4.8t

Guy at work has a cracked head on his accord with f22. I have a f23 head that is new. Both are non vtec. Can I put this head on his motor? He is kinda tight on money so I'm trying to help him out.

hondamark35

the head will bolt on and should work no problem. reusing the F22 (B2, Ax?) manifolds may be an issue. i can't tell you which timing belt to use, but i would guess he'll need the F23 belt.

my honest opinion though is that even giving him the head for free may be doing him a disservice. if there is not enough money to purchase a good head, i would assume there is no money available to resurface the deck which is almost always needed when a new/different head is assembled with an old/used block. whatever is decided though, i would recommend using copper gasket spray at assembly.

4.8t

Yeah I was wondering about the manifolds. I think he already resurfaced the block. He changed the gasket but the car starts to smoke (steam) out the exhaust in stop and go traffic. That's why he thinks its a cracked head.

Falcro

I agree... even if he has resurfaced the block, your head, albeit a good used part is not going to be perfectly flat so it will need to be to insure a good seal, if you can't do this then definitely use the copper coat to help things seal. I am an engine builder by trade, so I have seen this a few times. my other concern would be a "flipped" gasket, assuming he has already tried changing the gasket before. Most newer cars have overcome this issue but if one hole or port is mis-aligned it can/will leak no matter how well you did the job. I always recommend resurfacing the head when changing a gasket. the F23 belt should work but I would dry roll the engine first just to make sure things are not getting too cozy, or are drifting too far apart lol these engines are fickle in their relationships.

4.8t

well from what i have found so far the manifolds will swap over. found a write up where a guy put a f23 intake on a f22 head. and the part number for the exhaust manifold gaskets are the same. so this tells me these part will work. i can't seem to find a damn cam gear to check part numbers on.

4.8t

I'll have him get some copper spray though. Should I use the f22 head gasket?

red92ej

What year accord is it that he cracked the head on?

red92ej

The 90-93 f22 and the 94-97 have a way different intake set up

4.8t

It's a 97 accord.

Falcro

The 1990-93 and the 1997 use the same timing belt so the gears should be the same style tooth. There may be some casting differences so if you are retaining the gear on the head be sure to check clearances for the rotation once the head is sitting on the engine. I would use the old head gasket from one of the engines to put the head on temporarily, bolt it down with the outermost four head bolts (don't bother torquing them) snugly so that everything is where it should be, then rotate the gear a couple of full rotations making sure that it clears all the castings and covers. (should go without saying but.. make sure all your pistons are low enough in the bore that they can't contact the valves while you do this) I would also double check the depth to make sure it won't rub on the cover once it is all together. Generally the castings are not too different. but you never know. One small tab or protrusion can ruin your day. I hope this helps you. GL

NZXTInerTia

The intake manifolds are identical. People commonly run (including myself) F23A1 manifolds on F22 heads. They have larger runners and a massive plenum. So yes you can use the F23 head with the F22 Manifold no problem.

hondamark35

Please be more specific as the term "F22" can cause confusion. F22Bx not F22A manifolds will (...per what's been posted) work on F23A1. F22A shares intake and exhaust patterns with the USDM H23 and neither are a direct fit to the F23Ax.

NZXTInerTia

Ok, F23A1 manifold (I.E. F23A1 head flange bolt pattern) will bolt up to the F22B1 head (F22B1 head flange bolt pattern). So if you have a F22B1 manifold it will directly bolt up to the F23A1 head.

4.8t

Ok it is a f22b1 motor iirc. Now for a good one. I threw the valve cover away for the f23 Will his fit or are they too different? I'm going to check tomorrow but was wondering if you guys knew.

tdohcaccord

sorry. f23 valve cover should be different, but it would be worth it to try...

Falcro

The gaskets are different it probably won't fit but like previously stated trying won't hurt

NZXTInerTia

I have one sitting in my garage, just too lazy to throw it on.

4.8t

Nope won't fit. No way no how, the spark plug holes are different and the head is a touch wider on top. Turns out he never did change the headgasket. Number three was clearly the culprit that piston is nice and clean vs the rest. So hopefully I can just clean it up real well and put in a new gasket.

4.8t

His head was warped but the block was striaght. Coated the gasket with copper spray everything bolted on very nicely. One little issue. The timing belt is loose and the tensioner won't take up any more slack. The f23 timing belt is .37" or 9mm shorter. With this be enough? Does .37 make a lot in a timing belt?

hondamark35

i'm thinking 0.37" is enough to have a tight belt. the cam in the F23 heads sits a little lower than most of the F22's. since you're using an F23 head, the belt should follow since they (all F/H series) all have the same deck height. assuming all water pumps and tensioner pulleys are the same these two measurements are what dictate belt length.

4.8t

Ok that's what I was thinking too. Thanks.

4.8t

Ok thing to note that I learned on this swap. You will need the head( obviously), f23 timing belt and upper cover. The dizzy bolts on, the stock f22 gasket lines up perfectly and the head bolts are same length. You can use either intake you want. Oh and spark plug wires are a tad different but can be trimmed to work.

Falcro

Glad this seems to have worked out for you, the machinist in still has to say you should surface the head....ok now I feel better, sometimes you just gotta say it lol have a good one

NZXTInerTia

Bringing back the F23/F22 valve cover. I picked up this F23A1 valve cover (as stamped on the block) when I got my F23A1 intake manifold for my conversion. I tested it today and it fits perfectly on the B1 head with the B1 gasket. Maybe there are two different designs of head covers? One not fitting correctly? Input?

Btw, glad you got it figured out.

Falcro

LOL now I gotta go do research to find out, just cause I wanna know!!