I have a 2001 EX accord with the engine stamped with the 23A1 code,5 spd, and has 116,000 miles on it and I live in Maryland. I hit a box (trash) on the road about 9 months ago that hit my catalytic converter and rattled the insides a bit. I had been driving it fora while until it got annoying and swapped out the converter last tuesday and did a rear brake job as well......Even washed the car up and all was good.........
The other day, Friday,I was driving in a neighbor hood in third gear and made a right turn slowing down to look for traffic but left it in third gear as I turned the corner and let the motor just gruntits way back thru the RPM'sbecause I was inno rush and was when all of a sudden the car makes a couple of clanking noises and starts sputtering. I realized the car felt as thouI dropped a cylinder. So I pull over and turn car off and look under the hood for any obvious problems. Then I restart the car andit runs but has a miss. So I pull one plug wire off one at a time while car is runnin to see whatcylinder is actin up and it ends up being #2. It was firingto the spark plug but nothelping the motor run. So i limp itback to the house and pull the #2 plug and it was smashed...........So I run up to the store andgrab a plug andstart the car and it runs fine. I drive it home about 40 miles no problems.......until right up the street from my house I am riding in 5th gear and have to slowdown for a school zone......I dont downshift I let the car just grunt thru as usual and bam......starts missin again.......Pull the plug and again smashed........
So I pull the timingcovers check all the timing marks and its all Ok, no slipped teeth, changed at 90K, I have good compression, so no bent valves........look down thru the spark plug hole and see a couple of marks on the piston where its been hitting the plug.
So I put the car back together and put another plug in it and it runs ok but now I have a tappin sound on #2 cyl that is more in front of the motor by the exhaust manifold than the top from valvles. I go under car and listen and its the crank shaft rod tapping for sure.
Now I check the oil in my car weekly on Sundays and change it and the filter every 5,000. I have owned 6 Accords since 91. A 91, 93, 94, 96, 03 and this 01. My 94 I ran it up to 250,000 miles before I sold it in 05 and its still runnin for the buddy I sold it to. And the others well into the 100,000's (besides the 03) and worked a few friends Hondas with well over a 100,000 and have never heard of or seen a problem like this out of a Honda that was maintained well.

Now I am debating puttin another motor in but not too sure on what I need to be carefull of in selecting a replacement. I have located one at the salvage yard here with 51,000 on it for $800.
I think I remember my car having an ULEV sticker in the rear door glass before I had the windows tinted but not exactly positive. I bought the car used 2 years ago with 60,000 miles on it so dont have any original paper work on the car as to if it was an ULEV vehicle. I do see that it is stamped 23A1 on the motor but where can I look or how will I know if it is a ULEV motor? And does it matter? Also some manufactures use a different motor for Auto Transmissions VS standards........is this something that matters with my accord?

I am on the fence about how I should tackle this issue........take it to the dealer and see if its something that can be takin care or without putting a new motor in......Like new bearings or rod, etc........or the local Honda specialty shop.....
I have the cash to dump on it and dont mind because I have no problems driving the heck out of this car and getting my money back......Plus I have a 13 year old that I can pass it right on to in 3 years........So the car will be hear a while.......
But in the same, If I am sure that I am going the right route and just swappin the motors out then I am comfortable with doing it myself........

I would hate to pull the motor if the rod bearings can fix the problem or some other less extensive route than pullin the motor.........

Any advice, knowledge, or even consoling in this issue seeing as thou I swear by my Hondas to everyone and I really feel let down and dejected at this moment......

 

Regarding your original problem, it's hard to see how anything other than wrong spark plug (too long)could cause those particular symptoms; engine timing correct and piston hits plug. It's perhaps possible that a loose connecting rod (bearings very loose) might allow the piston to move upwards slightly and hit the plug. When engine "lugs" (low rpm & high load), the loads on the crankshaft and connecting rods are very high. This makes sense w/ connecting rod knock also.

Perhaps a good warning to manual transmission owners. I have a 97 Acura 2.2CL w/ manual that my daughter drives and I've been guilty of "lugging" the engine on occasion.

I think I would go for the engine replacement, as used engines are readily available. I've used car-part.com to find engines that are donors to my vehicle and local. I went by each yard and inspected the engines and how the yards stored them. Some leave in the car, others pull and stack them, which I think is a better practice. I don't know how reliable car-part.com's cross-referencing system is but it works fine to identify donor parts. Probably only in CA would you be required to maintain the ULEV status, but I don't know that to be the case. However, I would check w/ state emissions board to be sure. It would be a real bummer to get to the state inspection and find you could not get an emissions permit.

I tried to fix a connecting rod w/ the engine in place on a Dodge 5.9L V8. It was a mess of a job, and ultimately unsuccessful (crankshaft was scored, OOR, pitted). That's when I did the engine searches and purchase. I think in the long run pulling the engine is better, even if you decide to repair your present motor.

good luck

 

Is there any differences that I need to be aware of in finding a replacement for my engine???? Whats the difference between the ULEV and non-ULEV???? Or is there any difference between the engines originally matched with autos versus manual transmissions????

 

ULEV = Ultra Low Emission Vehicle. That's about all I know. I've found that Google and Wikipedia are your friends for questions like this. I would suspect answers to these questions are out there for finding. Let us know what you find.

I don't know for certain but would think that Auto vs. Manual engines are the same if engine model is same, however electronics are different, so you should retain all your own harnesses, wiring, and sensors.

You need a 2001 Honda Accord Shop Manual. It should have some of the answers you need in the specifications section.

good luck

 

My gf has a 2001 LX-ULEV ...... you don't have ULEV certified. I think the car is ULEV, but the F23A4 is the ULEV certified engine. Strange problem with the spark plug. As noted, I think the only potential for this issue is that you are buying the wrong plug size or something in the crank/rod/piston is shot. $800 for a 51k motor isn't bad! Good luck!

BTW, I'd look for a F23A1 replacement to avoid computer issues.

 

As Falkore said:
F23A1 (your engine) = regular LEV VTEC (An "LEV" sticker is on the back driver's side window of these cars)
F23A4 = ULEV VTEC - it also says ULEV on the valve cover.
ULEV has different emissions related components and possibly a different computer tune.
If the ULEV comes with an ECU (I doubt it) go for it. If you can't get the ULEV ecu for cheap, keep looking for another F23A1 with low mileage........if you decide to go the "engine replacement" route.
Good luck

 

I'll have to check to be sure, but I think (in '98 & '99) there were some other wiring differences. F23A1 & F23A5 seemed to share wiring drawings in the Helm book, while the F23A4 (ULEV) usually had it's ownwiring diagrams. So even if you get the ECU to match, you'll be doing some re-working of your wiring harnesses.

 

The F23a1 is LEV, if it were ULEV (cali only or F23a4) it'd say so on the valve cover. The F23a5 is non-vtec so you dont want it. You can swap in either the F23a1 or F23a4 it really makes no difference and as far as which transmission the motor came with makes no difference either. .

You could (if you wanted) rebuild it for fairly cheap as well. Drain the oil and pull the oil pan and see if you have any metal shavings at the bottom.

 

Thanks for the info........Spark Plugs weren't changed before this problem arose.........I am pretty mechanically inclined to handle the motor switch but just aggrevated and confused as to I would have a problem like this in a "HONDA". Not normal............Something so seriously mechanically wrong with a car that has been properly maintaned...............

 

This is a fairly new car, and if the engine problem is due to rod or bearing failure, you might get some help from Honda to repair or replace the engine. You will undoubtedly have to pay part of the freight, but you might wind up w/ a new engine for same as a used. It's worth a try.

good luck