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Discussion starter · #41 ·
Had a major set back. After getting the engine in, went to crank engine to build oil pressure and check over. Sounds like it has no compression. Check compression, 55, 60, 55, 70. Check leakdown, 90%, FML, pull engine back out.

Pulled head off, p2v clearance became negative. Bent all 16.

I have taken the head off my K20Z3 and prepped it to go on the K24, just need new valve stem seals.

You know how some times you just know better and do something anyway, hoping the outcome will be desirable? Well this was one of those times, and it didn't work out. I'll get it done in the next few days though.
 
sorry to hear that. imo most after mkt pistons are crap. go oem or get toda don't take it as i told you so. if you mix and match pistons and cams some after mkt combinations are fatal. best to go with oem pistons for dd. toda has oem clearances. toda pistons have deep recesses good up to 13 mm lift and high silicon content. what cams did you use. some after mkt companies don't give a shit if their products acutely work or are reliable. don't stress errors happen to everybody. work it out. you will probably have to ditch those cams and pistons but with the right combination it will work out. more is not always better. good luck
 
Discussion starter · #43 ·
sorry to hear that. imo most after mkt pistons are crap. go oem or get toda don't take it as i told you so. if you mix and match pistons and cams some after mkt combinations are fatal. best to go with oem pistons for dd. toda has oem clearances. toda pistons have deep recesses good up to 13 mm lift and high silicon content. what cams did you use. some after mkt companies don't give a shit if their products acutely work or are reliable. don't stress errors happen to everybody. work it out. you will probably have to ditch those cams and pistons but with the right combination it will work out. more is not always better. good luck
I have Supertech pistons which have a decent size valve relief. The cams are brian crower stage 2, so really not that big. My issue came from the machine shop taking off too much when I had it resurfaced. They took off .026", way too much.
 
imo get 06 tsx cams with 12 civic si pistons great oem combination for dd. did some research on Crower stage 2 cams i think they are bad news with more then 13 mm lift. go oem or pay big bucks for real racing parts. no hating just advice spoon toda mugen oem honda that's all i work with. parts are more expensive but well worth it r+d is key to victory :)
 
dam f that machine shop. get an oversize head gasket that should adjust for the difference. did you damage your pistons too. even small nicks will cause detonation inspect them thoroughly it may be possible to remachine the recesses to get the clearances you need at the cost of a few cp points. good luck
 
Discussion starter · #47 ·
Well, after much work, it runs!

Sorry, no pictures right now, but I'll get a few up in the next couple days.

I have a base tune on it, nothing crazy, I wanted it to be safe until I can get to the dyno and tune it good.

My initial thoughts are:
1. The valvetrain is noisy, I checked and double checked the valve lash, maybe this is something that is inherent with aftermarket cams?
2. The header is also noisy, I expected this, but wanted to get everything mounted before I then take the header back off and get it welded. I think I will probably also change cone flange, as I feel it leaks there as well.
3. The engine seems like it runs well despite the minor issues. My impression is that it should make good power, I can't really beat on it yet until it's tuned, but that will come soon!

More updates as I have them.
 
Discussion starter · #49 ·
Glad it's back up and running. What base map did you load? Off hand I believe there was a k24 with Rdx injectors base map that looked like it would work for a starting cal.
Yeah, that's what I grabbed, went through and made it a little better by reducing vtc, timing etc. All I was after was getting the low end AFR where I wanted it and being able to drive the car home and then to the dyno safely so it can get tuned properly.

Have any thoughts on the valvetrain noise? Is that something that comes with the territory?
 
From what I've heard the added noise may be due to the springs and added pressure. A few folks have said on here the valve train is a bit noisier after aftermarket springs and cams though. What did you set the lash to?
 
Some have noise problems with aftermarket valvetrain.

The only one I installed with aftermarket cams did not make any noise louder than oem. It was supertech 82lbs and ti retrainers using dragcartel 2.2 cams.

Did you have RDX injectors installed on your k20? Those make a lot of clicking noise.
 
Discussion starter · #52 ·
From what I've heard the added noise may be due to the springs and added pressure. A few folks have said on here the valve train is a bit noisier after aftermarket springs and cams though. What did you set the lash to?
Valve lash is set to oem specs, .009 intake and .010 exhaust

Some have noise problems with aftermarket valvetrain.

The only one I installed with aftermarket cams did not make any noise louder than oem. It was supertech 82lbs and ti retrainers using dragcartel 2.2 cams.

Did you have RDX injectors installed on your k20? Those make a lot of clicking noise.
I do have the RDX injectors.
 
Discussion starter · #54 ·
RDX injectors are very loud. Everytime I install a set for a customer they think their valvetrain is noisy.
Good to know, thanks for the info. I have an oil leak that needs attention, hopefully get that handled later today and if everything lines up, get it to the dyno this evening.
 
Have Rdx injectors on my k20 now and they don't seem to be any louder than stock. I'll be running with about 100lbs of spring pressure so kinda curious what it may sound like. Hope she puts down a nice curve if you made it to the dyno.
 
Discussion starter · #56 ·
Okay, got the oil leak taken care of, not sure if it was my issue, but I used a CRV front crank seal when I put the engine together, it was puking oil. I replaced it with a Civic Si one (same dimensions, but different part number). That took care of the oil leak.

Got the car to the dyno and did some minor tuning to make sure it's safe to drive for the rest of my break in period. I will put a couple tanks through the car, readjust the valves, and get back to the dyno for power tuning.

Things I didn't think about, but learned on dyno.
1. The leaking slip joints on the header cause the wideband to read erratically. I'll need to get this sorted before doing power tuning.
2. The car sounds great and the intake is much louder than it used to be on the old engine.
3. The car made 225whp (dynojet SAE), about 50hp more accross the board vs stock. I made 169whp bone stock and 182whp after intake and flashpro on the same dyno.

Yes I know this is low, we were very conservative with the tune until I can get the header sealed up. Didn't want to get too crazy since I'm pushing the limits with pump gas. All motor at 5800 feet is tough.
 
Discussion starter · #58 ·
What about the torque? Low end power? How does it feel on the street?
This is going to sound like a dumb question, but where do I hook up the tach signal pickup on a car with coilpacks? I've really only got experience with my CRX on the dyno. I don't have torque readings yet since I'm too dumb to figure out how to get a proper reading. Lol.

It feels amazing on the street, even at 225, it's a blast. Feels like you are in a gear lower than you are vs. before.
 
Discussion starter · #60 ·
Your OEM tach doesn't work?
It does, normally with a dynojet you would take the tach lead wire and it clips around one of the plug wires for tach signal. I couldn't get it to work by putting it around the wires to the coil packs, I don't know if I need to do something different or if the tach pick up was damaged.
 
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