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Hell yeah 7th is better than the olddies..can't wait to hear the people talking about the new civics..
HTown..in case you didn't see my pm..here ya go..

ah...the power of a K20

 
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htown hows it been running? Any run ins with ppl on the street? No mis-shifts?

 
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CONGRATS H- TOWN
now that i've seen the swap and turbo for the car i at least know there is hope for my car inthe future.
thanx mAN

 
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wow! about how much for the swap? 3000+? more?

 
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i tihnk its close to 10,000!! not really sure but way more than 3000

 
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Haha if you're wondering if I've raced anybody, then the answer is no. I simply can't take the risk of getting a ticket for wreckless driving or racing and then losing my job at John Eagle Honda. But I HAVE displayed i-VTEC power plenty of times. The sound is so loud and menacing that I just can't resist revving it up when entering freeway ramps and when I need passing power on the road. It's really funny because when I'm not in i-VTEC my car sounds very quiet and docile; even though I have a GReddy EVO, I can barely hear my exhaust and everything sounds bone stock. Then when i-VTEC kicks in, it sounds like all hell breaks loose! GOD I can never get enough of that sound...

Today I was driving in the fast lane about 10 mph over the speed limit, when a 3000GT VR-4 came up really fast behind me and started tailgating me. I didn't really have room to move over to the right, so I just did a 6th to 3rd downshift. The K20A2 started crying out like a banshee and I quickly put a big distance between myself and the DSM. The DSM just held its pace for about a full minute, as if he was stunned that a 7th gen Civic could pull that hard and fast. I finally moved over to the middle lane and slowed down to my previous speed. When the VR-4 passed by me on the left, he gave me this extremely puzzled look. [IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG]

This weekend after I drove to Austin and back, the power steering pump began to make loud rattling noises. At first I thought it was a problem with the belt. You see - the belt that came with my motor was already partially torn (lengthwise, up and down the belt, not across the belt fortunately). So ImportBuilders was kind of enough to ship me a brand new belt. The belt accessories on the K-series motors are driven by a single belt, as opposed to the multiple-belt design of the old Civics (I can't remember if the 7th gens use multiple belts). So on the K-series motor, you have a single belt that loops around in a set pattern. Well when I removed my original belt, I forgot to take note of the belt looping pattern! Luckily I work in a shop with about half a dozen Honda master techs, and two of them helped me figure out the right way to loop the belt around. The new unibelt design kind of sucks - it forces you to keep your power steering and A/C pumps on the car, even if they are non-operational (like in my car). They're not robbing any horsepower from the motor, but still I'd like the option of just removing them from the engine bay to shave a few pounds.

Anyways, about the power steering pump - it started making a loud rattling sound because, being connected to the belt, it is still building up pressure and trying to pump power steering fluid. Even though there are currently no hoses for the fluid to go to! So once all the lubrication inside the power steering pump runs out, it starts rattling extremely loud. The rattling is particularly annoying to me because I drive with 2 windows down during the day, and it makes it sound like my car is one of those 20 year old clunker cars (think Sanford and Son) that is on the verge of falling apart. I fixed the problem this morning by filling up the power steering pump with power steering fluid and using a cap from an old Honda A/C unit to plug up the holes in the power steering pump (where the hoses would normally go).

So basically during the past few weeks I've had a few bugs crop up (O2 sensor not connected properly, downpipe coming loose, and power steering pump making annoying noises). This was expected and it's actually been an interesting experience to diagnose and find solutions to these problems. I've solved the last two bugs, but still haven't gotten the O2 sensor connected completely because I'm waiting on the K20A2 electrical manual to arrive in the mail. The O2 sensor problem isn't actually a big deal - performance isn't affected much (if at all), it's just that the engine is running rich to be on the safe side since it can't get a 100% accurate gauge of the air/fuel ratio.

No drastic misshifts since I've been back in Houston. A common mistake is accidentally shifting into 2nd gear when you do the 6th to 4th downshift at high speeds (60 mph+). I've trained myself to go 6th to 3rd now instead - this way it puts you right square in the middle of i-VTEC, whereas if you go 6th to 4th at 60-70 mph you still need to mash on the throttle for about 1500 rpm more until i-VTEC engages. And an added plus is that if I misshift going from 6th to 3rd, it usually means I accidentally go into 5th gear, which won't harm the engine at all. I don't believe the transmission will even let you accidentally go from 6th to 1st, and I don't particularly want to try it out.

 
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Good to hear.

be careful on the 3 to 4. It may sneak up on you when you least expect it.

 
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nice to hear from ya again aaron... man if that was me i would've tried to see how the k20 would've measured up to the vr-4...[IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG]

 
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is there any particular reason why you decided to spend more for less? was it just to be one of the first? the money didnt matter that much or what?

 
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In somewhat related news:

I've just worked out an agreement with STR in Corona, CA. STR has been known for putting out quality products in the past (STR got a big thumbs up from Jeff at IB, and my shop foreman vouches for them as well), and they hope to come out with a whole lineup of stuff for the 7th gen Civic and RSX Type S very soon. I've donated my old D17A2 engine so they can perform R&D for new products for the 7th gen Civic (fuel rail, pulleys, cam gears, throttle bodies, etc.) In return, I get hooked up with all the free stuff that STR is working on for the K20A2.

 
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Nice!!! Mad props on the donation..., way to help out man!

 
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Htown why dont you send some pics of your cars to some magazines?

 
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Been really busy lately, and being in a magazine never really interested me, honestly.

 
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Sorry if someone asked this allready..but what was the total cost to you for the engine, swap, ECU...? also your power steering is something they should have retained..the flowing P/S fluid is what lubricates your steering rack.. might become an issue..

 
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10,000.. in real money, not that Canadian, multi-colored Monoply money [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG]

which brings me to my question.. why did you decide to pay more for less? Just to be one of the first to do it, or for the attention or what?

 
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Total cost was around $9-10k. Like I've said numerous times before, it's a simple task to fabricate some hoses to get the power steering back. The power steering pump sits right at the top of the belt accessories, unlike the A/C portion which is buried at the very bottom of the engine. And no, having no P/S does not pose any long-term issues (besides using more muscle when parallel parking). I have plenty of friends who have been running hybrid LS/VTEC setups for quite a while with no P/S.

 
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Just wanted to do it because... well because I just wanted to do it. I don't really care for all the attention, and I wasn't even the first (Area51 had theirs done a few weeks before ours). Sorry I don't have a better reason for you, but honestly that's the truth.

 
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ya whatever Joe, I like my money just the way it is, colourful and distinctive, not plain and boring

 
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true. it also comes in handy when your currency is worth less then toilet paper. when you run out you can always go to the wallet for backup! [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG]

 
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Our less valuable money gets us more here though see.. a $25KUS car is $30KCAD ...now $25Kus is $37CAD...we get stuff cheaper!.. Muaha!!...In your face space monkey


Edit. ALso it's better to have worthless money than crappy watereed down beer [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

 
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yea, but we can always import beer. besides i dont drink macro-brewed **** water. american micro brews are some of the best in the world.

 
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I figured i would put my input on how beautiful that is, god made artists when he created mechanics!!

 
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wow!

just wow!

 
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ehhh

 
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Damn Joe, never took you for the snotty, "regular beer's not good enough for me" type.

 
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Um . . . yeah . . . but, to get back on subject . . . my October issue of Import Tuner came last night, and they were able to add 21.7HP at the wheels to an RSX-S with basic bolt-ons (I/H/E, all by DC Sports). Htown, my man, your ride now has POTENTIAL! That sucker went from 163.2HP stock to 184.9HP!!!!

 
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i heard somewhere revhard was making a turbo kit for the k20. imagine htown's sleeping beast then!

 
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Man, if I can find a k20A to import in the next couple years, I'm SO DOIN' IT. I don't care how much it costs. JDMhondaparts.com, here I come!!![IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG]

 
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im picky about my cars and my beer... and pot.

 
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Cool!