as I thought the Ultimate kit would include everything but the OEM pump.
This swap is getting very pricey and i've been having some regrets not choosing the Rocketeer kit instead. Which is $8800 plus shipping form their USA distributer. However that $8800 includes everything except a new fuel pump, FPR, and radiator. They give you an ECU, tune, engine harness, full exhaust, full intake, etc. Those jaguar engines are about 600-800$. Of course the downsides are OEM engine parts that cost double that of the honda's.
If I remove all the fluff ($500 exhaust instead of the custom one, DIY manual steering rack, no r package tie rod ends, etc) My kmiata build comes to about $10500 (assuming the harness they're going to sell is $1000). A rocketeer build would probably come to about $11500. I guess that'll be my next swap project...
To be fair I didn't realize either that the "ultimate" swap package did not include these parts which are REQUIRED to complete the swap... kind of lame.
I've already got an engine as well as a backup and I'm planning on documenting the whole thing in a YouTube series. Cool to see other people diving in as well.
10-24-2019, 12:21 PM
Vtec_Roadster, doing the new K24z3 swap
0
. 
