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A History of Honda Accord Engines, 1990-Present

July 28, 2009 By 4 Comments

Ranked second on the list of Affordable Midsize Cars by U.S. News, the Honda Accord has shown great improvements since Honda began manufacturing it in 1976.  Although the Accord has had many changes in things such as its design and size, this article will focus on the transformation of the Accord’s engine over the past twenty years in North America; the engines in cars overseas differed at times from the North American models.  Certain aspects, such as the size and power, of the engine have change from 1990 to now and have only increased the reliability and popularity of the Accord.

In 1990, Honda introduced its fourth generation of Accords.  This generation of Accords included a 2.2 liter, 16 valve electronic fuel injected engine standard.  There were three versions of the Accord in this generation: DX, LX, and EX.  The DX and LX came equipped with engine F22A1, which had 125 horsepower with four cylinders and 93 kW.  During the fourth generation, the EX version of the Accord came equipped with two different engines.  Engine F22A4 was used in 1990 and 1991; this engine had 130 horsepower with 97 kW.  In 1992, engine F22A6 was introduced in the EX Accords, and it had 135 horsepower with 100 kW; this engine was used until 1993.

In 1994, the fifth generation of Accords was introduced.  The main change in this generation was seen in the EX model.  The engine still had 2.2 liters with four cylinders, but the new VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) version of the engine increased its horsepower to 140 horsepower with 108 kW.  According to HowStuffWorks, the VTEC allowed the engine to have multiple camshafts.  In 1995, Honda began using the C27 engine in the Accord.  This was a V6 engine with 2.7 liters, and it was only offered in the LX and EX versions.

In 1998, the sixth generation of Accords burst onto the scene.  This generation of Accords came with the option of a four-cylinder engine or a V6 engine.  The DX four-cylinder engine was equipped with 2.3 liters, 130 horsepower, and 97 kW.  The LX and EX models came with 150 horsepower, 112 kW, and included VTEC.  The other engine option was the V6 engine.  All V6 models included three liters, 200 horsepower, 150 kW, and VTEC.

2003 was the first year for the seventh generation of Accords.  During this generation, the four-cylinder engines had 2.4 liters with 160 horsepower; while, V6 engines saw an increase in horsepower to 240 horsepower because of changes to the intake and exhaust. The Accord Hybrid was introduced in the 2005 model year and included a V6 engine that produced 255 horsepower.  In 2006, the 30th anniversary year for the Accord, the V6 engine increased its power to 244 horsepower and the four-cylinder engine increased its power to 166 horsepower; the 2006 Accord Hybrid was re-rated at 253 horsepower with 189 kW.

According to Edmunds, the current Accord has better engine performance without losing any of its fuel efficiency.  Now in its eighth generation, the Accord still offers a four-cylinder or V6 engine.  The basic 2.4 liter four-cylinder engine now produces 177 horsepower; in the EX, an upgraded version of this engine is available that produces 190 horsepower.  The V6 engines now are 3.5 liters and include VCM (Variable Cylinder Management), which shuts off two or three of the cylinders while driving; the VCM can increase the horsepower of the V6 to 271 horsepower with 202 kW.

Overall, the Honda Accord engine has shown itself to be very reliable.  Drivers around the country have continued to show their love for the Accord, as seen in the increase in sales.  The Accord continues to win awards and despite the importance of the appearance of a vehicle, the Accord would not receive these accolades without having a strong engine.  It is evident in the previous twenty years that Honda values improvement in its engine, and as the heart of the vehicle, one must believe that the Accord’s engine will only get better in the next twenty years.

As always, if you need an engine, please feel free to get fill out an online request for a quote on replacement engine or call us at 901-266-9996.

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Featured Brand: Ford Engines

July 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Of the big three US us automakers, Ford seems to be doing the best. They didn’t have to take government loans, they didn’t get taken over, and they have some great models coming out (among them the Ford Escape Hybrid, which gets fantastic gas mileage). The F-150 continues to be the best selling truck in the country.

With great success comes huge numbers of sales, and with huge numbers of sales comes huge numbers of “freak incidents,” leading to folks needing replacement Ford engines. We just wanted to take a brief moment to make you aware of the differing Ford engines that we have available. This is the first in a multi-part series on Ford engines.

We do have good availability of Ford Contour engines. The Contour was powered by the 2.0L Zetec engine and the 2.5L Duratec engine. The 2.0L Zetech engine was also used in the Mercury Cougar and the Mercury Mystique, and has a bore of 84.8mm and a stroke of 88mm. The Zetech is not a bad engine, but it is a lower end motor. Care must be taken to change the timing belt at appropriate intervals. We recommend that when the timing belt is replaced that the customer also install a Gates timing componant kit and a new water pump. The 2.5L Duratech engine has an 89mm bore and a 100mm stroke. The 2.5L is a solid engine, and is also available in and SVT model that squeezes out more horsepower.

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I’m Floored By These Engine Replacement Statistics

July 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

In the June 2009 issue of Engine Builder on page 30, I read some statistics the AAIA came up with that match our experience over the last 8 years of doing business. The statistics have to do with warranty claims on engines. Now, warranty claims are something that every company strives to avoid. They cost money and time to companies. At Low Mileage Engines, that’s not the main driving force behind avoiding warranties. We want to avoid them because we want our customers to have a fantastic experience with our company. What I was floored by was the way the statistics lined up with our experience that 3/4 of warranty claims on engines are actually customer installation or diagnostic problems. This is nationwide, and comes from statistics collected between 2008 and 2005. Here are the exact statistics with a citation (on page 3 of the PDF in bottom left).

Percentage of total rebuilt engine sales returned as warranty:

2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
Returned 1.3% |  1.5% | 1.8%   | 1.9%

Percentage of warranty returns which are actually customer installation or diagnostic problems

2008  | 2007    | 2006  | 2005
Returned 77.1% | 71.6%  |72.8%  | 73.2%

That’s right – Over the last for years, about 3/4 of all warranty claims on engine installations were not legitimate. Notice the incredibly small percentage of installations that had warranty issues industry wide – 2%. Then not the huge percentage that small percent that essentially weren’t real. This is why it is so important that a knowledgeable mechanic install a replacement engine. Notice that I didn’t say certified! Some of the best mechanics I know are certified. Likewise, some of the worst mechanics I know are certified! What’s important is that the mechanic installing your engine is either a pro or is in training with a pro who can check his work. You should never let anyone touch your vehicle that is learning on your dollar.

So why is this so important? In the rare case of us getting a warranty claim, we always want to make sure that the situation is diagnosed properly. Doing so can save customers time and money and lines right up with our goal of “A happy customer.” Remember, according to these statistics, more than 98% of engine replacements go without a hitch. Engine replacement is a smart thing to consider if your engine fails!

That’s all for today, thanks for stopping in!

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Toyota Tundra Used Engines

July 22, 2009 By 3 Comments

The Toyota Tundra was first sold for the 2000 model year. Even though they’re produced in Princeton, IN and San Antonio, TX, the Tundra is still considered to be an import. Noteably, it was the first full sized import truck sold in the USA. With the model getting close to reaching the ten year mark, we’ve seen an increase in demand for Tundra used engines. We have experience with all four engines offered in Tundra’s to this point, those being the 3.4L 5vz-FE, 4.0L 1GR-FE, the 4.7L 2UZ-FE, and the 5.7L 3UR-FE.

3.4L 5vz-FE 6 cylinder engine

The 5VZ-FE is one of the most widely used Toyota engines of all time. In addition to the Tundra, it has also been used in the Toyota Tacoma, Toyota 4Runner, and Toyota T100.The actual displacement of the engine is 3378cc. We’ve sold a number of these engines for other applications, but rarely get calls on them for use in Tundra applications. The 5VZ-FE was used in the Tundra from 2000-2005. We would rate this engine 4.5/5 on reliability.

4.0L 1GR-FE 6 cylinder engine

The 1GR-FE was first offered in the Tundra beginning in 2005, and was also used in the Toyota 4Runner, toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra, and Toyota FJ Cruiser. Using 87 octane gasoline, it is rated at 236 horsepower. This 4.0L engine has a 94mm bore and a 95mm stroke. I would rate reliability at 4.8/5.

4.7L 2UZ-FE 6 cylinder engine

The 2UZ-FE engine has been used in Lexus GX 470, Lexus LX 470, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota 4Runner,  and Toyota Sequoia. This engine has an actually displacement of 4663cc and is a 32 valve, dual overhead cam. In our experience, this is the most called on engine in the early years. We’ve found these to be good, solid engines. The most common reason customers who call us need one of these engines is that they’ve run them without any oil. The 2UZ-FE was used in the Tundra from 2000-2005 and is produced by Toyota. We would rate this engine a 4.5/5 on reliability.

5.7L 3UR-FE 8 cylinder engine

We assume the 3UR-FE engine is very reliable. Why do I say assume? Because it doesn’t seem like many people are looking for them! This engine has also been used in the Toyota Sequoia, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Lexus LX 570. With a bore of 94mm and a stroke of 102mm, this engine is rated at 381 horsepower. We give this engine a 4.9/5.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this cursory look at the engines used in the Toyota Tundra. Thanks for reading!

Popularity: 9% [?]

Filed Under: Engine replacement tips Tagged With: ,

Nissan Altima Used Engines

July 21, 2009 By 19 Comments

First introduced in 1993, the Nissan Altima has proven to be a solid seller.  Produced in Symrna, TN, the Altima has come with three engines. First and second generation Altima’s were shipped with the KA24DE, a 2.4L 4 cylinder inline engine. First generation Altima’s were sold between 1993 and 1997, while second generation Altima engines were produced between 1998 and 2001. In 2002, the third generation of the Altima came out. The third generation was distinct from the previous two not just in styling but in the fact that it made use of two engines. The KA24DE of the previous generations was replaced with the new QR25DE, a 175 horsepower 2.5L 4 cylinder inline engine. An optional upgrade was the 250 horsepower 3.5L VQ35DE.

If your Altima engine has failed, what should you know when looking for a used Nissan Altima engine?

Let’s talk first about the KA24DE from the first and second generations. First of all, this is a great engine. I cannot remember anyone ever having what I would call an “early failure” with one of these. Additionally, I’m not familiar with any sludge problems being reported on these engines. I’ve heard many mechanics claim these engines should get 250,000 miles with a good maintenance program. The main problem with these engines is not the engine itself, but the distributor. Distributors frequently fail onthe KA24DE, and are in high demand used. Because of this, most companies selling these engines remove the distributor from the engine prior to the engine selling. When this happens, often times the distrubutor shaft on the replacement engine will need to be resurfaced. In fact, I’ve poken with a shop near Jackson, MS who installed a used KA24DE which would not fire. They thought their tech had broken a wire on the wiring harness while placing the engine onto the cradle, so they disinstalled the engine and checked the wiring harness and installation thoroughly. They could not see what was wrong, so they reinstalled the engine and had the same problem. They called a few buddies, and came to the conclusion that the problem had to be the customer’s old distributor, which they had swapped from the old engine. They bought a remanufactured distributor and had the same problem. They then called into a tech support line they subscribe to, and learned that they needed to resurface the portion of the distributor shaft that the distributor connected in to.

Next, we have the third generation engines.

The VQ35DE engine is flawless. We hardly ever get calls on these engines. The few calls we do get have in all but one or two instances been caused by never-ever-ever-changing-my-oil syndrome (each year, this syndrome affects nearly five million Americans, wink wink).

The QR25DE engine is not as good as the VQ35DE. I recommend only replacing your 2.5L Altima engine with a used engine having under 75,000 miles. There is good availability of these engines, so there is no need to spend the extra $1500 on a good remanufactured engine; a good remanufactured Jasper engine 2.5L engine costs $3,500 plus core and crate charge.

If you need a used Nissan Altima engine, or any other used engine, please contact us at 901-266-9996 or fill out an online request for a free, no obligation quote.

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Good Mechanics – how do I know if I have one?

July 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Finding a good mechanic is very important. You need someone you can trust, not only when dealing with a major project like replacing your engine, but to help you with normal preventative maintenance. If you find such a mechanic and bring your car to them twice a year, you can save a lot of money on costly major repairs.

“What are some characteristics of a good, trustworthy mechanic?” you might ask.

  1. A good, trustworthy mechanic will always take the time to explain to you exactly what is wrong with your car. They don’t sell “magic,” they sell 1) their diagnostic skills and 2) their repair skills.
  2. A good, trustworthy mechanic will always offer to give you your old parts back after a repair has been completed. Do you know how many mechanics will, for example, say they replaced a fuel filter and only wipe said fuel filter off? The answer is a lot.
  3. A good, trustworthy mechanic will always have a clearly posted shop rate and call you before doing repair work that exceeds their original estimate. I don’t have much work done at Firestone – I get my tires there, rotations, alignments, etc – but I have always referred customers to them because of the fact that they do such a great job calling before continuing work if repair costs are going to exceed their estimate.
  4. A good, trustworthy mechanic will not act offended if you seek a second opinion in your first dealings with them.

A few years ago, we sold a 3.8L engine to a customer in Illinois. He was a do it yourselfer who could talk your ear off, but he wasn’t going to tackle the engine installation himself. This guy just didn’t have the equipment. He gave us his mechanic’s address, and we made our normal courtesy call to the shop to make sure they knew the engine was coming, had our phone number, and a copy of our warranty guidelines. The shop owner was a fantastically nice guy. We got to talking, and found out that he had a frustrating history with our customer. You see, over the years, our customer had the habit of bringing his car to this shop, getting problems diagnosed with the shops free estimates, and then doing the work himself or, even worse, taking his car to another shop to get the problem fixed cheaper.

Good diagnostic mechanics are hard to find. They are the kind of mechanic who will save money by figuring out the problem the first time and not “part swapping” until you’re bankrupt. Their shops are full. They typically don’t have the cheapest labor rate, but they can save you money. If you have one, don’t abuse them. Don’t let your car get so bent out of shape that it takes three days of work to get it fixed. If you find a good diagnostic mechanic, bring your car into him right away when your check engine light comes on or when your car starts driving differently. Doing so can save you the cost of buying a new engine.

As always, if you need a quote on an engine, please call us at 901-266-9996 or request a quote online.

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Toyota RAV4 Engines in Different Years

July 19, 2009 By 3 Comments

The Toyota RAV4 is a great small SUV that was released to give Toyota an edge into the market occupied by the Honda CR-V and the Chevy Tracker. For the number of RAV4′s that are on the road, we really don’t see many requests for quotes on these; in every year, the RAV4 has always had a truly solid engine.
When released in 1996, the RAV4 used the 2.0L 3S-FE engine, a mature engine platform that Toyota began using in the late 1980′s in the Camry and Celica. In 2001, Toyota began using the 2.0L 1AZ-FE engine in the RAV4. This engine was only used in the RAV4, and it was only used 2001-2003. In Australia and Eurasia, Toyota began using the 1AZ-FE engine in the Aurion version of the Toyota Camry in 2006. That continues to this day. In 2004, Toyota upgraded from a 2.0L 1AZ-FE engine to the 2.4L 2AZ-FE. The 2AZ-FE has been a truly cross-platform engine: it’s been used in the Scion TC, Scion xB, Toyota Camry, Toyota Highlander, Corolla XRS, Pontiac Vibe, and other platforms around the world. I think Toyota got their money’s worth when they paid the engineering team that designed that engine.

Of the engines used in the RAV4, I must again reiterate that none have really been super problematic.  The one thing that I’ve heard reports of from a few customers is reports of headbolts breaking on 2AZ-FE engines without the headgasket blowing. I’ve not seen their original engines myself, so I can’t verify this, but having spoken with their mechanics I do believe it to be true. I do know one thing:  those customers were glad they bought a used RAV4 engine from us, since the dealerships charge over$10,000 for a new RAV4 engine! We’ve saved customers well over $7,500 on every RAV4 engine we’ve sold, compared to dealer cost, and given them a comparable warranty to boot.

As always, if you need a used engine, please feel free to call us at 901-266-9996 or fill out an online request for a free quote.

Popularity: 7% [?]

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Used Toyota Camry Engines

July 18, 2009 By 1 Comment

Toyota Camrys “run forever.” In fact, we’ve sold Camry engines to more than one customer who has gotten more than 400,000 miles out of their original engine. Note that these results are not typical; folks getting those kind of miles are maintenance freaks, and  I say “freak” with every intention of it being a compliment. You can maintain till you’re blue in the face unless the design is good. Camry’s have excellent design. The cars just last! If you find yourself in a situation where you need an engine for your Camry, you would probably do well to replace the engine if the rest of the vehicle is in good shape.

We recently had one of our installers in Middle Tennessee put an engine in a really sweet lady’s1999 Camry. She was from Northern Missisippi; our guy picked up her car and hauled it to his shop. I say “our guy” because he is a shop that we have a fantastic relationship with, but he isn’t employed by us. We were able to drive the Camry, motor knocking like crazy, onto his truck. He drove and, I guided. We pulled the oil dipstick on the engine, and it was as as black as a freshly paved road. We of course pulled the transmission dipstick shortly after. Holding it up there were metal flakes that looked like fools gold. This car had been “rode hard and put up wet.”  We offered to install a transmission for the customer for only the cost – our cost, no markup – on the transmission.

For this particular customer, we installed a 2.0L replacement engine. Her Camry originally had a 2.2L engine, but we’ve had excellent results with 2.0L replacement engines. There is virtually no power difference between the engines, and we get the 2.0L engines with normally between 30,000 and 50,000 miles. It really is a great solution for our customers. The install went great. The customer had to go out of town, and wanted the car delivered back to her in 8 days, so the mechamic was able to take his time and put some miles on the car after the engine install. In fact, he drove it back to her. There is no better way to test an install than to road test, and the road test verified that our customer had a great Toyota Camry used engine in her vehicle.

If you need a Toyota Camry used engine, or any other engine, please feel free to contact us. As always, you can reach us by phone at 901-266-9996 or you can submit an engine request online. We’ll give you one of the best warranties in the industry and help you save money!

Popularity: 7% [?]

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Great Video of an Audi A4 Timing Belt Swap!

July 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

This video speaks for itslef. It’s a time lapse A4 timing belt swap.

Most people who call us looking for a 1.8L Turbo engine have either had a timing belt failure or are dealing with a sludge problem. So make sure to replace your timing belts!

Popularity: 4% [?]

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Used Chevy Engines

July 17, 2009 By 5 Comments

Due to the sheer volume of Chevrolets on the road, they have always been some of our best selling engines. Typically we see more demand for the smaller Chevy 1.6L, 2.2L and 2.4L engines that fit in vehicles like the Aveo, Malibu, Cobalt, Cavalier, and HHR, but we also see a significant demand for vehicles with the 3.6L and 3.8L engines Chevy offers.

When I say “significant demand,” people will often assume that I’m saying an engine is bad. Nothing could be further from the truth, since Chevy is making the best engines it ever has. When you have millions of a type of engine on the road, you’re just going to have demand, whether it be due to flukes, operator error, or good old fashioned wearing an engine out.

If you need a used chevy engine, there are a few things that you should know.

  1. If you need a 2004 Chevy Aveo engine, get one from a 2005 or 2006. The failure rate on the 05 and 06 Aveos seems to be lower than the 2004.
  2. A lot of people lie on the mileage on Chevy 2.2L and 2.4L engines. Demand is very high on these, so the wholesale pricing on them is high. Dishonest companies can make a killing misrepresenting 140,000 mile 2.2L and 2.4L engines. Don’t think that they don’t do that either, because they do! A person is wise to demand a CARFAX to verify mileage.
  3. If you’re willing to swap fuel rails and manifolds, you can pull 2.2L engines out of much later year vehicles than a direct interchang offers. You can get a lower mile engine at a lower price.
  4. Low Mileage Engines offers one of the best warranties on used Chevy engines in the nation, and we can ship you a replacement engine straight to you, wherever you need it to go (in the US or Canada).

We offer one of the best warranties on used Chevy engines in the country, and we’re able to do that because we sell engines with verified mileage. When you sell a 20,000 mile engine, 50,000 mile engine, or 70,000 mile engine, you can give an excellent warranty. If you’re selling an engine that has 140,000 miles and calling it a 70,000 mile engine, of course you can not give an excellent warranty.  That’s the heart of our business – we sell an excellent engine, and give an excellent warranty.

As always, if you need a used engine, we would love to be your source. You can call us directly at 901-266-9996 or fill out a request for a quote online.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Filed Under: Engine replacement tips Tagged With: ,
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