ajr12388

It's been awhile since I last posted, but I'm back to present a few questions. First off, I own a 2001 Civic Ex, Auto Transmission. I'm getting the dreaded tranny problem, so I decided to go manual. But, if I can swap in motor and tranny, I will.

1. I have been looking at a 2003 Si Civic. It has been gutted in the interior, however, the motor and tranny "are in working condition" (says the seller). My question is, will the motor and tranny both fit in the engine bay? Which version of the K20 is in there?

2. Will I need to buy the parts from this link in get the car up and running?

3. As far as performance parts, do I buy parts for the D17 if I swap in just tranny? And if I go complete K, do I buy pieces for K engine?

I think that's it for now. I'll check back tomorrow night or maybe wednesday morning. Thanks for all the input guys.

MindBomber

1. Civic Si has the k20a3, the absolute lowest price you could do that swap for is around $5000 in parts plus another $1500-2000 in labour.

2. Those are the parts you would need to swap replace a d17 auto trans with a d17 manual trans.

3. You can either do a d17 auto-to-manual swap or a comeplete K-swap, there's no other options. If you swap in the K-series motor and trans then you buy K-swap or K-series parts depends on the part.

ajr12388

I have found the K20A3 for $2500, but it does not have the VTEC system in the way I'm reading on websites. Thanks for clearing up which one it had in it. I'm looking for the K20A2 then. That's the one in the RSX-Type S, right? I looked around and you are right, it's really expensive.

Maybe I'll just go manual swap for now. If I wanted to throw on lightweight flywheel, stage 1 clutch, and some other stuff, I would do it in between swapping the tranny, correct?

boosted01civic

iTrader: (2)

if thinking about changing out the flywheel might as well do it all at once and save time off the road later. Do it right the first time and enjoy it longer later.

ajr12388

Thanks for the tips boosted. I saw your thread about your recent purchase of the 01. If it's on the road, how well has it been holding up? If I can't swap K, then I'll go boost, but I don't want to lose reliability. I'm planning on keeping the car for at least another 4 years. Will a swap or boost be better for longevity? I'm guessing swap will be better.

boosted01civic

iTrader: (2)

a swap will be better for durability and longevity IMO but as with anything if built right they both will run great. As for mine, I have finally gotten almost all of the problems fixed. Got to order a new oil pressure sending unit and install my AEM F/IC and tune it when it gets here then I will post more. I live in the part of TN that just got 10 inches of snow dumped on us so I dont feel like using it as a snow plow right now.

ajr12388

Haha! 10 inches?? That's nothing. I live in MA, and we got almost like 2ft. I can't even leave my house out the front door without sinking into the snow. Will a tune be necessary once I swap? Or can I just go?

I've located necessary parts and upgrades that I'm going for. My plan is to have everything ready, start swap in Febraury or March, and be finished in about 3 or 4 days, 9 hrs each day. I'm going to start ordering the parts themselves next week, and then pick up the motor+tranny the following week.

boosted01civic

iTrader: (2)

I wouldnt think that a tune would be necessary if you use the ECU out of the right vehicle. I am sure you guys are better equipped to handle the snow. 10 inches in tn is like a couple feet because the people here act like morons when they get out in it.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

and no plowers and they spread salt only after the fact and most people don't have snow tires, so it's a nightmare, i know...

ajr12388

Lmao. This is my EM2. Buried under the snow....*whimper*



I've got a lot of snow to deal with, but once it gets warmer, it's going to be smooth sailing.

Anyways, you guys have answered all my questions. I'll be making a progress thread once I get the project started, so stay tuned. Thanks for all the help!

02_d17a1_dx

iTrader: (1)

I agree, if you do it right, it can be durable, but it really depends on how much time you have to deal with the little problems that may arise.

And yeah I live in TN and got hit too, I chose to use my civic as a snow plow for my street, once I made it to the main road it was fine, they salted and plowed here in Chattanooga.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

lucky you

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

and to think it was 76 degrees with sunny blue skies here in California.

MindBomber

Back on topic..

Whether you swap or turbo is a matter of budget and power goals, to be honest, if this is the first time I've ever seen you on the site I can't see you wanting to shell out $7-8k just to have a bigger motor; never mind building the rest of the car up to match. If you went boost instead, and didn't do anything to crazy, you could maintain a lot of reliability and do it much more gradually.

If your not planning on swapping, then I'd just wait until the transmission dies and do an auto-to-manual.

boosted01civic

iTrader: (2)

yeah a swap is very pricey. Boosting it is a little cheaper but remember you can get what you pay for. Whatever you decide to do, do some research on here and ask a lot of questions about both ways. I can only answer as to if you decide to go with boost and I can tell you from experience, DO IT ONCE, DO IT RIGHT! I am getting tired with all the little surprises that my car has shown me.

ajr12388

You guys are very helpful with advice. I'm planning to do manual swap soon. Tranny is giving me huge headaches when I'm on the highway. Stutters, hangs, doesn't feel like accelerating sometimes, yuck..

Anyways, I wanted a manual car before I bought it, but I couldn't because my fiancee can't drive manual. Now she has her own car. I plan to do the swap if the tranny keeps on doing this, but not until it really craps out, which I'm thinking should be pretty soon. Luckily I didn't pay too much for the car. It is my first, but I'm paying it off pretty quickly. I want to keep the car for at least another 4 years, then go ahead and get a RSX type S, since I won't be doing the engine swap.