I think I'm going to go with a '94 or '95 Prelude h23 transmission for my '00 Accord SE 5 spd swap. If I understand it right, Preludes had the 2.2L VTEC and Non-VTEC, and they also had the 2.3 non-VTEC.

I found a couple that came out of Preludes that had the 2.3L (non-VTEC) engine, which I understand to be a bit more of a high performance engine compared to the 2.2L VTEC engine. So I figured the tranny would be of a higher grade as well to handle the added power transfer. Any thoughts on this?

There are others that will fit, but I'm hoping that the Prelude transmission will perform better without getting into a high end rebuild. For now, I just want the AT out. I hate those things.

If I get lucky and find some other comparable f or h tranny at the junk yard, I can get that for $75 compared to $300-$400 and up for a used Prelude tranny from a salvage dealer.

Based on other's experience, give me some opinions. Anyone agree or disagree?

 

actually the H23A1 non-vtec is a stroked H22 with about the same torque but less hp and less rpm range ... now im not 100% on it but i doubt the transmission will have more of an aggressive gear ratio than that of a H22A since it is a weaker motor

 

Wow, great info. I misread what was on Wikipedia. You're right, the H22 (according to Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_H_engine) has 190bhp, where the H23A1 only has 160. I wasn't paying attention.

But, to your point, it sounds like either engine uses exactly the same transmission in the Prelude. So the real question is, in terms of MT performance, do you recommend a Prelude MT or just any f22/23,h22/23 that I can find? Is a Prelude tranny that much better that it's worth paying the extra money for it? Not that it's a huge cost. But if I can get an equivalent MT from the salvage yard for $75, is it really worth it to pay $500, or more, for a used one?

 

F22 = longer gearing for highway and touring type driving
H23 = a bit shorter gearing than the F
H22 = the shortest of the three.

I have posted the exact gearing for all the H-F manual and auto transmissions a few times already. I'm not sure if it is anywhere in the FAQ's or not....

What mods do you have done to your F23? If you have no valve train or cam modifications an H22 trans swap would be a waste of time and money. The H23 would be a better choice if your looking for shorter gears with some highway driveability.

 

Found them................

90-93 M/T Gear Ratio F22A1
1st - 3.307
2nd - 1.809
3rd - 1.230
4th - 0.903
5th - 0.705
Reverse - 3.00
Final Reduction Gear - 4.062

94-97 M/T Gear Ratio F22B1-2
1st - 3.307
2nd - 1.809
3rd - 1.230
4th - 0.933
5th - 0.757
Reverse - 3.00
Final Reduction Gear - 4.266

H22A1 Transmission
1st - 3.307
2nd - 1.950
3rd - 1.360
4th- 1.071
5th- 0.870
Reverse - 3.00
Final Reduction Gear - 4.266

H23A1 Gear Ratios
1st - 3.307
2nd - 1.857
3rd - 1.320
4th - 1.034
5th - 0.812
Reverse - 3.000
Final Gear Ratio - 4.266

 

Based on that, my best bet is probably to go with an F22 type. I haven't done any mods yet. I do a LOT of highway driving and though I would like more performance, it probably doesn't make a lot of sense ... for me. If I didn't drive highway as much, an H would probably be OK. But as you said, no valve or cam mods would make that a waste anyway.

So that helps me answer my question. I'm pretty sure that I'll just go with a generic M/T swap, no performance mods, just get the A/T out, and get an F22 in there. I'll have to do some work to make it fit, but I don't see any major issues. Just time and patience.

Thanks, Ghost.

 

The H23 trans is a very nice transmission when paired to even a stock F23A1. But if you drive on the highway a lot it may not be the trans for you. You can look into some JDM trans to find something inbetween the F22 and H23 trans. Actually the JDM H22 trans will cruise lower on the highway than the USDM H23 or H22 trans. There's a thread with all the trans codes and gear ratios in the prelude FAQ.

 

I would NOT buy a trans for $75. I can't even imagine it being in one piece for that cheap.


Each trans has different gearing, but they all bolt up to the block the exact same way. F22/F23 will have similar gearing as Ghost points out. H23 will be slightly shorter than the F's, but not as short as the H22's.

An H23 trans shouldn't cost any more than an F-series trans. Expect to pay ~$300-$350 for a trans in good condition with low(er) miles. Sometimes you can get lucky and find a decent one for a little less, but you shouldn't spend more than $400 for an F22/F23/H23 trans.

H22 tranny's might cost a bit more depending on the demand around your area, but I wouldn't spend more than $450 on one. I wouldn't recommend

Agreed. In fact, the shorter gears of an H23 trans combined with the lower power band of a stock F23 makes it a bit of a chore to drive. It's fun around town, but forget doing any highway pulls. In stock form, the F23 simply doesn't make power up high to take advantage of the shorter gears. This is why I would NEVER recommend an H22 trans on an F23.

That sounds like your best bet. It will still be a day and night difference with the F23/F22 manual trans.

I've built a few H/F hybrid trannys to include quaife/wavetrac LSDs and Gearspeed components. I personally use an H23 trans with custom carbon synchros and an F23 5th gear set for highway cruising. It's a great combo and I strongly recommend it if you're going to do some moderate to heavy modifications.

While an H22a trans has a taller 5th gear, both 2nd and 3rd gears are shorter than the H23, so again I would strongly advise against it.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to skimp on a good tranny. There's a U-pull-it salvage yard nearby, and tranny's are $75. I figured I'd look around and see if I got lucky. Maybe there's a diamond in the rough. Probably not, but it can't hurt. If not, I'll pick one up a used one. But I'd like to make sure I get something that's worth the money.


You never know what the tranny's been through. So how do you find a good one?

 

if you go to a salvage yard find one that has rear end damage or side ... front end damage is better than getting a trans out of a car with no damage ... because a car with no damage either means bad motor or bad trans

 

EXACTLY what I was thinking. If I can find something worth while, I thought I'd grab it. The salvage yard I go to is nice enough to put stickers on the vehicles with a Year, Make, Model, and Condition, i.e. good trans, bad motor, etc. Not that you can rely on it. But it's a place to start.

Even if there aren't any good parts, I've learned a ton by going to the salvage yard and taking something apart. That way, if you make a mistake and damage something, it's not a big deal.

 

-Bring a pair of gloves with you to the salvage yard.

-If they have multiple trannys, ask to see each one, don't settle for the first one.

-If the trans is filthy, ask them to degrease and pressure wash it. Grease and grime can easily cover cracks or dings in the casing.

-Ensure the slave cylinder bracket is not broken off. This occurs often, and isn't easily fixed.

-Use the gloves to spin the input shaft. It should spin freely in neutral.

-Shift into each gear using the linkage arms. Every gear engage smoothly except reverse which might require you to turn the input shaft a little.

-Look for signs of leaking at the seams of the cases.

 

Not exactly that kind of 'salvage yard.' It's a U-Pull-It yard. So whatever you can find that you like, ... you guessed, bring your tools and go get it yourself.

Good to know about the slave though. I plan to take everything that I can get to go with it: clutch pedal, lines, slaves, master, everything except the engine. What I don't like, I can mod or swap out later. I'm planning on putting new seals in it anyway... assuming I can even find a good M/T F22.

You don't see many Honda's in the junkyard to begin with. Like FunnyVictor86 said, If it's not smashed, then it's probably got a bad motor or tranny anyway. I'm hoping for a blown motor with a "GOOD" tranny, if I can find it.

If not, then I'll buy a good one from a salvage dealer.

 

I had a H23 trans on a stock F23 in a 91 accord and it was fun as hell to drive. Shorter trans will almost always = faster car. It went 15.1 in the 1/4 so something had to be right.

 

You put shorter gears and 25hp into a car that weights 200-300lbs less than a 6th gen Accord. That's what happened.

If you gained 25hp in a 2000 Accord with shorter gears, and stripped out 200lbs of dead weight, it would be fun to drive too, but it's not that simple.

 

Yeah, I'm not looking for that kind of mod. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to have some fun too. But I need money for fun. And that doesn't happen unless my car gets me to work every week. So this mod is strictly to swap the tranny and get me from A to B.

The '00 Accord SE that I'm driving has known transmission issues, bad synchros, I think. So that's the reason for the swap ... befor the A/T that I have now leaves me high and dry.

I just want highway use, and good mileage. I'll be happy with that for now.

 

F22 or F23 tranny is all you need then.

 

Thanks for all your help. Checking out the salvage yard tomorrow.