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K Series Engine Swap Research

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6.8M views 2.3K replies 159 participants last post by  mcmcmc  
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Last Update: 3/12/2014

"Getting closer and closer, Thanks to all who are helping make this a more manageable task for others"
Mounts: Solved
Shifting Mechanism: Solved
Axles: Solved, Updated 3/12/2014
Wiring: Researching, Updated 3/12/2014
Radiator Hoses: Solved
Heater Hoses: Solved
A/C: Pending Updated 3/12/2014
Throttle Cable: Pending Updated 3/12/2014
Fuel System: Solved
Exhaust System: Solved, Updated 3/12/2014
Anti-Lock Brakes: Solved
Power Steering: Solved


General Info: Always Read First...!
Well, I have been gone for a long time and will try to keep this updated. Sorry about the delay as I am in a transition period and can't work on the swap.
Also some really big information the innovative mounts put the engine so far forward that only the PRB intake manifold off of an RSX type S will fit.

BottledFedMR2 has confirmed this and it's been verified. So anything else will require the firewall to be cut or the manifold to be shortened. This sucks but at the same time it's nice to have the engine weight as far forward as possible as it puts it more centered.

I will have CONFIRMED next to everything I know for 100% is correct information.

Mounts: CONFIRMED
Recommends 75 was told by innovative that it's the same as a 65a poly used by
other companies. Theirs is pure poly so 65a could sag over time.
http://www.innovativemounts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=90551

Shifting Mechanism: CONFIRMED
Use the Factory MR2 cables and this bracket will make them interface with no other mods.
http://www.innovativemounts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=50507
**Note: 2006+ Civic SI transmission will require the shift "Arms" off of an RSX type S transmission. You will then be able to
hook up the innovative shift Mechanism as it would be on a normal RSX-type s Transmission.


Axles: CONFIRMED
Axles can be ordered through Drive Shaft Shop they now have part numbers on file though they are not on their website.
Part Number: RA9040x2 and RA9041X2

Wiring:
There is much debate about the wiring so far it's every man for himself. I haven't actually started the physical wiring so I can't confirm anything or have a proven design. There are a few that have completed their swaps and have them running and driving but they all sort of do wiring differently. Monkeywrench racing is working on a full swap kit and will be selling the parts all separately. I talked to them and they will be offering a wiring solution. Right now this is known for a fact!

If you want the car to fully function like a stock spyder you will need to shotgun the ECUs (Factory Toyota ECU and Honda ECU) if you don't care and want to replace your cluster then you can run a straight Honda ECU but don't expect it to be very easy and you will need to know wiring to do it. You will also find it a lot harder to get the A/C running correctly without redesigning the whole A/C wiring system.

Now if you just run the Honda ECU by itself and keep your factory cluster you will lose your TEMP gauge and a few other idiot lights.


Old Info 3/12/2014

ABS:

I have found in theory that the ABS is almost completely independent of the engine control unit there is one wire going to the ECU and from talks with people its a input to tell ecu that ABS is active.

P/S:
The P/S system isn't too much of an issue in my eyes as it will keep running if you don't give it any signal from ECU. So at the basic level, you have P/S no matter what. Now if you want to operate factory style then you need to configure Kpro to see the signal from the pump to IDLE UP on the current draw which is PIN E3-25.

There is also a pin on the ECU for turning the pump on and off while the engine is running/off. This pin is E3-19 on the ECU. From what I understand if the Power Steering ECU doesn't see any input on this pin it will just stay on all the time with the car in ACC/ON position. As for any speed variance to Pump pressure adjustments, this is all done between the P/S ECU and the ABS ECU (as the ABS ECU supplies the speed signal).

A/C:
I am working with innovative and when I start my swap will be using a prototype A/C adapter plate. You will want to keep your 1zz compressor as it will be the easiest by far to adapt to work. The K-series compressors are bigger and right now the 1zz one will barely fit.

I will be running wiring straight to the HVAC controls so that I can bypass the Toyota multiplex system and in essence just hard wiring the functions like Honda has in its cars all the way up to 2002. I will be recreating the same system they used in the earlier model civics that did not require any type of digital electronics.

At the back of the Toyota Hvac controls the A/C switch comes out as an analog +12 or Grounded signal that goes to the combo meter where it is processed and sent to the ECU on a multiplex. I will just be wiring straight to this output on the HVAC control and cutting the meter and associated multiplex functions out of the circuit. I will then create a patch harness for the A/C compressor that contains the High/Low switch relays to cut the clutch and also figure out a way to wire a freeze-out switch into this same harness.


Unless I am missing something and by all means correct me. I see that if you completely remove the factory Toyota ECU the only things that will not work are the A/C, Temp gauge, and Some idiot lights and that is it. Everything else can be wired/jumped to function like normal.

The Temp gauge is on multiplex along with some of the idiot lights and A/C. You could make these work using the factory ECU as a multiplex conversion box and feed it the K-swaps sensor signals and hope they are in the same range as factory Toyota's or hook up factory Toyota sensors in addition to the Honda ones on the engine. IE: two oil pressure switches, two temp sensors ETC...

My goal is to make it as streamlined and simple as possible (Wiring/Electronics). That is why I want the Toyota ECU to be completely gone and all functions controlled by the Honda ECU.

Overall I am getting more and more done day by day and hope to start buying parts soon. I wanted to figure out most of the wiring before I even took the first bolt off the car. I'm hoping to have some of the conversion harness already made before I even start working on the car. "


Throttle Cable:
Was informed that if you buy a Cruise Control delete it will allow the factory cable to bolt in no major mods are needed. Getting verification but should be for a 00-04 RSX.

Radiator Hoses: CONFIRMED
He also said that the K-series and the 2zz are very similar in where all the hoses route. Since this is true He has confirmed the fact that in the swap in the lotus all the hoses fit up 99% perfectly.

He said cutting one hose 2 inches is all that is required on the lotus. Since the engine is what determines the placement of hoses then the spyder should be no different than what's required for a 2zz swap.

Heater Hoses: CONFIRMED
Read Radiator Hoses Same applies.

A/C System:
Again BottledFedMR2 is the guy to see, he is working on bringing an A/C bracket to production. He is close to having it ready and I myself will be buying one.
It will use the 1zz compressor, he says it will be a little lower than he would like but it doesn't seem to be a big issue.

Tim said they are in the works to make a bracket for the Lotus with Kswap. So He says he doesn't see why the spyder wouldn't be able to use it. Again like the throttle cable he would need someone to test fit it and confirm or send it back to have it modified till they get it right. But it is doable and not a big issue.

The Lotus has issues with A/C line clearance and he said that is one of the problems they are working on. When I asked him if the Lotus and spyder have very similar bay layouts I didn't know for sure but he said the way the firewalls are the spyder might actually have more room for the lines. Like everything though he can't say for sure.

Exhaust System: CONFIRMED
PPE makes a Header now for MR-2 Spyder with Kswap and is also available through MWR.
The collector size is 2.5" and the overall header is longer than the stock one so will stick out further than the factory.
Still waiting to get info on if you can use a downpipe to make it line up with the rest of the factory system.

Fuel System: CONFIRMED
You will need to run a return of some sort. You will need to also get a fuel regulator. I am still a little iffy on this from a basic swap standpoint because Honda uses a returnless system factory so you might not need to do this if you're just going to OEM performance.

Extra Notes:
I will update this a little more in a few days. I wanted to get something new on here as I have been away from the forums for a while and people might like to see a summary of the events going on with the Kswap. The main thing that is missing is the wiring. Once there is an agreed-upon design that everyone thinks works and is simple as it can be will the swap gets easy enough for everyone.
 
#534 ·
It's just piping and the fittings on the end. Just like building an oil line but no threaded ends everything is welded to hold pressure. I believe braising with a specific rod for aluminum is the way to go.

So to answer your question how much do you value your time? Haha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#540 · (Edited)
Just saying, there are small Danfoss 12V compressors that people use for weaker computer cooling setups and are not expensive. They're probably not very powerful but they're a lot more efficient than the compressor on the car so you can probably still have functioning AC.

Or you could run an inverter with a 120V AC compressor, but that would be more money.

I'm pretty sure there are more powerful 12V compressors out there anyhow.

EDIT: http://www.revoltev.com/2013/08/02/the-12v-climate-cooling-solution/
Okay nevermind, a 600W compressor should provide some respectable amount of cooling for the car given you have reflective window film installed all over (but not nearly as much capacity as the original OEM system) but that thing is 1200 bucks.
 
#541 ·
I've encountered several road blocks with my swap, but today's applies to everyone. The factory passenger side engine mount bracket is required when using Innovative engine mounts. I was told to get a K24 bracket (because that's what Innovative designed the mounts with) and that it would fit the K20, but the brackets have different bolt spacing between K20 and K24 (for mounting the bracket to the block), as well as a height difference for the section that connects to the actual engine mount. I assume Innovative designed their mounts with the K24 bracket and a K24 engine. I will be testing a K20 bracket with a K20 engine tomorrow, hopefully the height will be correct.
 
#544 ·
The brackets are different lengths depending on chassis and motor I believe. Crv and accord both have k24s but have different brackets. Just sayin. I don't know which one works but I though I heard the crv one works with a k24 swap


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#552 · (Edited)
#554 ·
Thanks for all the help everyone! I think we have pretty much everything we need to move forward, just gotta have the time to get on that side of town and have my friend in town (he just got back from Boston today).

Anyone know if the factory battery tray will work with the Innovative mounts? I've wanted a lightweight battery and mounting it down on the crossmember is tempting...I wouldn't be upset if I was forced into it, but that would be another step between me and having a driving car.



KSeriesPower was nice enough to make a wiring guide that we will be using fairly soon; I'll report back with my experience. It's his work, so he can decide if he wants to make it public (possibly for a fee for his work).
 
#555 ·
I'll pay but I don't need it as my car already works. I just wanted to clean up my wiring.

I mounted my battery in the front where the spare tire tray used to go. ?


iPhone 5 Tapatalk
 
#557 ·
Hi everyone. I haven't been around in a while and forgot all about my car.

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Well here's whats' been up. I left my car at the track for a couple months and finally found time to get it and fix it. I put in a fresh subframe and Mike at Insane Shafts went above and beyond and just decided to send me a fresh axle. Insane Shafts are definitely my preference for this swap.




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You can get an idea of how different the lengths are. I'm fortunate that the DSS one didn't pop off the intermediate shaft and decide to knock off my oil filter and crack the block. At one point it did smack the filter but luckily I was only going about 10 MPH at the time.


Track weekend was just about coming up and while prepping for the weekend I had the pleasure of having a surprise visit from Chase aka KseriesPower. We hung out and shot the shit. He felt at home with all of the Honda and MR2 stuff going on around the shop.

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3 out of 4 of these are K powered.

Just for a few laughs Chase goes and posts this up on MR2OC on FB. This may be a record for comments.
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Surprisingly if you were to weed through all of the hate, lack of knowledge, and wives' tales.....there is some good tech in there.


Off to Gingerman Raceway for the final track weekend before they close for the year. This was my opportunity to finally get a good shakedown with the car. Also a fresh alignment was done where all the toe and caster was set within OEM specs and 2.5 degrees of negative camber was thrown up front, and the rear sat naturally at about 1.3 negative. Also again, I planned on driving to and from the track....which is about 2 and a half hours away.

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Packed and ready to go.

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Crusing on the highway in 6th gear(k20z1 gearing) and getting almost 30 MPG



To sum up the track weekend......

The car is quick for being so low on HP. The Apexi N1 Type V coilovers are way too soft for the 225 NT01's. People were telling me that I was nearly scraping my lip in the braking zones and when diving into some of the corners. My lap times weren't anything special but I was satisfied for what it was. There will be a ton of development done on the car over the winter time.

Now that the track season is over i'm putting drag radials on the car and will be hitting the drag strip soon if weather permits.
 

Attachments

#560 · (Edited)
I don't know when they came out but they took my feedback from the measurements I made and compared them to the measurements they had and confirmed my axles were longer. So they said with my permission they would make some changes. None the axles I've ordered from them using their part number look like the ones you had as far as length is concern, they were closer to 24 inchs. The axles I have on my car are ones I had them make for me as a 'custom set' to my specs. I don't have any fitment issues. I've sold prolly 6-7 sets of their swap axles and havent had anyone come to me with issues. All their axles take 4 week to make because they make them to order. When you improve something you make a second gen of them...

I was trying to think if for how the k20 axles are shorter than the k24 axles due to the engine hieght difference, but if the axles sit lower or higher than the other engine this could develop some length issues but not close to 3 inches as you are showing in your pictures.

Did you take measurementwhen they built your axles or just go off someone elses numbers?
 
#561 ·
DSS had a part number that existed already, hence why I was curious. When I talked to them about the issue they confirmed that their measurements were accurate to the same intermediate shaft end that I had. They confirmed it in July when I had the issue and just recently before I sent this one in with the RMA number. I provided them new measurements for comparison.

As long as nobody else has to go through axle issues it's all good. That shit was a nightmare. The 3/4 of an inch deck height should be irrelevant to the axle issues. The only other curveball I can see with axle measurements and lengths is if the TSX style intermediate shaft was used for measurements, in which case I can see the length difference matching up.
 
#562 ·
Well the DSS part number I'm using is the same as before. Except the part number for my custom axles is different. I have a set at my house going to the UK, I'll open them up and remeasure them tonight. I agree on the 3/4 inch hiegh difference, unless innovative made some changes which I think Rcntype confirm with Tim they might have had a revised edition as well. I'll have to look into the mid shaft's because that would clearly be the problem if they are different lengths but to the best of my knowledge they were all interchangable. I'm running the 06+ civic Si mid shaft
 
#565 ·
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The box said MR-S with K series which made me think it was for......an MR-S with K series.


Regardless I've had no issues at all since i've made the change over to Insane Shafts, so i'm happy. Our other K20 MR-S will use the DSS axles once it comes back from being "revised".


In the mean time i'm upgrading from the 2.25 inch exhaust to a 3. I will have back to back data and sound clips. Immediately after that i will attempt to install an RBC without cutting the firewall.

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Possible dragstrip testing this weekend if weather permits.
 
#567 ·
Today in Mr2 Spyder development....

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Playing with swap header and 3 inch exhaust combos.

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Immediately strapped the car down for some testing

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Red line is a 2.25 inch muffler tuned, Blue line is the new 3 inch combo tuned up to 6500. Had to stop because the next dyno appointment showed up. Was planning on going back and finishing up the tune.....

but this happened.

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RBC is in and bolted on. No cutting of the firewall, just some massaging. I never thought it would've fit with a K24 but it's doable.

Finishing up the work on it now and i'll be on the dyno in a few hours.
 
#569 · (Edited)
The manifold i was running before I thought was an RBB but was actually an RAA...which i guess is smaller and confirms the choking i was seeing in my fuel map.



Well.


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And now i'm running out of fuel on the top end and have seemed to find the limit of the stock injectors on a returnless fuel system with what i think is a walbro 255 in the tank.


So a cliffs notes on the setup

k24a2
50* vtc wheel
RBC manifold
PLM Swap Header modified
3 inch exhaust/muffler
93 octane
Kpro

Also yes, I can swap manifolds with the engine in the car without touching any mounts. Manifold swaps are about a 30 minute job.
 
#573 ·
That is great power without opening up the engine for cams etc! I'd love to feel what the car is like with that much torque, but the best I can do is to ask you to describe it!?
 
#570 ·
Another k swap is running! Had a missfire on first start but we have since worked that issue out. Would like to thank Bottlefed and Kseriespower for ALLLL their hard work and my late night questions. I owe them quite a few beers and some pizza some day.

ill post in build thread after the tune. plus car wont be complete until spring at least.
 
#571 ·
K series wiring guide

I will be offering a VERY easy to follow wiring guide that I wrote up for $50 (this includes tech support). Onewingedangel used it to wire up his car. I will try to get him to write a review. Heeltoehero will also be trying it out soon.


The wiring guide is to wire the car with Hondata Kpro (and no Toyota ECU)

1)OEM wideband works
2)A few things in the cluster will not work like the Coolant temp gauge, the Oil pressure light and the Battery light. There are provisions for wiring up external LED's for the oil pressure and battery light though. Finding an engine coolant temp solution is up to the user
3)this is meant for a car that will never have AC.

If this doesnt suit your needs, contact me via PM. I can probably find a solution or make changes that fit your needs.
 
#572 ·
I will be offering a VERY easy to follow wiring guide that I wrote up for $50 (this includes tech support). Onewingedangel used it to wire up his car. I will try to get him to write a review. Heeltoehero will also be trying it out soon.


The wiring guide is to wire the car with Hondata Kpro (and no Toyota ECU)

1)OEM wideband works
2)A few things in the cluster will not work like the Coolant temp gauge, the Oil pressure light and the Battery light. There are provisions for wiring up external LED's for the oil pressure and battery light though. Finding an engine coolant temp solution is up to the user
3)this is meant for a car that will never have AC.

If this doesnt suit your needs, contact me via PM. I can probably find a solution or make changes that fit your needs.
The usual question.... How far away is this from the obd port working for smogging? Without using the "other" (braindead right now) toyota computer is the AC not capable of working then?
 
#576 · (Edited)
Connector port is not a problem, only a few wires.

I can't want to have AC again after so many years without. :biggrin-new: And while I don't have Mikeyspec's car, I can tell you the kswap feels really good for this chassis. Not too much torque where I assume a v6 swap would have but enough to be pretty darn fast when you want it too. Around town driving is awesome too. Gas pedal is very sensitive to inputs, wrong stab and your off course. With a tuned Kpro, vtec is almost instantenous in any gear. My shifter feels very light but precise, almost like the car isn't running (I don't have ANY shifting feel mods btw). My engine mount hardness is perfect for the street IMO. My friend's lotus with kswap, omg shakes the whole cabin. This is the perfect engine swap!