***The Hotness™️ Build Thread!***

[Sport-injected]

Thanks for checking in! Absolutely love it! By ‘it’, I mean the turbo + the tune. Without the tune, it’d be nothing. Overall, I love the responsiveness, and how I can just tap the throttle to get the rpms to where I want them to be, and all power is simply a different ankle angle away.

Great to hear!!

Sponsored

 

[Doc_Mello]

Next Chapter: Power for the Sub!

So, a while ago, I performed the OEM+ Kicker subwoofer upgrade. I knew at the time that it was a good upgrade from the OEM garbage sub, but I also knew that the OEM amplified system wasn't pushing that much wattage. In fact, someone else on here measured the wattage to the sub at 75W. Terrible, given the Kicker can handle 200W RMS, and 400W total. The sub + Viper4Android worked well to increase the bass from stock, but the bass fell off around Volume 20, which is at half of the whole volume scale! Above 20, the highs were clear, but there was barely any bass, and certainly not like I wanted. Thus, I figured I'd have to upgrade at some point.

Now, there's been a recent conversation that renewed my interest in this issue. My sub is the Kicker DVC wired in parallel for 2ohms, which means I was in a good position for a mono amp that could pump out more wattage! After following that thread, I decided on the Kicker amp recommended by @Rycomm. The Kicker cx400.1t (an undated version) amp is capable of 300W @ 2ohm, which seemed perfect for pushing the Kicker sub I had installed. So, I ordered all of the components, and on we go!

Kicker recommends an 8ga lead with a 40a fuse. The KnuKoncepts seemed to fit the bill, BUT, as you'll see later on, there was an issue with it, a somewhat small and annoying issue, but an issue nonetheless. I also ordered a speaker cable-to-RCA adapter because I wanted to utilize the high-level input from the sub's speaker wiring, and not have to run RCAs from the deck all the way back. Lastly, I ordered some braided loom for aesthetics.

Now, the first order of business was to remove the interior paneling to access a channel through which to run the power cable from the battery. #SM46 of the manual has a series of instructions for removing the panels, and the ones I removed were (in this order):

• Driver-side door sill trim
• Under-Dash Fuse kick panel (the one with the hood latch pull handle)
• Rear seat cushion
• Driver-side rear seat side panel
• Center trunk covering (the one that covers the spare tire area)
• Rearmost lower trunk panel (at the latch)
• Driver-side trunk covering

Now, once those were off, and while I was awaiting delivery of the parts, I prepped for running the battery through the firewall. There are a variety of methods people have used on here, some going through the cable latch grommet, but I did that already for my underglow kit, and didn't want to shove yet another cable through there (it was a B last time). I also wasn't going to drill a new hole in the firewall itself, so, the next best option was to run through the main cable grommet right behind the battery (up and between the clutch and brake pedals). First, I removed the battery and metal tray (remove the tray! Makes things so much easier!). Here's the grommet from the engine bay.

Here's that same grommet from inside the car. Now, you can see that I removed some of the OEM electrical tape. I used my 90-degree pick to carefully remove the tape. BE CAREFUL! The rubber grommet is flexible, and easy into which to poke a hole! I went super-slowly, and was able to remove the tape with no issue, luckily. Now, here, you see the slit in the grommet (I'm pulling gently on one lip of the grommet end)? That's OEM. I did not cut that slit, and it was super helpful for passing through the cable.

In the engine bay, I used my pick to remove some of the tape, and cut a small hole in the remaining tape. Again, be very careful! Patience pays out well here. Afterward, I tried a variety of methods of passing a guide wire through one side of the grommet to the other. I found the easiest was from the engine bay, and I tried a variety of materials, but kept on getting hung up on something inside the cabin/firewall. I found that using some old coaxial cable was a good idea because it was about the size of the 8ga power wire, and it was stiff-but-flexible enough to slid into the grommet.

Now, I ended up figuring out that I was getting hung up on the other side of the grommet, on that lip I showed. I don't have a pic, unfortunately, but I suggest this process: First, slowly guide the wire through from the engine bay side until you meet some resistance (you'll have to guide the wire through the engine bay-side grommet nipple, then it will hit some resistance). At that point, STOP, then get under the dash, and ensure the guide wire is uncaught from the grommet lip. After it's free, continue pushing the guide wire through so you have a good amount on the interior (I did this install by myself. Having someone else would've been great at this stage).

Now, when laying out the power wire, I figured it was easier to start from the rear, where I was to mount the amp, then run the wire all the way up to the front, where I needed to only pull though about 3' (instead of the opposite, pulling through 7'+). In the trunk, there's a perfect channel above the driver-side rear shock tower where some OEM wiring comes through. I ran the power wire up through there, then down along the OEM wire on the rear side seat area.

After that, I ran the wire along the wiring channel under the carpet (being careful not to hit the airbag impact sensor), then up the side of the OEM wiring behind the under-dash fuse panel.

After the wire was tied up around the clutch master cylinder (to avoid any interference), I taped it to the guide wire, and pulled it through the firewall.

Now, this is where that issue with the KnuKoncepts kit I mentioned above came in to play. Through a series of iterations, snaking the cable from the back all the way up to the front, with the power cable all the way up to the battery, routed how I wanted it, doing so left the cable about 1.5' short of my mounting spot in the OEM foam tray! So, the quality of the KnuKoncepts kit is great, but they do not provide enough length of power cabling, even for a small coupe! I'll be leaving that in the review. Suffice it to say, I needed to get more 8ga cable to make up for the missing section in the rear.

Anywho, onward! After the power cable was routed correctly, I pulled it through the OEM wire loom channel on the frame under the battery. Here, you can see the guide wire poking out from the rearmost opening in the plastic channel, and taped to the power lead.

So, everyone who's read through this Build Thread probably knows by now that a major theme of my build is 'OEM-like', meaning that I want my add-ons to seem like they belong there. I've seen how people simply attached the power lead to the + terminal with a ring connector, and call it a day. IMO, that's far too shabby for my Build (nothing against others' choices; just not what I wanted for my project). I also didn't want an add-on dress-up terminal because, again, that goes against my vision. SO, as you might guess, my only other option is to try to pix in the power cable to the OEM + terminal. Let me say now: Wow, this was a b***********ch! BUT, I'm happy with the outcome. First, I needed to remove the OEM red terminal cover. I went slow in order to not snap the easily-snapable clip ridges.

After that, it was a long, arduous process of using pliers to open up the crimping on the OEM terminal.

Once it was free, here is the mangled product.

Now, I planned on re-crimping all of the wiring, but I first needed to get it back into shape. Here it is hammered flat.

Then shaping the edges up.

Here, all three of the power wires (OEM 2x + the amp's power lead) are twisted together, and placed in the terminal.

...and crimped with the Power of the Car Gods!

Once everything was super-tight, the real test of this work was if the new modified terminal would fit into the OEM red terminal cover.

BAM!

Everything clipped back in place as if it was meant to be! Whew!

Now, I needed to mount the fuse in a place that wouldn't get inundated with water (remember, I have hood vents). There was a prime location just in the massive plastic wire loom mount (right next to the battery, mounted onto that metal brace). I removed that by unclipping it by loosening the two tabs on the tap, unclipped one of the massive clips on the ecu, then moved the assembly aside. Here, you see how I mounted the amp fuse right above the lower OEM wiring (with the green stripe; adjusted for more play) with some 15lb tape and a zip tie). After connecting the power leads, I was, again, hoping the OEM loom mount would click back into place, but no such luck.

JK! BAM! Like it was meant to be!Just looking at the engine bay, you'd never know an amp lead was installed because it looks OEM! Mission: Accomplished!

Here's a down shot showing how the lead blends right in.

After all of that, I securely re-taped the OEM firewall grommet, and re-installed the battery.

Once all of the engine bay work was done, it was just a series of tightening up the power lead from front to back. While running the cable from back to front, I zip-tied in places, but kept the tie loose for adjustments as I went (good forethought there). Now, I tightened all the ties, clipping off the ends, working my way to the trunk. Here's the other side of the firewall grommet, all re-secured and taped.

At the rear, the process was relatively simple, just re-wiring the sub in parallel. That said, used the Metra harness to the OEM sub clip as a lead for the high-level inputs. First, I measured out the length of cabling I needed, crimped all the connectors on, and wired everything up so I could test it. Huzzah! Everything worked perfectly! After that was done, it was just a matter of routing and beautification.

Part of the reason I chose this amp was due to its dimensions. The amp fits so perfectly into a slot in the foam tray. Check this out! It's so satisfying!

Here, you can see the cabling on top of the foam tray.

BUT, I wanted it a bit cleaner, so I carefully drilled a hole in the foam (PRO TIP: spin the drill bit backward!), cut a bit out with a small blade, and used a small bit of heat for rounding.

Here's the finalized set-up.

While I was in the car, with panels removed, I wanted to take the opportunity to try to fix the plastic rear deck cover rattle. During the kicker sub install, I dynamated the rear deck. The deck itself is fine, but the plastic cover must've loosened across time (even though it seems tight). With the right bass freq (around 60-65hz), there's an annoying rattle. So, I took some time to tighten things up. I TESA-taped the rear panel tabs, which slot into the metal rear deck...

...ran some foam insulation along the lower edge of the plastic cover, where it meets the glass...

...added a couple pieces of foam on top of the rear speaker screws (I thought they might be tapping against the underside of the plastic cover)...

...and added a small piece of electric tape (with a + cut into it) over the four clip holes in order just tighten up the clip's holding power.

Whew, what a process! After all was done, I buttoned everything up!

Now, was all of this worth it? Heck yeah! For ~$250 all-inclusive, I quadrupled the power to the sub. Instantly, it slapped harder, and with some adjustments on V4A, the system hits! The bass does not fall off when the volume is maxed out, and at the level, everything sounds well-balanced! It's amazing. Overall, super happy I also didn't mess up any OEM wiring at the firewall grommet, and, in the end, only two flimsy plastic clips were lost . Easily replaced upon re-installing the panels (I got extras from the store). Also, as of now, the plastic rear deck cover doesn't rattle, but I'll have to play some test tones to be sure. That said, everything outside the car doesn't rattle at all, and the bass inside HITS!

Thanks for reading!

 

[websitesdown]

...Continuing the thread for the GC+ turbo install!

Coupled with the OE Honda manual, I used this wonderful video from Rick's Garage to help guide the TIP and turbo removal. Thanks, Rick!

I replaced all the gaskets with new from the block all the way down:

• Block to turbo (Part No.: 18233-59B-004)
• Turbo to DP (Part No.: 18234-59B-004)
• DP/FP (got a new one from 27won)
• Parts for the oil feed lines + the coolant lines:
  • oil inlet gasket (Part No.: 15535-6A0-A00)
  • oil return line gasket at the turbo (Part No.: 15544-59B-003) & new screen (Part No.: 15533-59B-003)
  • coolant gasket (Part No.: 19524-59B-004).

Note: some of the bolts involved with this project are specific to their location. So, take care to check which bolts you remove. For example, for the TIP here, the gold bolt is for the driver's side bushing, while the silver bolt is for the passenger side.

Removing the TIP bolts is tricky! Be careful! Here's one...

...and the trickiest is totally hidden. Slide a socket in right here to find it.

Then, removed the upper O2 sensor using a 22mm O2 sensor socket.

TIP removed (getting it out is a b***************ch!), and now bathing the critical turbo and DP nots & bolts with PB Blaster.

Three baths of PB, then we try our luck!

Wow! Can't believe my luck!

4x DP studs/nuts + 4x turbo studs/nuts, and ZERO SNAPPED!

DP removed, then starting to remove the turbo coolant lines. I first crimped the upper line at the thermostat (blue/black lock pliers), then removed the upper line...

...and, in case anyone is wondering, one bolt from the TIP fits perfectly to plug this line (clean it first!).

Afterward, I removed the lock pliers, then reused them to crimp the lower coolant line before removing the coolant port at the turbo (I did not disconnect the coolant lines from the inlet ports to the turbo itself. Rather, I simply removed the 10mm bolts for the coolant line bracket on the turbo itself. Worked fine!

Then, I removed the turbo support bracket (which also was a b***************ch to re-install! See more below.). Note: the bolts are specific to their locations.

After that, I removed the upper oil feed line at both the turbo AND at the block. I replaced both the copper washer at the upper banjo (for good reason), and the small filter screen at the block oil entry port. Note: that copper banjo washer is NOT to be reused. Get a new one.

I only removed the two 10mm bolts for the lower oil return line at the turbo. I did not remove it from the block. After that, I released the turbo nuts and bolts, then pulled it out from the top.

...never thought I'd see here 'exit port'.

Now, thinking ahead for possible removal for smog, I was thinking of replacing all of the turbo studs with Rampage Fab titanium studs, BUT then I figured that a tech might see the shiny studs, and become suspicious. So, I left the OEM studs in, and only placed two titanium studs in the lower holes (which will be covered by the heat shields).

Okay, now, with the OEM turbo out, time two swap over three things: 1. The wastegate actuator, 2. the coolant bracket studs, and 3. the one TIP stud. For the wastegate actuator, an H3 Allen is in order (when reinstalling, do not over-torque!).

Now, removing the wastegate actuator itself is a bit tricky because the car shuts off with the wastegate totally closed (makes sense). So, if you try to remove the actuator as it sits, you can't clear the arm from the wastegate stud. Here, it's fully closed.

The Solution (thanks to Sport-injected!): extent the wastegate actuator arm by pulling on the wastegate. CAUTION: pull on the wastegate post, NOT the actuator arm! Also, do not even think about removing the nut on the wastegate actuator! It will take some effort to pull on the wastegate post in order to extent the actuator arm. Here, I tugged it open about 3/4", which worked fine.

When reinstalling onto the Vargas turbo, I was careful not to roughly handle the wastegate actuator. I installed the actuator just like the removal, then reset the wastegate to fully closed by pushing on the wastegate post. I figured the wastegate itself would simply reset upon start-up, but I didn't want the system to wig out, so, I just reset the actuator arm position to where it was. After that, swapped over the coolant bracket studs. Here is a pic of the orientation of the coolant bracket gasket. Note the orientation.

I used the double-nut trick. Note the 'long side' of the studs are outward-facing.

OKAY, everything is ready to go back in! Torqued to spec, 33lb-ft.

Now, ... this turbo support bracket... I'm pretty sure I created new swear words. The major issue is that the bracket hits the Vargas turbo here...

So, similar to @Neddih's post, I needed to grind some of the bracket down, and widen that adjacent hole. From this...

...to this:

This whole process of trial-and-error, test-fitting, grinding, and not being able to get those damn bolts in took me an hour! FnA, I never want to deal with that again. Easily the hardest, most annoying thing I've dealt with on this car.

Calming down, took a short break after that fight, reinstalled the coolant feed bracket, and the oil return line. Note: for the oil return line, there is a ridge around the center hole.

Unfortunately, I didn't catch the orientation of the OE gasket, but by visualizing the marks on the return line mating surface...

I figured the 'pressure points' are darkened, so, I installed the gasket with the ridge down (facing the mating surface of the return line), tab forward. So far, no leaks!

After that, I primed the turbo with new oil. Now, some folks will remove the fuel injector & ignition fuses, then let the engine crank for 10-15 seconds after everything is connected. However, seems like Honda just recommends filling the turbo's oil hole with fresh oil, as the oil pressure on start-up is quick enough to not starve the turbo. I followed this method with the classic 3rd-grade Straw-Plug™ technique: dip straw in oil, plug top with finger, unplug top to let oil flow.

Worked perfectly! Only took a small amount.

Lastly, buttoning up the heat shields, the upper DP heat should would not get into place! Not sure what the deal was, but I spent far more time than I should on this. Frustrated enough to be inspired, I had the brilliant idea to put the bolts in to first, THEN cut out some slots in the heat shield in order to slide it into place. Worked great!

Sheesh! What an adventure! Happy I got this done, took 10 hours by myself, with a lot of sweat & swearing, and some blood, but, thus far, everything worked perfectly!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helps someone!

I have a 2019 si and have a gc+ I'm installing this weekend. What's that banjo gasket part number? I'm trying to get it ordered if possible. I didn't foresee not having a gasket for the install until I read this post by you.

 

[Doc_Mello]

I have a 2019 si and have a gc+ I'm installing this weekend. What's that banjo gasket part number? I'm trying to get it ordered if possible. I didn't foresee not having a gasket for the install until I read this post by you.

Yeah, that’s the oil inlet gasket: 15535-6A0-A00

Looks like this.

Taking the advice of others, I replaced all involved gaskets/o-rings. Cheap insurance.

 

[websitesdown]

Yeah, that’s the oil inlet gasket: 15535-6A0-A00

Looks like this.

Taking the advice of others, I replaced all involved gaskets/o-rings. Cheap insurance.

Yep sounds like I'm not installing it this weekend then lol.

So I need these gaskets. Gasket 1, Gasket 2, Gasket 3, Gasket 4, Gasket 5, Gasket 6 for all of them to be covered?

Any I'm missing any of the stuff needed here?

Thank you by the way.

 

[Doc_Mello]

Yep sounds like I'm not installing it this weekend then lol.

So I need these gaskets. Gasket 1, Gasket 2, Gasket 3, Gasket 4, Gasket 5, Gasket 6 for all of them to be covered?

Any I'm missing any of the stuff needed here?

Thank you by the way.

Looks good for the most part. What about the dp/fp gasket? Are you reusing an OEM or aftermarket gasket there?

I'd also recommend replacing the two ring gaskets between the TIP and turbo: 17285-5AA-A01 & 17286-5AA-A01 On mine, I could only get one of those, so, I reused the other. Had no issue, but I would've replaced both if I could. Now, I have the PRL inlet, which came with gaskets.

Are you aware of the snapping turbo/dp bolt issue?

 

[websitesdown]

Looks good for the most part. What about the dp/fp gasket? Are you reusing an OEM or aftermarket gasket there?

I'd also recommend replacing the two ring gaskets between the TIP and turbo: 17285-5AA-A01 & 17286-5AA-A01 On mine, I could only get one of those, so, I reused the other. Had no issue, but I would've replaced both if I could. Now, I have the PRL inlet, which came with gaskets.

Are you aware of the snapping turbo/dp bolt issue?

I have a MAPerformance Civic X 1.5T Catted Downpipe and also put the RAMPAGE Titanium Exhaust Stud Kit - FK8 Civic Type-R - BURNT, on when I did the full exhaust. I have the new PRL Turbo Inlet Pipe sitting here so then I have those two o ring gaskets, that's good at least. I could get a new DP gasket from MAPerformance while I'm at it I guess?

 

[Doc_Mello]

I have a MAPerformance Civic X 1.5T Catted Downpipe and also put the RAMPAGE Titanium Exhaust Stud Kit - FK8 Civic Type-R - BURNT, on when I did the full exhaust. I have the new PRL Turbo Inlet Pipe sitting here so then I have those two o ring gaskets, that's good at least. I could get a new DP gasket from MAPerformance while I'm at it I guess?

Ah, dope. You’re probably GtG with reusing the DP/FP gasket.

 

[websitesdown]

How important is this gasket? Gasket 1. I can't seem to get it anywhere.

If it's just a screen I should be able to clean it and reuse it right, or no?

I got it through my local honda dealership never mind. They could get it to me by Tuesday coming up so I paid the $40. Now I have all the gaskets, sometime next week.

I have a new PCV valve coming as well.

 

[Sport-injected]

How important is this gasket? Gasket 1. I can't seem to get it anywhere.

If it's just a screen I should be able to clean it and reuse it right, or no?

I got it through my local honda dealership never mind. They could get it to me by Tuesday coming up so I paid the $40. Now I have all the gaskets, sometime next week.

I have a new PCV valve coming as well.

Just don't loose your stock one, it's the o-ring screen on the oil supply line. You should be fine to reuse it. Just seen you found one. It's an expensive little guy for sure

 

[websitesdown]

Just don't loose your stock one, it's the o-ring screen on the oil supply line. You should be fine to reuse it. Just seen you found one. It's an expensive little guy for sure

Right, damn cheap 5 penny $40 piece.

 

[Neosky]

Next Chapter: Power for the Sub!

So, a while ago, I performed the OEM+ Kicker subwoofer upgrade. I knew at the time that it was a good upgrade from the OEM garbage sub, but I also knew that the OEM amplified system wasn't pushing that much wattage. In fact, someone else on here measured the wattage to the sub at 75W. Terrible, given the Kicker can handle 200W RMS, and 400W total. The sub + Viper4Android worked well to increase the bass from stock, but the bass fell off around Volume 20, which is at half of the whole volume scale! Above 20, the highs were clear, but there was barely any bass, and certainly not like I wanted. Thus, I figured I'd have to upgrade at some point.

Now, there's been a recent conversation that renewed my interest in this issue. My sub is the Kicker DVC wired in parallel for 2ohms, which means I was in a good position for a mono amp that could pump out more wattage! After following that thread, I decided on the Kicker amp recommended by @Rycomm. The Kicker cx400.1t (an undated version) amp is capable of 300W @ 2ohm, which seemed perfect for pushing the Kicker sub I had installed. So, I ordered all of the components, and on we go!

Kicker recommends an 8ga lead with a 40a fuse. The KnuKoncepts seemed to fit the bill, BUT, as you'll see later on, there was an issue with it, a somewhat small and annoying issue, but an issue nonetheless. I also ordered a speaker cable-to-RCA adapter because I wanted to utilize the high-level input from the sub's speaker wiring, and not have to run RCAs from the deck all the way back. Lastly, I ordered some braided loom for aesthetics.

Now, the first order of business was to remove the interior paneling to access a channel through which to run the power cable from the battery. #SM46 of the manual has a series of instructions for removing the panels, and the ones I removed were (in this order):

• Driver-side door sill trim
• Under-Dash Fuse kick panel (the one with the hood latch pull handle)
• Rear seat cushion
• Driver-side rear seat side panel
• Center trunk covering (the one that covers the spare tire area)
• Rearmost lower trunk panel (at the latch)
• Driver-side trunk covering

Now, once those were off, and while I was awaiting delivery of the parts, I prepped for running the battery through the firewall. There are a variety of methods people have used on here, some going through the cable latch grommet, but I did that already for my underglow kit, and didn't want to shove yet another cable through there (it was a B last time). I also wasn't going to drill a new hole in the firewall itself, so, the next best option was to run through the main cable grommet right behind the battery (up and between the clutch and brake pedals). First, I removed the battery and metal tray (remove the tray! Makes things so much easier!). Here's the grommet from the engine bay.

Here's that same grommet from inside the car. Now, you can see that I removed some of the OEM electrical tape. I used my 90-degree pick to carefully remove the tape. BE CAREFUL! The rubber grommet is flexible, and easy into which to poke a hole! I went super-slowly, and was able to remove the tape with no issue, luckily. Now, here, you see the slit in the grommet (I'm pulling gently on one lip of the grommet end)? That's OEM. I did not cut that slit, and it was super helpful for passing through the cable.

In the engine bay, I used my pick to remove some of the tape, and cut a small hole in the remaining tape. Again, be very careful! Patience pays out well here. Afterward, I tried a variety of methods of passing a guide wire through one side of the grommet to the other. I found the easiest was from the engine bay, and I tried a variety of materials, but kept on getting hung up on something inside the cabin/firewall. I found that using some old coaxial cable was a good idea because it was about the size of the 8ga power wire, and it was stiff-but-flexible enough to slid into the grommet.

Now, I ended up figuring out that I was getting hung up on the other side of the grommet, on that lip I showed. I don't have a pic, unfortunately, but I suggest this process: First, slowly guide the wire through from the engine bay side until you meet some resistance (you'll have to guide the wire through the engine bay-side grommet nipple, then it will hit some resistance). At that point, STOP, then get under the dash, and ensure the guide wire is uncaught from the grommet lip. After it's free, continue pushing the guide wire through so you have a good amount on the interior (I did this install by myself. Having someone else would've been great at this stage).

Now, when laying out the power wire, I figured it was easier to start from the rear, where I was to mount the amp, then run the wire all the way up to the front, where I needed to only pull though about 3' (instead of the opposite, pulling through 7'+). In the trunk, there's a perfect channel above the driver-side rear shock tower where some OEM wiring comes through. I ran the power wire up through there, then down along the OEM wire on the rear side seat area.

After that, I ran the wire along the wiring channel under the carpet (being careful not to hit the airbag impact sensor), then up the side of the OEM wiring behind the under-dash fuse panel.

After the wire was tied up around the clutch master cylinder (to avoid any interference), I taped it to the guide wire, and pulled it through the firewall.

Now, this is where that issue with the KnuKoncepts kit I mentioned above came in to play. Through a series of iterations, snaking the cable from the back all the way up to the front, with the power cable all the way up to the battery, routed how I wanted it, doing so left the cable about 1.5' short of my mounting spot in the OEM foam tray! So, the quality of the KnuKoncepts kit is great, but they do not provide enough length of power cabling, even for a small coupe! I'll be leaving that in the review. Suffice it to say, I needed to get more 8ga cable to make up for the missing section in the rear.

Anywho, onward! After the power cable was routed correctly, I pulled it through the OEM wire loom channel on the frame under the battery. Here, you can see the guide wire poking out from the rearmost opening in the plastic channel, and taped to the power lead.

So, everyone who's read through this Build Thread probably knows by now that a major theme of my build is 'OEM-like', meaning that I want my add-ons to seem like they belong there. I've seen how people simply attached the power lead to the + terminal with a ring connector, and call it a day. IMO, that's far too shabby for my Build (nothing against others' choices; just not what I wanted for my project). I also didn't want an add-on dress-up terminal because, again, that goes against my vision. SO, as you might guess, my only other option is to try to pix in the power cable to the OEM + terminal. Let me say now: Wow, this was a b***********ch! BUT, I'm happy with the outcome. First, I needed to remove the OEM red terminal cover. I went slow in order to not snap the easily-snapable clip ridges.

After that, it was a long, arduous process of using pliers to open up the crimping on the OEM terminal.

Once it was free, here is the mangled product.

Now, I planned on re-crimping all of the wiring, but I first needed to get it back into shape. Here it is hammered flat.

Then shaping the edges up.

Here, all three of the power wires (OEM 2x + the amp's power lead) are twisted together, and placed in the terminal.

...and crimped with the Power of the Car Gods!

Once everything was super-tight, the real test of this work was if the new modified terminal would fit into the OEM red terminal cover.

BAM!

Everything clipped back in place as if it was meant to be! Whew!

Now, I needed to mount the fuse in a place that wouldn't get inundated with water (remember, I have hood vents). There was a prime location just in the massive plastic wire loom mount (right next to the battery, mounted onto that metal brace). I removed that by unclipping it by loosening the two tabs on the tap, unclipped one of the massive clips on the ecu, then moved the assembly aside. Here, you see how I mounted the amp fuse right above the lower OEM wiring (with the green stripe; adjusted for more play) with some 15lb tape and a zip tie). After connecting the power leads, I was, again, hoping the OEM loom mount would click back into place, but no such luck.

JK! BAM! Like it was meant to be!Just looking at the engine bay, you'd never know an amp lead was installed because it looks OEM! Mission: Accomplished!

Here's a down shot showing how the lead blends right in.

After all of that, I securely re-taped the OEM firewall grommet, and re-installed the battery.

Once all of the engine bay work was done, it was just a series of tightening up the power lead from front to back. While running the cable from back to front, I zip-tied in places, but kept the tie loose for adjustments as I went (good forethought there). Now, I tightened all the ties, clipping off the ends, working my way to the trunk. Here's the other side of the firewall grommet, all re-secured and taped.

At the rear, the process was relatively simple, just re-wiring the sub in parallel. That said, used the Metra harness to the OEM sub clip as a lead for the high-level inputs. First, I measured out the length of cabling I needed, crimped all the connectors on, and wired everything up so I could test it. Huzzah! Everything worked perfectly! After that was done, it was just a matter of routing and beautification.

Part of the reason I chose this amp was due to its dimensions. The amp fits so perfectly into a slot in the foam tray. Check this out! It's so satisfying!

Here, you can see the cabling on top of the foam tray.

BUT, I wanted it a bit cleaner, so I carefully drilled a hole in the foam (PRO TIP: spin the drill bit backward!), cut a bit out with a small blade, and used a small bit of heat for rounding.

Here's the finalized set-up.

While I was in the car, with panels removed, I wanted to take the opportunity to try to fix the plastic rear deck cover rattle. During the kicker sub install, I dynamated the rear deck. The deck itself is fine, but the plastic cover must've loosened across time (even though it seems tight). With the right bass freq (around 60-65hz), there's an annoying rattle. So, I took some time to tighten things up. I TESA-taped the rear panel tabs, which slot into the metal rear deck...

...ran some foam insulation along the lower edge of the plastic cover, where it meets the glass...

...added a couple pieces of foam on top of the rear speaker screws (I thought they might be tapping against the underside of the plastic cover)...

...and added a small piece of electric tape (with a + cut into it) over the four clip holes in order just tighten up the clip's holding power.

Whew, what a process! After all was done, I buttoned everything up!

Now, was all of this worth it? Heck yeah! For ~$250 all-inclusive, I quadrupled the power to the sub. Instantly, it slapped harder, and with some adjustments on V4A, the system hits! The bass does not fall off when the volume is maxed out, and at the level, everything sounds well-balanced! It's amazing. Overall, super happy I also didn't mess up any OEM wiring at the firewall grommet, and, in the end, only two flimsy plastic clips were lost . Easily replaced upon re-installing the panels (I got extras from the store). Also, as of now, the plastic rear deck cover doesn't rattle, but I'll have to play some test tones to be sure. That said, everything outside the car doesn't rattle at all, and the bass inside HITS!

Thanks for reading!

Oooo where’d you get that Si cover on the brake fluid area? I want some cheap +5hp.

 

[websitesdown]

...Continuing the thread for the GC+ turbo install!

Coupled with the OE Honda manual, I used this wonderful video from Rick's Garage to help guide the TIP and turbo removal. Thanks, Rick!

I replaced all the gaskets with new from the block all the way down:

• Block to turbo (Part No.: 18233-59B-004)
• Turbo to DP (Part No.: 18234-59B-004)
• DP/FP (got a new one from 27won)
• Parts for the oil feed lines + the coolant lines:
  • oil inlet gasket (Part No.: 15535-6A0-A00)
  • oil return line gasket at the turbo (Part No.: 15544-59B-003) & new screen (Part No.: 15533-59B-003)
  • coolant gasket (Part No.: 19524-59B-004).

Note: some of the bolts involved with this project are specific to their location. So, take care to check which bolts you remove. For example, for the TIP here, the gold bolt is for the driver's side bushing, while the silver bolt is for the passenger side.

Removing the TIP bolts is tricky! Be careful! Here's one...

...and the trickiest is totally hidden. Slide a socket in right here to find it.

Then, removed the upper O2 sensor using a 22mm O2 sensor socket.

TIP removed (getting it out is a b***************ch!), and now bathing the critical turbo and DP nots & bolts with PB Blaster.

Three baths of PB, then we try our luck!

Wow! Can't believe my luck!

4x DP studs/nuts + 4x turbo studs/nuts, and ZERO SNAPPED!

DP removed, then starting to remove the turbo coolant lines. I first crimped the upper line at the thermostat (blue/black lock pliers), then removed the upper line...

...and, in case anyone is wondering, one bolt from the TIP fits perfectly to plug this line (clean it first!).

Afterward, I removed the lock pliers, then reused them to crimp the lower coolant line before removing the coolant port at the turbo (I did not disconnect the coolant lines from the inlet ports to the turbo itself. Rather, I simply removed the 10mm bolts for the coolant line bracket on the turbo itself. Worked fine!

Then, I removed the turbo support bracket (which also was a b***************ch to re-install! See more below.). Note: the bolts are specific to their locations.

After that, I removed the upper oil feed line at both the turbo AND at the block. I replaced both the copper washer at the upper banjo (for good reason), and the small filter screen at the block oil entry port. Note: that copper banjo washer is NOT to be reused. Get a new one.

I only removed the two 10mm bolts for the lower oil return line at the turbo. I did not remove it from the block. After that, I released the turbo nuts and bolts, then pulled it out from the top.

...never thought I'd see here 'exit port'.

Now, thinking ahead for possible removal for smog, I was thinking of replacing all of the turbo studs with Rampage Fab titanium studs, BUT then I figured that a tech might see the shiny studs, and become suspicious. So, I left the OEM studs in, and only placed two titanium studs in the lower holes (which will be covered by the heat shields).

Okay, now, with the OEM turbo out, time two swap over three things: 1. The wastegate actuator, 2. the coolant bracket studs, and 3. the one TIP stud. For the wastegate actuator, an H3 Allen is in order (when reinstalling, do not over-torque!).

Now, removing the wastegate actuator itself is a bit tricky because the car shuts off with the wastegate totally closed (makes sense). So, if you try to remove the actuator as it sits, you can't clear the arm from the wastegate stud. Here, it's fully closed.

The Solution (thanks to Sport-injected!): extent the wastegate actuator arm by pulling on the wastegate. CAUTION: pull on the wastegate post, NOT the actuator arm! Also, do not even think about removing the nut on the wastegate actuator! It will take some effort to pull on the wastegate post in order to extent the actuator arm. Here, I tugged it open about 3/4", which worked fine.

When reinstalling onto the Vargas turbo, I was careful not to roughly handle the wastegate actuator. I installed the actuator just like the removal, then reset the wastegate to fully closed by pushing on the wastegate post. I figured the wastegate itself would simply reset upon start-up, but I didn't want the system to wig out, so, I just reset the actuator arm position to where it was. After that, swapped over the coolant bracket studs. Here is a pic of the orientation of the coolant bracket gasket. Note the orientation.

I used the double-nut trick. Note the 'long side' of the studs are outward-facing.

OKAY, everything is ready to go back in! Torqued to spec, 33lb-ft.

Now, ... this turbo support bracket... I'm pretty sure I created new swear words. The major issue is that the bracket hits the Vargas turbo here...

So, similar to @Neddih's post, I needed to grind some of the bracket down, and widen that adjacent hole. From this...

...to this:

This whole process of trial-and-error, test-fitting, grinding, and not being able to get those damn bolts in took me an hour! FnA, I never want to deal with that again. Easily the hardest, most annoying thing I've dealt with on this car.

Calming down, took a short break after that fight, reinstalled the coolant feed bracket, and the oil return line. Note: for the oil return line, there is a ridge around the center hole.

Unfortunately, I didn't catch the orientation of the OE gasket, but by visualizing the marks on the return line mating surface...

I figured the 'pressure points' are darkened, so, I installed the gasket with the ridge down (facing the mating surface of the return line), tab forward. So far, no leaks!

After that, I primed the turbo with new oil. Now, some folks will remove the fuel injector & ignition fuses, then let the engine crank for 10-15 seconds after everything is connected. However, seems like Honda just recommends filling the turbo's oil hole with fresh oil, as the oil pressure on start-up is quick enough to not starve the turbo. I followed this method with the classic 3rd-grade Straw-Plug™ technique: dip straw in oil, plug top with finger, unplug top to let oil flow.

Worked perfectly! Only took a small amount.

Lastly, buttoning up the heat shields, the upper DP heat should would not get into place! Not sure what the deal was, but I spent far more time than I should on this. Frustrated enough to be inspired, I had the brilliant idea to put the bolts in to first, THEN cut out some slots in the heat shield in order to slide it into place. Worked great!

Sheesh! What an adventure! Happy I got this done, took 10 hours by myself, with a lot of sweat & swearing, and some blood, but, thus far, everything worked perfectly!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helps someone!

Which part did you pull on? I highlighted the two spots I think you're talking about pulling on.

Thank you.

Also, I was sent the oil inlet gasket looking like this is it ok to install or is it ruined?

 

[Doc_Mello]

Which part did you pull on? I highlighted the two spots I think you're talking about pulling on.

Thank you.

Also, I was sent the oil inlet gasket looking like this is it ok to install or is it ruined?

SRY, just saw this!

WRT the wastegate: I pulled gently on the right-hand side, on the upward protruding knob there, directly in-line with the actuator arm, straight away from the actuator itself. It might take a bit of force, and you’ll feel a bit of resistance. Go carefully. Ensure you keep the direction of the pull parallel to the how straight that arm is. Make sense?

As for that gasket: yeesh. Try to carefully extend it. If it breaks, I suspect you could still you the copper gaskets.

 

[websitesdown]

SRY, just saw this!

WRT the wastegate: I pulled gently on the right-hand side, on the upward protruding knob there, directly in-line with the actuator arm, straight away from the actuator itself. It might take a bit of force, and you’ll feel a bit of resistance. Go carefully. Ensure you keep the direction of the pull parallel to the how straight that arm is. Make sense?

As for that gasket: yeesh. Try to carefully extend it. If it breaks, I suspect you could still you the copper gaskets.

No problem!

Thank you for the response. I got the GC+ in and the new PRL TIP and got her new tune flashed. I let it idle for thirty minutes then drove it under 4k rpms for 50 miles around the hood. Got back to around my house and opened her up and holy shit this turbo sounds amaze balls. She was ripping second, third fourth, wow.

No leaks everything is sealed up good. I noticed when we took off my DP the guy who put my exhaust on had the bolts loose. All the bolts came right out everywhere, no issues. I obviously tightened things up better than he did. That banjo gasket worked out good too. I was just really careful and opened it back up how they folded it / crushed it.

Radiator fluid all over my entire body LMFAO. I grinded down my turbo bracket. Thank you for pointing that out because I had my brother go get his grinder based off of your work on yours and sure as shit, I had to grind it down and out.

The one gripe I have is no one mentioned the stud from the old turbo and whether or not to take it out and reuse it for the TIP. We did not reuse that stud, we just used all bolts. We lost two heat shield bolts and I had to dig through all of my spare bolts to find replacements lol. Thirty years of collecting bolts paid off finally.

Thank you everyone who put up with me stressing out the last three weeks! I'm going to go collect my logs for drob tomorrow and hopefully get more sleep because I've had none lol.

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