By Nikolaj (130.161.173.12) on Monday, October 29, 2001 - 04:55 am:

Okay, finally my car is running again...after over a month! I've put in the EN(4) engine, shaved the head to the max, lightened the flywheel (50%) and used that lumpier cam. I am not yet brave enough to try and pull to high revs as the valves have been regrinded and the new cam has to wear in to the head.. How long do I have to wait? The engine now feels unbelievably strong for a mere 1.3! Can't wait to go higher up... I figure my cam is retarded about 5-6 degrees (is this good?) and I can't get my distributors timing on the dot, but very near though! The pulley on the EN has 3 marks, and I get it in between the two left ones. Is this good enough or should I now look for a pulley-gear for the cam. Where do I get these?? And I now really need a manifold able to get all that energy out...that's what I think!
But I was gonna tell you all about my stupidity. I was so convinced everything ought to be the same, that I used my EB clutch on the EN flywheel. Didn't understand how it was I couldn't get the clutch to work....so I had the thing apart twice more than should have been! Now I've learned there are little differences everywhere, and you should measure before thinking all will fit. It may fit and look right, yet isn't! Like the exhaust mount to the engine which has a different spacing (why??), so I can no longer mount the exhaust. Also, the bigger exhaust manifold will never fit the older civic, there is so little room in front of the engine below!
Oh yeah, does anyone know if a higher CR means I need a bigger battery for the start?? My battery hardly gets the whole thing to move, then as the starter gets it around once...blam, it goes! I do need to give it some gas for the start, and the choke kills it straight away! Is this all normal, seeing I have what I have?? Once warm idle is very good compared to the prophecy of many "specialists", it just wasn't gonna be any good!!
Anyway it's been one hell of a learning experience and the improvement is my greatest yet!

By Todd (63.50.56.15) on Monday, October 29, 2001 - 12:05 pm:

You think it runs good now, wait until you get the cam degreed in the correct way. Give it another 500 miles or so just to make sure everything is broke in good.
Higher comp ratio does make the engine harder to turn over. Get a gear reduction starter from the 80-83 cars to make it better.

By Andrew Fatseas (203.102.206.3) on Monday, October 29, 2001 - 04:35 pm:

Yes, Todd is right. I've got an EN1 with high CR, and I'm using a 1984 Accord starter. Spins the engine very easily. The original starter hardly turned the engine over and killed the battery before I even got the car started.

Not sure what your comments about different exhaust manifold relate to. The EN1 block and exhaust is almost identical to the EB3 - everything lined up. Perhaps the EN4 is different...

By Nikolaj (130.161.173.24) on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 02:51 am:

Thanx, I have the starter from the EN, just cause it had a different plug I decided to go with the stock 1200 one..
I've done a keyword serach on the cam gear thing and found some guy had a good idea, to make a new hole for the thing that holds the cam at the other side of the pulley, only a few degrees advanced.
I don't know how I should get a pulley-gear on a short notice...