I’m looking to k-swap my 94 accord lx coupe with a jdm k24 and possibly a Tsx 6 speed manual transmission if it’s doable. I’m not a mechanic and relatively new to the car community, but i bought a 94 accord for $900 I think the car has potential to be something beautiful and I feel like it wouldn’t be a bad project to do on the side. So I’m looking for a list of parts that’s going to be needed to do this swap and if the tsx 6 speed can fit. Please keep in mind I’m new so I’m sorry in advance if I have a lot of question, if I’m going to do this I want to do this right, and I do fully understand this task will not be as easy as swapping to an h22 but I feel like the challenge will be worth it and keep me occupied. Thank you for any and all help.

 

Not going to happen. Take it to a shop with $20k in cash.

 

may I ask why you think it can’t happen, I’m curious about your insight, I don’t expect this to be a quick fix and I have mechanics that are family friends on stand by if I happen to need help they just told me I was going to need to get the parts together and start before they come to help Me. I’ve also heard multiple cases of others doing the k swap themselves and it turning out completely fine

 

Yeah, people who know how to work on cars and are prepared for such an advanced swap are capable after spending a lot of time and money.

Then there is you, absolutely no experience or knowledge of the subject and the absolute worst choice of car.

This isn't a swap where you just buy parts and install them.

 

Then what else would have to be done for the swap that makes it so difficult. If I’m going to switch motors I’d at least like to know why, and I get the concern for no experience but that is also why I’m on here looking for advice and knowledge. I’m alright with messing up along the way and I also have friends that are assisting me in this that have experience doing engine swaps that work for shops, I’m just trying to put together a parts list to figure out price points and see what I can make work. And I’d also like to know why you think the accord isn’t a good car to do this in. From what I understand the swap has been done a few times on the 94 accord and some by people who have little experience like me.

 

Before you spend the first dollar, I suggest you start doing a lot of research on literally every aspect of the conversion. This will take many hours. Then you can decide for yourself. It is not an inexpensive or easy swap. You basically have to completely change or modify every aspect of the car that involves the engine or transmission and make it work. Cooling system, all of the wiring, accessories if you decide to keep them, the exhaust, shifter, engine mounts, axles, etc etc etc etc. You are basically ripping out the entire powertrain/drivetrain that was designed to be there and replacing it with something entirely different. It will easily require 10k+ in parts alone.

Even a simple H series swap is more than most people without any mechanical knowledge could even remotely expect to accomplish.

 

thank you for the detailed response this is what I was looking for, would you have any good sources that would a be good starting point for my research, this is something that I do want to do, and I’m not doing this alone I have friends that do work at shops and have experience swapping engines helping me with this. The price point isn’t a massive concern, this is my second vehicle, and I wanted it to be a project car. So I don’t mind taking the time and putting in the effort, I just need to know where to start

 

So go ask them? They know everything you'll need and are doing all the work. Why should we do all the work for you? Are you incapable of going to Google and searching what you need to even begin this swap? Start reading and stop asking questions. You have weeks of research to do.

 

I was only asking for a good starting point, or if someone had the information from doing the swap prior. Didn’t realize asking for help on a forum intended to help was such a bad thing, but I have been googling and found the information I need.

 

I'll try to offer a balanced opionion as someone who thought about the K swap in the past. At the end of it all, it just comes down to cost effectiveness. K is a more modern (and in some ways) better engine than H or F series, but the cost difference to swap them into a chassis designed for F/H series really is prohibitive. For starters, K engines are oriented the entirely other direction around to what is usually in your car, ie. exhaust at the back, intake at the front, so there is that.

Then you have a lack of aftermarket support for K parts for a CD chassis such as mounts, and technical info about the axles and making everything fit/work.

Just to be clear, I own a K20A (type-r) in a DC5 and I love the engine, but IF i was going to swap the F in my CD accord, I would go to H. The biggest limitation of H is the oldskool distributor method of ignition and even that is less of an issue with modern ECUs and coil on plug conversions etc.

I would say spend a few weeks researching, see what is faesible with H (knowing the power it makes is basically same stock for stock vs K) and then decide if it is worth it to go down the K road.

Final point to consider, if someone steals or wrecks your expensive K swapped CD accord, insurance is gonna offer you probably $1500 for it. That will HURT if you spent 20k+ on the k swap

 

thank you for that, from what I’ve seen there’s a few ways to budget the build so it’s not running to much over a $3000 budget, explained by vtec academy, and that’s with the k24a4 from the accord, but I’ve also read that the k24a mounts the exact same as the k24a4. Parts are pulled from scrap yards off multiple different vehicles to get the correct fitments with a few parts bought from hasport. What would your thoughts on a budget build like this be? And I’m not to worried about insurance this purely for my own joy and fun I’m not looking for any type of financial return off this vehicle

 

$3000 lmfao. I have more than that doing an F20B and manual swap into my daily. That doesn't include the cost of the engine because I already owned it. If you have local junkyards where you can pull stuff yourself then you can possibly save money but it's still going to be a lot more than $3k especially in today's market.

 

I'm with Aradin on this.

It is going to cost you A LOT more than you think it will. I think you need to start pricing out EVERYTHING that you would need and face the realistic costs attached.

If you do go ahead with the project then cool, happy for you to turn this thread into a build thread so we can follow along, but just know what you are getting into is all.

 

I’ve been pricing everything out, the engine and the transmission is going to cost me about $3000 together so I knew I wasn’t going to be falling into the budget build just wanted thoughts on it, I’m going to keep my f22b in the car until i can get everything together for this build, I will be making an entire part list with prices after I’m done for anyone else who is interested in this build themselves, I don’t expect this to be cheap but the car runs fine right now so I have time to save the money to do this build, I can’t find any detailed threads on it so I would like to offer the knowledge I gain from this to others that would like to attempt this swap.

 

The parts of this swap that are essentially easy are the only things that you are talking about... but there is sooooo much about the integration that is murky, and it will be these issues that make this swap challenging. You can teach a monkey to put a bolt in a hole... so ordering a set of mounts, an engine, and a transmission... and then bolting it into the engine bay is NOT the bulk of the work. It's hanging... but it ain't running.

So, lets talk about the not so obvious stuff:

Engine Harness - Will a '02-04 RSX style engine harness work in the car ? Where does the engine harness pass through the firewall to reach the ECU area ? Your original Accord chassis harness meets the engine harness in the engine bay... a RSX engine harness will not connect there. This means you will have to do a bunch of custom wiring... or find a supplier who makes a "conversion harness" to join the two. It is one thing to make the engine run... it will be another to get the dash working, and the heater controls too. If these products are not readily available... you will have to do wiring - and lots of it.

Radiator - The factory radiator has hose outlets in the wrong place. Does anyone make a "K Swap" Accord radiator ? If not, you would likely have to purchase an OE style aluminum radiator and then modify it to move the hose outlets to the driver's side of the tanks. If you can't weld aluminum... you will need to find a fabricator.

Axles - What combination of parts will you need ? Will the RSX-S axle set be the right answer ? If they are too short, will you need the axle set from an '03-07 Accord ?

A/C - The compressor will be on the opposite side of the car now, so custom lines will need to be made. Do you know of a hydraulic shop that can create what you need ? You will need to provide the ends and measurements to the fab shop.

P/S - Same issues... a custom high pressure line will have to be created and then moving the reservoir and fluid cooler, or running a longer return hose to reach these in the original location will have to happen.

Header - I would try a '04-08 TSX one first, but it will NOT be a bolt-up affair. Some fabrication will be required by an exhaust shop here.

Battery Mounting - Does the stock one stay in place without making contact with the engine ? If so... you are lucky. If not, can you use a smaller one to make things fit ? Otherwise, you are going "trunk mount" and running power wire the length of the car.

Heater Hoses - Again, like radiator hoses, these are just on the wrong side of the chassis for the "K-Swap", so different hose lengths and a way to move the heater valve to point toward the driver's side of the car will be required.

Shifter and Cables - What product do you use ? If you mount from below, will a "No Cut" box work ? If not, what top mount solution works ? Will it fit under your console plastics ? How excited will you be to cut a giant hole in the firewall/center tunnel for the cables to pass through.

Engine Management - Lots of choices here. Before you start a list of all the parts you are going to have to buy and budget for... pick a tuner and contact them to ask what system they would be most comfortable with when they tune your Accord. This choice will likely affect your engine wiring, so deal with this issue right up front.


So, with all of this stuff that you haven't thought about yet, and likely a few more things that I haven't mentioned yet... are you still on board ? If so, PLEASE turn this into a build thread and help those who follow behind you in the future.

 

Unbelievable how unhelpful you guys are not providing him with a complete list of parts he's going to need and instructions on how to finish the project.

🙄

 

Why do people feel so entitled to intellectual labor these days? Sheeeesh.

 

I am so curious to see how this goes. I hope OP can prove me wrong, but very often these threads die and nothing comes of it.

I'm excited for his build thread! make it happen