3rd Gen prelude B20A swap questions...

[racerx]

i bought a 3rd gen lude a while back and i recently bought the B20A for it (from the 3rd gen lude).

i have had no luck getting real answers from people on preludepower.com or any other site. i always find myself coming back here for problems with just about any car...

so here's the deal: i just want to know if it would be easier to pull the current engine out WITH the transmission, and bolt the new motor up, blah blah blah. OR would it be better to unbolt the engine from the tranny while it is still in the engine bay and pull the motor WITHOUT the tranny....

pulling the axles out looks like a pain in the

[SteveDX89]

It's easier to remove the engine with the tranny attached. The axles shouldn't be a problem. Just pop them out the the tranny.

[skiingco]

Does your Lude already have a USDM B20A5 and you are replacing it with another USDM B20A5? With a little maneuvaring, you can pull it out in tact.

I disconnected the half shafts of the engine, and pulled them completely out.

I have a 2G Lude and pulled out the BT 5Sp Man in tact, with the pulley side of the engine canted higher and put the JDM B20A with 5Sp Man in the same way. The intermediate shaft on the B20A was on when I lowered the engine in.

[racerx]

oops, i didn't specificy the engine. it is the JDM B20A out of a 91 prelude from japan. it even has a Honda oil filter still on the back.

anyway, so if you pulled the tranny out w/o pulling the motor, theoretically I could pull the motor without the tranny???

also, i hear that there is a LOT more work going in to "popping" the axles out of the tranny, no offense. it looks like you have to remove all these suspension pieces and crap, and then pull them out whilst balancing all the dangling parts.... oi....

[SteveDX89]

I'm sure you can do it but I think it'll be harder. You'll have to support the tranny on a jack and then move the engine or tranny over a little bit because there are dowel pin type things that line the two up. Then you have to line it back up and attach it again. It can be done but I think it's too much hassle.

[k-roy]

Pull em out together, its easier that way.

[racerx]

ok, sounds like a plan. i better get started. anyone want some pics?

[k-roy]

Yea I remember Steve. Good times.


Yea pics are always good. Here, look at some of my Teg engine being removed. I did not have a hoist so I just dropped it out the bottom singlehandedly with a Honda jack. I don't reccomend doing it that way that way.
http://monolith.projectgamma.com/~kroy/g2ic/july/

[SteveDX89]

They put the engines in from the bottom at the factory. It's probably much easier with a lift as compared to a jack.

[racerx]

i got an engine lift, so i should be good to go as far as that goes... now taking the axles out....

[Vanilla Sky]

They put the engines in from the bottom at the factory. It's probably much easier with a lift as compared to a jack.

true, but it's already mounted to the front sub-frame, then that is mounted to the rest of the car... they just lift it into place... few bolts and it's in (at least with these accords)

[racerx]

ummmm.... there is a a lot of difference in the vacuum hosing between the 2 motors...

some of the vacuum hoses have numbers on them. can i just match up the hoses like that? most (if not all) of the vacuum terminals on the JDM motor have at least a little bit of vacuum hose left on them, and I can read the number.

also, does anyone know which lines will NOT be necessary? thanks!!!

[88LXI]

just use your old manifold then you dont have to worry about the vac lines.. just hook it up the way its always been.... i think that if you left the tranny in the car and pulled the engine then you might hurt your axles if it twisted a little in there, plus it would be semi difficult to get the pecker shaft to line up right when you got the motor dangling there

[racerx]

yeah. so far i've taken almost all of the wires/lines/plugs off, but it's been a PAIN IN THE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~~!!!!

i cant wait till it's done.

somebody please tell me the axle removal is the easy part... please, oh please, oh please...

[skiingco]

Half-shaft removal is not that bad. The only retarded thing about the process is if you have a center plastic piece covering the shaft nut in the middle of your rim that has to be popped from inside the tire. In other words, if you have a center rim piece covering the shaft nut that can't be taken off without removing the tire, then you have take off the tire, remove the piece, put the tire back on, lower the car, loosen the shaft nut, then lift the car, remove the tire, and begin removing the half shaft. Now, if you a center piece that you take off from the outside, you save yourself all this trouble. When I removed the shafts, I used military nylon cord(green parachute suspension twine) to tie the A arm and caliper up out of the way high in the wheel well(I basically tied off the twine over the outside of the fender to one of the engine lift mounts. With all that clearance, I used flat nail pry bar used by carpenters to wedge the half shaft out of the transaxle. The Chiltons and Haynes both had the same basic instructions. It takes a little wrench turning, but I have done much harder things on vehicles than removing the shafts.

[racerx]

okaaaay. i need to know if i need to remove the brass nuts in the middle of the wheel; the HUGE nut that sits in the middle of all the lug nuts.

i do not have a socket that will fit that nut. the thing is friggin huge. over 1.25".....
help...

[k-roy]

32MM
Get an impact socket, I broke a regular one.

[racerx]

oh shiznit... well... is there any way to do this without taking the hub nut off? (i'd like to get as much done tonight as possible....)

seriously, what exactly needs to be removed/disconnected in the suspension in order for the axle to pop out?

[k-roy]

Theoretically you could pull off the CV boot and seperate the driveshaft in pieces. But removing the 32mm nut is a better idea.
You should check out the howto section for a kickass HOWTO on driveshaft replacement.

[racerx]

update: went to sears to buy the broken bolt/nut remover kit, and it worked like a dream! highly recommended tool. one of the downpipe nuts stripped and wouldn't budge. it's off now.

also, those how-to's are awesome!