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The Honda H22A engine is really a series of 2.2 liter engines created by Honda from the early 90s until the early 2000s. This engine was primarily offered in a variety of Honda Accords and Preludes.
The H22A had a total of 8 different variants, generally indicated by the number at the end of the name, i.e. H22A3. The H22A1, the second in the family, was the first of this engine family to be used in North America markets in the Honda Prelude.
Introduction of the Open Deck Block
The first engine from the H22A engine family was produced in 1992, and overall the engine family was around through 2001.
This engine family consisted of 4 cylinder in-line engines with electronic fuel injection. The name given by Honda for this technology was PGM-FI, or programmed fuel injection.
While many of the characteristics remained common for this engine, one major change was the transition from a closed deck to an open deck block.
The redline across the different engines varied slightly, going from 7200 – 7600 RPM. The compression ratio was also varying, with a max compression ratio for US applications of 10.6:1 while going up to 11.0:1 for European and Japanese markets.
The main comments people give about give about this engine is that it has the performance capability where it is needed. The performance and reliability made this a very popular engine.
Honda H22A Performance Specs
The power values across the H22A engine family also varied for the different options, ranging between just over 180 horsepower up to 217 horsepower for the strongest of the engines offered. This strongest engine has a peak torque of 163 lb-ft of torque that is achieved at 6500 RPM.
This is a respectable amount of power for a 2.157 liter, or 131.6 cubic inch, engine that is naturally aspirated. This displacement is achieved using a bore of 3.425 inches and a stroke of 3.571 inches.
Head and Block Construction
This engine is largely aluminum, using aluminum for both the engine block and the cylinder head. The engine uses a belt-driven dual overhead cam technology for its valvetrain. The valve setup itself uses 2 intake and 2 exhaust valves per cylinder for a total of 16 valves in the engine.
One other feature of this engine is that it uses a form of variable timing technology, coined by Honda as VTEC. VTEC is distinguished from other variable timing technology by having 2 separate camshaft profiles that are selected hydraulically. This is in contrast to the more conventional system of variable timing system that is able to advance the timing.
The Honda H22A engine family was a solid engine family from Honda spanning from the early 90s to the early 2000s. This engine was primarily installed in Honda Accords and Preludes, and produced plenty of power to provide a good driving experience, particularly for drivers in these fairly lightweight cars.
The engine is capable of achieving up to 217 horsepower, which is an achievement for a naturally aspirated with a displacement of only 131.6 cubic inches. The technology of having dual overhead valves also makes this a fairly unique engine for this time.
The power from this engine to go along with reliability made the H22A a very popular engine. This engine is still being swapped into cars, but more for people who need a reliable car to drive than a street racer.