K(hold the A)24 turbo Wonder coupe RIP PURISTS

[deolio]

So I've come to the conclusion the cutting out issue is due to the trashed wiring harness. The issue is so sporadic that I can't seem to replicate it any time I've tried to pin point the short/loose connector/pin/grounding or whatever the hell is going on. I ended up ziptieing the harness as securely as possible and it has drastically decreased the frequency that it cuts out, but it still does cut out randomly under hard driving conditions. I've been keeping an eye out for a clean single cam harness for a couple months, but alas they seem to be more uncommon than an unmolested s13. Looks like I'll have to fork out $600 for a wiring specialties harness if I want it to work right, but I'm having a tough time rationalizing investing that much money into a junk motor.

In the meantime, I've been enjoying cruising the car around when it's not too damn hot outside.



Just need a sweet early-2000's head unit and to put my ergo 1.5 in to finish off the interior tune



So, back to other coupe things...

I bought a pair of 17x9.5 +18 sp1's and swapped the NR faces for HP, which made them +0, which fit the "Dmax" fenders perfectly. (And 215/40 on a 9.5 looks real cool)


I want to change the tub setup and repaint the bay before putting the new motor in (yes, the K24, and I finally have collected all of the needed parts).


My goal is to build some modular oil cooler ducting and an air box inserts in place of the old tubs so that in the future when I put a turbo on it'll be easier to swap things out and route intercooler piping etc. Ideally, I want to learn how to work with carbon fiber, but may have to settle for fiberglass or maybe aluminum? I'll have to do some experimenting. I left some of the old tubs in tact for a little structure and to have something to build off of.

Also did a serious deep clean and started some basic paint prep


Haven't decided what I should do about this mess yet though. The fuse/relay boxes used to be mounted to the tubs

[Rustys14]

Originally Posted by deolio

SI've been keeping an eye out for a clean single cam harness for a couple months, but alas they seem to be more uncommon than an unmolested s13.

I'd have to check my storage shed, but I'm 80% sure I have a couple decent SOHC harnesses laying around from partouts I've done in the past. I'm trying to thin out my parts stash so I'd let one go super cheap. Shoot me a PM if you're interested.

[tuzzio]

If Rusty doesn't work out, im sure one of the pulled pork dudes from CT has a harness. They had like 15 single cams at one point.

[jr_ss]

I dunno, 600 seems like a fair price to pay for their work and customer support. I wish I would’ve gone with them when I had an engine harness made, but they were doing customer harnesses at that time.

[TheRealSy90]

Not a bad price at all, i wish I could go that route. My car has no factory wiring at all in it... My WS cart is over 7k total if I decide to buy their chassis harness and engine harness, plus adding the ecu and display and extras.

[deolio]

Originally Posted by Rustys14

I'd have to check my storage shed, but I'm 80% sure I have a couple decent SOHC harnesses laying around from partouts I've done in the past. I'm trying to thin out my parts stash so I'd let one go super cheap. Shoot me a PM if you're interested.

Originally Posted by tuzzio

If Rusty doesn't work out, im sure one of the pulled pork dudes from CT has a harness. They had like 15 single cams at one point.

Yo thank you guys! Rusty shipped out a harness to me today. I should just post in this thread any time I need a part instead of in the WTB forum. That was way more quick/effective hahaha

Originally Posted by jr_ss

I dunno, 600 seems like a fair price to pay for their work and customer support. I wish I would?ve gone with them when I had an engine harness made, but they were doing customer harnesses at that time.

Originally Posted by TheRealSy90

Not a bad price at all, i wish I could go that route. My car has no factory wiring at all in it... My WS cart is over 7k total if I decide to buy their chassis harness and engine harness, plus adding the ecu and display and extras.

Yeah, I have no issue with their price. I just don't really care enough to put that kind of money into a motor that will ideally be replaced by a K24 eventually as well.

I looked at their chassis harness too. Good god does that shit add up. Makes sense though, it is a shit ton of wiring. Not looking forward to dealing with that shit myself, but it needs to be done!

[deolio]

So I put the new, much less crusty and broken harness I got from Rusty (thanks again!) in and it was running good until I started moving the injector harness around and then it started misfiring and I couldn't get it to run right again. I checked the pins on the injectors and was having a tough time getting a few of them to read, so I ended up just changing them all out for a spare set I had laying round. Went to start the car up and the battery was dead because I left the passenger door slightly ajar over night. Charged the battery and the car would crank but not start. I'm guessing the injectors I put in are clogged or the misfire fouled the plugs or the battery is doing weird shit. Anyway, I didn't bother diagnosing it and distracted myself with other things...



Like installing the wiper motor again so I could put this motor cover on...



And starting to figure out the airbox setup on the other coupe.



Made it so the fuse box can be bolted underneath or on the side, which would be a little unprotected in a crash, but in the future there may be intercooler piping or an oil cooler in that area underneath.



Plenty of tire clearance at lock too.



Ran out of Coors boxes and couldn't finish the front, but I'm gonna go back with actual card stock to and refine the design a bit anyway so, close enough for now.

The passenger side is basically just going to mirror the air box, but will only be the top and inner wall.

[jr_ss]

I would advise some venting on inner fender (wheel well) so you don’t have positive pressure build up in there.

[splitfire]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

I would advise some venting on inner fender (wheel well) so you don?t have positive pressure build up in there.

Why is it an issue(You mean DYI air box, I suppose)? I think that small additional bit of boost wouldn't be useless.

[deolio]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

I would advise some venting on inner fender (wheel well) so you don?t have positive pressure build up in there.

Originally Posted by splitfire

Why is it an issue(You mean DYI air box, I suppose)? I think than small additional bit of boost wouldn't be useless.

Yeah, wouldn't positive pressure be good? I'm picturing it like a ram-air intake and maybe adding a trap door for low airflow situations if it builds vacuum in the box.

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by deolio

Yeah, wouldn't positive pressure be good? I'm picturing it like a ram-air intake and maybe adding a trap door for low airflow situations if it builds vacuum in the box.

It?s only good if it doesn?t induce lift. The more important aspect is that fresh, cool air is getting to the filter. Venting would allow the trapped air to escape, while still providing a cleaner, denser supply of air.

Think of it just like the fender wells. Most try to eliminate the pockets and relieve the rear fender area to allow the positive pressure to escape.

[deolio]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

It?s only good if it doesn't?t induce lift. The more important aspect is that fresh, cool air is getting to the filter. Venting would allow the trapped air to escape, while still providing a cleaner, denser supply of air.

Think of it just like the fender wells. Most try to eliminate the pockets and relieve the rear fender area to allow the positive pressure to escape.

Hmm noted. Maybe some louvers in the wheel well? I'll have to do some experimenting.


So, on the two tone, I ended up sending out 6 injectors to RC Fuel Injection (10/10 recommend. 1 day turnaround!) because they were crusty as hell. The flow numbers on a couple were only around 100cc lmao. Got them back and plopped them in the car, slightly adjusted timing, and the car ran amazing, even with the harness moving around.



I took the car out to Mexico for some test runs and had zero issues. I finally seemed to have solved it, so I loaded up and headed to the track for my first comp in 4 years.



And then....



First run out it started doing the same shit again. I spent the entire day diagnosing. Two of my team mates who are actually mechanically competent lent a hand and were stumped. Checked the fuel pump wiring, changed the pump (again), checked battery connection, alternator, belts, timing (again), tps, injectors (again), harness, and some other things I'm forgetting. Nothing made a difference. One thing I learned though: a nickel perfectly fits in the O2/EGT port perfectly, just in case the welds the PO did on the bung to block it off blow out lol

The good news is: we pinpointed prolonged WOT as the cause of the issue, so I was able to get in a few clean laps feathering the throttle around the track as if I had a ton of power.



The bad news is: I made a promise to myself that I'd never waste another year building/troubleshooting a "side project" and gave myself 6 months to get this thing sorted. I started piecing the car together in early March, so 6 months has come and gone with no progress, so I made the difficult decision to let go of the car.

Last pic in the garage



Sad, but life goes on



I probably should have given up on the two d-car solution long ago. I probably would have a driving turbo k24 coupe by now if I had, but you live and you learn!

[tuzzio]

Saw it for sale on IG. Sad to see it go but, I get it. And all of the effort put into that car can / shall be put elsewhere so, heres to progress on the other car.

Also, wonder if the TPS or the pedal switch at WOT was just failing.

[deolio]

Originally Posted by tuzzio

Also, wonder if the TPS or the pedal switch at WOT was just failing.

I changed out the TPS at the track and it didn't make a difference. I never even knew there was a pedal switch 🤦🏼*♂️ I sold the car to a local friend, who I'm confident can figure it out. Will post an update when he does haha

[FaLKoN240]

I'm wondering if it was the CAS or dizzy...

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by deolio

Hmm noted. Maybe some louvers in the wheel well? I'll have to do some experimenting.

Sad, but life goes on



I probably should have given up on the two d-car solution long ago. I probably would have a driving turbo k24 coupe by now if I had, but you live and you learn!

Just some horizontal slats would be sufficient, enough to gain some cross flow.

Having two projects is difficult. Funds, time, space, there just never seems to be enough of either.

I couldn?t imagine having two S-chassis?, especially two track cars.

With that said, I do enjoy the building aspect of cars, in fact, that is my favorite part of the build. Once the tinkering is gone, what else is there to do? Drive it? That sounds so?. Boring, I guess. Yeah, it?s fun to blast down the road, slide sideways and melt rubber, but building the car, using your creativity, that?s where the real magic is.

I?m sorry you let the car go, but I understand the frustrations that you may have had with it. Atleast it is still ?close? in a sense.

[deolio]

Originally Posted by FaLKoN240

I'm wondering if it was the CAS or dizzy...

I changed the cap and rotor and coil... idk man... but the new owner figured out that the signals weren't working regularly because the hazard light button wasn't plugged in all the way so my guess is it's something dumb like that that I missed while slamming the car together hahaha

Originally Posted by jr_ss

Just some horizontal slats would be sufficient, enough to gain some cross flow.

Ah, simple. I like it!

Originally Posted by jr_ss

Having two projects is difficult. Funds, time, space, there just never seems to be enough of either.

I?m sorry you let the car go, but I understand the frustrations that you may have had with it. Atleast it is still ?close? in a sense.

I think the biggest issue for me is at this age and with my history, my tolerance and patience for lingering mechanical bullshit is very, very low, especially when it's just supposed to be a side project.


That being said, I've been looking for a Corolla for literally 15 years and remembered my friend had mentioned he had a lead on a crazy cheap one like a year ago. Finally luck was on my side and the owner still had it sooooo I had to pick it up.



But the Corolla is gonna be a long-term thing. It needs a bit of rust repair and stuff, but I'm going to resist the urge to start on it until the coupe is running and painted 😅

[deolio]

^2 days after this post, another friend hit me up with a lead on a free NC miata with a blown motor. I couldn't say no lol



2 days and 67 swear words later I drove it home





I also managed to squeeze some paint prep in there and Rus laid down some 463 as an homage to it's two-tone roots. Also gonna use 463 as an accent color for the new paint job. Next time you see this bay there will fucking finalyyyyy be a k24 in it!

[deolio]

And so it began...

2x k24a2's. One going in, one spare. 1x k24a4 for eventual turbo build.



Crank bolt required more ft/lbs of torque than the damn motor puts out. I should have bought a weighted socket, but I didn't realize it'd be such a chore.



And then I had a lapse in memory. Could have sworn I drained the oil 6 years ago when I bought the motor, but apparently not. Probably should have double checked before flipping the motor, but alas...



I got the k20 oil pump and tf oil pickup on and then realized I didn't have the k20 windage tray or oil pump chain. Been piecing everything together over so many years I've forgotten what I do and don't have/need. This is what happens when I don't do things in one fell swoop �� Hopefully everything will show up tomorrow so I can drop the motor in this weekend.

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by deolio

Been piecing everything together over so many years I've forgotten what I do and don't have/need. This is what happens when I don't do things in one fell swoop �� Hopefully everything will show up tomorrow so I can drop the motor in this weekend.

I?ve recently started a running tally/list of the components I do and don?t have for this sole reason. Mainly to keep track of what is at the machine shop and what I have here, on location. I also do this for fittings/lines, so I can keep track of what else I need to buy to complete them.

[tuzzio]

dude..that photo of the engine flipped over. I can hear myself screaming "FUCK" in my head.

[deolio]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

I?ve recently started a running tally/list of the components I do and don?t have for this sole reason. Mainly to keep track of what is at the machine shop and what I have here, on location. I also do this for fittings/lines, so I can keep track of what else I need to buy to complete them.

Yeah, I definitely should have done that long ago. I think I'm still bound to find something else missing as the swap progresses even after cross checking my inventory and needed part list haha

Originally Posted by tuzzio

dude..that photo of the engine flipped over. I can hear myself screaming "FUCK" in my head.

It was a shit show. I slipped in the oil trying to flip the motor back over and almost tipped the whole stand over. 80% of the oil had drained out by the time I got it right side up again 😑

[deolio]

Finally picked up the ZF from my buddy and god damn a Miata trunk has never looked so big! I really don't understand why all transmissions aren't this small.



I was scrambling trying to get the motor in the car and running so I could do a burnout at our annual BBQ per tradition and in my haste I sealed everything up without putting the crank trigger wheel on, which sits just behind the front cover. Typical! I threw in the towel at that point. The engine looks pretty cool though. I kinda like the unpainted valve cover.

[deolio]

Tried to get the motor in for Super D NYE, but literally every step of the way something went wrong or I found some other tiny little thing I needed to order. It was seriously like 3 weeks straight of $15 orders for little fittings, plugs, sensors, and bmw shit. No matter how many times I revamped my list and checked my part stash something else popped up lol

If you get a zf transmission, I definitely recommend getting (or making) a set of detent bushing drifts for 5th and reverse before attempting to do the detent repair. On my first attempt, I tried using a similarly sized socket and it deformed the sleeves.

After borrowing a set of drifts I got the ZF ready and bolted it up to the motor, which didn't go smoothly either. For whatever reason the clutch kit (for the 5spd zf) came with a wrong sized dowel on the alignment tool so even after wrapping it with tape, centering the clutch disk and getting the shaft into the pilot was a pain. 10/10 do not recommend.

And FINALLY, dropped the k in.

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by deolio

Tried to get the motor in for Super D NYE, but literally every step of the way something went wrong or I found some other tiny little thing I needed to order. It was seriously like 3 weeks straight of $15 orders for little fittings, plugs, sensors, and bmw shit. No matter how many times I revamped my list and checked my part stash something else popped up lol

If you get a zf transmission, I definitely recommend getting (or making) a set of detent bushing drifts for 5th and reverse before attempting to do the detent repair. On my first attempt, I tried using a similarly sized socket and it deformed the sleeves.

After borrowing a set of drifts I got the ZF ready and bolted it up to the motor, which didn't go smoothly either. For whatever reason the clutch kit (for the 5spd zf) came with a wrong sized dowel on the alignment tool so even after wrapping it with tape, centering the clutch disk and getting the shaft into the pilot was a pain. 10/10 do not recommend.

And FINALLY, dropped the k in.

Looks great in there. What exhaust manifold is that? Looks a lot like the old Silkroad manifolds for our cars.

If I have learned anything building my car over the years, it is nothing ever goes according to plan.

[deolio]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

Looks great in there. What exhaust manifold is that? Looks a lot like the old Silkroad manifolds for our cars.

Thanks! Yeah it's the TF header. Always loved how high-rise headers looked in corolla bays. Probably would have gone turbo right off the bat if this header didn't look so damn cool and/or if I had known I'd eventually own a corolla

Originally Posted by jr_ss

If I have learned anything building my car over the years, it is nothing ever goes according to plan.

I just keep learning this lesson over and over again. Always think I've got everything planned down to the tee and then realize I'm an idiot a short time later lol

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by deolio

I just keep learning this lesson over and over again. Always think I've got everything planned down to the tee and then realize I'm an idiot a short time later lol

Join the club. She (the 240) is always keeping me humble.

[deolio]

So, I vastly underestimated how long it'd take me to finish up this swap. The amount of fittings, tubes, hoses, brackets, and cable management science required has sucked up an unbelievable amount of time. It's like every time I go to the shop 8 hours vaporize and I end up with frustratingly little to show for it. This is why I enjoy bodywork so much more than tinkering with motors and shit. I feel so much more productive when I can see where the work has gone haha

So far I have:
• Reshaped the fuel hard lines so they'll hopefully be far enough from the header
• Plumbed fuel system and FPR
• Plumbed heater
• Plumbed and mounted swirl pot and coolant overflow
• Wired e-fans
• Plumbed radiator
• Cleaned, painted, and installed brake booster
• Cleaned and installed BMC
• Cleaned and installed CMC
• Plumbed clutch line (GK Tech rhd braided clutch line worked perfect)
• Partially plumbed catch can (Waiting on the can itself)
• Air intake set up
• Shifter mounted
• Wiring harness mocked up

Stuck at the wiring harness for now. Apparently there are 2 types of injectors and oil pressure sensors used on k24's and I have both of the wrong ones for the harness. Ordering a new oil pressure sensor was easy/cheap enough, but I didn't want to fork over a few hundred dollars for new injectors so I had to do a real deeeeep dive to find the right fucking injector clips since Wiring Specialties doesn't even stock them.

Fan/rad mockup (sooo much space)




Currently... I need to somehow keep the harness away from the header without making it look dumb




I kinda wanna chop the shifter a bit shorter and make it so I can run normal shift knobs. Reason #542 why I need a lathe.




Also, I took a hand-me-down diff to my diff guy to have a 2-way put in. I didn't pull the cover off to verify it was a good candidate before dropping it off, which was a mistake because a couple days later the diff guy sent me this photo lmao



Not only the worst welds I or he had ever seen, but the stubs we welded in so I couldn't even use the pumpkin ��

Lastly, I threw the hood on to check clearance and I've got about 2" of space to work with, which is amazing. I'd like to add a drop vent so that extra space is crucial.

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by deolio

So, I vastly underestimated how long it'd take me to finish up this swap. The amount of fittings, tubes, hoses, brackets, and cable management science required has sucked up an unbelievable amount of time. It's like every time I go to the shop 8 hours vaporize and I end up with frustratingly little to show for it. This is why I enjoy bodywork so much more than tinkering with motors and shit. I feel so much more productive when I can see where the work has gone haha

So far I have:
? Reshaped the fuel hard lines so they'll hopefully be far enough from the header
? Plumbed fuel system and FPR
? Plumbed heater
? Plumbed and mounted swirl pot and coolant overflow
? Wired e-fans
? Plumbed radiator
? Cleaned, painted, and installed brake booster
? Cleaned and installed BMC
? Cleaned and installed CMC
? Plumbed clutch line (GK Tech rhd braided clutch line worked perfect)
? Partially plumbed catch can (Waiting on the can itself)
? Air intake set up
? Shifter mounted
? Wiring harness mocked up

Currently... I need to somehow keep the harness away from the header without making it look dumb.

I kinda wanna chop the shifter a bit shorter and make it so I can run normal shift knobs. Reason #542 why I need a lathe.

The small details never seem apparent, but they surely take the longest to complete/execute.

Is it possible to extend the harness down, below the header or possibly to the intake side to run with the injectors? You have options, unfortunately, they are likely to include delooming and extending wires.

Looks good thus far.

[deolio]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

The small details never seem apparent, but they surely take the longest to complete/execute.

Is it possible to extend the harness down, below the header or possibly to the intake side to run with the injectors? You have options, unfortunately, they are likely to include delooming and extending wires.

Looks good thus far.

Thanks! Yeah, I'm scared to mess too much with the harness. I think a couple zipties to keep the harness close to the coilpacks will do for the time being, but a nice bracket to hold it in place down the road would be nice.