Almost 5 months after we started, the CR-V heart transplant is a major success!
About 2 months ago, we came to the realization that the B series harness was not going to work in our lifted Civic. We had to think creatively as there were no immediate options presented to us. Most swaps offer off the shelf harness adapters – but this is not most swaps. The issue we were mainly running into was that the TCU was not integrated into the harness. After some help and guidance from HA Motorsports, we had a custom harness adapter made for us. The harness adapter uses the D-series harness to plug into the B-series ECU.
But the issues did not stop there.
We still had the issue of certain connectors not being long enough on the D-series harness. Some connectors were literal feet apart in difference. So Jake and I got to work on modifying & lengthening the D-series harness. Not only extending it out, but also swapping a couple of connectors with different ends. All in all, we had to extend about 5 separate connectors to get everything to plug in correctly. Last week, we turned the engine over for the first time under compression.
This week, we shifted focus to getting fuel to the engine.
Since the Civic will end up being AWD, the differential takes up the space where the fuel tank normally sits. Again, we had to get creative. Luckily, a friend of mine has done a tank relocation before – he used the trunk. So, that’s exactly what we did. We extended out all of the wiring harness about 6 feet and then had to get custom hoses made. After a quick visit to my local Hydraulic Supply, they got us taken care of. We got some custom fittings & extended hoses to connect to the gas tank on the lifted Civic.
After that, we got it all hooked up.
With all the lines fitted and wires plugged in, it was the moment of truth. Once Jake turned the key, we heard the fuel pump prime, which was a relief. About 10 seconds later, we heard the sound of fuel hitting the ground. It was one of our fittings – our bad, the bottom part of the fittings were not tight 100%. So, one quick tightening later, no more fuel leaks. The last hurdle was the ignition switch – it kept clicking back out of the “run” position. Once Jake realized what was going on, he slowly backed the key out of the start position… and the car fired right up!
Finally. Some breathing room.
In my book, getting the car to run on its own is the single hardest hurdle to overcome. Now that we know it will run, it’s time to focus on buttoning the rest of the car up. Firstly, we will finish setting the front end up. Next, move to the rear and install the rear brake setup. Lastly, we still have to figure out the shifter cable dilemma, as the end is not the same – but it can definitely be custom made.
And there you have it – now you are up to speed on our lifted Civic! Thank you to everyone that has supported us this far. We are truly grateful. Be sure to stay tuned on our YouTube channel as well as Slightly Mangled – without him, this build would not be possible. Need a refresher on the build? Click HERE to start from the beginning.
Text, Photos & Video by Ben Battles
