Rebuild K20A2 head for turbo, or use oem head?

[Popeye]

What would be the advantage of rebuilding a K20A2 head over a solid OEM K20A2 head, for a turbo set-up, on a K20A3 block? This is all hypothetical, for NOW. But, if I had an A2 crank and rods, and put on an OEM head, what advantages for boost would I have if I put in new springs, retainers, valves and cams? I would only need new valves if I upgraded the cams, correct?
Like I put in another thread, I would like to put a turbo kit into my car one day, but need it to be on a bit of a budget. I know, everyone is gonna say do a K24 swap first, THEN boost. The point I made in my other thread is if I rebuilt the motor I have now with a new crank and rods, then added an A2 head, I would KNOW what I have going on in my motor. If I got an OEM K24, even with low miles, I wouldnt know exactly what's going on. What if the person that had it before dogged the shit out of it, you know? This way, with the semi-rebuilt A3 block, with A2 parts added to it, I would know if there are any major issues.
So anypoo, back to my main question for this thread. In trying to keep the cost down...if I put the new crank and rods in, and put on an A2 head, what other things should be done? Would I NEED new springs, retainers, etc? To my knowledge, new springs are only needed when you plan on going HIGH boost and/or revving higher than normal. Is it really worth the extra $350 for new springs and retainers?
Or would I be better off saving a few bucks and going ahead and completely reworking the head and be done with it?

[mitchlikesbikes]

i'm unsure about this, but the expert guys are gonna need to know how much power you plan to make. if it were me, i'd just get a full healthy k20a2 and boost that, then leave it alone til it explodes. that's a fairly easy 350hp+ without ever even cracking it open.

[Popeye]

Actually 350 is about where I wanted to be. I will be having to piece this kit together for a couple of years, so I want to make sure I get the right parts the first time. If Im only going for 350, and plan on putting in a crank and rods from an A2, can I just build the head thats in the A3? It looks like the A2 heads are kinda hard to find. But shit, for the price of an A2 head, couldnt I just get a machine shop to port and polish the A3 head? From what I understand, the A2's flow a lot better than the A3's. If I helped the A3 flow a little better, and dont plan on making HUGE numbers, couldnt I just do the work on the A3 head and be done with it?

[mitchlikesbikes]

Actually 350 is about where I wanted to be. I will be having to piece this kit together for a couple of years, so I want to make sure I get the right parts the first time. If Im only going for 350, and plan on putting in a crank and rods from an A2, can I just build the head thats in the A3? It looks like the A2 heads are kinda hard to find. But shit, for the price of an A2 head, couldnt I just get a machine shop to port and polish the A3 head? From what I understand, the A2's flow a lot better than the A3's. If I helped the A3 flow a little better, and dont plan on making HUGE numbers, couldnt I just do the work on the A3 head and be done with it?

even a port won't really help the a3 head due to the fact that it's got shitty cams and what not. plus the cost of porting it would be more than an a2 head most likely, and it still probably wouldn't run as nice. if you're gonna go the route of piecing the engine together, it's best to start out with the better stuff and have it modified rather than waste your money on the a3. even a simple k24a1 could make 350 with a good turbo and tune. monjarassi made that power and never did anything internally to his k24a1 as far as i know. plus the reliability factor stays a lot higher if you keep the engine stock internally and just boost it as far as i've seen.

[Popeye]

Isnt the K24A2 a better motor? If so, what are the costs on them? Im sure it really depends on the source. I live in the mountains, so I will be hard-pressed to find a wrecked Acura. I may have a better chance in finding an Accord.

[03 inspire]

Ok let me help as much as possible if you want to keep cost down and want to keep the A3 then the a2 head is not the best choice the a3 motors weakest point is not the head but the bottom end it self if you want to keep the stock motor I would do a Vtec Killer on the a3 and then save the money you going to spend and buy the motor you want. How ever if you want to spend a little more I would buy a CRV Motor and do Vtec killer on that motor which can be had for $500-$700 from wrecking yard which is roughly the same price as a A2 head and there has been guys that have made 400+ hp on a Vtec Killer stock CRV motor. As far as the A2 head lets be honest if you are only looking for mild power there is really no need to waste money to port and polish the head.

[03 inspire]

Isnt the K24A2 a better motor? If so, what are the costs on them? Im sure it really depends on the source. I live in the mountains, so I will be hard-pressed to find a wrecked Acura. I may have a better chance in finding an Accord.

if your going to pick a K24 motor that is not a TSx get the CRV for boost lower compression and when you do get a A2 head you wont need to swap pistons head will bolt right on.

[Popeye]

So then what motor does the CRV have? And what would be the best option for making the 350-400 I want? The cheapest AND most reliable way.

[03 inspire]

K24a1 is what is in the CRV which has the lowest compresion 9.6.1 and also check the website
www.car-parts.com and do a search

[EDU]

k24a4 with a2 head for all motor power, will they bolt together??
yay or nay?

[mitchlikesbikes]

k24a4 with a2 head for all motor power, will they bolt together??
yay or nay?
negative. k24a4 pistons are domed and won't work with any other head

[EDU]

negative. k24a4 pistons are domed and won't work with any other head

thank you. i wasnt 100% sure but i remember reading is possible if you just run aftermarket pistons/rods

[03 inspire]

How ever you can swap them with tsx or crv pistons or aftermarket pistons

[AKEP]

How ever you can swap them with tsx or crv pistons or aftermarket pistons

if you can get an a4 SUPER CHEAP it may be worth it if you feel you NEED to build it to feel good about the motor. they do cost considerably less, but then you need about $400 (i think) of oem pistons and rods from a crv/tsx.

in the end i think it costs about the same but you have to build the a4. $0.02

[blueandgoldep3]

so in the long run ... boosting a stock a3 motor to make 300hp reliably isnt going to happen?

[K20wagon]

If you wanna boost a k then go with the k24a1 its the lowest compression and loves the boost. 300 is pretty easy in the k24a1 from what I have heard and it will be cheaper than k20a2 head and piston/rods etc in/on the a3. K24a1s come real cheap and are a great platform to work with.

[AKEP]

you can but its a ticking bomb @300. i've seen stock crv motors hit 400 hp range no problem. same as tsx motor, unopened. they are pretty strong.

[blueandgoldep3]

If you wanna boost a k then go with the k24a1 its the lowest compression and loves the boost. 300 is pretty easy in the k24a1 from what I have heard and it will be cheaper than k20a2 head and piston/rods etc in/on the a3. K24a1s come real cheap and are a great platform to work with.

the problem i have is that my ep is my daily driver and i cant have it off the road for an extended period of time... and im kind of in the same boat when it comes to i like know where my motors been... got my car with 15k on it and it now has 73k and i can tell you where every mile came from hahaha lol i was just looking to boost my stick a3 the way it is .... skunk2 intake manifold possibly that emusa turbo kit and a kpro...you dont think the motor will hold together?... not looking for crazy numbers just a nice 285-300 in a reliable daily driver

[blueandgoldep3]

you can but its a ticking bomb @300. i've seen stock crv motors hit 400 hp range no problem. same as tsx motor, unopened. they are pretty strong.
how much did you guys say these crv motors are going for? they all use the stock ep3 wiring harness?... a kpro would be the best option to be the brains for any any swapped motor right?

[03 inspire]

CRV's can be seen around $500 just check that website I posted and Kpro is the way to go

[blueandgoldep3]

CRV's can be seen around $500 just check that website I posted and Kpro is the way to go
tok so just to clarify the crv motor is the k24a1.... what year did they start using that motor? (that site asks for a year)

[03 inspire]

03 i believe

[AKEP]

2002 up. they range from 200-800 depending where you are. around my area they go for 800 and elements go for 400. thats where i figured if you got an element for 400 or less you could build a crv for the same price if you did it yourself.

[blueandgoldep3]

03 i believe
lol man i live in a shitty spot to try and buy an engine lol cheapest they have listed is $600 with like 175k on it lol

but i suppose buying a hihg mileage motor wouldnt be terrible if you plan to have it as a project motor, its basically gonna be torn down and rebuilt anyway with all new parts

[Popeye]

Same here for prices on the CRV motor. They're between $800-$900. What sucks is if I got one NOW, its just gonna sit in the garage for a few years before it goes in. I guess I will just start getting the other stuff I will need for the set-up. A turbo kit will be fine sitting there, unused, right?
AKEP, can you still get that hook-up on that kit?

[Ba82Ep3]

OR... you could get something you can take apart and work on... at your leisure (while waiting for other funds) so you arent rushed into getting something completed. That way you would have time to sit down and go through the manual and tear something apart (a block persay) and learn how to do everything you need to rebuild it. Tools are really minimal for teardown...

[blueandgoldep3]

OR... you could get something you can take apart and work on... at your leisure (while waiting for other funds) so you arent rushed into getting something completed. That way you would have time to sit down and go through the manual and tear something apart (a block persay) and learn how to do everything you need to rebuild it. Tools are really minimal for teardown...
i was thinking this as well tbh... especially if i were able to pick up something with high mileage, id be totally willing to turn it into a project break it down piece by piece and within a year or so its a brand new motor with performance everything lol

[Ba82Ep3]

Yah, a turbo kit sitting in the corner staring at me unused would just piss me off. Couldnt do anything with it yanno? And you dont have to have an engine stand to work on an engine. It does make life easier... but one of those $10 2'x4' oil drip pans and a decent folding table would be good enough to get ya started.

[Popeye]

True....if I could only find a super cheap donor motor.

[blueandgoldep3]

Yah, a turbo kit sitting in the corner staring at me unused would just piss me off. Couldnt do anything with it yanno? And you dont have to have an engine stand to work on an engine. It does make life easier... but one of those $10 2'x4' oil drip pans and a decent folding table would be good enough to get ya started.
hahaha it would piss me off too , thats why i wont buy a turbo kit until i spend the money a on kpro ... just cant have it sitting there id be constantly opening the hood and pretend mounting stuff with a big sad face on lol

[Ba82Ep3]

LOL

"Boo frickety hoo! I gots turbo but no KPoo!"

[Popeye]

Yeah, life would be TERRIBLE then! lol

[j0000stin]

i find k24a1's for around 4-8 hundo all day! haha

[Popeye]

I hope I can find one that cheap around HERE!

[blueandgoldep3]

i find k24a1's for around 4-8 hundo all day! haha

with less than 120k on them? cuz im finding alot by me in the 800-1100 range with anywhere from 60k-90k im willing to work with something like that i suppose but to pick up something with 130k just seems dumb unless im in it for a complete engine overhaul

[sleepy ep3]

even a port won't really help the a3 head due to the fact that it's got shitty cams and what not. plus the cost of porting it would be more than an a2 head most likely, and it still probably wouldn't run as nice. if you're gonna go the route of piecing the engine together, it's best to start out with the better stuff and have it modified rather than waste your money on the a3. even a simple k24a1 could make 350 with a good turbo and tune. monjarassi made that power and never did anything internally to his k24a1 as far as i know. plus the reliability factor stays a lot higher if you keep the engine stock internally and just boost it as far as i've seen.
Yes. K24>k20a3 all day. Don't worry so much about the head OP, I doubt that's where you are going to run into issues. Take the $1500 you were going to spend, buy 1500 powerball tickets, win, buy a Ferrari, get mad poon tang, live happy forever. The end.

[blueandgoldep3]

Yes. K24>k20a3 all day. Don't worry so much about the head OP, I doubt that's where you are going to run into issues. Take the $1500 you were going to spend, buy 1500 powerball tickets, win, buy a Ferrari, get mad poon tang, live happy forever. The end.if only it were that simple :( wed all have ferraris and poon lol

[Ba82Ep3]

If you had to choose, would you take a Ferrari instead of poon? LOL

[blueandgoldep3]

If you had to choose, would you take a Ferrari instead of poon? LOLno homo ... but any day of the week man lol

[AKEP]

AKEP, can you still get that hook-up on that kit?

not anymore, unless you're local to me. i didnt get much off though maybe $40...but all that it comes with for under 600... pretty sweet..

[Popeye]

Under $600? Not any more it aint. Its a little closer to $700 now, even on Ebay. And nah, Im completely on the other side of the country, so thats a no-go.
And personally, I would take a ZR1 over a Ferrari any day. They're faster than Ferrari's nowadays, and not to mention Im a firm supporter of American arrogance. For me, Ferarri's are like surgeons...they get the job done, and make it look pretty. A ZR1 Vette just blasts away the course, plowing through it. But, in the end, the Vette is the faster car, at half the price. Now dont get me wrong, I would own a Ferrari as well, IF I had the money. But that would come after I get the ZR1 and an Aston Martin.

::edit:: I'd get the Ferrari. It would GET you the poon.

[03 inspire]

i would get the Aston Martin that would still get you the poon and be classy!

[AKEP]

Under $600? Not any more it aint. Its a little closer to $700 now, even on Ebay. And nah, Im completely on the other side of the country, so thats a no-go.


If you can find a tuner shop around your area they might be able to pull the dealer card and get it to you for less than ebay prices. but you might have to promise them you'd bring the car back for some tuning :mwink:

if that doesn't work you can just call them up direct and ask about them selling direct to you. i don't see why they would say "no" to money....being a budget company and all that...