so i was cruisin the bay (ebay [8D] ) and found a guy sellin a 92 prelude h23 dohc...he says it's in good cond...would that fit in my 97 dx hatch? any opinions on the motor? it's at just under 450 right now...just curious as to your guys's input. thanks.

peace
nate

 

I am no expert but from what I have heard from some that claim to be tell me this.

The H series are a bit larger than the D or B series and you will have to remove your A/C and I believe relocate or remove your P/S as well. The H23 only has something like 160HP. You would probably be better off getting a B16 series with about the same amount of HP but you will not lose the A/C or P/S and I believe it weights less.

Again - This is not fact, just what I have heard from others that do have some knowledge on the subject.

 

there will be no chance of a/c, power steering pump has to be relocated or removed. the h23 maybe low on hp but it makes it up in tq. also the h23 block can be mated to the h22 head for a vtec combo. ive seen few dyno sheets on this set up pushing close to 195whp and 160ish tq. but with the added weight of this block comes longer braking distance, oversteer, and less gas milage.

 

the swap weights a total of 78 lbs more than the gsr swap, there is no problem with over steer, its just like sitting a 78 lb girl on your hood, i have a 96 civic with h22 and a 95 hatch with a h23, the biggest issue you will run into is hooking cause of the tq, you will have to cut you passenger side motor mount off the frame of the car, and you will have to cut the under hull of the car when you hook your shift linkage too, becuas its diff than the b sreies shift link, we also make custom wiring harnesses, because you will need one, you can keep you ac and everything thanks

 

o i have a h23a out of a 96 lude for sale 500 shipped to your door

 

sorry bro, i havn't been around in a while and just saw that post today. is that engine still available? if so what's the milage, cond. etc? where are you located?

thanks
nate

 

i happened accross a site that makes a mount to bolt the stock d-series ac compressor to an h series block. its been awhile, ill see if i can find it again and ill post the link.

 

http://www.hybridautomotive.com/parts/mount_kits.html


Here ya go.

 

i heard that if u swap a h22 or h23 u have to cut and reweld your motor mounts at a different location is that correct or not? heard from a friend that owns a performance mechanic shop.

 

You need new motor mounts, custom fabricated. Cutting your old ones probably wouldn't...cut it

Be careful with the H series. I've looked into swaping one into my 1G civic, but there's a lot of hassle involved and it has issues that the D and B series don't. The transmissions don't have the best gearing and aren't the most reliable (but not the worst, either). The H series engines have an auto tensioner that seems to be unique to the H series among Honda engines. If it's installed incorrectly, your car will run for a bit--maybe a day, maybe a year--and then that autotensioner will let the belt slip. People have bent their 'lude valves this way, requiring a head job or a new head.

Putting an H into your car MAY require a modification to your hood to make it fit, too. I know that's the case for my CRX, but it may be just right for your car. The H engine also uses a cable shift linkage, instead of the rods used in the D series. This is just a minor change over, but it'll be more parts to buy if it's not included with your swap.

All that said, the H swap is supposed to really haul in civics. It's also supposed to be much cheaper power than a GSR or ITR swap (B18C3/C5). I would personally go with an H22 to boot since it has vtec. Even the h23 w/an h22 head combos don't seem to offer much extra hp over the h22, from what i've read.

Edit: I think Hasport makes H series motor mounts for your gen civic. Look into it (I think they're around $400, though, so you'll have to add that to the cost of your swap). If you can get a quote from your local shop that's willing to do it, then maybe you can go with them. Just be sure that they're reputable.