Need Honda wisdom-basic upgrades for CR-V B20

Ok, so the thought of keeping my old '97 CR-V and upgrading it a little is in my head. It has 205k, oil leaks, funny noises, etc. It's as reliable as can be, but I have some long trips planned over the next couple summers and would like to make sure they go smoothly. Upgrading to a newer vehicle is probably the better idea, but this sounds good in my head. My thought is to make one heck of a camping/road trip buggy instead of trying to find a 2nd gen CR-V in my price range (next to impossible).

So, I have a couple thoughts. Any modifications would be for modest power gains so that I can increase gas mileage and not struggle so much in the mountains. I know the '99-01 models had 20 or so more hp due to compression ratio and intake, so I'm thinking the first thing to do would be to swap to one of those engines. After that, are there any junkyard cam swaps that would help at all in these? Do they respond well to headers? Exhaust? Intake? Parts from an Integra? I know guys put these in Civics/CRX's/etc. all the time...what are they doing to make power (apart from major engine work or turbo)?

Learn me Honda powah!

P8R head. Big valves, much better flow. B16 Intake manifold, will take a little modifying to make work, but it's hands down the best intake manifold for B-series engines under 7000RPM. I could see a decent 4-2-1 header working. Integra intake tube and box should be plenty. 2.5" exhaust also plenty. You could go with a larger cam, something that would make power more through the 1500-5000RPM range. A tune will be ESSENTIAL. Is this thing a 5-speed? I love the LS/B20 power plants, they're perfect for a reasonable, torquey DD Civic/Integra without going to an H/F.

A local buddy of mine has an H23A VTEC swapped(H2B) 5-speed AWD 1st gen CRV. It's a ripper. http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=3137010&highlight=h2b

Nope, automatic (it's the family car, and my wife doesn't drive manual).

Small turbo.

In reply to beans:

What's the P8R head from? Any Integra parts bolt right on, like cams or intake manifold (from what I understand, the B20 is just a B18 with a bigger bore)? I don't really want to do different engine management or turbo or anything, just some mild cams that wouldn't require a tune, just premium fuel. I'm thinking really mild stuff here, just a few hp here and there with bolt ons in order to maximize the "stock" performance and get a little better gas mileage.

You probably wont see any gains, realistically. P8R head is on the later, jap b20's from some little wagon. Kinda rare. The b20 really is just a siamese bore b18. You could do the normal intake, header, exhaust, but real gains will come from tuning and the b16 manifold. Crower stage 1's[401 grind i believe] should be ok on a stock ecu. Maybe look into delta for regrinds, too.

Convert to obd1 and tune it! A few breathing mods help. You should be able to have fun with minimal outlay.

What's your budget for a 2nd Gen CR-V? My Mom keeps threatening to sell her 2004. Nothing wrong with it, but she's a bit irrational and deep down I think she just wants something new.

If you keep your CR-V: Doing breathing mods and a mild cam would wake it up quite a bit. Converting to OBD1 and diy tuning is really easy. While you're in there get some nippon pistons and bump the compression a little. :-)

In reply to clutchsmoke:

I would like to stay in the $6500 or less range, but around here they are all $7500 or more. A low mileage one will be $9k+. There's a '03 around here now with 87k on it and they are asking $8700.

What all is involved with the OBD1 conversion? How does this allow for tuning? A 99-01 motor, OBD1 conversion, mild cam, intake/header/exhaust sounds like it might be the way to go. Maybe an Integra intake too? Hmmm, this is sounding better by the minute!

I'll give you a heads up in case she decides to sell!

The OBD1 ECU can be chipped or piggybacked. There is free diy tuning out there (crome) and pay solutions are ~$300.

OBD2 to OBD1 conversion harness ($80), Integra/Civic ECU(~$80), Header is ~$200, I recommend this exhaust http://www.yonaka.com/category_s/272.htm , and prices are all over the place for engines.

In reply to clutchsmoke:

Thanks! There are a few things I've discovered in my research this evening. One is that an OBD1 conversion on a CR-V can be a pain because the TCM is in the ECM since it's an auto, so I'd have to figure something out for trans control. Also, headers are hard to find for the AWD models, usually some regular ones have to be modified. Maybe just a later motor and an intake and exhaust will be all I can do for the basics.

Just an interesting little note: The B20 is the only B-series engine that has a 1-piece sleeve. The other engines all have separate sleeves. People say the 1-piece sleeve is a weak spot on these engines, but I think those are the same people that are turbocharging these little engines and pushing way more boost pressure than they should...

H22 swap, dual ecus to keep transmission happy, nothing REALLY drastic.

IMHO the CRV's should have came with F22/23 motors, CRV already uses the tranny for it.

B18C3 head swap and T3/4 hanging from it and obd1 conversion for some 1998 era performance

Turbos and H22 swaps would be great, but I'm trying to keep it simple. A B20Z with a few bolt-ons is probably as far as I will go. We'll see. :-) I've got a friend who co-owns a performance shop, and his business partner is a Honda guy. I asked him the same question, so I'll see what recommendations he has for me.

captdownshift wrote: B18C3 head swap and T3/4 hanging from it and obd1 conversion for some 1998 era performance

Bonespec wrote: H22 swap, dual ecus to keep transmission happy, nothing REALLY drastic. IMHO the CRV's should have came with F22/23 motors, CRV already uses the tranny for it.

Both not easy, especially the h22 route. My friend's is FAR from being an easy swap, and he's had tons of little things go awry with it. CRV tranny=/= f-series tranny, although they have some similarities.

A VTEC head swap might sound reasonable, but it really isnt, shifts the powerband WAY up and presents a lot of reliability issues. You guys need to keep in mind this is his DD and his wife drives it... anot to mention she doeant sound like the type that would put up with some swapped, hybrid Honda shenanigans on a daily basis.

In reply to beans:

Exactly. I want RELIABLE mods; in the fast, cheap, reliable categories, I'm going for cheap and reliable--I know it won't be fast, just want to maximize the B20. I was thinking maybe I could get a JDM B20? The Japanese ones are the more powerful ones that we got in '99-01, and I could probably get a pretty low miles one I assume.

Keep in mind that the higher power is usually related to the JDM tune.

Search arouns honda-tech about the P8R head. Lots of good info there, its the B20 to get. Remember, because of the increased displacement, a larger cam will actually not be as rough as on a smaller engine. A crower 402 grind would be the biggest I'd consider so as not to kill driveability in something with that weight and gearing.

SlickDizzy wrote: Keep in mind that the higher power is usually related to the JDM tune.

From what I gathered, the B20B they got there is the B20Z that we got here in the '99-01 CR-V's. The extra 20hp was due to a different intake and higher compression-at least that's what made the difference here when they changed it from the '97-98 B20B. But I'm no Honda guru, so if I'm wrong it wouldn't surprise me.

If It were my car, I would do the integra intake tube and air box, b16 intake manifold, convert to OBD1 and get a tune (maybe cams, depending on price). Of course fix all the leaks and do necessary maitanence (timing belt, water pump, etc) while in there. Since it's a DD, I would tend to leave to exhaust alone unless it absolutely needs replacement. NA Hondas, especially when mated to an auto trans, sound terrible and I think it would get old quick.

Spoolpigeon wrote: NA Hondas, especially when mated to an auto trans, sound terrible and I think it would get old quick.

Good point. Stock exhaust for sure.

http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=1467903

That "FrankAcura" guy on there has a lot of good info but his posts are a bit hard to read.

In reply to beans:

Thanks for that link, it's very informative on the B20!

For a muffler, look into the 05-06 Rsx type-s unit. It's efficient to about 200hp and VERY good sounding on almost all Hondas I've heard. I run one on my car, and its perfect, IMO. I got mine for $60 locally, and included the b-pipe, which I sold for $50. Looks great, too, check it out in my build thread.