ok i have a 1999 honda prelude base model. has auto transmission. with the JDM f20b engine in it. the guy i got it from didnt know squat about it pretty much. neither have i. this is my first prelude. i have read info on these swaps and from all what i have read i am confused. i pulled the ecu numbers and stock prelude ecu. and noticed the distributor is an external coil which i ready saying that the h22 was internal coil and the f20b distributor has the crank sensor in the distributor? well the problem im having with this thing is its throwing every code possible to do with emissions. checked they cat and its gutted and cant find anything else wrong really. but i am having a major power restriction. when i floor it it barely climbs in speed and rpms. my stock civic dx is faster. so how do i find out for 100% if the distributor is wrong or not and should i be running the f20b ecu or what? if i missed something let me know and will give more info. i just picked the car up today.

 

Fix the codes first is how I approach it.

 

ok. changed the charcoal cannister a egr valve,and couple other sensors for emission. nolonger throwing the codes for emission. i also changed the timing belt(to make sure timing was correct),plugs,plug wires,cap and rotor,pcv valve. the only 2 codes i have left are p0172-p0170. and cant get them to turn off. also have replaced the oxygen sensors. going from USDM to JDM engine what would cause the restriction issue. theres nothing restricting the exhaust or the air intake tube. i noticed whoever done the swap though has used the H series intake and ECU. any ideas of what to look at would be greatful. i dont care about it running rich. i just want to be able to drive it without having to worry about a geo metro passing me up!

 

Possible causes of P0170 and P0172
- Intake air leaks
- Faulty front heated oxygen sensor
- Ignition misfiring
- Faulty fuel injectors
- Exhaust gas leaks
- Incorrect fuel pressure
- Lack of fuel
- Faulty MAP sensor
- Incorrect Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) hose connection
-Check for dirty Air Filter also
I would also get a chipped obd1 ecu since you are running an h22a4 ecu on an f20b engine it is not going to run it that optimally. Plus you are running a gutted cat with working o2 so that is another way to burn out or kill that sensor.

 

well I decided yesterday to pull the intake manifold off and out of stupid curiousity to check it for any problems. all 4 intake runners have completely clogged egr ports. spent all day with purple power,some water and a metal cloths hanger cleaning it out. so now the complete intake looks like brand new and is painted. will be putting the car together and see what happens. im finally getting done from working on it. through checking everything I have honestly found so many little issues that had to be fixed it was crazy. crazy thing is I rented a compression gauge from the local oriellys auto parts and it said I had 60 psi across the board (BS) so once I get it back together I will be renting one from autozone lol. wish I could find mine from snapon. what compression numbers should I see? anyone have a clue?

 

Anything below 135 psi is too low for your engine. And the numbers or results you get from your testing should all be within 5 or so points of each cylinder. Clogged EGR ports cause some issues and this could be the reason for your engine ******* out on you. Put it back together and post the results so we all can know if you fixed your issues.

 

ok well got it all back together. no more restrictions at all and that motor is running to good to really have those compression numbers. but idk if its because of the weight or what but man that thing is slow for a prelude. as soon as the title comes back im going to just sell or trade it. and get something different. all i have to say is im not impressed.

 

Honestly that is sad that you want to throw in the towel and trade or sell the car this early in the game. I would just buy a jdm h23a vtec bluetop engine and put it in and you will be impressed. Sounds like the f20b you have is just done. Dont give up this easy on your lude.

 

Well you did put in a 2.0ltr motor with less torque than the stock 2.2ltr motor with more torque and you put it in a 5th gen lude which is the heaviest out of all the Preludes.
What were you expecting?

You should have started off with a H23a BlueTop, it has almost equal power and a more torque and gets its powerband earlier in the rpm range than the H22.

That motor would have impressed you more.

Power to weight ration is what you need to think of when building any car.

That same motor in a 3rd gen prelude will impress you more due to the 3rd gen being lighter and more nimble.

Like sooo...

 

lol first off i didnt do the motor swap. it was in the car when i got it.. it just had a couple of issues that needed addressing. if i would have done the swap i would have done something a little different then this f20b. believe me i would have put this in a crx or civic or something but not in this heavy car. i would have swapped in something i could boost down the road.

 

then again i just found some useful info. i wonder how true it all is. will have to do more diggin to see if i can find anymore info out on this but.

F20 Blue top vs. H23 Blue top vs.H22a - CB7Tuner Forums

 

Ahhh I see, well then I apologize, I was not aware that you did not do this swap based on your first post.

 

its all good. no worries. im actually getting a second 99 prelude delivered tomorrow. not having to pay a dime for it. but this one has the oem motor and trans not jdm this time. it tries to start but wont start so i will find out about it tomorrow.