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I am going to change out my engine in my 2005 civic. Can it be removed with or without the transmission (manual transmission)? And can it be pulled out from the top? I see where people take it out from the bottom with the subframes, but i'm not sure which way is better.

 
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I've pulled the engine from my 2002 out the top with the transmission still attached. The manual does say to pull it out the bottom

 
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Sweet. Did you have to take off the intake manifold as well? Any tips that you could give me?

 
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Yeah, I took the head off before pulling the engine. I was swapping out the bottom end of my engine because it developed some bad rod knock. However, going in, I had the head bolted on and bolted up the intake/exhaust manifolds after mounting the engine.

Tips? If you're attempting this, you should have a good idea of what you're doing. Take your time. A torque wrench is your friend.

I honestly don't know what to tell you otherwise. If you got questions, just ask man. We're all here to help ensure you get things done correctly.

 
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Thanks for the advice. i'm not in a big super hurry, and I will take my time. I'm putting in a 1.7l vtec from an acura el in it. Not switching over the ECU/immobilizer yet. Just gonna run it on non Vtec ECU for now and then tackle the Vtec setup. If I have any questions, I'll be sure to ask ya'll! Thanks!

 
Rep Power: 367

Recommend getting some kind of manual. Most complete (but some items could have better solutions) is helm Inc service manual, but quite expensive at first. (But cheaper if you do your own work for years.) AutoZone, etc Haynes or Chilton manuals for less details but works well for gearheads willing to find out what have not been told, but have a lot of the details lined up.

Yep, you could write a big book, and sell it if it have details

But some details will only be in the internet, like here service manual could not tell me how to remove the front anti roll bar on an 02 EX, but I saw it was possible, so posted how I did it

But regular details? Get a manual.

 
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I have a Haynes manual, and it talks about dropping the engine/transmission/subframe and then hoisting the car over it. I really don't want to get into that...in fact I really don't want to take it out of the top either. Can't afford a mechanic, and I need the car, as it's my daily driver.

 
Rep Power: 367

good, you have a manual then.

Like xriceboyx said, yes, it can come out from the top too.

G'lucky

 
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Finally got the swap done. I got a vtec jdm engine that was in beautiful shape. The guy thought there was issues with his civic si, and found out it was just a bad headgasket. He was selling the car, so needed to sell the jdm engine...it works awesome. Although I haven't hooked up the vtec part yet (I do have an ECU and immobilizer from a 2003 acura el). I will eventually get that stuff hooked up and should have a bit of a power gain. I installed a new exedy clutch kit in it, and that works great too. Overall the job seemed overwhelming at first, but as I picked away at it, and when I finally saw it back together, I was very pleased. The only issue I found was that it had a plugged fuel injector. I took it off the rail and soaked it in cleaner and banged it around a bit, and then it began to work. Job done good!

 
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one more thing. the ecu from the acura el is an automatic. My setup is 5 speed standard. Does anybody know if there will be any performance issues? I assume the ecu will log a bunch of transmission codes, but will that even matter?

 
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pretty sure the automatic ecu will throw the engine into limp mode and wont allow the engine to rev past 4500... Try and find a manual ecu and get it flashed so your keys will work?

 
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It doesn't surprise me with this car. From the day I bought it, I've been identifying issues, and trying to remedy them, and usually running into more problems. If I knew then what I know now...I would have bought a brand new 2016 and life would have been easier.

 
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Would anybody have any leads on where I can find a cheap ECU? 37820-PLR-c11 or c12 or c13 will work fine. I see one on ebay for 130.00, but would like to find something more affordable as I'll have to take it to the stealership to get it programmed to my key. Thanks!

 
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I changed my transmission last year. I pulled the whole engine to do it. It came out the top without having to pull anything but the accessories and the air box.

 
Rep Power: 367

car-parts.com

 
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how’d you learn you had a plugged fuel injector?