When Doing An Engine Swap....

[mjsstanley]

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED ! I mean plan on anything that could possibly go wrong to GO WRONG ! and do not , i repeat DO NOT sell your F22 ! You probably wont get that much for it and whatever you do get , you'll probably spend that AND more buying parts you need that you let go . And when ordering parts , make sure you know whether to order them for a CB or a Prelude (if doing the H22 swap) .
I planned for this process to take MAYBE a month , at the most . My F22 was pulled out on 2/12 and my CB is still not on the road .
Here is a list of everything that went wrong in this swap:
- Sold my F22 with pretty much everything still on it .
- brackets that came on H22 were for Prelude mounts (~$82 and three days from Honda)
- distributor cap was broken
- weight of H22 broke front and driver side mounts (they were already worn)
- ordered A/C compressor for Prelude , CB line wouldn't reach
- NO power steering line would work with bracket and pump that came with motor (ended up having to braze two together)
- fuel rail was JDM which means the fuel line connected to the passenger side (had to find a USDM fuel rail)
- and finally when I thought everything was done , the company that I bought my ECU from sent me a chipped P28 with a blank chip !
This swap has definitely been a nightmare ! If you are planning to do a swap , RESEARCH , RESEARCH , RESEARCH and prepare to dish out some money !

[TheNextEpisode]

Yeah, CB7T is invaluable for making a swap go smoothly.
Especially http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=159041.

[deevergote]

Ordering a full swap from a reputable company, like hmotorsonline.com, is one way to avoid much of the problems you encountered. Your experience is EXACTLY why I advocate the more expensive hmotorsonline over almost any other engine importer.

The initial swap should always be done with a P13, to eliminate as many variables as possible. That P28 you got, as you learned, ended up being a trainwreck. I didn't get a P28 for my h22 until I ran the P13 for about 3 years!



But yes... always research. Double check. FULLY understand what's happening, even if you pay a shop to do it for you (I made that mistake... and I also paid dearly... 2 weeks and $1750 in labor to get my $2400 H22 in, and they halfassed most of it! I've never had working AC with this swap, because they couldn't figure out the lines.)

Spend the time on the research. Spend the time to do each step carefully and thoroughly... waiting to get the proper tools and parts if necessary. Spend the money for quality parts, including the swap itself. Whatever money and hassle you THINK you're saving by cutting corners will often end up causing more hassle and expense in the long run!

[bobbycos]

that is why i wait until the car is running and driving before i get rid of any parts, even broken stuff