so i'm in the market for an 02 civic si and i found a used one that I might get, and i noticed that the engine is mounted backwards as compared to my d16 in my 96 civic. the engine is on the left side of the engine bay with the header being in the back instead of the front. is this how the k20's come from honda or did this guy do an engine swap or something. not to sound like a complete noob here its just something I never saw before.

thanks

 

Yes, that's the way it is.

 

cool. so if i coudl ask one more question then i'll be done

did honda do it for appearence reasons or is it an actually performance reason to mount it as such. I'm curious about it and i'll have to make time now to talk to a honda guy when i get some free time. thanks again

 

Well...it only stands to reason that if the car's basic design allows you to put the header in the back and pointed down, that you'll basically be able to have a straighter exhaust and theoretically more power.

That would beg the question about why the D and then B motors were designed the other way, of course.

I wish I could give you a better answer, but I don't knowl.

 

thanks it helps me out...now if only i can get the funds in order i might be the owner of a k20 haha. thanks again

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by George Knighton &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well...it only stands to reason that if the car's basic design allows you to put the header in the back and pointed down, that you'll basically be able to have a straighter exhaust and theoretically more power.

That would beg the question about why the D and then B motors were designed the other way, of course.

I wish I could give you a better answer, but I don't knowl.</TD></TR></TABLE>

IIRC, the rotation of the K series is the opposite of the older D and B motors. Thus the reason they needed to flip it 180 degrees.

 

...which begs the next question: Why do they rotate the other way?

 

Here's a little info I found...

"The K20A DOHC i-VTEC engine is the first of Honda's new-generation inline four-cylinder engines. It is the manufacturer's first transversely mounted I4 that turns clockwise with the transaxle placed inline on the left side of the engine/vehicle. All other Honda transverse fours to date have turned counterclockwise, with the transmission on the right. This oddity was the legacy of the SOHC inline two-cylinder engine designed by engineering prodigy Nobuhiko Kawamoto, who years later ascended to the presidency of the company. The pint-size twin 0.360-L engine powered the Life light car of the early '70s. To provide enough foot space for the driver, the engine was pushed to the left and made to turn counterclockwise so that it could drive the inline transaxle without an extra gearset. The first-generation Civic engine, a 1.2-L unit, was essentially two Life engines coupled together. The unconventional design wisdom stuck and has since been the hallmark of all Honda I4s. All Honda V6s, which are of more recent designs, rotate clockwise."


And probably the main reason they switched.....

"Honda engines have traditionally rotated the opposite direction from virtually every other production engine, but beginning with the most recent V6 powerplants, all new Honda engines will roll with the crowd. The change is part of a grand plan to cash in on Honda's enviable base of engineering knowledge by supplying engines to other manufacturers or, at least, to have that option available. As a result of rotating the other way, the engines now sit on the passenger's side of the engine compartment."

 

THE REAL REASON THE EXHAUST HEADER IS ON THE BACK NOW*******

Emissions. Plain and simple. No performance benefit whatsoever. The idea was to get the cat as close to the engine as possible, to heat it more efficiently. The further down the exhaust the cat is, the cooler the gasses are when they get there and the less reactive they are. This trend started with the Civic's and carried over to all the other newer model lines. The 05 Odyssey's have 3 cats... 1 directly on each of the engine banks and 1 more under the floor in the traditional location. It's emissions folks. Thats all.

 

Some interesting information has surfaced in this thread. Thanks very much for the insight!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by HondaTechPro &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">THE REAL REASON THE EXHAUST HEADER IS ON THE BACK NOW*******

Emissions. Plain and simple. No performance benefit whatsoever. The idea was to get the cat as close to the engine as possible, to heat it more efficiently. The further down the exhaust the cat is, the cooler the gasses are when they get there and the less reactive they are. This trend started with the Civic's and carried over to all the other newer model lines. The 05 Odyssey's have 3 cats... 1 directly on each of the engine banks and 1 more under the floor in the traditional location. It's emissions folks. Thats all.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Answered my questions too

 

True.

Good read.

 

Good info, thanks.