2002 Honda Civic LX automatic vtec swap
08-05-2018
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2002 Honda Civic LX automatic vtec swap
Hello
i am a huge noob when it comes to engine swaps
i have a 2002 Honda Civic LX automatic non-vtec and I'm wanting to try my hand at swapping the engine with a vtec one. This is the one im looking at on eBay: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F20 2218816364
will that work with an automatic transmission? And if not, is there a different auto transmission I should get?
Thanks for any help.
~joe
i am a huge noob when it comes to engine swaps
i have a 2002 Honda Civic LX automatic non-vtec and I'm wanting to try my hand at swapping the engine with a vtec one. This is the one im looking at on eBay: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F20 2218816364
will that work with an automatic transmission? And if not, is there a different auto transmission I should get?
Thanks for any help.
~joe
08-05-2018
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Re: 2002 Honda Civic LX automatic vtec swap
Good place to start.
If your keeping your current PCM and adding a vtec controller you don’t need to worry about your transmission or O2 sensor wire harnesses or getting reflash or speed input errors.
If your going to replace the PCM with one from a EX, find a donor car and take everything.....
If your keeping your current PCM and adding a vtec controller you don’t need to worry about your transmission or O2 sensor wire harnesses or getting reflash or speed input errors.
If your going to replace the PCM with one from a EX, find a donor car and take everything.....
08-06-2018
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Good place to start.
If your keeping your current PCM and adding a vtec controller you don’t need to worry about your transmission or O2 sensor wire harnesses or getting reflash or speed input errors.
If your going to replace the PCM with one from a EX, find a donor car and take everything.....
If your keeping your current PCM and adding a vtec controller you don’t need to worry about your transmission or O2 sensor wire harnesses or getting reflash or speed input errors.
If your going to replace the PCM with one from a EX, find a donor car and take everything.....
Could you post a link with more information about this? Im not even sure what to google haha.
Can I just get a pcm from an EX or are there other parts I would need.
are there any good tutorials for installing a VTEC controller?
Last edited by Joezeller98; 08-06-2018 at 10:35 AM.
08-06-2018
#4
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
Re: 2002 Honda Civic LX automatic vtec swap
You'll save a ton of time and money by driving with the good engine you already have.
It's not worth it for 12 hp IMO.
It's not worth it for 12 hp IMO.
08-06-2018
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08-07-2018
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I'm pretty sure my engine is about to die soon anyway. I could just replace it with the standard engine but I thought I might just pay the same price and get a VTEC and get a little experience swapping engines.
08-07-2018
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If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
08-07-2018
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Re: 2002 Honda Civic LX automatic vtec swap
it's a 2002 civic, just baby it, drive it, and be happy you arent walking. i've done swaps like this as a younger and dumber person. it was a great learning lesson on how not to upgrade a car. reeeeeallllly just drive it.
recommend finding a manual trans car and planning a swap that adds power if you plan to invest time, effort, and money into it. you're just going to end up with a slow turd that is hard to fix. don't do it.
people here actively encouraqge good ideas. this is not a good idea for learning, your wallet, a dependable car, etc
recommend finding a manual trans car and planning a swap that adds power if you plan to invest time, effort, and money into it. you're just going to end up with a slow turd that is hard to fix. don't do it.
people here actively encouraqge good ideas. this is not a good idea for learning, your wallet, a dependable car, etc
08-07-2018
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also for a while my car had an awful over heating issue and I kept running it hard even when it was past the red mark.
I didn't mean to be rude but I didn't ask why I shouldn't do this. I still want to do this I just need to know how
08-07-2018
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last time i did a swap i found a wealth of info at d-series.org , you might have a look around over there. (:
not trying to shoo- you along, i mean it in a helpful way.
not trying to shoo- you along, i mean it in a helpful way.
08-07-2018
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Re: 2002 Honda Civic LX automatic vtec swap
Sorry I was not clear answering your original question.
Yes you can bolt that eBay engine right up to your current transmission with no issues.
You can also take your complete engine wire harness off and put that on the eBay engine and it will run just fine.
Add a vtec controller and you will get more horsepower.
What’s your next question.
Yes you can bolt that eBay engine right up to your current transmission with no issues.
You can also take your complete engine wire harness off and put that on the eBay engine and it will run just fine.
Add a vtec controller and you will get more horsepower.
What’s your next question.
08-07-2018
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08-07-2018
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Sorry I was not clear answering your original question.
Yes you can bolt that eBay engine right up to your current transmission with no issues.
You can also take your complete engine wire harness off and put that on the eBay engine and it will run just fine.
Add a vtec controller and you will get more horsepower.
What’s your next question.
Yes you can bolt that eBay engine right up to your current transmission with no issues.
You can also take your complete engine wire harness off and put that on the eBay engine and it will run just fine.
Add a vtec controller and you will get more horsepower.
What’s your next question.
Also if I got an ecu from an EX would I still need the VTEC controller to take advantage of the VTEC?
08-07-2018
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Re: 2002 Honda Civic LX automatic vtec swap
The $200 route is exactly the route you should go, yes those are the common options..
You don’t need vtec controller right away so you can decide after driving awhile if you want it.
Second if you want EX pcm you going to need it flashed to your car so just pcm and flashing will cost more than $200
If you do get the EX pcm your going to have to swap one of the body harnesses off a EX and your also going to need EX header and catalytic converter along with mid pip, and last I heard the EX pcm expects a EX geared transmission or it may toss a fault code. If your state/county doesn’t have emissions testing you could just skip that and live with having the light on and slightly worse fuel economy.
The ex pcm has circuits to control vtec.
You don’t need vtec controller right away so you can decide after driving awhile if you want it.
Second if you want EX pcm you going to need it flashed to your car so just pcm and flashing will cost more than $200
If you do get the EX pcm your going to have to swap one of the body harnesses off a EX and your also going to need EX header and catalytic converter along with mid pip, and last I heard the EX pcm expects a EX geared transmission or it may toss a fault code. If your state/county doesn’t have emissions testing you could just skip that and live with having the light on and slightly worse fuel economy.
The ex pcm has circuits to control vtec.
08-07-2018
#15
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
Re: 2002 Honda Civic LX automatic vtec swap
For one thing it sounds like it has diarrhea
The ex pcm has circuits to control vtec.
If I were gonna swap it (IMO for stupid simple and cheapest), I'd strip the D17A2 down to a bare block and head (long block) with oil pan and valve cover. Swap ONLY that much. Reuse the cars original manifolds, O2 sensors, wiring, EGR (if equipped) exhaust pipes, PCM, etc.
Then buy and wire up the VAFC or whatever controller you want. Or a plain toggle switch if you want. VTEC just needs one wire to run the control solenoid. If the controller has to use the pressure switch, that's just 1 or 2 more wires.
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