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no one likes spending money twice to solve a problem.. I went down the route, bought the adapter, spent some time get the adjustment right (gate spacing is odd) then go for a drive and miss 2nd and 5th gear 50% of the time.. I had a bud row through the gears while I watched the adapter mechanism for binding and noticed how bad the cable bracket and bell crank move

I then added a few triangular braces to the brackets, eliminated that movement but still didn't feel right, noticed the heim joint adjuster was making contact with the shifter mechanism, it needed further adjustment to fully engage the gears which caused interference on the shifter mech.. then I ground down the clearance I needed for the adjustment, again slightly better, but still sucked, still missed gears.

friend gave me a billet rsx shifter, ordered up some rsx cables and rwd cable bracket, got it in with the cables ran factory routing and now no more missed gears and normal gate spacing, and the many benefits the shifter provides
 
A couple silly questions.

I have a k20a2 with ep3 gearbox installed using the MAP kit.
I spent all of Sunday trying everything to get it to shift how I want.

I've gotten to the point where reverse is good, 5th and 6th is move right until you feel the "wall" then up and down which is feeling good.
The problem is 1st and 2nd. I would expect to move left until the "wall" and then up and down, however the up and down is somewhere between centered and the wall which makes finding 1st and 2nd unpleasant which in turn makes me question when shifting from 2nd whether its going into 3rd or back to 1st.

At first I thought maybe it was the short shifter lever I had previously installed, so I removed that. Still the same issue.

A thing to bare in mind is that the car is still on 4 jack stands. I see on MAP's install guide they say don't adjust the gears until last when the car is done and on the ground.

So my questions are:

1. Does being on the ground make that much difference setting up the shift?

2. The adjustable arm on the shift mechanism, there is no fixed pivot point on the arm so all you are adjusting is overall length of the arm. Adjusting each side individually has no affect other than increasing the overall length of the arm? ( I know this sounds silly, it just seems weird that I can get the up and down throws so perfect but the left to right is so whack, it feels as though I am missing how to adjust the left to right throw.)

3. With regards to the cooling hose from the firewall to the thermostat. I used the stock hose and stock thermostat. It fits, but there is quite a kink. Will this be an issue or will the pressure just kind of make it do what it needs to do?

Thanks:)
You do not want a kink in that hose. It is the suction side of the system (pump inlet) and will tend to lead to pump cavitation. I made an S shaped connection with 2 45 degree hoses and a connector.


Dave
 
You do not want a kink in that hose. It is the suction side of the system (pump inlet) and will tend to lead to pump cavitation. I made an S shaped connection with 2 45 degree hoses and a connector.

Dave
Thanks Dave, if it was a tiny kink I'd not have worried too much, but it is enough to make me concerned. Your solution sounds like the easiest fix.
 
Can anyone tell me if the factory coolant reservoir/overflow will work fine with a k24a2 swap? I see some folks are using a different reservoir, but it doesn't seem necessary?
It will work, most of the people I know that have done the swap (k20 and k24) have used the stock reservoir.

I would imagine you could use whatever reservoir you like provided the plumbing is all right.
 
Has anyone ran into problems with the auto-tensioner? The manual calls for about 18-26 ft-lbs to make it rotate. My original needs 30, and a new one I ordered needs 36. The indicator is out of adjustment (past the small square). I destroyed one belt, replaced it with a different belt I found locally and it caused a slight leak. Cutting that belt off stopped the leak and now I'm back on the original 7pk1320 belt. Hoping the first frayed belt was a weird fluke.
 
Has anyone installed a Wavetrac LSD in their 2004 RSX six-speed? Checking for the length of the ring gear bolts - stock, or longer.
I got wavetrac in EP3 5 speed, I heard the case is the same. If so, I'd have to ask the friend who installed it.
 
I got wavetrac in EP3 5 speed, I heard the case is the same. If so, I'd have to ask the friend who installed it.
use Stock RSX length. 06-11 si bolts are longer
Thanks for the answers. I test fitted the ring gear on the LSD today. Standard original bolts are fine. You can see at about 2 o'clock in the second pic, the tip of the bolt is nearly flush before torquing. It looks like the LSD unit has provision to fit different size bolts also - two complete sets x10 each of threaded mounting holes. Probably for different car.

Image


Image
 
In case anyone is interested, I am documenting eveyr nut and bolt of the swap I have under way. This is in the spiriit of my wildly popular "MR2 Spyder for Dummies" series, geared to people who may have never ever even held a socket wrench before but want to attempt an engine swap. Introducing "K-Swap for Dummies." Monkey see, monkey do!

 
It will work, most of the people I know that have done the swap (k20 and k24) have used the stock reservoir.

I would imagine you could use whatever reservoir you like provided the plumbing is all right.
If you don't want to reuse the stock tank, you should choose one with at least 2 quarts capacity. The stock one works with its small volume because it has multiple internal baffles that do a great job with de-aeration.
 
In case anyone is interested, I am documenting eveyr nut and bolt of the swap I have under way. This is in the spiriit of my wildly popular "MR2 Spyder for Dummies" series, geared to people who may have never ever even held a socket wrench before but want to attempt an engine swap. Introducing "K-Swap for Dummies." Monkey see, monkey do!

I wanted to do something similar, dumb down the install but it was already installed...now I'll just video mods and events in the future.

EDIT
AAH you're Frank Saab! Weren't you a subaru guy, Saab 92x? I had a 02 WRX, same name on NASIOC, forums from 2004-2010. It's been so long but your name and someone by the name of "Saab Kyle" IIRC...sounds familiar.
 
Those memories...UGH! Glass transmission, spun rod bearing, STI short block swap, hybrid, so high compression, knock after tune...sold...then transmission destroyed 2nd gear within 3 weeks. Loved the car out of the box but modding it was the absolute worst bang for the buck ever.
 
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