Keyaccord

Story:
We have a friend with 2003 V6 Accord who seized the motor.
Mechanic wants more than car is worth to replace it.

Plan:
Find a identical used motor with reasonable miles, and swap it in.

My story:
I am a pretty good home mechanic, and have pulled and rebuilt motors many times before. Bigblocks, smallblocks, Ford V6's, Alfa Romeos, and Old MG's. I have a lift, engine hoist and a pretty complete set of tools, but never done a "modern FWD" or a Honda before. Closest I did was a clutch swap on my sons '92 Civic, altho a transmission rebuild is coming!

Questions:
Any issues with swapping another motor in with the electronics?
Any Special tools needed?
Whats the best manual to get and where from?
Any other issues or weakspots I should fix while the motor is out?

I read here about the 2003 transmissions being weak, so will keep that in mind..

Great forum and look fwd to getting some "expert advice"!

94EG8

As long as you're replacing it with another identical engine you shouldn't have any issues. Only tips or advice I have are replace the timing belt and water pump before you put the new engine in. (buy a honda water pump if you can afford it, I haven't seen an aftermarket water pump yet that was worth buying) Disconnect the engine harness at the ECU and feed it out through the firewall rather than trying to unplug it from everything on the engine while its in the car. If you have a hoist its usually easier to drop the engine and transmission as a unit out through the bottom.

Keyaccord

Awesome, thanks.
The pic I have of the replacement motor shows a mass of wires unplugged and hanging free. I am pretty well organised, and will label/tag every wire as I unplug.
My "lift" is more of a ramp, but I think I would have space to attach the engine hoist above and just drop it thru the bay to the floor.
Assume its easier to drop the engine/trans assembly and swap swap them out on the floor.
What is the timing belt and waterpump cost from Honda?

BLKFLSH

I would suggest the Helm factory manual, it has everything you need to know. You can get both here http://www.handa-accessories.com/accmaint03.html , for about $350 (including shipping). You could probably find the manual for less on EBay, but that's up to you.

BLKFLSH

If you want to save the $$$ for the manual, most of the information might be on this link.
It's for an 05, but it's the same engine/car.
http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldata/AF...46537/34853741

Keyaccord

Good info, but could not find a specific procedure for engine assy removal... or am I silly?

Interesting that the water pump and timing belt are pretty much done as a kit..
Is the Aisin brand OEM or good?

94EG8

If you can get the car at least 2 feet up in the air you should have enough room to slide the engine out from underneath. And yes its easier to pull them together and the separate them outside the car on the floor. Other things you might want to do would be to replace the rear main seal while the engine is out and maybe do the transmission input shaft seal as well. They don't cost much and they're very easy to get at when everything's already apart.

Water Pump, Honda part#: 19200-RCA-A01 US List price: $132.33, Majestic Honda: $93.95

Timing Belt, Honda Part#: 14400-RCA-A01 US list price: $55.87, Majestic Honda: $39.67

94EG8

Interestingly enough Majestic Honda lists Aisin as the OEM supplier, surprises me because they almost exclusively build Toyota's OEM parts (transmissions, clutches, water pumps, manual hubs etc) They make excellent stuff.

Keyaccord

Well, its gonna happen.
Will post more info when I get into it.
Can someone tell me what the deal is with the timing belt?
There is a Hydraulic tensioner in the system... do I need to change that too?

Targa250R

Since you have a lift, the easiest way to do it is to just drop the entire front subframe onto some jackstands with the engine and transmission attached as a unit - then you can R&R the engine from the subframe. Makes it a whole lot easier when it's sitting on the ground instead of in the car.

Aisin is the OE supplier for the RCA/RDV water pump. All of the Aisin pumps I bought prior to this year were actual Honda castings with the "HONDA" lettering ground off. Aisin has since revised the casting to remove the Honda logo.

The OE RCA timing belt supplier is Gates-Unitta.

The hydraulic tensioner does not need to be changed unless it is leaking or otherwise faulty. I have yet to see one that required replacement on an '03+ J30.

Keyaccord

Update!
The used motor arrived and looks great... 66k miles on it from the paperwork!
We decided as the milage was so low to just swap her in with minimum of extra work, as the budget is tight.
I have about 80% of the stuff disconnected or off. Just the suspension and subframe to go!

bruno8747

iTrader: (2)

Where did you buy the motor from and how much did it run you?

Keyaccord

It was a little more than the others I have seen on Ebay etc because of the low mileage, but I figured it was worth the extra.... then there was shipping from coast to coast.

I have it hanging by the engine hoist ready to drop...

Keyaccord

Aside from the Honda stuff, anyone got idea or experience with trans fluid and power steering fluid?

I can get this locally...
http://www.castrol.com/castrol/secti...tentId=7028224

94EG8

Honda P/S fluid, or aftermarket fluid especially for honda/acura vehicles, using regular P/S fluid or ATF will cause problems. As far as the transmission fluid goes, ideally Honda, other fluids *can* cause weird shifting issues.

Keyaccord

The link I posted clearly states its good for Honda AT's.

Ok, time to post some pics...

Old one.


Damaged Oil pan.



Out!




Seperated..


Reattached Trans to new motor.


Ready to lift back into place..


Engine lifted, subframe ready to slide under..



IN!


Just wrapping up connection and fluids today...

redbull-1

I've been waiting to see pictures of your progress.

Keyaccord

Yeah, its been longer than I thought to do..
The removal of the subframe was a pain... need like 3 or 4 people to do it manuallly... its HEAVY!
Its just tricky with my setup... I have a ramp, so I could get the car up high enough to get the motor out under, but then its too tall to support the subframe on jacks...
I need more tools and equipment!
On the refit I pulled the motor up and in, then put the subframe under and dropped the motor back down and bolted it to the frame then pulled the whole assy back up and in.
Not too tricky really, but I learned a lot!
The transmission was easy, I spent ages labelling the connectors... only to find that everything only goes one way...

redbull-1

Looks good, you have a nice set-up.

Keyaccord

Thanks...
I am just a guy who loves having the best tools I can afford, and after many years I have a pretty good home shop for my own needs... This was a favor for a buddy.
Picked up the Kwicklift used for $350 bucks!
Simple, but a gem of a bargain, as they are more than $2k new... mine is the 7000lb model too!
http://www.kwiklift.com/

My engine hoist I got fromp Pep Boys a few years back, and this was the 5th engine I have pulled with it, so its earned its merit badge.
I did have to buy the 1T chain hoist to get the motor out tho, as this engine drops out, and there is not enough room for the arm to drop, so you need the flexibility of a boom lift and a chain hoist together.

Keyaccord

Wrapped up 95% of it today and.....
It started FIRST turn of the key!

94EG8

Glad to see everything went well for you

Keyaccord

First start!



Celebration Beer!

don-chingon

i am having trouble with my v6 automatic transmission its reeving up to 7000+ rpms on second gear and wen it shifts it pops hard even when i shift to Park, Reverse and drive. douse some one knows what it is and if i need a new trani were is the best place to get one.

Keyaccord

?
My suggestion...
1/ Use a spell checker.
2/ Use the search option.
3/ Don't hijack a thread that has nothing to do with transmission issues....
4/ Post a thread asking specific questions about your issue.