Preparing For Honda K24a3/AST5 6spd Conversion

I was a little apprehensive about the kit because it was only $60 and I was afraid it would be typical cheap Chinese junk, but it appears to be good quality and when I laid out the new parts on my bench and compared with the original parts I found them to be practically identical.

This is the important part. The seller has a K24 kit with water pump. I may as well do that at the same time. I really hate the scope creep, but since I have to remove it all to do the oil pump chain & guide (which I already bought separately) I might as well do it all.

Did you note which version HondaBond needs to be used for the oil pan and timing cover? I bought the two main versions.

EDIT : W/pump that comes with K24 kits is the wrong one for JDM / oil cooler versions. Had to order RSX w/pump.
 
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This is the important part. The seller has a K24 kit with water pump. I may as well do that at the same time. I really hate the scope creep, but since I have to remove it all to do the oil pump chain & guide (which I already bought separately) I might as well do it all.

Did you note which version HondaBond needs to be used for the oil pan and timing cover? I bought the two main versions.
I used Permatex Ultra Copper because that is what I had.
 
I am going to replace the water pump also, for the same reasons. My starter and alternator look and test good, so I am going to use what I have, but the water pump is cheap enough and it seems it will be a real mother to change once the engine is in the car if it should fail.
 
Finished off the Ancillary / AC support bracket

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reinforcement to counter the idler spindle

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You have to either tap the hole for a bolt or plug, or use a size bolt that will kind of self tap and grip the aluminum as you install it.

I used a tap coated in grease to catch the chips, and turned the engine upright on the stand while cutting the threads and flushing with brake cleaner after.
Kind of sketchy, I know. But I am confident there are no metal chips left behind so should be all good.
I coated the threads of the bolt with gasket sealer and screwed it in till snug.
 
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I didnt think to take photos of the bolt/plug as I did it, sorry.
This is the best one I have. You can just make out the head of the bolt I used, it comes through a hole made in the windage tray. It doesn't interfere with anything even though the original restrictor plug sits flush and is retained in the bore around the edges of the opening in the tray.
I just threaded a piercing type sheet metal screw into the hole of the restrictor plug so I could grip it and it pulled out easily.
 
Thanks for the replies, Michael

You have to either tap the hole for a bolt or plug, or use a size bolt that will kind of self tap and grip the aluminum as you install it.

I used a tap coated in grease to catch the chips, and turned the engine upright on the stand while cutting the threads and flushing with brake cleaner after.
Kind of sketchy, I know. But I am confident there are no metal chips left behind so should be all good.
I coated the threads of the bolt with gasket sealer and screwed it in till snug.

I would do it the same way, coating with grease. I hadn't thought about working with it right side up, but that makes more sense.

Where did the windage tray kit come from? I like the look of that :D
 
Thanks for the replies, Michael



I would do it the same way, coating with grease. I hadn't thought about working with it right side up, but that makes more sense.

Where did the windage tray kit come from? I like the look of that :D

That is a bolt on oil pan baffle from BLOX Racing.
I found it on Ebay for $105 shipping included.
I had read accounts of some oil starvation problems in the other applications during hard cornering, most notably the Lotus swaps and Ariel Atom.
The Honda oil pan has no baffling whatsoever to prevent the oil from flowing away from the pickup under high G cornering.
There are several of the K20 specialist companes that offer modified oil pans with trap door baffles, but they are several hundred bucks.
My armchair engineer thinking is that by using the K20/24 in the mid engine layout, we are subjecting it to G loads under cornering that it doesn't see in it's usual FWD placement.
I dont know it is really necessary for a street car, but if I can ever get mine done I intend to drive it like I stole it at least every once in a while, and again, it seemed like cheap insurance.
More "scope creep", I know, but it seems like that is pretty much the way of these projects.
 
Thanks Michael - found one on Amazon for $97, so figured that's cheaper than my figuring out & welding baffles into the pan. I definitely plan on driving this thing hard :D - Did it come with all the hardware? They don't mention it on the Blox website.

That is a bolt on oil pan baffle from BLOX Racing.
I found it on Ebay for $105 shipping included.
I had read accounts of some oil starvation problems in the other applications during hard cornering, most notably the Lotus swaps and Ariel Atom.
The Honda oil pan has no baffling whatsoever to prevent the oil from flowing away from the pickup under high G cornering.
There are several of the K20 specialist companes that offer modified oil pans with trap door baffles, but they are several hundred bucks.
My armchair engineer thinking is that by using the K20/24 in the mid engine layout, we are subjecting it to G loads under cornering that it doesn't see in it's usual FWD placement.
I dont know it is really necessary for a street car, but if I can ever get mine done I intend to drive it like I stole it at least every once in a while, and again, it seemed like cheap insurance.
More "scope creep", I know, but it seems like that is pretty much the way of these projects.
 
YOU, could certainly fabricate and weld in your own baffles, but the bolt in kit is a no-brainer for me.
My aluminum welding skills are rudimentary at best.
 
The Blox baffle came pre assembled (it is riveted together), and included a stud kit that replaces the windage tray bolts. It even included a little vial of blue loctite for the studs.
 
The Blox baffle came pre assembled (it is riveted together), and included a stud kit that replaces the windage tray bolts. It even included a little vial of blue loctite for the studs.

Thanks, Michael.

Pulled the jet restrictor, and for once I lucked out - my block port is threaded :)

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found a suitable flanged 8x1.25mm bolt & applied HondaBond as directed

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forward port is blocked by oil pump flange, don't see any reason to plug it

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(small circular mark)
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Installed the new pump chain - had to use the used guide, the new one I bought was the K24 style, not the K20. I'll swap out the tensioner when the timing chain kit comes.

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13441-PCX-004 RSX Oil Pump Chain

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put the pan back on temporarily so I could check the subframe fit, and look at the t/stat housing/heater hose arrangement. Also got my Honda hardware for the mount brackets

Long M10s for the front cover mount bracket 90008-PAA-AOO 95701-10050-08
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Short M12's for the side rear mounts 95701-1203508 x4
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So, the port I added back when ended up pointing to much toward the bracket mounting.

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I considered adding a revised port, angled outward

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however, I found that a dogleg hose would clear the bracket

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What I decided was that I needed a shorter fitting that would move the dogleg back up (pics are all upsidedown relative to install) & away from the bracket as seen in this pic:

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So I made one.

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Should be good like this. Volvo hose 3547149 is what I will use here, the dogleg was cut from a used one.
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Since I've pulled the motor this far apart, I'm going to take the head off also. Looks clean enough inside, however it would suck to find problems after it's in the car. Found the transaxle has paint markings in the bellhousing (CL4 Euro?) that suggest it was swapped from another vehicle, which doesn't make much sense if it only had 60K. Don't feel comfortable not at least looking in the bores at this point.
 
Hmmm, that doesn't look good. Now what? Bore and new pistons?

TonyK.

Grimsby Ontario Canada.
 
Is that a wet sleeve engine or are the bores cast in the block?

Nice mess of goo at the top of the one piston and what happened at the bottom of the bore on the other?

Sheet, that is some disappointing. To put it mildly.

Sorry man.
 
Is that a wet sleeve engine or are the bores cast in the block?
Nice mess of goo at the top of the one piston and what happened at the bottom of the bore on the other?
Sheet, that is some disappointing. To put it mildly.
Sorry man.

Hmmm, that doesn't look good. Now what? Bore and new pistons?
TonyK.
Grimsby Ontario Canada.

Goo and bore are same cylinder, #4.

Sleeves are cast into block. I really hope I can get the one cylinder fixed, and the others honed. REALLY don't want to go full rebore, new pistons, etc. I'll get the crank out on Friday & take the block in to the machine shop.
 
Wow, that sucks. So sorry for the setback. Where did this drivetrain come from anyway?
 
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