Hello all! I was in search and need of some advice. I was involved in a wreck this past week and in need of a new car. My friend offered his 97' Accord Ex to me for $350, needing a new engine. I will only receive around $2500 from the insurance company so I figured this may be the best route to go.

I was curious of a few things-

-How much should I expect to pay for a replacement engine? I believe it is the 2.2l Vtech. I live in KY and am willing to make a little drive if need be to a reputable dealer. So if anyone knows anywhere in the surrounding areas that would be great. Or any good websites that offer engines?

-Are there any other engines which would fit well with minimal if any adjustments? Power is not a issue, I'm just looking for a dependable car. What specific engine am I looking for? Excuse my ignorance.

Any other suggestions are certainly welcome and thanks for reading!

 

car-part.com is a site that searches for parts at junkyards by price or distance. That will give you an idea of the cost for the engine. Not sure the cost of installing an engine.

The 96/97 EX engine are identical and I would stick with them. There are enough accords of that vintage that you should be able to find an engine. Look for low mileage and hopefully the junkyard will provide a compression test. A leakdown test would be even more informative of the engine's condition.

 

I am with PAHonda as always, check car-part.com I know the last time I got a F22 the prices seemed to be $300-400. As far as paying someone to put it in I'm really not sure.

As with any used car or engine you will want to have the timing belt and water pump replaced.

 

For my '95 I was recently quoted ~$2,200 parts and labor for an F22B1 engine (yours is the same) with approximately 100k on it. That's at $95/hr. Call around local shops and see what you can find. Look for ASE certified techs, a good Better Business Bureau rating, and most of all make sure you Google reviews of the shop.

If you get the same quote I did, you'll have a '97 EX for $2,550, assuming all it needs is the new engine. If the car is in "good" condition, Kelly blue book on it would be ~$4,300. So if it's got a clean title, body and paint in good shape, good tires and a nice interior you'd have the car for $1,750 under private party retail.

I'm not sure how the EX ECU does with other, non-VTEC engines, I've never looked into it. Maybe someone else can shed some light on that. The F22B1 is a good reliable engine, though underpowered in my opinion it doesn't seem that will be an issue for you.

You can find F22B1 engines for pretty cheap at junkyards and Craigslist, you could probably find one for under $500, but as PAhonda said, try to get one that they will test for you so you know what you're getting. It would be better to spend $1,500 on a sure thing than to spend $500 and then have to spend $1,500 on top of it when you realize you got a bad engine

Take the car to a mechanic first and foremost to see what the problem with the engine is because it could be as simple as getting it rebuilt, which you can often do for under $1,000.

 

Other engines will fit with minor modifications. Since you're farming out the work you might think about having the same place that swaps the engine source it too, as Peli suggests above. That way it's their responsibility to find a good engine and do any necessary modifications. Two "other" choices:

1. '95 - '96 F22B2: Same as your engine but without VTEC. Will require the ECU out of the donor car and distributor harness rewiring.
2. '98 - '02 F23A1: Long block only; will require swapping the intake and exhaust manifolds, alternator, perhaps the distributor, various sensors, etc. from your old engine. Higher labor $$$ but at this point there are more low-mileage 23's around than 22's, and often less expensive. Keep your current ECU.

 

that sounds like a lot of work...I found my 1991 Honda Accord EX in Excellent shape..for $2300...you might want to think about just buying a honda....instead of dealing with the engine