Honda Tuning’s Project K24 Civic VX Pt. 12: Fuel & Monitoring

In the last update on Honda Tuning's Project K24 Civic VX, I worked on getting the engine and transmission bolted in place along with its axles and a new wheel and tire package. It's definitely starting to look like a car again after I'd completely torn it down for paint and bodywork a little over a year ago, and now I'm focused on tackling the additional essentials needed to get the swap completed.

I like to keep things like fuel delivery as simple and effective as possible and with that I was going to need injectors (obviously), an upgraded in-tank pump and some sort of fuel regulator, lines and fittings to help balance it all out. I've had the sensors and a fuel line kit on hand for quite some time but needed some more parts and, in all honesty, I lagged on ordering those parts after getting caught up with work duties and family affairs during the holidays. I was kicking myself because I knew I was probably going to be in for a lengthy wait with so many parts on backorder and shipping slowed considerably in light of COVID, but Turn 14 changed all of that.

Turn 14 Distribution Delivers

Turn 14 Distribution is the performance warehouse distributor responsible for supplying your local and preferred online aftermarket shops with an endless list of parts. Not just a handful of parts, either; I'm talking about industrial shelves completely stocked with product housed within their massive distribution center space that measures over 720,000 sq.-ft. Parts are kept in stock and ready to deliver to an ever-growing clientele that spans not only the U.S. but worldwide.

The group has multiple facilities positioned specifically to increase efficiency in delivering aftermarket goods with Hatfield, Pa., Arlington, Tex., and Reno, Nev. all handling their respective regions. The strategic placement pays dividends with ground shipping to almost half of the U.S. completed in a single day and 100 percent of the country in just a few days. Reaching out to Turn 14 in search of a set of injectors from Injector Dynamics and a fuel pump from AEM Electronics, they not only had both items in stock, but they shipped them from their Reno facility, which reached my doorstep in just two days. TWO DAYS! Faster than a speeding Jeff Bezos

Injector Dynamics Keeps Flowing

Embarrassingly enough, ours is an industry that often sides with the "bigger is better" mentality. Baked in from the sometimes-awkward cross-pollination of domestic hot rod traditions often adapted to much smaller import power plants, some would suggest producing an injector that flows insane amounts of fuel and bang, tune it for maximum power. The problem with that is that there's a fine balance involved, similar to how hogging out the ports on your cylinder head as big as possible and dumping fuel isn't going to necessarily make more power as there's a point of diminishing returns, and Injector Dynamics put in the work (years of work, that is) to find an ideal balance.

Well known for their ID1000 - the brand's first offering which became an overnight sensation, the 1050x is a continuation of their widely-praised development.

The ID1050x pops into place just like any other injector and I recommend using something on the o-rings, especially with aftermarket rails and manifolds to reduce any chance of tearing while installing.

With my set up, there was a significant gap of about 7/8 of an inch that needed to be filled in order to secure the fuel rail completely.

I'm sure someone makes a spacer kit or perhaps the factory hardware might do the trick, but I don't have either, so I picked up some aluminum round stock from my local hardware store for a few bucks. I measured the distance between the rail's mounting hole and manifold and marked the aluminum piece accordingly.

2 quick cuts and headed over to my Eastwood bench top grinder to smooth it out.

If you don't have anything to space it out, this method is simple and will take just a few minutes of your time and looks much better than stacking up a bunch of washers.

I scuffed them up and sprayed a few coats of matte black, let them dry, then attached the fuel rail with Downstar Inc. hardware and the ID1050x sunk right into place.

Recent Additions to the Project:
Pt. 11 Engine swap, wheels and tires
Pt. 10 Suspension

AEM Performance Electronics Pumps Things Up

Obviously the original 1.5L VX model fuel pump isn't going to keep pace with a built K24 and the new ID1050x injectors, so Turn14 provided an AEM Performance Electronics 340LPH pump to replace the original. This is the perfect in-tank solution to getting more than enough fuel for naturally aspirated or boosted setups. Designed to handle any type of gasoline as well as ethanol fuels up to E100 and methanol based M100, this pump is very versatile and priced competitively.

Sized to directly replace your factory pump at just 39mm in diameter, AEM's 50-1200 includes everything you'll need for the install. My factory 5th gen. wiring plugged right into the pump but there's a new connector with flying leads also included in case your application isn't plug-and-play.

One of the great things about Honda's 5th gen. Civic family is how modular the chassis is and how simple things are to remove and install, like the fuel pump. With the outer cover removed, a plug, single bolt, hose clamp and a series of 10mm nuts just have to be removed and the whole unit comes right out. I emptied the 7-year-old fuel out of the tank a few weeks prior, so there wasn't much left to make a mess.

On the bench I measured and cut the new AEM-supplied fuel line to replace the original and installed the provided clamps. The hose is quite a bit shorter than factory due to the new pump being a little taller and the line AEM includes is of better quality than the original.

I like using the supplied rubber sleeve on the pump to quiet it down but also because I always add an additional clamp around the pump's body and the sleeve cushions that. Everyone prefers doing things their own way and I've used this method for many years with many pumps and I'm sticking to it. Adding to that, I opted not to use the supplied pre-filter as it sits perpendicular to the pump, rather than parallel, like the original Honda version. I picked up a new OEM-style DENSO replacement filter in lieu of the included piece in order to keep it factory-like.

Installation is even quicker than removal, just be sure the fuel pump wires are all the way inside the tank and won't be sandwiched when you close everything.

Also double check that the rubber seal under the pump's cover is still in good shape and in place when you tighten everything back down.

Hybrid Racing Makes it Simple

Early on, Hybrid Racing set me up with their double black anodized 6061 aluminum fuel rail that is part of their K-Series Swap Standard Fuel System Package. Their kit includes a 100PSI fuel pressure gauge, -6AN black nylon feed lines and -4AN return line and fuel filter, all sized appropriately to fit '92-'00 Civics and '94-'01 Integra K-swaps. The lines are pre-assembled for you and pressure tested before shipping, so it's essentially a plug and play kit. You can also buy the rail and regulator separately if needed.

The easiest placement of the fuel pressure regulator is somewhere along the driver's side shock tower, which is in line with the factory feed and return lines. Some mount them high for ease of access and because there are a few factory holes to make it simple, but I wanted it further down and out of the way, since adjustment is usually only done during initial startup and dyno tuning.

Just behind the Innovative transmission mount, there's a factory M6 threaded hole available and Hybrid also includes a set of rubber inserts with threaded centers that you can drill a hole for and once you thread in a bolt, they widen to stay put.

Just to note, I installed this regulator and the FPR lines prior to bolting in the engine since I knew it would be tough to get to later. Still entirely possible with the engine in place, it was just nice to be able to crouch inside the bay to get it all done.

The Hybrid kit uses a pair of nylon braided lines with clamps on one end to fit over the factory feed and return lines. You'll need to cut the factory lines down a little bit and I did so with an OEMTools Mini Tubing Cutter.

Cut or peel back some of the black rubber coating that covers the OEM lines so that the new Hybrid clamps fit properly.

AEM Performance Electronics Gets Sensitive

This build will be managed by AEM's Infinity ECU with info relayed to their dynamic CD-5 digital dash. In order to maximize the combo, I added various AEM sensors to monitor vitals. Using a Rywire Motorsport Electronics engine harness, the plugs for AEM's sensors are already in place and situated so that they reside where most people would install them on a typical K swap.

Keeping tabs on oil pressure and temperature is usually done with a pair of gauges but the CD-5 can put that info, along with so much more, right in front of you. Using a multi-port adapter that fills the factory oil sensor port, I added AEM's 30-2130-150 to measure pressure

and 30-2013 to relay oil temps.
Both sensors sit far enough away from one another to stay accurate and are pushed away from where the header will eventually reside to avoid excessive heat.

Another AEM 30-2130-150 is used to measure coolant pressure through the unused heater port on the swirl pot. You already saw the fuel pressure sensor on the end of the fuel rail earlier, a 30-2130-100 unit, and tucked under the manifold is a 30-2130-50 sensor for MAP readings.

AEM's UEGO Bosch LSU wideband sensor is ready to be installed as soon as the new header arrives. All of the additional sensors provide real-time monitoring via the digital dash and avoid having a mass of gauges to view - it will all be provided where the factory cluster sat.

Acuity Instruments Updates Your TPS Report

Honda, in their infinite wisdom, decided that replacing your TPS sensor would involve buying a whole new throttle body. Sure, you can notch and unscrew your broken sensor, but you'll need a third-party sensor rather than that red label package as it's only sold with attached to a throttle body at your local Honda parts desk. Not a big deal as there are multiple aftermarket sensors you can find just about anywhere, but the quality in most cases is severely lacking. Acuity Instruments, well known for their 9th and 10th generation Civic and Accord goods, decided to fill the void and whipped up their version that's not only designed from scratch but does away with that factory "wiper style" sensor that Honda uses.

Modernized with hall effect technology, it's even more accurate and will likely outlast the OEM piece. That's because this sort of technology doesn't involve any direct contact, which means there's less chance of wear. In addition, the OEM-style paper gasket is eliminated with Acuity incorporating a rubber o-ring.

Sitting inside of the nylon composite injection molded housing is a signal processor that maintains a consistent voltage output even for those of us using rigid engine mounts that like to kill factory TPS sensors. Vibration is often the culprit behind sensor failures that have plagued K-swaps for years and seeing the trend, Acuity addressed the factory shortcomings with their hall effect solution.