My engine is starting to get a knock and i was thinking about doing a vtec swap, I as just wondering if anybody else has done it if they could tell me the price/time/difficulty of going through with it. 1996 Accord LX

 

Well there are a lot of Honda Vtec engines, so it will vary depending on which one. For example a F22B1 out of a 94-97 Accord EX will swap in and just need a new ECU and a wires run for VTEC. Assuming you did the labor yourself I would expect this swap to cost $3-500. The drawback is it only makes 15hp more than your stock engine

The other popular swap is the H22A/A1/A4 out of the Prelude. Unlike the F22B1 this engine has power making VTEC and makes 200hp which is 70 more than your stock engine. With this engine you would need to modify or replace the driver side engine mount, modify your wiring harness, replace the ECU, and run the wires for VTEC. You would also have to modify your exhaust. Assuming you did the labor yourself I would estimate this swap to cost $800-1500.

If you wanted to pay a shop to do either of these swaps I would estimate the labor to be in the $800-1300 range.