my h22a swap journal

[tommi]

that motor looks hella clean, nice buy!

haha matt you're all over this thread.

[90accordlxcb7]

Dude I have to give you MAJOR props on this whole thing, I mean a friggin clean write up and pics and everything a member like me is lookin for when enjoying to hear about someone swapin or somethin!!! And you're not just throwin this H22 in, you're takin it to a clean swap level!!! In words of McDonalds "I'm Lovin It"(hope I'm not breakin a copyright law there)!!! Can't wait to see the totally finished product!!! Keep it up!!!

[SMseagren83]

it is already finished and running...but if i read right in another post..he hasnt hit the VTEC yet, or pushed her too far...due to break in period?

anyhow this is such an awesome write-up. not only is it great to read through and hear about ur experience, but it is also a GREAT help for those also pursuing OR thinking about undergoing the "H" swap, such as myself . Its great because one...u have taken ur time with it (and it shows), and two ur write-ups are always clear and concise, and if maybe not,-you always come back to clear up issues that arent. haha but seriously, GREAT WORK! i have always admired ur car in its ALWAYS inspirational self!

Kudos!! PS- GIVE US MORE! lol
Sean

[wed3k]

werd...i might be swapping an engine yet again during the summer (h22 _

[TysCb7]

Wow very well done , just curious did you talk steve down on the price or did he offer you that price?

[timmy0tool]

SMseagren83 - thanks man but i have hit vtec already! it's a great feeling but i don't want to shift too hard until the clutch is broken in. two more gas tanks to go! i'm glad people actually see the hard work that goes into doing a swap. it's still very doable for the average tim .

steve is a cool cat. just get on his good side and he can cut you a deal. also having wads of hundred dollar bills is a good measure of persuasion. as my write up shows the oil pan was dented beyond repair and the oil pickup inside was messed up too. this could be the reason why steve gave the price that he gave. he's a business man; treat him like one and you should be straight!

i'll be writing the final chapter sometime today. stay up kids!

[timmy0tool]

here is the conclusion of my swap. the only thing left to do was to reconnect everything as it was removed. it was a lot easier to return the parts than to remove them. i was already closing into my second week of working on the car. a quality job takes time!


after running my special sub-harness into the cabin i simply added the necessary wires to the ECU harness. extracting the pins and opening the connectors were easier than i had expected and read in the FAQ. i just used my hands to open the connectors and used a safety pin to “unhook” the wires from the connector points. i tapped the vtec solenoid ground into the harness as well as the switched ignition for the IAB solenoid. having the factory wiring diagram comes in handy! here is what the final wiring looks like.


a closer look and you can see what a little soldering and ingenuity can produce. i just let the ecu sit there while i replaced the old metal kick panel that the f22a1 ECU sat (not pictured). this is to protect the ecu when there is a passenger in the seat.


after everything is connected, it’s all a matter of filling the fluids and seeing if any check engine lights appear after startup. i was surprised to experience the car starting on its first few cranks. besides the exhaust leak between the header and downpipe i received a code-7 CEL which pointed to the TPS. other than that everything worked!

for some reason i had to shim the power steering pump to clear the alternator pulley. i’m thinking the bracket is bent. this is what the washers i used looked like.


it comes real close to the belt! i’m using the accord crank pulley which has only 4 ribs and the prelude alternator pulley has 5 ribs. it shouldn’t matter though since the power steering pulley is the same on both motors. see how close it is!


i tried to transfer over the accord pulley but i couldn’t get the darn pulley off. i broke some of my 10mm sockets while doing so. i even bought a 22mm offset wrench, hence the saran wrap as i planned to return it after use . i still couldn’t get it off! BLAH!


afterthoughts and findings:
- use only genuine honda manual transmission fluid and power steering fluid
- the h22a uses 5.7 quarts of oil especially after being dry for so long
- always check the oil level just in case of leaks (i was running at the lowest oil level for a week!)
- when the rack and pinion is dry, make sure to have lots of power steering fluid in the reservoir and turn the wheel lock to lock to get the fluid inside (power steering fluid is self bleeding)
- have 2 gallons of coolant at hand, with the heater knob to full heat fill the overflow reservoir to max then fill the radiator until a steady stream of coolant comes out of the bleeder valve
- bleed the clutch as you would with a braking system, might as well flush out the old stuff
- check the timing (at idle with the car warm) and make sure you have 91 octane in the tank (i had 87 oops!)
- break in the clutch (at least 500 miles)

after much toil and sweat, she is finally in and running.

[gloryaccordy]

Teh Veetaaak!!!!!!

[90accordlxcb7]

YEH!!!

[h22sparkle]

Very nice once you get everything in order youll love it i guarantee it.

[accordmaniac]

WoW! Thanks for the great info!

[cb7wagonPL]

great quality job! looks clean! i hope my F22B swap goes as well as yours did this summer.

[tommi]

wow verr nice timmy now ur cookin with oil! clean install too. so what did you end up using for a ps belt??? since u used the accord crank pulley?

[timmy0tool]

wow verr nice timmy now ur cookin with oil! clean install too. so what did you end up using for a ps belt??? since u used the accord crank pulley?

thanks again! i used the prelude belt and it worked fine. i'm sure an accord belt would have worked too. i used the accord alternator belt though. i will be replacing the bracket as soon as it comes in.

update!
i fixed the CEL. turns out i didn't put the TPS inside the butterfly groove so it just stayed in one spot no matter how open the butterfly was. stupid me! now it ALL works with no CELs and the o2 is reading correctly. i should be getting better gas mileage. 22mpg sucks on 91 octane at $3/gal. now to fix the exhaust manifold leak. i already have brand new gaskets. in time...

[timmy0tool]

just to let you guys know it doesn't take air tools to get this job done. a good set of hand tools and extensions is all you really need. here is what i used. simple eh?