Engine inquiry about 88 accord.

[bmxboi23]

I know this webside is dedicated to the '90-'93 honda accord, but there isnt much revelant information on 1988 honda accords. so i appologize for the out of place question. Anyways, my freind just bought an 88 accord Lxi (fuel injected with the A20A3 engine). The car has a very straight body and interior, as well as very nice custom paint and suspension. He just bought the car for $500, but it has over 284,XXX miles on the stock engine. We figured we might as well just replace the engine, now my question is; is there a more powerful engine (such as a zc, obd0 b series ect) that would drop in w/o welding mounts, or sumthing that has a bolt on kit? If not can anyone reccomend a website that would carry rebuilt A20a3s?

thanks for your info

[Leung]

i checked TigerJapanese.com and all they had for those years were an A18A that was carb. the price was a little steep for the year too.

[Fake Thug]

better off asking those guys at www.3geez.com

[Shadow1]

some guys on 3geez.com swap in B20As or even B18As into their accords. try that.


or if you want get another A20A motor and boost it. theres a Mod(i think he's a mod) has a clean looking 3g hatch and its boosted. looks nice and makes some nice numbers for a boosted A20.

[bmxboi23]

thanks man, now i have another gen accord to learn about. yeah the plan was to look into plausable swaps, or drop in a rebuilt motor and turbo it.

[Shadow1]

thanks man, now i have another gen accord to learn about. yeah the plan was to look into plausable swaps, or drop in a rebuilt motor and turbo it.

well its up to you man. if anything id drop in a B series and build that up a little bit. all the money boosting the A20, tuning, and finding the parts isnt worth it unless your a die-hard fan of the gen. with a good turbo kit and tune you'd probably make about as much as a B series( maybe a B18a(around 160-180whp)) out of it.

now a couple of people up there HAVE dropped in a H22. but its alot of fabrication and work you have to put into it to get it to fit. keep in mind the A20a is only a 2.0 or a 1.8 i think.

but if your looking to drop in a good motor, put in a B series. that way you'll have the aftermarket behind you and have part readily available.

[5spd'r]

I'd have to look up the article, but I know honda tuning talked about this and said there was an easy swap for the F.I. model, I think it was the F20b from japan. Should be cheap too.

[5spd'r]

It was the july 2006 H.T. article I was thinking of and it said these cars came with the B20a in japan. This helps bring the cost down a bit because the B20a is an oddball engine as far as the B-series goes.

[Shadow1]

It was the july 2006 H.T. article I was thinking of and it said these cars came with the B20a in japan. This helps bring the cost down a bit because the B20a is an oddball engine as far as the B-series goes.

yeah it is. the B20a come in the 3rd gen prelude i think. the ones that look like the 3rd gen accord. it may be a oddbal motor but they are stronger than the B16 and B18 motors tho.

[wed3k]

the jdm B20a is a badass motor, i think it has 160hp. better than an LS!

[bmxboi23]

the jdm B20a is a badass motor, i think it has 160hp. better than an LS!

im pretty sure the b20a from the 3rd gen 'ludes had about 130 hp.


do you guys happen to know if the mounts line up?
basically i have an h23 to drop in my 90, should the b20a swap in the 88 be as easy as that?
thanks again

[wed3k]

thats the usdm one...B20a5.

[owequitit]

im pretty sure the b20a from the 3rd gen 'ludes had about 130 hp.


do you guys happen to know if the mounts line up?
basically i have an h23 to drop in my 90, should the b20a swap in the 88 be as easy as that?
thanks again

The only engine that bolts right into these is the B20 from Japan/Australia. They are getting extrememly hard to find though.

A regular B series will bolt in with the proper mounts, but as far as I know, Place Racing was the only place that made them, and they went out of business long ago, so those are also hard to find. I am honestly surprised nobody else makes them.

I have considered a B series swap for my dad's 88, but with as hard as it is to find the structural parts, it probably just isn't worth it.

[Shadow1]

The only engine that bolts right into these is the B20 from Japan/Australia. They are getting extrememly hard to find though.

A regular B series will bolt in with the proper mounts, but as far as I know, Place Racing was the only place that made them, and they went out of business long ago, so those are also hard to find. I am honestly surprised nobody else makes them.

I have considered a B series swap for my dad's 88, but with as hard as it is to find the structural parts, it probably just isn't worth it.

but being that the 3g accord and the 3g prelude basicly have the same body structure, shouldnt the B20a5 drop right in? what mount would you have to get for a USDM one to fit in?

[owequitit]

but being that the 3g accord and the 3g prelude basicly have the same body structure, shouldnt the B20a5 drop right in? what mount would you have to get for a USDM one to fit in?

No. The B20 in the Prelude leans backwards and every other B series leans foward. That is but one of the fundamental differences.

Getting a USDM one to fit is going to be at least as hard, probably harder than getting a regular B series to fit. So doing that would be silly, especially considering that if you went with a regular B series, there are a lot more options for tuning and building.

The B series in the Prelude is like the F series in the S2000. It is completely unique and shares almost nothing with other B series.