New to the forums, new to the car world. This is my first project car that I was fortunate enough to receive the title of when my friend moved to Italy. I'm sure there are several forum posts that contain all the information I need, but with my limited time to use a computer, it would be a great help if I was able to get feedback from the forums and or link drops. Thanks in advance! Anyways, about the car, currently deployed so I won't be able to provide any pictures BUT i'll do my best to explain what my initial concerns with it are. (Running a stock KA24E single cam)

Problem 1: Engine overheats. My friend said it had something to do with a leak coming from the lower intake manifold. There's a little L shaped pipe coming from Lower Manifold that's rusted out and leaks water. He said he'd have to stop every so often and put more water in the car. Just wanted a little positive reinforcement that that was the issue before I drop 300 dollars on an aftermarket Intake Manifold.

Problem 2: Transmission won't kick into 5th gear? Friend said he couldn't get the car into overdrive and hit 5th gear. It's an automatic transmission, btw, I've already had several of my friends back home tell me my best bet would just do 5 speed MT conversion, which is what i'm probably going to do. Just wanted to know the average cost of a full transmission swap would be? Minus the labor.

As of right now, problem 1 is the only thing preventing it from driving over 2 miles before having to stop and let the engine cool down. Problem 2 only becomes an issue really when I hit the expressways (currently stationed in San Diego, traffic slows me down to like 30mph average) Any assistance, links, feedback is greatly appreciated!

welcome to NICO!

A new manifold won't be the fix to your leak. More than likely, it's probably a degraded gasket or rotten hose causing the leak. Your best bet is when you get back from deployment is to look at the hoses and see where exactly the leak is coming from. A rusty elbow could be the cause, but there's a lot of connectors and fittings under the manifold.

It's been a while since I've checked on the prices for an MT swap. Google would be your best friend on that.

Hijacker wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 06, 2018 5:16 pm

welcome to NICO!

A new manifold won't be the fix to your leak. More than likely, it's probably a degraded gasket or rotten hose causing the leak. Your best bet is when you get back from deployment is to look at the hoses and see where exactly the leak is coming from. A rusty elbow could be the cause, but there's a lot of connectors and fittings under the manifold.

It's been a while since I've checked on the prices for an MT swap. Google would be your best friend on that.

Appreciate the input! I'll definitely be putting time into checking the car from end to end, especially the motor. Asides from that, do you happen to know anything about the wiring harness? If I end up doing a MT swap, I read that i'd have to replace the wiring harness, which sounds about right. All I can find wiring harness wise are for engines other than the KA24E. Do you happen to know the compatibility of other wiring harnesses that aren't specific to the KA24E or am I just not looking hard enough for one?

You're going to have a tough time getting the auto to shift into 5th gear, mostly because its a 4 speed auto.