My daily rides' developed the dreaded "connecting rod knock (unloaded) @ 2000 rpm" and I'm anticipating a heart transplant. Yeh, I know all about the h22 route, but I'm staying with the Auto trany with the possibility of hanging a T25 turbo off the front of the engine at a later date.
My question? Will the F23 family of engines bolt up in place of the F22's. My local used parts emporium gave me the "man from Mars" look when I asked; so any help would be appreciated.
(and, yes, I've done the "search" thing)

P_Adams

 

yea.....um.....all f23's are OBDII, and they're generally more expensive than a b1 or a7 (is your car a 4th or 5th?)...if you gonna be turboing the car, then you might wanna think twice about the auto tranny....simply doesnt handler power well

 

yeap, matter of fact even the f22bx manifolds interchange on the f23. to avoid the OBDII bullshit just swap on all the F22 manifolds and sensors on the f23 short block and use the accord ECU.

 

Thanks for the tips, both of you. It's really appreciated. Yes, you're correct about the tranny issue (it won't take hole shots for very long) but my driving style (I roll into the power after I've got the sled moving) has allowed more than my fair share of trannies and read ends to survive.
I've always subscribed to a surplus of cubic inches (centermeters in Honda's xase), but without that I go to boost. It will be built to cruise the interstates, finally holding it's own with the bimmers, Ultimas and all those others who see fit to pass with just a little too much enthusiasm.

P_Adams

 

F23 ringlands are ****. you'll blow them out in no time on boost, no matter how well you tune it.

now if you're gonna build it, then no sweat. but just take it as a something to consider.

 

maybe to make this a little easier you could just tell us what year and model your car is, but yes the tranny will bolt up. for boost i would suggest a manual one, but if you like your auto make sure you reinforce it a little before you boost

 

......54 years old and by now you'd think I'd know how to answer a question.....
1997 Accord SE F22b2 4spd auto.
I bought it 2 years ago accident free and it's still as tight as the day it left the showroom. I've decided to warm it over a little only because it's such a great car to drive.
I like building "sleeper" rides (nothing to belay whats' under the hood) My last effort (18 years ago) was a '78 Chevy Malibu 4dr with a 400cu in small block, TH400 trans with shift kit, loose torque converter and a Dana 411 rear end. The only thing that gave the car away was wide(er) tires and a rear sway bar.
I'd like to go much the same direction with this car, but there's a decided lack of coverage for Honda engine parts in anything other than Civics and Preludes.
In truth, I've done more than my fair share of stick and pedal time; and it doesn't hold the appeal it once did. After all, this is my daily ride.

 

hey i was also considering boosting my f22a1 with an auto tranny. i figured id run it till the tranny goes and instead of getting it rebuilt just do a 5 spd swap. but if not, what should i do to reinforce the tranny as u said? or will it be ok if i run only around 5-6 psi?

 

While awaiting others to chime in, I'll interject what my honda tech has advised me. The 4spd auto trans offered in the Accord from 1990 thru 1997 and in Sterlings and Acura's V6's from 1988 are built to the same standards with the exterior case being the only difference for engine/chassis mounting purposes. (the guts of your 4cyl version is the same as the 6cyl) and as such can handle 260 hp in stock trim every day.
He took me thru a half hour disertation to reassure me that turbos' lend themselves to auto trans quite readily since turbos will not start developing boost until they have a load to work against. (try developing boost while in neutral). He did advise to shorten the trans flush service to every 40000 miles due to the additional heat loads. We agreed that if the advertised hp (200) at 8psi boost is accurate on most of the turbo kits, we see no problem. That, of course, assumes everything works perfectly; no detonation, no overheating no loss of oil pressure, etc. Yes, low compression forged pistons, cleavite bearings and a healthy oil pump are desireable but I'm having a bear of a time finding them for this application.
As a counterpoint he added that he's seen far more drive axles break in manual applications than auto trannies.

 

Well, i just blew my auto tranny, and it's not even turbo. Eventually, the auto tranny will blow. Even if your friend can say he seen more driveshafts break on 5spd.. ask him how much power the 5spd are putting down?

You can turbo the auto, but eventually, it's going to die out. Good luck on your quest man.