I would assume the transmission is somewhat similar to the TL so it will be fine.
Thanks for sharing all of this...pretty cool stuff.
J37A4 (320 HP Acura TL 3.7L) swap
24787
112
EDIT- It's been quite the long and winding road, but there's a happy ending! If you don't have time to review 100+ posts, skip to page 6 and digest posts 105 through 109, where I've summarized under the following categories:
Post 105: "NO, you don't REALLY have VTEC on your Pilot!"
Post 106: Build Sheet & Budget
Post 107: Swapped motor control options and wiring
Post 108: Mechanical swap itself, lessons learned & instructions
Post 109: Tuning, end results, and possible way ahead.
Reader's Digest version: I put a 3.7L dual-VTEC Acura TL motor into my 2014 Pilot 4WD Touring. It cost about $7,500 in parts and labor, but could have been done for around $3,000 if I'd done ALL the work myself and not done some of the extra parts upgrades. She makes at least 70 HP and 13 ft-lbs more torque than stock at the crank on 93 octane, and there's probably more still to be had (though I'm not going to go chasing it). It was sometimes frustrating and sometimes fun, but mostly I'm glad it's done and running like it came this way from the factory. GOBS of torque down low, and she'll cruise up a long hill at well above the speed limit in 5th gear without batting an eye.
-------- TL: DR version follows... buckle up, buttercup!--------
Well, the wifemobile (bone stock 2014 AWD Touring) threw a timing belt at 110k, just about 5k miles after having all those components changed with brand new OEM parts. Sheesh.
I'm always looking for an opportunity to make lemons out of lemonade, so since a used 3.7L J37A4 is within a few hundred bucks of a stock 3.5L replacement, let's make simple shit hard and see if we can squeeze a few more ponies out of Princess the Pilot, shall we?
Following a similar swap over on the Ridgeline forums as a guide, it won't be easy but it won't be impossible, either. Mechanically speaking, they're practically identical. EVERYTHING will have to move over from the stock 3.5L, down to the engine mounting points. All accessories and wiring harness. The wiring harness will have to be modified as follows:
1) Injector plugs are different from the 3.7 to the 3.5 so those will have to be moved over from the donor harness.
2) 3.7 has the VTEC solenoid and oil pressure sensor down on the block by the filter as opposed to on the heads like the 3.5, so the harness will have to be extended/modified accordingly.
While we're at it, I'll add a few goodies such as intake manifold spacer & thermal gaskets, throttle body spacer & thermal gaskets, High Flow Pre Cats, equal-length J-pipe, and ported lower intake manifold runners. If Princess has to undergo open heart surgery, we might as well do some touching-up while we're in there, after all!
My biggest concern is CONTROL. Fuel trims are likely to be way off as the 3.5's PCM tries to control an engine with larger displacement and larger injectors than it's expecting. I've got two options: 1) Swap in a Ridgeline PCM, which can be tuned with kTuner, or 2) Try a piggyback ECU (I'm eyeing the AEM F/IC 6). I'm leaning towards the latter.
Anyways, the block is on the way to the installer and all the other ancillary goodies are on order. We expect to start tearing into this around the beginning of September. I'll keep the forum posted, especially considering the dearth of info out there about performance modifications for our beloved Pilots!
-Jon
![139099]()
![139100]()
![139101]()
Post 105: "NO, you don't REALLY have VTEC on your Pilot!"
Post 106: Build Sheet & Budget
Post 107: Swapped motor control options and wiring
Post 108: Mechanical swap itself, lessons learned & instructions
Post 109: Tuning, end results, and possible way ahead.
Reader's Digest version: I put a 3.7L dual-VTEC Acura TL motor into my 2014 Pilot 4WD Touring. It cost about $7,500 in parts and labor, but could have been done for around $3,000 if I'd done ALL the work myself and not done some of the extra parts upgrades. She makes at least 70 HP and 13 ft-lbs more torque than stock at the crank on 93 octane, and there's probably more still to be had (though I'm not going to go chasing it). It was sometimes frustrating and sometimes fun, but mostly I'm glad it's done and running like it came this way from the factory. GOBS of torque down low, and she'll cruise up a long hill at well above the speed limit in 5th gear without batting an eye.
-------- TL: DR version follows... buckle up, buttercup!--------
Well, the wifemobile (bone stock 2014 AWD Touring) threw a timing belt at 110k, just about 5k miles after having all those components changed with brand new OEM parts. Sheesh.
I'm always looking for an opportunity to make lemons out of lemonade, so since a used 3.7L J37A4 is within a few hundred bucks of a stock 3.5L replacement, let's make simple shit hard and see if we can squeeze a few more ponies out of Princess the Pilot, shall we?
Following a similar swap over on the Ridgeline forums as a guide, it won't be easy but it won't be impossible, either. Mechanically speaking, they're practically identical. EVERYTHING will have to move over from the stock 3.5L, down to the engine mounting points. All accessories and wiring harness. The wiring harness will have to be modified as follows:
1) Injector plugs are different from the 3.7 to the 3.5 so those will have to be moved over from the donor harness.
2) 3.7 has the VTEC solenoid and oil pressure sensor down on the block by the filter as opposed to on the heads like the 3.5, so the harness will have to be extended/modified accordingly.
While we're at it, I'll add a few goodies such as intake manifold spacer & thermal gaskets, throttle body spacer & thermal gaskets, High Flow Pre Cats, equal-length J-pipe, and ported lower intake manifold runners. If Princess has to undergo open heart surgery, we might as well do some touching-up while we're in there, after all!
My biggest concern is CONTROL. Fuel trims are likely to be way off as the 3.5's PCM tries to control an engine with larger displacement and larger injectors than it's expecting. I've got two options: 1) Swap in a Ridgeline PCM, which can be tuned with kTuner, or 2) Try a piggyback ECU (I'm eyeing the AEM F/IC 6). I'm leaning towards the latter.
Anyways, the block is on the way to the installer and all the other ancillary goodies are on order. We expect to start tearing into this around the beginning of September. I'll keep the forum posted, especially considering the dearth of info out there about performance modifications for our beloved Pilots!
-Jon
101 - 113 of 113 Posts
Thanks for sharing all of this...pretty cool stuff.
Joined
·
5,230 Posts
The TL is a lighter vehicle so the transmission and 3.7 TL powered Pilot will be pulling more weight. Depending on how that power is used proactive ATF maintenance, ATF temp monitoring and cooling would be my next steps.
All I can say is I'm in awe. I can no longer tell my wife how proud of myself I am for completing such mundane tasks as changing the Pilot's spark plugs or cleaning or changing the PCV and EGR. I am but an ant looking up at a lion. My self-pity index doing what I thought was challenging wrench work just dropped an order of magnitude.Hahahah! Yeah, it's been quite the roller coaster ride
Given how finicky the Pilot's PCM appears to be based on numerous questions here about dash lights unexpectedly popping on for small changes in the phase of the moon or turning green jockey briefs into shop towels prematurely ... it's a tribute to your understanding of the electrical circuits and harness mod execution that you're running code free. Impressive! Nice going! Thanks for sharing and the extra work of picture taking and journaling all the steps and associated costs, and in a delightful writing style that makes for easy and entertaining reading despite the level of technical detail.
My wife's profession and full time job is in finance as a manager at a big corporation. She rounds to the nearest $millionth. She has no appetite to deal with money when home, so I take care of all the finances, bills, taxes, investments, etc. When I saw your commrnt "If I should get hit by a truck - diagrams." I laughed because I felt like my wife did when I told her if I get hit by a truck here are all the accounts, all the locations, all the passwords, when things are due, how much to pay who and when, which policies to collect on and how much, etc. etc. ... you get the idea. She looked at me and said, "Thanks, but you have to be shitting me to think I understand enough of that to even try to do it all. Just don't die before me!"
You are too kind, Sir. I am definitely a voracious knowledge "consumer" on many enthusiast forums, so I try to balance the scales when given the opportunity. Remember... we are ALL just a couple of forum guides and/or Youtube videos away from being experts at a given task
-Jon
SUMMARY POST 1: "NO, you don't REALLY have VTEC on your Pilot"
Yeah, sorry to start this off by crushing your soul, but if you are thinking of "VTEC" = "engage higher-lift cams that increase intake/exhaust airflow at high load & RPMs"... nope. Your 3.5L Pilot (at least, gen 2s... the Gen 1 have either a VTEC engine or an earlier version of this i-VTEC depending on 2wd or 4wd) has i-VTEC, which is a marketing smoke-and-mirrors equivalent to another acronym - VCM (Variable Cylinder Management). Your J35Z4 motor uses a mechanically-similar process as traditional "VTEC" - use oil pressure to lock/unlock a secondary set of rocker arms that engage/disengage different cam lobes - but in this case, they aren't ENGAGING them and causing them to ride on higher-lift cam profiles, they're actually DISENGAGING the primary cams under certain circumstances, allowing them to simply ride on perfectly-circular cam profiles and deactivating the affected cylinder(s). VTEC = better performance. i-VTEC / VCM = better fuel economy.
BuT I caN fEEL tHe VTEC kICKinG IN, YO!!!!
Sure... if you mean "the engine gets off its lumpy ass and actually gives you all six cylinders" then yes, you do feel it, bro.
No, reALLy, MaN... at, LiKE 4 grAnD u gET thIS 'wuuuuuuAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" iT's ToTaLLy VTEC, DuDE!!!
Ummm, still "no." The intake manifold has a rectangular butterfly flap that opens at 4,200 RPM to effectively alter manifold runner length and optimize it for higher-RPM flow. That's what you're hearing and feeling. It's pretty cool, but it's also pretty NOT VTEC.
Reference: Link in Post 24 (Page 2), excerpted: "To help improve the fuel efficiency of the V-6 engine, the latest generation of Honda's VCM is used (similar to the Accord V-6). This is the first application of VCM on a Honda 4-wheel-drive model. (The previous generation of VCM used in the 2007 - 2008 Pilot switched between three- and six-cylinder operation and was used exclusively in two-wheel-drive models.) The Pilot's new VCM system can operate on three, four or all six cylinders, and is standard on all both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive models. During startup, acceleration or when climbing hills - any time high power output is required - the engine operates on all six cylinders. During moderate speed cruising and at low engine loads, the system operates just one bank of three cylinders. For moderate acceleration, higher-speed cruising and mild hills, the engine operates on four cylinders."
"VCM deactivates specific cylinders by using the VTEC (Variable Valve-Timing and Lift Electronic Control) system to close the intake and exhaust valves while simultaneously the Powertrain Control Module cuts fuel to those cylinders. When operating on three cylinders, the rear cylinder bank is shut down. When running on four cylinders, the left and center cylinders of the front bank operate, and the right and center cylinders of the rear bank operate. The system is electronically controlled, and uses special integrated spool valves that do double duty as rocker-shaft holders in the cylinder heads. Based on commands from the system's electronic control unit, the spool valves selectively direct oil pressure to the rocker arms for specific cylinders. This oil pressure in turn drives synchronizing pistons that connect and disconnect the rocker arms."
"At lower rpm these [intake manifold butterfly] valves are closed to reduce the volume of the plenum and effectively increase the length of inlet passages for maximum resonance effect and to amplify pressure waves within each half of the intake manifold at lower rpm ranges. The amplified pressure waves significantly increase cylinder filling and torque production throughout the lower part of the engine's rpm band. As the benefits of the resonance effect lessen with rising engine speed, the butterfly valves open at 4200 rpm to interconnect the two halves of the plenum, increasing its overall volume. ...The inertia of the mass of air rushing down each intake passage helps draw in more charge than each cylinder would normally ingest. The inertia effect greatly enhances cylinder filling and the torque produced by the engine at higher rpm."
Further descriptions and diagrams of the rocker arm / cam assemblies may be found in post 41, page 3.
Yeah, sorry to start this off by crushing your soul, but if you are thinking of "VTEC" = "engage higher-lift cams that increase intake/exhaust airflow at high load & RPMs"... nope. Your 3.5L Pilot (at least, gen 2s... the Gen 1 have either a VTEC engine or an earlier version of this i-VTEC depending on 2wd or 4wd) has i-VTEC, which is a marketing smoke-and-mirrors equivalent to another acronym - VCM (Variable Cylinder Management). Your J35Z4 motor uses a mechanically-similar process as traditional "VTEC" - use oil pressure to lock/unlock a secondary set of rocker arms that engage/disengage different cam lobes - but in this case, they aren't ENGAGING them and causing them to ride on higher-lift cam profiles, they're actually DISENGAGING the primary cams under certain circumstances, allowing them to simply ride on perfectly-circular cam profiles and deactivating the affected cylinder(s). VTEC = better performance. i-VTEC / VCM = better fuel economy.
BuT I caN fEEL tHe VTEC kICKinG IN, YO!!!!
Sure... if you mean "the engine gets off its lumpy ass and actually gives you all six cylinders" then yes, you do feel it, bro.
No, reALLy, MaN... at, LiKE 4 grAnD u gET thIS 'wuuuuuuAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" iT's ToTaLLy VTEC, DuDE!!!
Ummm, still "no." The intake manifold has a rectangular butterfly flap that opens at 4,200 RPM to effectively alter manifold runner length and optimize it for higher-RPM flow. That's what you're hearing and feeling. It's pretty cool, but it's also pretty NOT VTEC.
Reference: Link in Post 24 (Page 2), excerpted: "To help improve the fuel efficiency of the V-6 engine, the latest generation of Honda's VCM is used (similar to the Accord V-6). This is the first application of VCM on a Honda 4-wheel-drive model. (The previous generation of VCM used in the 2007 - 2008 Pilot switched between three- and six-cylinder operation and was used exclusively in two-wheel-drive models.) The Pilot's new VCM system can operate on three, four or all six cylinders, and is standard on all both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive models. During startup, acceleration or when climbing hills - any time high power output is required - the engine operates on all six cylinders. During moderate speed cruising and at low engine loads, the system operates just one bank of three cylinders. For moderate acceleration, higher-speed cruising and mild hills, the engine operates on four cylinders."
"VCM deactivates specific cylinders by using the VTEC (Variable Valve-Timing and Lift Electronic Control) system to close the intake and exhaust valves while simultaneously the Powertrain Control Module cuts fuel to those cylinders. When operating on three cylinders, the rear cylinder bank is shut down. When running on four cylinders, the left and center cylinders of the front bank operate, and the right and center cylinders of the rear bank operate. The system is electronically controlled, and uses special integrated spool valves that do double duty as rocker-shaft holders in the cylinder heads. Based on commands from the system's electronic control unit, the spool valves selectively direct oil pressure to the rocker arms for specific cylinders. This oil pressure in turn drives synchronizing pistons that connect and disconnect the rocker arms."
"At lower rpm these [intake manifold butterfly] valves are closed to reduce the volume of the plenum and effectively increase the length of inlet passages for maximum resonance effect and to amplify pressure waves within each half of the intake manifold at lower rpm ranges. The amplified pressure waves significantly increase cylinder filling and torque production throughout the lower part of the engine's rpm band. As the benefits of the resonance effect lessen with rising engine speed, the butterfly valves open at 4200 rpm to interconnect the two halves of the plenum, increasing its overall volume. ...The inertia of the mass of air rushing down each intake passage helps draw in more charge than each cylinder would normally ingest. The inertia effect greatly enhances cylinder filling and the torque produced by the engine at higher rpm."
Further descriptions and diagrams of the rocker arm / cam assemblies may be found in post 41, page 3.
SUMMARY POST 2: BUILD SHEET AND BUDGET
From Post #7 (page 1), Post #49 (page 3), and Post #73 (page 4) here are the "bare essentials"-
BLOCK - eBay:
Used long block with 96k miles, complete from oil pan to throttle body, some minor damage to harness (that's okay, we're swapping over the 3.5L harness). $1300+$200 shipping & $80 tax
PLUGS - ngk.com:
6x NGK 93175 LKR7DIX-11S Iridium IX Plugs, $50 shipped
TIMING COMPONENTS, GASKETS, SEALS, O-RINGS - HondaPartsConnection.com:
90441-PK4-000 Washer, Sealing (24MM) 1 $1.90
94109-20000 Washer, Drain Plug (20MM) 3 $2.49
15400-PLM-A02 Filter, Oil (Honeywell) 1 $5.69
19222-R70-A11 Gasket, Water Pump (Magna Powertrain) 1 $4.59 (I am reusing the water pump, it was new 5k miles ago)
91214-RKG-003 Oil Seal (80X98X8) (Nok) 1 $16.84 (rear crank seal)
91212-5MR-A01 Oil Seal (41X56X7) (Nok) 1 $7.44 (front crank seal)
91213-RKG-003 Oil Seal (39X53X8) (Nok) 2 $14.62 (cam seals)
91307-RTA-005 O-Ring (Denso) 1 $2.38 (on water passage assy)
91314-PH7-003 O-Ring (31.2X4.1) (Nok) 2 $5.04 (water passage pipe)
19411-P8A-A03 Gasket, Front Water Passage (Nippon Leakless) 1 $4.42
18715-PB2-000 Gasket, Egr Valve (Ishino Gasket) 1 $8.45
19301-P8E-A10 Thermostat Assembly w/ gasket (Nippon Thermostat) 1 $45.79 (also changed when I did timing belt 5k miles ago... could probably reuse but I'm being lazy)
19412-P8A-A02 Gasket, Rear Water Passage (Nippon Leakless) 1 $2.38
08200-9014 Fluid (Hgo-1), One Quart $13.99
Valve cover gasket set & liquid gasket: $60 shipped
OEM ZDX airbox-to-TB elbow and 100mm clamp: $60 shipped
MORE FLUIDS - eBay:
4 quarts DW-1 ATF $40 shipped
Power steering pump kit (2 pints fluid & 2 o-rings) $20 shipped
6 quarts Royal Purple 5W20 full synthetic $70 shipped (I don't run this oil continuously, but have used it as a "cleanout" oil with good success in the past on swapped-in used blocks)
3 gallons Long Life Type 2 coolant $70 shipped
Total of $1580 + $50 + $450 + $120 + $200 = $2400
From Post #14 (page 1) and a correction from Post #53 (page 3) here are the "upgrades"-
From Post #33 (page 2), some optional add-ons. I ended up forgetting about the rodent tape (keeping my fingers crossed, I guess!) and instead of installing the load resistors I just kept everything plugged into the original solenoids and zip-tied them to the new block. (I'm leaving these out of the totals below)
3x 15 ohm, 25W load resistors from Amazon.com - $11
2 rolls of OEM Honda "Rodent Tape" - $80 (I saw some horror stories online about mice thinking Honda wiring is delicious, so as long as I've got the harness out, now's the time for some cheap insurance!)
From Post #64 (page 4) - an "if you don't have it already" item:
Silicone vacuum / coolant hoses of various diameters - $40 (I'm leaving this out of the totals below)
Assuming you'd like to take advantage of the J37A4's VTEC, you're going to need the AEM F/IC 6 piggyback ECU. They're getting tough to find, but usually run around $350 - $450. We'll take $400 as an average.
GRAND TOTAL:
$2400 for the block and "bare essentials"
$2300 for upgrades (to include upgraded timing belt)
$400 for AEM F/IC 6
---------------------------------------
$5,100 in parts, plus whatever the cost of labor will be for you depending on how much, if any, you plan to do yourself.
From Post #7 (page 1), Post #49 (page 3), and Post #73 (page 4) here are the "bare essentials"-
BLOCK - eBay:
Used long block with 96k miles, complete from oil pan to throttle body, some minor damage to harness (that's okay, we're swapping over the 3.5L harness). $1300+$200 shipping & $80 tax
PLUGS - ngk.com:
6x NGK 93175 LKR7DIX-11S Iridium IX Plugs, $50 shipped
TIMING COMPONENTS, GASKETS, SEALS, O-RINGS - HondaPartsConnection.com:
| 14520-RCA-A01 | Tensioner, Timing Belt Auto | $125.93 | 1 | $125.93 |
| 14550-RCA-A01 | Idler, Timing Belt (Koyo Seiko) | $46.46 | 1 | $46.46 |
| 14551-RCA-A01 | Bolt, Timing Belt Idler | $6.01 | 1 | $6.01 |
| 14510-RCA-A01 | Adjuster, Timing Belt | $101.49 | 1 | $101.49 |
| 14513-RCA-A01 | Bolt, Timing Belt Adjuster | $7.62 | 1 | $7.62 |
| 14530-P13-000 | Collar, Auto Adjuster | $26.29 | 1 | $26.29 |
94109-20000 Washer, Drain Plug (20MM) 3 $2.49
15400-PLM-A02 Filter, Oil (Honeywell) 1 $5.69
19222-R70-A11 Gasket, Water Pump (Magna Powertrain) 1 $4.59 (I am reusing the water pump, it was new 5k miles ago)
91214-RKG-003 Oil Seal (80X98X8) (Nok) 1 $16.84 (rear crank seal)
91212-5MR-A01 Oil Seal (41X56X7) (Nok) 1 $7.44 (front crank seal)
91213-RKG-003 Oil Seal (39X53X8) (Nok) 2 $14.62 (cam seals)
91307-RTA-005 O-Ring (Denso) 1 $2.38 (on water passage assy)
91314-PH7-003 O-Ring (31.2X4.1) (Nok) 2 $5.04 (water passage pipe)
19411-P8A-A03 Gasket, Front Water Passage (Nippon Leakless) 1 $4.42
18715-PB2-000 Gasket, Egr Valve (Ishino Gasket) 1 $8.45
19301-P8E-A10 Thermostat Assembly w/ gasket (Nippon Thermostat) 1 $45.79 (also changed when I did timing belt 5k miles ago... could probably reuse but I'm being lazy)
19412-P8A-A02 Gasket, Rear Water Passage (Nippon Leakless) 1 $2.38
08200-9014 Fluid (Hgo-1), One Quart $13.99
Valve cover gasket set & liquid gasket: $60 shipped
OEM ZDX airbox-to-TB elbow and 100mm clamp: $60 shipped
MORE FLUIDS - eBay:
4 quarts DW-1 ATF $40 shipped
Power steering pump kit (2 pints fluid & 2 o-rings) $20 shipped
6 quarts Royal Purple 5W20 full synthetic $70 shipped (I don't run this oil continuously, but have used it as a "cleanout" oil with good success in the past on swapped-in used blocks)
3 gallons Long Life Type 2 coolant $70 shipped
Total of $1580 + $50 + $450 + $120 + $200 = $2400
From Post #14 (page 1) and a correction from Post #53 (page 3) here are the "upgrades"-
| SKU | Product | Quantity | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GAT.T329RB | Gates Racing Performance Timing Belt, Honda J-series V6 (Single Exhaust Port Gen-2), T329RB | 1 | $ | ||||
| UNO.TS6121 | Unorthodox Racing Billet Tensioner Pulley, J-Series Honda V6 (Gen 2 single-port heads), TS6121 | 1 | $ | ||||
| UNO.CU6141| | Unorthodox Racing Underdrive Crank Pulley w/ Belt Option, Honda V6 J-Series J30/J32/J35/J37 (w/ single exhaust port heads), CU6141 Add a Belt 1 - Bando Drive Belt, 2002-06 Honda Accord, w/ UR Underdrive Pulley, 6PK2080 | 1 | $ | ||||
| KNN.33-2309| | K&N Performance OE Drop-In Replacement Air Filter, 2009-15 Honda Pilot, 33-2309 | 1 | $ | ||||
| RV6.JP_PIT-1215|2389 | RV6 Performance Long Tube J-Pipe, 2012-15 Honda Pilot | 1 | $ | ||||
| RV6.HFPC_PIT-1215|G2|2389 | RV6 Performance GEN2 HFPCs (High Flow Precats) Kit, 2012-15 Honda Pilot | 1 | $ | ||||
| P2R.P392.2P145 | P2R Intake Manifold Spacer, Gen 2/2.5 Honda J30/J32/J35/J37 (w/ Single Exhaust Port Head & Port Injection), P392
| 1 | $ | ||||
| P2R.P326.2P149 | P2R Throttle Body Spacer, Silver, Honda V6 J35Y4/5/6 J37A4/5 (SH-AWD TL/ZDX/TLX/RLX/Ody/Pilot/Ridgeline), P326
| 1 | $ | ||||
| P2R.P321 | P2R CNC Ported Lower Intake Manifold Runners, Honda J Series V6, P321
| 1 | $ |
| Subtotal: | ~$2250 |
| Insurance: | $ |
| Standard Shipping (Ground): | $ |
|
| |
| Total: | ~$2300 |
From Post #33 (page 2), some optional add-ons. I ended up forgetting about the rodent tape (keeping my fingers crossed, I guess!) and instead of installing the load resistors I just kept everything plugged into the original solenoids and zip-tied them to the new block. (I'm leaving these out of the totals below)
3x 15 ohm, 25W load resistors from Amazon.com - $11
2 rolls of OEM Honda "Rodent Tape" - $80 (I saw some horror stories online about mice thinking Honda wiring is delicious, so as long as I've got the harness out, now's the time for some cheap insurance!)
From Post #64 (page 4) - an "if you don't have it already" item:
Silicone vacuum / coolant hoses of various diameters - $40 (I'm leaving this out of the totals below)
Assuming you'd like to take advantage of the J37A4's VTEC, you're going to need the AEM F/IC 6 piggyback ECU. They're getting tough to find, but usually run around $350 - $450. We'll take $400 as an average.
GRAND TOTAL:
$2400 for the block and "bare essentials"
$2300 for upgrades (to include upgraded timing belt)
$400 for AEM F/IC 6
---------------------------------------
$5,100 in parts, plus whatever the cost of labor will be for you depending on how much, if any, you plan to do yourself.
Joined
·
5,795 Posts
If I remember correct the J37 was always paired with 6 speed autos or manuals... but the 5 speed auto in the 2nd gen is by all accounts pretty reliable so we will see how it handles an extra 70 hp and half that in torque.
Yep, forums like this and Youtube sure beat the high cost of staying at all those Holiday Inns.You are too kind, Sir. I am definitely a voracious knowledge "consumer" on many enthusiast forums, so I try to balance the scales when given the opportunity. Remember... we are ALL just a couple of forum guides and/or Youtube videos away from being experts at a given task
-Jon
I read this and it's enough to make even a marketing genius wonder how they wound so much word spaghetti into what looks like English sentences signifying nothing.
How many Honda VTECs can you count??
Out of all the verbal diarrhrea, came this gem. Confusingly? Really? IOW ... no VTEC kids. i-VTEC = imitation-VTEC
.
"Honda's J-Series SOHC engines use an entirely different system also, confusingly, marketed as i-VTEC. Honda J-Series Engines using i-VTEC combine SOHC VTEC operation with Honda VCM (Variable Cylinder Management) variable displacement technology to improve fuel economy under light loads"
Joined
·
62 Posts
why not just j37 with donor car ecu and key cylinder?
101 - 113 of 113 Posts
