mattf22b1

First you should ask yourself why you want to do this swap, if you plan to boost your accord anytime down the line then I recommend doing an h23 head swap. This will be easier from vtec to vtec but can be done from non vtec also. If some of you are wondering can you really change a sohc to dohc the answers yes. If your route is just the head swap so you can keep your f22 block, then the h23 head swap is actually easier than you think. Obvious parts needed are h23 head, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, throttle body, vtec solenoid, all vacuum lines etc… https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1635065 you can also find write up on head swaps on http://www.accordinglydone.com.html
http://www.accordinglydone.com....html
It's actually easier for a 4th gen owner to do this swap. An OBD I H22 can be swapped into a '90-to-'93 chassis using all the stock engine mounts. The exhaust system is a direct bolt up (aside from being painfully small) with the Prelude's down pipe and cat. Your original fuel rail will work on the H22, and you also won't need to swap the 6 and 11 pin on the ECU.
Model years are '90 to '97 . From '94 to '95, OBD I ruled both the Accord and Prelude. They both changed to OBD II in '96. Substantial changes in electronics accompanied the changeover, including the ECU design and wiring. http://sportcompactcarweb.com/...swap/
What you need from a Prelude
•Engine/trans and all engine mounts
•ECU
•Engine wiring harness
•Half shafts
•All engine accessory drive brackets, P/S pump, alternator
•Catalytic converter, down pipe and header
•Fuel rail from '97 or newer Prelude
•Radiator hoses, heater hoses
•Throttle cables (for non-cruise control applications)
Picking the engine
In the U.S. market, no limited slip was available for any H22, and the gear ratios remained the same for all the engine/trans combinations that the common public is interested in.
You can also go the jdm route, and although this engine is a little harder to find it costs about the same. The specs are the same on both usdm engines and jdm engines so it’s really up to the buyer. A few of these engines can be found here http://www.japaneseengineimport.com/eng/home.html
As another option, the Accord manual transmission will bolt up and has the same internals, apart from slightly taller gearing. Taller gears may be good if you plan on forced induction. Naturally aspirated, though, assume Honda did its homework matching the H22's power output to the transmission gearing and stick with a Prelude transmission.
Not all H22s came with limited slips in Japan, so look through the output splines and search for a tranny you can see all the way through. If there's a cross pin in the way, you'll only spin one tire at a time. H22s that come from Japan may be from Accords or Preludes. It doesn't matter much to us, but note the automatic transmission cars had only 180 hp, so beware if someone tries to give you an engine/ECU without its original transmission.
Engine removal
arm yourself with a factory service manual. You'll spend less on it than all the parts you'll probably break if you don't use it. The F22 can be removed from either the top or the bottom, but dropping it from the bottom is easier if you have a lift and engine dolly handy.
The trick is to keep the A/C system intact and in the car (including the compressor) during the swap to avoid having to refill it. With the compressor removed from the engine, string it to the lower radiator support to keep it out of harm's way. If you’re not worried about the A/c then remove this first, this is a relatively easy procedure, all you need to do is unbolt everything, remove all the tubing going from the interior of the car to the compressor. When removing the compressor all you have to do is get a smaller belt, this can be found at http://www.tasauto.com the belt you will need is the non a/c belt for a 94-97 accord.
Removing the radiator will make the engine compartment less cramped, especially if you're working through the top of the engine compartment. You should pretty much remove everything you can radiator, manifold, all piping, intake, etc..The list goes on but you get my drift…another thing that you want to make sure is that the oil from both engines is complete drained and plugged.
Engine Mounts
Getting the H22 bolted in will require cutting, tweaking and general rearrangement of the stock left-side mount or the purchase of has port’s part for this swap. The Hasport part is solid aluminum and comes with a polyurethane bushing, which reduces engine movement, but increases vibration compared to stock rubber. You can also go with other company’s motor mounts such as Innovative mounts, and just my .02 if you plan on doing polyurethane bushing now matter what specs (% of compound, hardness) this would be the time to do it. You can use the other three mounts as is. It's a good time to consider the original mounts you're re-installing (hint, buy new mounts). A few decent launches will finish off any old and cracked mounts and it's too easy of a job to pass up while the engine is out. You'll have to use the softer Accord front mount because the stiffer Prelude mount is the wrong height--bummer. Either the Accord or the Prelude rear bracket and mount set (no mixing and matching between them) can be used, but the Prelude parts are stiffer and a wiser choice. If your car started as an automatic, you'll need to weld in a manual transmission bracket (Honda P/N 60831-SV4-970ZZ) to the right side frame rail in place of the automatic part. Or just put the project on hold until January 2004, when Hasport produces a mount that will adapt the auto's frame rail bracket to a manual transmission.
Wiring
to prep the wiring harness, there's enough soldering to kill half your brain cells and plenty of work to stress out the survivors. Hasport also makes one that's plug-and-drive. If you go the easy way, you'll get a modified Accord harness and a separate sub harness, which connects the unique VTEC guts to the H22 ECU. To tackle it yourself, get the two engines side by side, add a tasty beverage and get familiar with these mods.
•The oil pressure sender wire, while still using the Accord plug, gets extended 5 inches to reach the H22's sender.
•The electronic air control valve is located near the middle of the fuel rail on the H22 rather than near the throttle position sensor on the F22. To accommodate, the EACV plug and its yellow/black and blue/yellow wires get moved to the center of the injector harness.
•The vehicle speed sensor plug gets moved from the front to the back on the engine, near the O2 sensor plug. Same wires, different location to fit around the H22.
•Because the distributor is closer to the coil on the Accord vs. the H22, the coil, EGR, and fan switch circuits need lengthening. While on the EGR wires, change the connector from the Accord's 3 pin square connector to the Prelude's round one. You can keep the same pins, but swap out the plastic connector.
•The intake air temperature sender is located at the end of the intake manifold on the H22 vs. the middle of it on the F22. Extend its red/yellow and green/white wires to fit.
• If your car didn't come with VTEC, you'll need to add the wiring for the air intake bypass (AIB), knock sensor, VTEC oil pressure sensor and VTEC solenoid. If your car was an EX, you will only need to add the wiring for the IAB and the knock sensor.
•The knock sensor circuit (red/blue), which isn't there on the stock F22, is added at the same break out as the oil pressure sending wire by using the pigtail from the Prelude harness. This wire connects to the sub harness and then to ECU pin D3.
•The H22's AIB circuit that opens the short, high-rpm runners in the intake manifold also gets added by tapping the black/yellow wire from the H22's plug to the same color wire that goes to the distributor in the Accord's harness. This simply supplies power to the AIB solenoid. The pink signal wire goes from the AIB solenoid back to the sub harness/ECU at pin A17.
•The VTEC oil pressure switch wiring will already exist on Accord EXs, but the rest of us need to add the circuit. The plug from the H22 and its light blue wire gets routed to pin D6 on the ECU. The black/red wire from the switch goes to ground.
•To hook up the VTEC solenoid, connect its green/yellow to pin A4 on the ECU.
•In a futile attempt to throw us off, Honda switched the EGR solenoid valve wire and the O2 sensor heater wire on the ECU's A connector (pins 6 and 11) on the Prelude as compared to the Accord. Swap these two pins in the under-dash connector and thank the engineers for their effort.
Engine accessories
getting the engine dressed with the right combination of parts will be easy if you have everything in front of you outside of the car. So resist the temptation to install the engine before you have a game plan of which parts to use. For engine accessories, it's all H22 except for the Accord A/C compressor and compressor bracket. Mixing Prelude and Accord accessories makes either accessory drive belt unusable, but NAPA part number 25-060425 is slightly smaller (42.5 inches, six rib) and works great.
The Accord's high-pressure power steering line will need to be cobbled to fit the H22's pump. Replace a few inches of the Accord's line with a piece you cut from the Prelude's. Remember, this is the high-pressure side of the pump, which can run at about 400 times the pressure of the engine oiling system, so it's not a connection to be made with hose clamps. Brazing or welding required.
Drive train
as mentioned previously, the transmissions are similar, so the Accord clutch slave connection and shifter cables fit without modification. Don't you love how Honda makes this easy?
The Prelude half shafts are stronger and should be considered a necessity if you plan to use the extra power. The Accord's inner CV joint has a splined shaft that engages an internally splined section of the half shaft. The Prelude's assembly has a male spline on the half shaft that engages the beefy CV joint casing, a stronger design. Apart from this difference, the sets are dimensionally the same and you'll have no trouble using the Prelude parts in the Accord knuckles and hubs.
Exhaust
the exhaust system is another example of the great planning (or maybe just laziness) of Honda engineers. How many engine swaps are out there where you can use all OEM parts? The Prelude already comes with a nicely made 4-2-1 header. Using the Prelude down pipe and cat, the rest of the exhaust system from a '90 to '93 Accord will bolt up.
Another option for the exhaust system is to use the Prelude SH header, which comes with an adaptor that allows you to use the original ('94 to '97) exhaust system. With either approach, plenty of shops can supply a freer flowing system so the H22's high end isn't snuffed out.
Intake
The Accord throttle body is smaller than the Prelude part, so all that work you just did will be gasping for air right about when the VTEC switches. The Accord's throttle body works fine for regular sedan driving. The H22 will breathe deeper, especially at high revs where the Accord engine never ventured. If you don't need cruise control, you can use the Prelude throttle body and Prelude cables.
Unlike the Accord throttle body's integrated MAP sensor, the Prelude's sensor is mounted on the firewall in a mystery box. Use a MAP from a '90 to '93 Civic DX mounted to the firewall in place of the Prelude mystery box (which has other emissions control functions we don't need). You'll need to extend the MAP connector lead from the engine harness and come up with a piece of vacuum hose to make it all work.
To keep the cruise control, stay with an Accord-like throttle body and cables. No engine swap can be emotionally complete without a hacksaw, drill and file--here's your chance. You'll need a bracket to bolt the Accord's cable support to the H22's intake manifold. Look at the photo to see our masterpiece. A bored-out throttle body will actually be put to good use here, so send the Accord piece off to meet the machinist. To finish it off, you'll probably want something bigger and shinier for the intake tube. If it will fit the Accord, it will fit this hybrid.
If you marked the vacuum system out well before you plucked the F22, you'll know how to connect it to the H22. Use the vacuum system on the H22 as is, but connect the appropriate tubes to the existing ports in the engine bay.
Fuel system
when you try to hook up the fuel line, you'll notice the Accord's rubber line bolts onto the opposite side of the fuel rail as the Prelude. Fortunately, a '97 or newer Prelude fuel rail will marry the fuel systems. The part number from the dealer is 16610-PT3-A00.
Cooling
Heater hoses from a '96 Prelude are slightly longer than earlier Prelude or Accord pieces and will fit better. Similarly, Prelude radiator hoses are required to match up the H22. The radiator that came with the Accord will be big enough for the H22 in stock form. The H22A Accord radiator, used in JDM applications, is slightly thicker than the North American five-speed Accord radiator. The thicker radiator was also used in North American automatic transmission cars if you're going for authenticity.
Swapin’ the tach
This is a must when you swap the engine (this is just my opinion) but if you build your new h22 and you have power past 8k your pretty much f***ed if you stayed with the accord cluster.
Swap Basics
•Chassis
Sure, it used to be your mom's car, but Mom didn't know what she had. Double wishbones up front, lots of links in back and enough room to haul all your friends away from the scene of the crime. All it really needs is a screaming VTEC soul. It wasn't a Go-kart from the factory, but the foundation is there. Endless chassis upgrades available for the Accord will help keep the horsepower pulling in the right direction. As one of the best-selling cars in North America since it debuted, you won't have to look far for a project car.
•Engine. •Concerns
•If you need a CARB-legal swap, find a Prelude donor car of the same generation as your Accord. This is really only for cali, and a few that im sure im not aware of, but the good thing for a 4th gen owner is you really don’t have to worry about if the engine is newer than your car.
•With comparatively fewer VTEC Preludes made, and fewer wrecked, you might have to let your fingers do some walking.
•The H22, at 385 pounds for the engine, Trans and axles, will add between 45 and 65 pounds to the nose of the car, depending on what your Accord had to begin with. Unless under steer is your game, you'll want to put the nose on a diet or pick from one of the many suspension options that grace these pages to support the added weight.
The H22 looks almost like it belongs there. Of course, that's because it does. Japanese Accords, smaller, lighter and quite different than our own, came with this engine
The H22 from a '94 VTEC Prelude was very complete. Not shown are the axles, down pipe and cat should be included
Neither of the stock mounts will fit between the H22 and the Accord's body without a lot of persuasion. Hasport's answer is shown above in billet aluminum and polyurethane
Right side transmission mounts from the Prelude (left) and the Accord. Either will fit, but the Prelude mount is stiffer and better suited for H22-style abuse
The VTEC oil pressure switch (plug on right) and solenoid valve (left, being connected). VTEC wiring is added to the Accord harness and connected to the ECU with a sub harness.
The Prelude uses a different fitting to connect the P/S line to the pump. Here, a piece of the Prelude's line is brazed to the Accord's part using a sleeve.
The Prelude half shaft (bottom) has a stronger design, with a male spline on the shaft engaging the CV joint.
That nice 4-2-1 header is from a stock Prelude. Make sure this comes with your H22, along with the down pipe. The cast-iron manifold is from the F22
The Prelude throttle body on the left is bigger. Our project car used the Accord part (right) to retain cruise control. The Accord MAP is on the throttle body, while the Prelude's MAP is located on the firewall
A piece of 0.125-inch thick aluminum was used to attach the Accord's throttle and cruise control cable bracket to the H22's intake manifold
A fuel rail from a '97-and-later Prelude has the fuel inlet fitting on the same side as the Accord.
Removing and installing the engine from below is easiest. If you don't have a lift, consider lifting the nose of the car with an engine hoist
The H22 has a knock sensor, located on the back of the block, but the F22 didn't. Use the Prelude's connector and add the knock sensor's red/blue wire. The new wire will run through a sub harness with the IAB and VTEC control wires and eventually to ECU pin D3.
Another wire must be added for the Air Intake Bypass solenoid, which is the solenoid responsible for opening the short secondary runners in the intake manifold. There are two wires--a black/yellow power wire that can steal power from the same color wire on the distributor and a pink wire that must go to ECU pin A17.
The Electronic Air Control Valve, or idle control (bottom finger), is near the fuel rail, rather than on the throttle body like the F22. The plug then (top finger) has to be rerouted to pop out of the injector harness.
I DO NOT TAKE CREDIT FOR MOST OF THIS HOW-TO AS MOST OF THIS INFORMATION IS ONLINE. I AM POSTING THIS SIMPLY BECAUSE PEOPLE CANNOT SEARCH.

Helpful links for parts and accessories.
http://www.tasauto.com
http://www.innovativemounts.com
http://www.japaneseengineimport.com.html
http://www.hondiscountparts.com.html
http://www.ptuning.com
http://www.prostreetonline.com

I hope this makes sense to some/most of you it may not do as I wrote this at 2 in the morning, but enjoy I hope this helps a little. I welcome you to correct me or just add to this post, please bump or comment so we don’t see “h22 swap?” posts anymore

Modified by mattf22b1 at 9:45 AM 5/24/2006


Modified by mattf22b1 at 9:47 AM 5/24/2006


Modified by mattf22b1 at 9:50 AM 5/24/2006

TouringAccord

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mattf22b1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If your route is just the head swap so you can keep your f22 block, then the h23 head swap is actually easier than you think. Obvious parts needed are h23 head, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, throttle body, vtec solenoid, all vacuum lines etc… </TD></TR></TABLE>

Can I ask why you would need the VTEC solenoid for a H23 non-VTEC head swap

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mattf22b1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">http://www.accordinglydone.com....html
</TD></TR></TABLE>

That thread is good and all, but thats not for a head swap. It's for the H23 IM onto a F22B1 head.

It's a nice attemp to stop swap threads but it's something that'll never end. Even though some people do use the search feature, there will always be some that either don't know about it or refuse to use it.

mattf22b1

the vtec solenoid and wiring is for a f22a and it would be a h22 vtec head, the intake manifold is just the in case someone wanted to do that with a head swap or just the mani swap.

TouringAccord

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mattf22b1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the vtec solenoid and wiring is for a f22a and it would be a h22 vtec head</TD></TR></TABLE>

right, but thats not what you said in that sentence and I just want to make sure those that don't know don't get confused.

As for the mani swap thread, like I said before, it's a good thread but just for when your dealing with that mani going onto a F22B1 head. If you do a H23 head swap as well, that thread isn't needed because the mani will just mount right on there since thats where it came from to start with.

not trying to rag on your post or anything, just trying to make a couple things clear for those that are unsure and read thisthread trying to get information. That way they aren't confused.

mattf22b1

thanks, when writing it i thought that be would be obvious, but now reading it after sleep i see how it could be confusing lol, sorry if i confused anyone, i wrote this after being awake for 24hrs..add comments and add anything I've miss or correct me if i stated something that's incorrect.

Durkhanus

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Originally posted by mattf22b1

I DO NOT TAKE CREDIT FOR MOST OF THIS HOW-TO AS MOST OF THIS INFORMATION IS ONLINE </TD></TR></TABLE>

For most of it? How about practically all of it? What you posted is directly taken from http://sportcompactcarweb.com/..._swap/ , minus the part where you give the credit to them for the information and photos.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Originally posted by mattf22b1
I hope this makes sense to some/most of you it may not do as I copy and pasted this at 2 in the morning.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Fixed.

mattf22b1

i was just trying to help out, people have im'd and e-mailed me asking about h22 swaps, i tell them to search and they have. and then the multiple h22 swap? post...if i just posted a link no one would read it imo. And i gave them credit for the write up its not as if i said it was my own.

TouringAccord

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Durkhanus &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">http://sportcompactcarweb.com/..._swap</TD></TR></TABLE>

ahh, there we go, larger/easier to see pictures

mattf22b1

the link was in there, but it i didnt put www. .html..i just fixed it

TouringAccord

oh, ok, I didn't even see it in there at first.

May I make a suggestion? Don't take this the wrong way.

I have no problem with you copying and pasting the information, you did give them the credit. But something I think would really help would be...

1) Make the pictures either thumbnails so they can be viewed larger or just replace the pictures with the larger versions.
2) Highlight/Bold/Underline the main section titles to make it a bit easier to read. That way it seperates the main points of interest.

Those two things will help making that article much easier to read. Not that you have to because I'm sure it'll take a little to go back through it and all but it would make things nicer. Just a thought.

BoostedH23Accord

Dang guy's cut him some slack. Thats a lot of work to get ragged on for.

I was probably the first Accord guy to do the swap. I saw it first on the Prelude board and decided to try after I bent the valves in my F22B head. (don't ask)

I will say that if you are keeping the F22 bottom end you do not have to change motor mounts. At least for the H23 head swap but I believe the H22 would be the same.

My parts list included:
F23 headgasket
H23 lower timing gear
H23 timing belt
H23 cylinder head (including head bolts)
H23 Distributor housing
JDM H22 fuel rail
Custom throttle cable bracket
extend a few wires (O2, TPS, and Map)

I'm not sure if I forgot anything since I did the initial swap almost 2 years ago. but those are the main things.

The H23 head flows better than the F22 (stock vs. stock) and more potential IMO but if you have the $$$'s the F22 head can be quite potent. I was doing it for more of the "It can't be done...I just did it" factor. All for the cause!

I also have many pics to show and prove.

TouringAccord

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BoostedH23Accord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Dang guy's cut him some slack. Thats a lot of work to get ragged on for. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Thats not how I intended my posts to come across, so if it did, I do apologize.

I just wanted to make sure people weren't mistaken about a couple things and that making the points of interest bold, on a large posts like that, would help when someone wants to refer back something easier so they wouldn't have to scrim through it all just to find it again. Thats all.