What up.

Im starting a new thread to show off my new project!
im starting a k24a2 engine swap on my 1984 2m4 (tired of dealing with a 40 yo engine)
I only know of maybe 2 or 3 other people whio have done this swap so i wont have much documentation to help me out on this one, so im going to document it to my best ability on this thread.

I have a low budget and not a whole lot of time so i wont be updating this thread super often but I will as much as I can.

engine shipped today so im excited to actually start working on this thing.










currently in the process of removing the old duke out of the car.

UPDATE 1 (9/28/24):TRANSMISSION

I managed to get my hands on a pretty decent transmission for the K series.

I ended up going with a 5 speed manual out of an 04' Honda RSX. I thought 6 speeds would be too much lmao. I'm hoping to get a stage 3 clutch and lightened flywheel for a snappier drive and I have my eyes on a few different kits.



My back seat is all stained now lol.

Currently I am working on getting the ECU and stuff wired up and hoping to get the engine running on a stand. I haven't actually worked on much, mostly just collecting parts for the build, I haven't done much assembly. Ill go more in-depth with pictures of parts and the set up I'm going with within the next week most likely.

One minor thing I have done was I did a little rust repair and repainted the engine bay. I was super lucky since most if not all of the rust was surface and I didint have to do much actual rust repair.

Before


After


If you have any questions let me know.

this is my first time legitimately attempting to document things so if you have any advice/criticism on my work, let me know please it would be greatly appreciated.


UPDATE: 11/4/24

As of now I've pretty much compiled all of the parts needed to get the engine running on a stand. This includes a 2004 TSX ECU (ended up buying the wrong one but can still use it for testing) the electronic throttle position module, the throttle position sensor, starter, control panel, adapter harness, engine harness, and a fuse/relay block.



Since I am currently going as cheap as possible with this project, it also means I'm going as stock as possible. This is going to be a challenge for various reasons. The stock 2004 Acura TSX comes with an electronic drive by wire throttle body set up. Thankfully, it uses a cable to move the throttle position sensor in the engine bay rather then having one built into the pedal. I have to figure out a way to tie the Fieros stock throttle cable to the throttle position sensor. In the future, I plan on swapping in an Acura RSX drive by cable throttle body when I get the funds to get a K-pro ECU.

I've also replaced the Flywheel with an RSX flywheel since its almost 5 pounds lighter then the stock TSX flywheel, hopefully will improve the throttle response a little bit.

While all of this is fine and dandy Im having some huge issues trying to get power to the ECU when on the engine stand. The ECU harness I bought sadly did not come with a wiring diagram so I've been having to fiddle with stuff until it works, and it has been taking forever to get it done. its a literal rats nest and has been the worst part of this project.



the good thing is, once the engine runs and I know that it can run reliably without issues, most of the work of fabbing it into the car will, not be easy persay, but it will definitely be a nice change of pace compared to dealing with the electronic rats nest this engine needs.

hopefully next update I'll have the engine wired up and running. once that happens I'll be able to provide a much more in depth break down of the set-up I'm running.

UPDATE: 12/21/24

I got the engine running finally!!!!!

Video:

https://drive.google.com/fi...nHF/view?usp=sharing

So after dreading how I would get the engine running, I found a nice little company called Honda Tuning Suite (HTS)! Its a similar program to what Hondata and K pro offer but 1/4 the price ($200 for the license) and it allowed me to reflash and program the ECU. I was able to deactivate the Immobilizer, secondary O2 and dissable the transimssion saftey switches since Im running an automatic ECU on a manual car. Took a really long time to figure out but im finally moving onto the stage of mocking up the engine bay and getting the engine into the car.



Now that I am onto the stage of getting the engine into the car I need to know a few things and would like to ask some questions. My main question is how tall was the Iron Duke compared to the top of the subframe? I know I should have measured this when I pulled the duke out but im not great at looking ahead. The reason I need to know this is because the K24 is a DOHC engine, which makes it significantly taller than its cam in block OHV friend, the Duke. I know that GM already strugled to fit the duke in alone, and If i have to modify the deck lid a little bit I dont mind, as long as there is no noticeable difference cosmetically. I just need the engine to FIT.

My next question is does anyone know the optimal gap between the axle and subframe. Since the K series is going to be sunken pretty deep into the subframe in order to make up for the excess height, I dont want to go so low, that the axels end up colliding with the subframe as the suspention travels downwards.

Im also planning on adding a skid plate due to how low the engine will be compared to the subframe (I am NOT taking any chances with wild rocks on the road)

[This message has been edited by BruhMans06 (edited 12-21-2024).]

quote Originally posted by BruhMans06: currently in the process of removing the old duke out of the car.

Lol....neighbors are going to love you.

There is a Facebook page dedicated to fieo K-Swaps. Something I have been tossing around as myself.

If anything i will keep an eye on your build.

quote Originally posted by BruhMans06:

Do you have more pictures of that mid-century modern house in the background? It looks pretty cool... very 60s mod.

quote Originally posted by BruhMans06: What up. Im starting a new thread to show off my new project! im starting a k24a2 engine swap on my 1984 2m4 (tired of dealing with a 40 yo engine) I only know of maybe 2 or 3 other people whio have done this swap so i wont have much documentation to help me out on this one, so im going to document it to my best ability on this thread. I have a low budget and not a whole lot of time so i wont be updating this thread super often but I will as much as I can. engine shipped today so im excited to actually start working on this thing. currently in the process of removing the old duke out of the car.

not a huge fan of k swaps tbh. I wish you the best of luck and I will say this.
please address gaskets and any known defects with k series engines now (I know there is a few)

Why are you not a fan? They are a very popular motor that make proven power. All motors have some sort a issues for sure.

I would definitely echo what CarterCarbs said. Make sure you go through the engine to a degree, and change out all the gaskets that you suspect are a little tired. It'll be a lot easier to do it now, than it will be to do it later when the engine is installed (thinking timing cover, rear main seal, etc.).

quote Originally posted by Spadesluck: Why are you not a fan? They are a very popular motor that make proven power. All motors have some sort a issues for sure.

Don't worry about what they say here. Just look at what the rest of the world does with K24a2. Like someone said there is a facebook group specifically devoted to swapping this engine into a Fiero. Those engines are great and it is a popular swap.

quote Originally posted by cartercarbaficionado: not a huge fan of k swaps tbh. I wish you the best of luck and I will say this. please address gaskets and any known defects with k series engines now (I know there is a few)

yeah didnt think to much about that but ill definatly will be going through the engine before install.

the engine only has a little more then 45k on the clock so im not super worried about stuff like the head gasket.

im hoping to get it running on an engine stand to make sure every thing is good before final install.

[This message has been edited by BruhMans06 (edited 08-19-2024).]

quote Originally posted by Spadesluck: Why are you not a fan? They are a very popular motor that make proven power. All motors have some sort a issues for sure.

oh just don't like them honestly. nothing really against them but my favorite honda engine is an F22 or F23 but definitely a j30 to drive or even the j32 out of a acura tl. I'm actually doing a g-swap (h head onto f23 block) with a Buddy so there's that.
as for this case? just really enjoy both the iron dukes smooth crappy power and the v6 screaming at high revs upon downshifts and just hearing that beautiful sound of a 60 degree v6

[This message has been edited by cartercarbaficionado (edited 08-20-2024).]

quote Originally posted by cartercarbaficionado: oh just don't like them honestly. nothing really against them but my favorite honda engine is an F22 or F23 but definitely a j30 to drive or even the j32 out of a acura tl. I'm actually doing a g-swap (h head onto f23 block) with a Buddy so there's that. as for this case? just really enjoy both the iron dukes smooth crappy power and the v6 screaming at high revs upon downshifts and just hearing that beautiful sound of a 60 degree v6

No worries, I was just curious why is all. I will admit the stock v6 with the right exhaust does sound very good. With my modified V6 and an ocelot exhaust it sounded very healthy for sure. Sold it to another and he is enjoying it probably more than I did. ha

quote Originally posted by Spadesluck: No worries, I was just curious why is all. I will admit the stock v6 with the right exhaust does sound very good. With my modified V6 and an ocelot exhaust it sounded very healthy for sure. Sold it to another and he is enjoying it probably more than I did. ha

honestly the engine that would be lots of fun to get into a fiero would be a ford duratec. since a 2.0,2.3 and the custom built 2.5 all mount the exact same and turbo very well (or just make 180 hp with headers and a better intake for the 2.0) and are quite cheap currently. the Mazda varient should also mount right up

quote Originally posted by cartercarbaficionado: honestly the engine that would be lots of fun to get into a fiero would be a ford duratec. since a 2.0,2.3 and the custom built 2.5 all mount the exact same and turbo very well (or just make 180 hp with headers and a better intake for the 2.0) and are quite cheap currently. the Mazda varient should also mount right up

You must be talking about the ecoboost line of motors. My son has an ecoboost 2.3l mustang. I must say I have thought about what that would be like in a fiero. It is a 300hp motor and has a lot of potential to be stronger as well.

quote Originally posted by Spadesluck: You must be talking about the ecoboost line of motors. My son has an ecoboost 2.3l mustang. I must say I have thought about what that would be like in a fiero. It is a 300hp motor and has a lot of potential to be stronger as well.

nope. the duratec fwd motor. like 2005-2012 I think.
not a fan of ecoboosts after one snapped a belt on me within 2500 miles

I thought editing the thread would bump the post but I guess not.

should I edit the original post for updates, or should I make a new comment. please lmk thx

[This message has been edited by BruhMans06 (edited 09-28-2024).]

Just keep posting updates. That way it keeps it active.

I like seeing it on one thread. Some stuff gets lost I suppose, but I am definitely interested in your progress...

Update

Cool swap, good luck! I have done quite a bit of research on these as I want to swap a K24z into my 2009 Fit.

My input would be that what makes the 6 speed appealing is the LSD you get from a Civic Si 6 speed. As I am sure you know, the 6 speeds cost a lot more than the 5 speeds.

These motors can also rev really high and make quite a lot of power past the stock limiter, but you have to swap a K20 oil pump and delete the balance shaft, but you can rev them out into the 8k range if you do and make a bunch of extra power. Of course it will vibrate more without the balance shaft so maybe you are not into that, but it is a good idea to toss a new oil pump in there regardless and change the gaskets as people have said above, so it would be very little extra work to do the mods I suggested.

Why does the balance shaft need to come out? Not rated to higher rpms?

I plan on doing a Turbo set up in a year or two. thats when I plan to replace the pump and go with a k-pro ecu and such. I have been thinking about welding the differential, but I dont know if I should yet.

I wasnt super picky on what trans I got since I woint be taking this thing over 120mph anyway since im setting this up for touge style racing. So more set up for windy roads and tight corners then straight speed.

Yes I believe the balance shaft cannot handle 8000+RPMS.

LaFiera had a welded diff for a while in his Fiero track car (actual track, not autocross) but I believe he is running an LSD now. The 5 speed may have aftermarket LSD options.

But strictly comparing the 5 speed and 6 speed ratios, 5 speed gear ratios would be better for drag racing as the gears are farther apart from each other and you can shift less, the 6 speed ratios would be better for more road racing. The 6 speed is not just a 5 speed plus an additional taller gear, the 6 speed ratios are closer to one another, very beneficial when you have the RPMs to take advantage of it.

I think you will be perfectly happy with the 5 speed, but objectively the 6 speed would suit a higher revving road racing car better, easier to stay in the powerband when cornering.

UPDATE!!!!