So not that long ago I found a 92 Cx hatch with a H22 in it that happened to have been build by a friend of mine about 7 or 8 years ago. I was in need of a car and talked the kid who owned it out of it for pretty cheap. Body is in decent shape for living its life in NY with only the usual quarter rust and faded paint. So Ive been using the civic for a daily driver which is all I wanted it for. But I have found a few things out about the car and while most not major issues over the next year I wanna take care of them so that I have what i wanted when I originally went car shopping, a swapped EG hatch to daily drive thats in good working condition.

So now I know the engine is a j-spec H22a and I have the paper work to verify. I also know that it has a set of crower cams and adjustable cam gears in it. I believe that they are stage 2, and while I dont have the exact specs in front of me I have the have the cam card that came with them. I also believe that it has crower springs/retainers and what not to accompany the cams. And the other real major component that im 90% sure I have with it is an S100 hondata ecu. Im gonna open up the ecu when I get home after class to find out. and one final note then engine was rebuild before installation, but the bottom end was not touched.

Now onto the real point of the thread. Then engine just feels tired. And Im pretty sure there is over 100k on the engine since it was put into the car. So I was planning on doing a little budget rebuild and hopefully put down 175whp NA with out too many reliability issues. That's not asking to much is it? How hard is it to get 175whp out of an H22a?

Rebuild plans would most likely be stock crank/rods, upgraded pistons, possibly new set of cams depending on what I find out about the ones I have, new valve train and some mild head work that I can do my self.

Major concern with the build though is Im not super familiar with hondas or h22's. So im gonna assume that they are open deck engines?

Can I overbore the h22 by a few thousands just to make a nice mating surface for new pistons with out cause any problems with cylinder integrity?

If I open it up block guard is a must I would assume?

And I would like to do this as budget minded as possible, because im not looking for a hot rod right now just a fun daily driver.

And comments or points in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

Depending on the dyno you're on, most h22's will put down 160-170whp stock; 175 is not asking for much. With stage 2 cams and assuming there's some kind of decent intake & exhaust mani, I wouldn't be surprised if you're in the 190's with a decent tune.

H22's have the FRM cylinders, so piston choice is pretty much limited to stock or Type-S (11:1) unless you want to put in sleeves; the higher compression of the Type-S pistons should complement the cams well. H22's came in both an open and closed deck form, depending on the year (OBDI vs OBDII).

A good header, some intake work, and a good tune and you should have a pretty fun DD with what you have already.

 

Mahle makes gold series H22 pistons that are FRM compatible and i believe their compression is 11.5:1 or higher (if im not mistaken) JDM/USDM 93-96 (including some 1997 Preludes that have 96 motors in them) are closed deck while all 98-01 and some 1997s have closed deck blocks. Refer to the head casting numbers on the exhaust manifold side of the head as they will tell you what year it is if you arent sure (assuming you know what to look for)

 

So most likely ive got a closed deck block. But because of these FRM (Fiber Reinforced Metal) should I open up the engine and have any type of cylinder damage Im screwed.

And if 175whp is pretty standard well a small bump up then maybe

 

If the walls are scored, you can bore it out .25" and buy oversized OEM pistons. Be weary of the Mahle's, there are several users who have had issues with them, but I don't have personal experience with them, so I can't say one way or the other.