So I started the post in the new members forum:
97 Accord Ex, 2.2L F22B1, 5 Speed, Dark green 4 Door Sedan

So considering the car's condition: it has minimal rust, the car has been well taken car of, the engine has 184k on it and the type of car, how much money do you guys think I should put into it? I really like the car but it is kinda old. Is the engine worth working on extensively?
Maybe eventually do an engine rebuild with some performance parts added? A turbo? Ill definitely look into a better camshaft and intake manifold but what I've also been thinking about is instead putting an h22 in eventually.

I like seeing what potential old things have but the question is: is it worth it?

I would love a newer accord- 7th or 8th Gen. But the newer the car the harder they are to work on- there are the computer issues and just that there isn't as much knowledge on newer cars as they have not been around long enough.
Id like to one day see my car modified to the point where it looks and feels almost like a brand new sports sedan. Something to be proud of.

I like my car cuz I everything under the hood is so simple and easy to get to.
But everything I've learned, I've learned on my own through research and my own car so I need some help with advice to what I should be aiming for to kick start my hobby. All I've really learned to do is just basic repairs- changing parts but not too much about what the best things to do with VTECs specifically.

 

I'm currently modifying my 97 accord. I think the best things to start out with (personally), are simple bolt-ons and then later work on the more involved modifications. Things such as air intake and exhaust, to help the car breath better, is always a good place to start.

 

I have had F22s, H22s, and an F20b. In my experience its better to just boost the F22 than swap for an H22. Boosted F22s make a lot more power than a stock h22. H22s are also getting pretty old(the absolute newest one you can get is 11 year old, while some are almost 20 years old). So most of them will have problems of their own. I personally have destroyed 3 in 4 or 5 years because they all have their own problems or they eventually end up burning a ton of oil and need a rebuild.

 

Ok. So i guess Ill keep the F22. I don't have the resources for it but in the future I would like to rebuild my engine then. Does that restart the mileage or how would that work? How many more miles would I expect to get off the engine?

And I've already done the stuff to make my engine breathe better: CAI, 421 Header, 3" Catback. I think ill look into a performance air intake and camshaft. Anything else?

 

I'm not sure how many miles you have on it, but F22s are very strong motors that last a long time.

As far as completely rebuilding an engine to 0 miles in my opinion is insanely expensive, and really only worth it if you are building some beast of a motor(700+hp). We are talking new pistons, rods, valves, etc etc.

I also wouldn't touch anything in it that isnt broken unless you were planning on boosting it.

After that you could swap for a F23 intake manifold and you should get a chipped ECU when you upgrade the camshaft to really optimize its performance. But other than that there isnt much else you can do without really taking the engine apart and spending the big bucks. I suppose you could upgrade to a bigger throttle body, but I doubt you would see much gain, and you wouldn't want to go too big.

 

So I guess Ill start with the intake manifold first. Is there anything special I have to do for that or just buy the new part and switch it out with the old like any other part switch?

And for the camshaft, I would have to buy the chipped ecu and camshaft together? Could I shop around or are they best bought together or from the same place?

 

since your a 97 your obd2. You will need a odb2 to obd1 conversion harness a chipped and socketed p28 ecu. The camshaft of choice then you will need to find a tuner in your area who can tune your set up.

IMPO since you will need to swap to obd1 I would do a f22a head and ditch that sorry f22b1/2 head. Then you can run a f22a head with h23 intake manifold. Better cam options. Much better head design and valve angle....just a MUCH MUCH better head to work with if going for performance.

 

So thats a lot of good info for me, I think with my budget Ill start with the ECU it seems, depending on what I can do. With a chipped ECU do I have to buy an aftermarket camshaft or can I wait a while and still have the benefits of a chipped ECU? And if so you gotta break it down a bit simpler for me. I've been looking up info on that but I'm pretty new to car computers. What process am I looking at for all that first?

 

You wont really see much gain from just getting a chipped ecu, it really only adds horsepower with mods.

 

Ok, so what order should I go about this process? This sounds like stuff I could do, although I'm not so sure bout finding a tuner around here.
All this will come with a few years of planning so that I can set up a budget and do my research. What should I do to set up the basic engine mods?
I think that changing the engine head, intake manifold and camshaft at the same time would be most effective. Would I then get a chipped ECU?
Based on what I found looking around, itd be about $400 for an f22a head and $300 for an h23 intake. The camshaft would be around $300 as well. So thats a grand right there. But are there other expenses?