A Great Place For Tech Answers From Industry Experts, Not Such A Great Place For Love Advice.Do not back up, severe damage may occur!My son has a '00 Civic Si. We were replacing the timing belt last weekend. Reading the Chilton or Haynes repair manuals leaves a lot to the imagination. In searching the web, we came across your site and in particular the article "Keeping Time." It was a godsend with its information. However, in locating the TDC, we rotated the engine backwards (clockwise). In the Chilton's manual it says, "Do not rotate the engine backwards." What harm can be caused by this? How can we correct this error? Thanks for any advice you can give.-Pete Kuchenski / Magnolia, Texas
If you rotate the crank backwards (clockwise), the belt will slip on the cam gears, so your cam timing will no longer be correct.
I recommend that you contact Helm Inc. and buy a copy of the service manual for your car/engine. These are the official Honda shop manuals and there are no substitutes that are worth buying. We follow the Helm's manual like the Bible here.-Larry Widmer, Endyn
Frankenstein's new head
I'm a longtime reader and love the things that you all put in the magazine. I have gotten a lot of info from your magazine and I have had a few 4G Civic B series swaps and one 4G Civic H swap. I just got the July '07 Honda Tuning magazine and I see this guy did a K24 block and K20 head for his motor and my question is: Can you tell me how easy or hard is this swap and is it like the B18 block and B16 head swap where you have to redo the oil line for the head to get the right oil? Also, have you done this block and head swap to the K24 to K20 and what's the deal with it as far as what's needed. Thank you for the info.-Rick Eckhoff / Hagerstown, Md
The K24/K20 Frankenstein is actually easier than the LS/VTEC Frankenstein. The K20 head can simply be bolted on and the block will supply the head with the needed oil. No tricks, just bolt it on, tune it, and go. The only thing I caution you on is don't rev too high. The valve clearance pockets in the pistons aren't cut for the high lift cams found on the K20A2 head. In fact, this is why the TSX engine (Honda's version of the K24/K20 Frankenstein) limits the VTC to only 25 degrees of advance.-Brian Gillespie, Hasport Performance
My weave looks nappy
I have a '01 Honda Prelude SH with a carbon hood, trunk, Mugen style wing, front fenders and eyelids. I would like to know, how do I keep the carbon looking new? My trunk is in bad shape and my hood is starting to "burn", what do I do? Also, I see the carbon looking yellow, why? Please help! This is my everyday driver and I don't know what to do. Thanks for your time.-Tony / Norwalk, Calif.
Good Question. A lot of the cheap carbon-fiber hood manufacturers use a low-grade resin that is not UV protected and it causes the carbon to have a yellow tint or even clouding in extreme cases. The best way to avoid it is to start with a product from one of the more well known companies such as BRS Autodesign or Seibon who have done the R&D to produce a newer advanced product. If you happen to have an older hood or part that has already turned yellow you can sand it down almost to the carbon and then have a body shop re-clear the hood with an added black tint almost like they were "smoking" a set of taillights. Having had this problem, I recommend using BASF Clear. It seems to bond well and resists future fading.-Leigh Guarnieri / BRS Autodesign
R18 Swap
I'd like to know if your magazine will do a fourth generation Civic/CRX swap using the eighth generation 1.8L SOHC-VTEC. I only ask because it's probably more affordable to those who can't afford the K-series motor.