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my h22a swap journal

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    my h22a swap journal

    it has been a long time coming and now the time has come to say buh-bye to the f22a1 that has served me a good long 9 years with 227,495 miles under its belt (on the original clutch mind you!). taking it’s place is no other than the typical, run-of-the-mill, super controversial jdm h22a. with 5 years of research and money-saving, it is finally here. this thread will serve as my journal on my swap progess and spending. please note that i have an 8-5 mon-fri job so i can only work on the car afterwards or on the weekends. let’s see how long it’ll take. i give myself a month for good measure. pictures will be taken as often as i can to share my experiences in this project.



    here are the specs of the motor and related parts for the swap:
    -bought locally from hmotorsonline (steve is a cool cat to deal with!)
    -95 jdm h22a with stock lsd (m2b4) and p13 ecu ($2150)
    -stock jdm downpipe w/ o2 sensor (included with motor set)
    -exedy stage 1 clutch kit ($210)
    -fidanza flywheel ($150)
    -h23 manual tensioner conversion parts ($130)
    -prothane rear motor mount ($20)
    -misc parts (belts, water pump, seals, gaskets) ($200)
    -fluids (all genuine honda besides the coolant and 10w-30 motor oil) ($100)
    -cleaning supplies (brake cleaner, shop towels) ($50)
    -driver’s side axle (stupid thing keeps tearing) (free - lifetime warranty)

    my buddy owns a shop called 161822 (stands for the displacements in typical honda motors). he helped me purchase and work on the motor. after picking it up from steve we brought the motor back to his shop for replacement of the timing belt, balancer belt, water pump, oil seals, valve cover seal, clutch, and flywheel. we did some routine inspection of the valve clearances and misc engine parts. we found out that all the parts were pretty much new and shiny, even the auto tensioner. despite what i’ve researched and found, we didn’t like how the h23 manual tensioner worked with the h22. the tension was too high for my tastes with the pulley pushed back all the way! why would honda spend so much money on r&d for the auto tensioner on their high performance motor to fail? having too much tension will burn out the exhaust cam seats as well as other parts. on a controversial move, and the fact that my auto tensioner was still new, we decided to ditch the h23 tensioner conversion . it should be ok with no valve train upgrades planned in the future.

    finding a place to do the swap was my next problem. my tools were all at my parents’ house and they didn’t want me to be doing it there. my dad knows firsthand the mess that will ensue when doing motor work. after a week of talking to friends, neighbors, and colleagues, my parents finally gave in and let me use their garage. i started to setup shop the next day after i got the green light. we brought over the motor from the shop, picked up an engine hoist from my buddy, borrowed an engine hoist load leveler, and got some chains. i parked the car in such a way where i have plenty of room to work with and still have enough room to open cabinets and access tools, keeping in mind that my car may sit there in that position for a while. remember i gave myself a month from start to finish just in case.

    here it is all ready in my garage for teardown. hold on to your hats kids!


    i started on monday march 13, 2006 after work. i parked the car, placed block behind the rear tires, and loosened the front lugs and axles nuts prior to jacking up the car. i even placed saran wrap on my fenders to protect the paint from my dirty hands. draining all the fluids took most of the day. here is the progress after the first day.


    after tuesday more things were accomplished. radiator, intake, battery, cruise, driver’s side HID ballast, vac control box, and wheels were disconnected or removed. the coolant lines were disconnected from the heater core, VSS disconnected, fuel feed and return lines taken off, and wire harnesses unplugged.


    wednesday brought more progress. the axles were removed, power steering high press line, a/c compressor, and belts. it’s really handy to have a crank pulley wrench as shown. it makes removal a breeze.


    check out the crank pulley diameter difference between the f22 and h22. besides being a 5-rib pulley, the h22 diameter is slightly smaller (unless my korean-made autozone accord pulley is wrong ).


    mainly everything is now disconnected. shift cables were pulled to the side, downpipe was removed, and the motor mount bolts were loosened. i waited until tomorrow to pull the motor. it’s slowly getting there.


    thursday came and it’s time to remove the motor. i lowered the car a bit for more clearance over the fenders. i had to pick the motor from the side. attach the load leveler and chains to the hoist, position it over the motor, attach to the motor, and remove the motor mount screws. the driver’s side mount was the only stubborn mount. afterwards the hardest part was trying to clear the passenger side mount.


    i kept checking for clearances especially with the TPS and clutch slave since they come really close to the firewall and a/c lines respectively. slow and steady is the way to go during this step. bring down the motor slightly to remove the tranny mount to get better clearance. then tilt and lift at the same time constantly checking for snags.


    after some careful lifting the motor comes out in all of its dirt-riddled glory. because my driver’s side axle inner boot tore there was grease all over the corner of the oil pan to the block. Fluid spilled out as the motor tilted over. the power steering fluid came gushing out of the VSS lines and coolant leaked from the heater core lines. fuel trickled out of the fuel rail as well.


    what a mess! time to clean up and get ready for the weekend of prepping the h22 for departure. stay tuned for the conclusion of this saga.
    1cor10:31
    - 92 LX coupe
    - 96 EX wagon (sold)

    #2
    oh snap... your car is about to take a HUGE step... good luck and good job!


    SOLD!

    Comment


      #3
      wow, i'm glad to see you getting an H Timmy, you def. deserve it

      keep this journal up and running!!
      Audi A4 2.8 Quattro Sport

      Comment


        #4
        Timmy,

        Good choice in motor and Tranny! You'll love having LSD!!!!!!!
        Sick car, ive always seen pictures of this car, its a PHAT RIDE!
        Header Whorage and Official Part out sale.

        Official Garage Sale Thread

        http://jdmconcepts.com/ Head porting specialist..

        Comment


          #5
          can't wait to hear how it runs for you.


          CB7 --> EG2 --> ZN6

          Comment


            #6
            good luck man cant wait to see the future progress

            Comment


              #7
              Is it wrong that I feel really excited and in awe, even though this isnt my car

              Great decision man. Tell me, how did you get the motor around? Did you just have a hoist lift it into your cb7 truck and drive it back home? Wouldn't the weight of the engine bend the metal floorboard of the trunk? Did the engine arrive in a box with wheels on it, so that you can move it around? Where did you attach the chains on the hoist to on the engine? Are you keeping A/C and PS? You're in Cali, so I guess you'll keep the A/C

              edit: Oh, and the JDM downpipe doesn't bolt right up to our catalytic converters I think. You might need to go and get a USDM header and downpipe to make it fit.
              Last edited by i97supratti; 03-29-2006, 07:42 PM.

              Comment


                #8
                Quality write up.


                "You've done more threatening prescription drugs..."
                "the character of a man can be judged by how he takes his criticism"
                "Quoting yourself is like, masturbation" -Starchland

                Comment


                  #9
                  outstanding job timmy i knew it was going to happen but didnt know i had a feeling it was going on though right after the jtuned meet same way i had a feeling you were going 5 lug man thats totally awesome you did it yourself you gotta give me a ride again man i rode with your old suspension and stock motor now you gotta give me a ride on that beast of yours omnis and h22 man all you need now is a paint job and its all good to go hope you have fun with it man and im missing my accord even more you and joey 2 of the top cb's in cali. awesome job again and congrats on the motor

                  rj
                  Beast: Evo X
                  Daily: 93 Accord LX Wagon

                  Comment


                    #10
                    awesome timmy. just plain awesome...

                    and btw yes, the JDM downpipe doesnt bolt up to a USDM cat... youll need a USDM downpipe or cut and weld a new flange on either the DP or cat... i had a new flange put on my cat to take care of that.


                    - 1993 Accord LX - White sedan (sold)
                    - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (wrecked)
                    - 1991 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
                    - 1990 Accord EX - Grey sedan (sold)
                    - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
                    - 1992 Accord EX - White coupe (sold)
                    - 1993 Accord EX - Grey coupe (stolen)
                    - 1993 Accord SE - Gold coupe (sold)
                    Current cars:
                    - 2005 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon - Daily driver
                    - 2004 Chevrolet Express AWD - Camper conversion

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Your gonna love the H22A =D. Have fun and GL with the swap its eazyyyyy

                      The New-ish Ride
                      My old Ride
                      Hear my Vtak!!!
                      MK3 Member #3
                      I piss off people for fun.
                      IA 08 Sunburn Victim #1

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by i97supratti
                        Is it wrong that I feel really excited and in awe, even though this isnt my car?
                        hahaha, i had the same reaction! my eyes were like suction cups on the computer screen giving my undivided attention to every word and photo!

                        Originally posted by cp[mike]
                        awesome timmy. just plain awesome...
                        couldnt have said it any better. bravo timmy0.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by i97supratti
                          Tell me, how did you get the motor around? Did you just have a hoist lift it into your cb7 truck and drive it back home? Wouldn't the weight of the engine bend the metal floorboard of the trunk? Did the engine arrive in a box with wheels on it, so that you can move it around? Where did you attach the chains on the hoist to on the engine? Are you keeping A/C and PS? You're in Cali, so I guess you'll keep the A/C

                          edit: Oh, and the JDM downpipe doesn't bolt right up to our catalytic converters I think. You might need to go and get a USDM header and downpipe to make it fit.
                          thanks a lot guys! the motor is already done. i just wanted to document my findings and put some quote behind the pics i took. yes i did modify the downpipe and i'll show you guys what i did. i'll also show how i modified the power steering high press line too. in time i'll write the second half.

                          supratti to answer your question hmotorsonline used a forklift attached with chains to lift the motor onto my buddy's ford f-150 lightning. yes my motor came home in a supercharged truck LOL. we went to shop first to do the initial work then proceeded to my house. on the way we pick up my friend's hoist and we used it to unload the motor from the truck. the motor is light enough to drag around on my garage floor. i placed cardboard under to protect the oil pan and tranny case. it also made it easier to move around. when on the hoist the motor is moveable as well.

                          there are two points on the motor that i used to attach. one is in front on the power steering bracket and the other is on the tranny casing on the opposite diagonal back side. you'll see it. i did not use the point's from the f22 removal guide . they are incorrect according to the manual.

                          i've kept every accessory as if it were stock. i love my a/c. it's a huge necessity to clear up the fog on the glass when it's raining to keeping me cool in the summer. cruise even works too. stay tuned for the second half!

                          thanks again to this site and cp[mike] for the support. all of my homework was done HERE, cb7tuner.com nukka!!!
                          1cor10:31
                          - 92 LX coupe
                          - 96 EX wagon (sold)

                          Comment


                            #14
                            haha good stuff! nice sig... 2 weeks isnt bad at all and im curious what youre going to post up about the p/s line and DP flange... did you drill extra holes in the DP flange, closer together? i considered that, till my dad's friend offered to weld up the cat for free.


                            - 1993 Accord LX - White sedan (sold)
                            - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (wrecked)
                            - 1991 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
                            - 1990 Accord EX - Grey sedan (sold)
                            - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
                            - 1992 Accord EX - White coupe (sold)
                            - 1993 Accord EX - Grey coupe (stolen)
                            - 1993 Accord SE - Gold coupe (sold)
                            Current cars:
                            - 2005 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon - Daily driver
                            - 2004 Chevrolet Express AWD - Camper conversion

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by cp[mike]
                              haha good stuff! nice sig... 2 weeks isnt bad at all and im curious what youre going to post up about the p/s line and DP flange... did you drill extra holes in the DP flange, closer together? i considered that, till my dad's friend offered to weld up the cat for free.
                              yeah i wanted to beat your 13 hr time but you are way more experienced and this was my first swap ever! my hat's always off to you bro! i'll show you soon but it's nothing extravegant. and yes i did redrill the flange. it was simple but i wouldn't pass on free welding if i had received that offer too.
                              1cor10:31
                              - 92 LX coupe
                              - 96 EX wagon (sold)

                              Comment

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