I need some help! I recently had a engine swap done a mechanics shop and I am getting engine codes mainly a P1164. My vehicle is an 1999 ULEV Honda Accord and I'm wondering if the shop put in a regular honda engine and not a ULEV. SO myquestions is what's the difference between the a ULEV engine and a regular engine? Is it there something actually different with the engine or is it the emissions equipment? What do I need to do to make this work? Would I need an ECM from a regular emission Accord.

 

Look at the serial# stamping in the engine block close to where the transmission bolts up. First line is the engine type. F23A1? F23A5? F23Awhat?

It might be as simple as replace the primary O2 sensor with the special ULEV sensor.

When I sold my 1998/99 Helm book, I didn't save all the ECU error code definitions. P1164 is a special on that only applies to the ULEV engine.

 

Okay. I'll check it out. If it is a non ULEV engine do you think O2 sensors is all that is needed to be swapped out or will the ECM have to be swapped out as well?

 

Well, I'm thinking swapping over whatever sensors are different, to use your ULEV PCM. There's a lot of wiring-harness differences so it may be easier to turn your new engine into a ULEV.

But unfortunately I didn't have a ULEV so I don't know the extent of what's PHYSICALLY different. I know the primary O2 sensor is different and the programming in the PCM is very different. I don't know if it uses a different camshaft or anything like that.

 

I currently have F23A1 and should have F23A4. Accroding to the website I got this information from there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of differences between the two engine packages just the emissions equipment and ECU.

F23A1

This engine was used in the 1998-2002 Honda Accord LX, EX, and SE, and in the Acura 2.3CL in North America.
Specifications

• [*]

F23A4

This engine was used in the 1998-2002 Honda Accord ULEV models. It is substantially similar to the F23A1, but features ULEV certification with a slight reduction of power: 148 hp (108 kW) with a maximum torque of 150 ft·lbf (203 Nm). This engine has a different exhaust manifold and a 32-bit ECU which uses a wideband oxygen sensor.

 

I just looked at it & that is a funny-looking manifold. Is your old engine already gone or can you swap the manifold?


How about a junkyard?

 

The old engine has been gone for a while. I've been chasing this issue for about 2 months now and it just dawned on me that they may have put a regular engine in my car and not a ULEV. I will have to look at my car to see if the manifold is looking like the one you posted. Do you have a pic of the regular exhaust manifold?

 

hondaautomotiveparts dot com
click PARTS
put in your car's information
select EXHAUST MANIFOLD as the category...

 

Well I check my car and I have determined that the manifold on the car is the original manifold. On another note after looking at various parts in the online parts catalog, the only thing I can see that’s different between the ULEV and regular Accord when you compare the engine is the short block. Now as to what’s different between the 2 short blocks is a mystery to me but the cylinder heads, the cam shafts, fuel injectors, intake manifold, throttle body and so on all have the same part number. The short block is different and there's about a $400 cost associated with that difference and depending on what that different is, I still would think that as long as you use the original CATs, O2 sensors and manifold, a standard engine should work in a ULEV car.

Do anyone know what is the difference in the a ULEV shortblock and a Regular shortblock?

 

I don't know but I've always wondered.