Here is Column II, there are more, you can go there for the remaining articles.
Project 240SR
Part 2: Installing the Engine
By: Joe Lu and Charles Johnson
For this segment of Project 240SR, we will turn our attention to the installation of our prepped SR20DET. For this undertaking, an engine hoist with a load leveler will make engine removal and installation a lot easier. Also, place a towel over the valve cover to protect it during the swap. Our SR20DET came with an unblemished black top and we preferred to keep it that way.
Now, for the real work... Start by draining all of the fluids from the KA. Drain the coolant and remove the stock radiator if you are using the JDM unit. If not, remove the radiator anyway so you have more room to work. Next, drain the transmission and remove the shifter for clearance. If the transmission is not drained, it will its guts all over the garage floor (yes, it happened to us) and there are few things that smell worse than old transmission fluid. Don't forget to also drain the power steering and clutch lines as well. Make sure all hoses and lines are disconnected. This includes air conditioning, power steering, fuel, clutch and the heater hoses.
While the fluids are draining, disconnect the KA wiring harness from the engine and remove it from the vehicle. Save it, so you can use factory wire to extend the plugs of the SR harness. Next, unbolt the down pipe portion of the exhaust manifold from the catalytic converter. Make sure you have purchased a 3 inch down pipe to use with the new SR exhaust manifold as this part is not included with most motors. For our down pipe, we again turned to JGY Customs for their Topspeed 3" stainless down pipe. This piece performs just like its Greddy and HKS equivalents, but costs less and looks great with a polished finish.
Also unbolt the driveshaft from the transmission.
The crossmember which bolts to the transmission's bell housing should also be removed at this time.
With the engine supported by the lift, unbolt the right and left engine mounts and begin to hoist the engine up. Tilt the front of the engine upwards so that the transmission can clear. It will be a tight squeeze, but you can remove the engine and transmission together. Make sure the KA engine does not hit the power steering lines, the steering columns, or anything else. Also watch out for overlooked wiring that is still connected. If thoroughly prepared, the engine should come out with relative ease.
While you have both engines on the garage floor, remove the KA air conditioning compressor and see if any of the bolt holes match up on the SR20 block. Some KA compressors will bolt through three holes, others simply wont line up at all. Ours didn't, so we just kept the SR20 compressor in place and left the hoses disconnected for the time being. We will have new AC lines welded together in the future.
Once the KA is removed, its time for the most important step in any engine swap. Jump inside the empty engine bay and strike a retarded pose. Now is also the time to spray simple green everywhere and clean up a bit.
To make the install go easier, you could remove the engine mounts from the car and bolt them to the engine. We regretted not doing this, as lining up the studs with the hole in the engine mount is a rather inconvenient pain in the rear.
Before dropping your new SR20 in place, don't forget to remove the dust boot from the KA transmission to use on the SR20's. The KA dust boot is a thin metal ring, carefully pry this out. The SR dust boot is a thicker rubber ring but will not clear the KA driveshaft. To install the KA dust boot on the SR transmission, lay a piece of wood across the boot and work it in evenly with a hammer. It may take a bit of encouragement, but it will fit.
Next, drain the oil and change the oil filter since filters often seize on imported JDM engines and everything is still easily accessible. Put in three and a half quarts, saving a half quart to prime the oil pump later. Then remove the shifter assembly off of the SR20 transmission.
Attach the SR20 to the engine hoist and position it for entry.
Be careful when putting the engine in, you can't just drop it in there, you have to ease it in. It will take a lot of adjustment with the load leveler to get the steep angle which will allow the transmission to clear the front of the car. Once the engine is in position, bolt in the left and right mounts and reconnect the crossmember, then the driveshaft. Leave the engine supported while working under the car. Now, install your down pipe and connect the exhaust. Don't forget to transfer the rubber mount from the stock downpipe to the new one. You will also need a gasket to go between the downpipe and the exhaust manifold. We found Victor Reinz p/n F10110 to be a perfect fit.
Also install the JDM radiator and shroud.
The passenger side of the shroud will need trimming to clear an A/C component. We needed to trim the bottom rubber mounts on the radiator as it seemed to sit a bit higher than the original KA radiator. It is an easy task, just cut off the excess rubber with an Xacto knife.
Next, bleed the hydraulic clutch. This is a pretty big pain in the ass with the clutch dampening box in place. We discovered this after trying to bleed the clutch several times unsuccessfully. The clutch damper box is bolted to the underbody of the car and runs from the clutch master cylinder hard line into the clutch slave cylinder. The box is there to eliminate clutch pedal vibration and pulsation; but makes bleeding the clutch damn near impossible since it is very prone to trapping air.
To remove the box, disconnect the lines running into and then unbolt it from the chassis. Then connect the clutch hard line straight into the rubber flex line that runs into the clutch slave cylinder. Now is the time to replace the flexible rubber line with a steel braided line. We were pressed for time, so we just connected the stock rubber hose to the hard line. Remember to use a flare nut wrench on all of the hydraulic fittings. Stripping these fittings will lead to hours of additional repair. Now bleed the clutch with fresh brake fluid.
With our new SR20DET securely taking up residence in our project 240SR, we will turn our attention to completing the swap. Stay tuned, as next month we cover the electrical work necessary to bring the SR20DET to life.