Can someone tell the breakdown of the difference between these two motors? The K20A2 is good for 40 more hp, right? And is it true that the K20A3 only has VTEC on the intake side?

Thanks!

 

yes its true that you only have vtec on the intake cam... and the inside of your head looks completely different from the a2 head..

 

so k20a2 is better?? right??

 

I was talking to my Acura technition friend last night and he says he has a complete K20A2 rocker arm assembly lying around.

I discussed with him the possibility of it fitting in the K20A3 head and he told me that the mounting points are indeed the same. It should work.

 

so does this mean that if you change switch the A3 rocker with the A2 rocker the change might be a bit stronger?


[Modified by DC5racer, 9:24 PM 3/22/2003]

 

Thanks for the replies so far.

I laughed when I saw this

 

No it will not work... the inside of the a3 head has vtec on the intake side, and the rockers are different from the traditional 3 rocker arm style. a3 has 2 rockers for intake(vtec side) and 1 rocker on the exhaust(non-vtec side). as for the a2 it looks similar to any B-Series vtec head, the a2 has 3 rocker arms.

What you can do is put the a2 head on to your a3 block, which will give you more power.

 

No, you can change the whole head for more power.

 

Read.

Comprehend.

Then reply.

The rocker arm assemblies are interchangable, or at least appear to be. This means you should be able to put the 3-rocker assemblies directly into the A3 head. You will then be able to use the 3-lobe VTEC cams from the A2.

 

someone give me a price for an A2 head any ideas

 

You Read.

You Comprehend.

Then Reply,

You said rocker arms, did you say anything about using the 3 lobe cams?.. Nope

Just b/c they seem like they will fit, doesn't mean that they will.

Is it worth to do all that head work/ why not just swap the whole a2 head? how much will it cost? will the ecu activate vtec as usual?

a3 vtec activates at 2200... are you saying you're gonna drive all around town in vtec w/ the a2 cams?

hmmm... think about what you're doing first.

 

complete head $700

 

Where?

 

Complete head is more than $700 brand new from Acura. Not only that, the head and rocker arms are sold seperately. Swapping just the rocker arm assemblies would be the more cost-effective route.

And my source is somebody who has actually looked at and compared the two heads. Have you?

I didn't mention the cams because it goes without saying that you'd use 3-lobe cams.

Again, I didn't mention the ECU. Why? Because I think it's safe to assume that anybody looking for this kind of performance would go with a Hondata. Which would, quite easily, take care of any VTEC activation point issues.

This is a technical board. I expect people to do their own thinking. If you can't make the connection between the rocker arm assemblies being interchangable between K-series heads and the performance implications that follow it's not my problem.

The only problem I forsee, and one you have entirely overlooked, is whether the oil passages required for VTEC activation are also the same. But I will find this out soon, from actually witnissing such a conversion attempted.

Can you say the same?

 

naaaaaa actually i cant but im sure it would be cool but see your just being an *** because i asked a simple qustion, im a 17 year old kid with a new car that wants to make it fast, no need to be a jeark

 

I wasn't talking to you.

 

Classifieds.. b19 has one for sale.


i overlooked it b/c i don't need to make every single argument there is.. look at his profile... he's 17 w/ a ep3, he's not gonna have the money for head work/ hondata... and all that BS

Who in their right mind.. would blow that much and hondata.. on an a3 head.. while they can just swap in the whole a2 head?

so how is it a cost effective route?

 

b19 had a complete head for sale

 

Not to contribute to any of the arguing, but have you seen more than this one head for $700? It just seems pretty darn cheap to me, consider how new these motors are. A GSR head can still fetch $500+.

 

Honda-Tech Member

23 posts [100%]
santa barabara ca

Re: K20A2 and K20A3 differences? (MK Ultra) 1:03 AM 3/23/2003


someone give me a price for an A2 head any ideas

 

1. He's not the only person on this board who might be interested in such a conversion. If you look at my original post you'll see that I'm replying to Mr. Knighton, who seemed very interested in the process in another thread.

2. Whether you swap heads or just the rocker assemblies you'll need the Hondata reflash. The A3 ECU won't magically turn into an A2 ECU just by swapping heads. Swapping ECUs would be impractical due to the immobiliser, and probably just as expensive as the Hondata reflash. So any way you cut it, you're going to need Hondata.

3. If you really can find complete heads for $700 you'll be able to find rocker assemblies even cheaper. One could even take them from a junked A2 head that was overheated and warped. I doubt very many complete A2 heads in good condition are going for $700. New from Acura they are more than $2K. Also keep in mind that some people would be wary of buying a used head from an engine so many people have been blowing up with mis-shifts.

 

700 bux, just do a search in the classifieds. it isn't that hard to find.

[jQUOTE]1. He's not the only person on this board who might be interested in such a conversion. If you look at my original post you'll see that I'm replying to Mr. Knighton, who seemed very interested in the process in another thread.

2. Whether you swap heads or just the rocker assemblies you'll need the Hondata reflash. The A3 ECU won't magically turn into an A2 ECU just by swapping heads. Swapping ECUs would be impractical due to the immobiliser, and probably just as expensive as the Hondata reflash. So any way you cut it, you're going to need Hondata.

3. If you really can find complete heads for $700 you'll be able to find rocker assemblies even cheaper. One could even take them from a junked A2 head that was overheated and warped. I doubt very many complete A2 heads in good condition are going for $700. New from Acura they are more than $2K. Also keep in mind that some people would be wary of buying a used head from an engine so many people have been blowing up with mis-shifts. [/QUOTE]

1. Didn't notice that.

2. How much is a reflash? 600? and how much is a a2 ecu at th junk yards? its 50-100 to remove the immobilizer.

3.if the head was blown up.. you can tell..

 

Very informative thread


Modified by T_Rex at 11:14 AM 4/20/2004

 

I'm curious if anyone on here has done the head swap. If so, post your opinions here!

 

have a real lot of really blown up alot of the k20a2s from mishifts, or is that just a rare thing that most good drivers wouldn't do?