SR20DET Engine Swap Guide
By Jeff Holden
Prepare Tools, Garage & Parts
A good complete set of tools is a must for this swap. There are not a lot of special tools required, engine hoist and stand, jacks and jack stands, some larger metric sockets for the crank bolt and power steering line. You will need some Speedy Dry to soak up the many fluids that will drain out on the floor. A good flat floor and plenty of lighting is always a plus.
Prepare SR Engine
Inspect and decide which motor mounts to use, KA or SR. Use whichever ones are in better condition - they are identical. Remove the AIV assembly bolted to the head above the turbo, and remove the pipe running down to the exhaust, which will hit the steering column on USDM cars. Remove the lower turbo shields - these also will hit the steering column. Inspect and replace the O2 sensor, if necessary. Remove the old clutch and inspect the flywheel, have the flywheel turned if there is significant scoring or roughness or distortion. Inspect the turbo and spin the compressor by hand, look for shaft play or leaking from oil or coolant lines. Remove the power steering pump and AC compressor.
Inspect the oil pan for dents, bang them out or replace the pan as necessary. Thoroughly inspect and test all belt adjustment assemblies and install the alternator belt. Check all the rubber hoses under and around the intake ? these are especially hard to replace once the engine is installed. Install any oil pressure gauge senders at this time, also any other gauges and control devices that will be inaccessible once the engine is in.
On the back of the engine, the heater hoses need to be modified since the JDM car has the heater on the opposite side. Remove the L shaped backing plate and trim the turbo coolant rubber line to enable the bracket and line to be pushed slightly towards the passenger side to bolt into the next bolt hole over. Attach a U shaped heater hose to the steel outlet on the back of the engine, this will be connected to the rest of the heater hose up near the top of the valve cover. This cannot be done when the engine is in place due to firewall clearance ? make sure the hose is tight and everything is secure back there.
Clutch & SR Transmission Preparation
Remove the SR shifter. This could be tricky if you haven’t done it before due to the pair of C Clips holding the shifter in. Using two screwdrivers, begin prying the upper square C ring in and up from one end, and use the screwdrivers to walk the ring out of the channel. The lower clip will then pop out along with the shifter.
Remove the dust collar from SR transmission. The black collar is located on the end of the transmission where the drive shaft meets the transmission. Just take a piece of wood and a hammer and knock it off. You will not be reusing it. In its place you have to insert the KA dust collar. Use a flat piece of wood and tap it on. It is tight but will go on with some patience.
We always loosen and clean the gear oil filler and drain plugs. It is much easier to get a stubborn plug out while the transmission is not installed in the car.
Replace the throw out bearing with the new one, use a large socket, piece of wood and hammer to knock the old bearing out of the carrier and install the new one. Be careful to not apply force to the actual bearing, only tap on the solid center of the unit. Replace the TO bearing / Carrier assembly back onto the input shaft, and replace the shifter fork. Make sure that the shifter fork is in place securely, held on by the wire clips.
Using the clutch alignment tool, bolt the clutch pressure plate and disk onto the flywheel, using proper tightening techniques. Pick up the transmission, and install it onto the engine. A helper is good here. Attach the transmission using the bell housing bolts, and then bolt the starter on. Connect up the starter, alternator and oil pressure sensor wiring, and secure the lower engine harness up and out of the way of the passenger side engine mount.
Prepare Car
Here are several things to do that will make the swap easier. Start with an almost empty fuel tank that has ONLY Premium 92 or higher octane gas in it. If you have electric windows, put them up or down as you like before you remove the battery. Jack up the car and remove the front wheels. Disable any alarm system, you may want to remove it completely and make sure the car will start without it before beginning the swap. Remove interior trim panels ? radio, under steering column, passenger kick panel. Removing the driver?s seat gives plenty of room to work under the dash for timer and gauges install, as well as the clutch pedal install. Remove the front fender liners, and remove the front bumper and main bumper core.
Remove KA Engine & Transmission
This is a straightforward removal. Disconnect all hoses, wires and cables in the engine bay, and remove the two motor mount nuts. Detach the AC compressor (you will probably have to remove the power steering pump to do this) and secure the compressor out of the way up by the driver?s side stock air box location. Remove the radiator, mechanical fan, and fan shroud, and flip the main engine harness over the fender so it is out of the way.
Remove the KA shifter, drain the gear oil out of the transmission, and remove carrier bearing bracket and the driveshaft. Jack up the transmission and remove the 4 cross member bolts. Detach the downpipe from the exhaust manifold, and remove the transmission mount bracket from the cat as well. Remove the entire exhaust and get it out of the way.
Using an engine hoist, attach the chain to the head using suitably strong bolts. Drop the transmission using the jack, and pull the engine and transmission out as one unit. Be careful not to damage the power steering rack lines when removing the engine.
Engine Bay Work
Now is the time to completely clean and paint the engine bay. Use a couple of cans of good engine degreaser, and follow environmental warnings for runoff. Rust fix, painting, and brake fluid drip fix, power steering lines removal ? all should be done before the SR engine goes in.
Auto to Manual Transmission Swap
Intimidating as this seems, the conversion from automatic transmission to 5-speed manual is not that difficult. Replace the auto brake pedal and add the clutch pedal ? both bolt right in. Cut a hole for the Master Cylinder and attach it to the firewall and clutch pedal, then run the hard line across the engine bay and down to the slave cylinder. You can eliminate the ?bleeder block? or distribution block bolted to the frame rail with no ill effects. Bolt the slave cylinder to the transmission, and bleed the hydraulic system thoroughly. Remove the automatic shifter, and replace the trim piece with the 5-speed version with a boot.
Electrically, you need to disable the ignition key capture system by removing the steering column lower cover and simply unplugging the module. In the engine bay, one plug from the car main fusebox has two thick wires that have to be connected for the starter to work. It is plugged into a 2-wire harness section that runs down to the auto transmission.