Hey! I’m brand new to the Honda scene and have a few questions. I have a 2002 Honda Accord with the 2.3 VTEC in it. I’ve always been a “car guy” but never worked on a Honda and I want more performance with reliability. A friend of mine has told me to build a G23 (f23 block with h22 head) since I have the stock F23A1 in my car. My question is which H22 exactly would I need to buy? Is year important? I assume there’s a difference between an H22a1 and an H22a4 head? I can read further on how exactly to do it, but I can’t find anything on which one specifically i would need for my exact car.

TLDR; To turn my F23 engine into a G23, which H22 head do I need to buy?

 

None. "G" swaps are junk. Prone to reliability issues and have lackluster power output.

Swap in an H23A blue top if you want the best bang for your buck or leave it alone.

 

H23A blue top full engine swap?

 

G23s are fine if you actually "build" them, not really a Legos procedure like the minime or lsv. Weak F23 rods are main issue but only set u back 450$ for h beams. Those nippon K20 pistons give about the highest c/r for 92oct but are offset for a clockwise motor so another 600$+ for a set of zero offset forgies. But, u get strong cylinder bores and that beautiful 97mm crank. I myself enjoy working on motors but otherwise would snag an H23v asap, they r running out and prices are shooting up.

 

Yes.

 

This is super solid advice.

Ive been ******* with these cars for a long time, and all the hybrid built engine **** is full of heart break. Stock swaps and turbos is the way to have fun imho.

You could throw some boost at that F23, too. But starting off with the H22, H23A, or F20B would be better in the long run imo.

 

F20b is about bulletproof and also has iron cylinders

 

F20B is a gem of an engine but from what I understand some parts are getting harder to find now. H22 certainly has better parts support in the US.

Boosting your current F23 with an automatic trans will only end in tears unless you are planning a manual swap too

 

All of the performance H/F series engines are going the way of the dinosaur. Prices have increased 2-3x in the past ~18 months. I used to buy F20B engines for $550 including freight delivered right to my shop. Now the engines available are in much worse condition and going for $1200-1500. Same is true for H23A blue tops, I bought my first PDE head variant for $700. JDM H22s have always been pricier and the USDM engines are usually high mileage and need a full rebuild. I guess there were only so many of them to go around. The same thing will happen to K series and so on eventually. I'm lucky I stocked up and have a few before prices got out of control.

Back on topic - yes F20Bs are great engines too, my favorite I think. I just recommended the H23A because it's an easy, reliable ~210whp and has the most torque out of the box. Put it in, tune and beat the hell out of it.