Some Geniuses Are Swapping Big Minivan Engines Into Old Hondas For Cheap Horsepower

Name the perfect engine swap for a classic Honda coupe or hatch. “The B series!” you’ll shout, if you were born in the 80s. “No, K series is the way to go!” yells the younger crowd. But what if I told you there was another option, both more exotic and more mainstream all a the same time? Meet the J Series—the minivan engine that longs to run free.

The Honda J-series debuted in the mid-nineties. It was designed to replace the established C-series V6, most notably used in the Honda NSX and Acura Legend. The new engine was more compact by virtue of being a 60-degree V6, and unlike its predecessor, it was specifically designed for use in transverse front-wheel-drive applications. The J-series soon became the larger V6 workhorse engine of Honda’s lineup, showing up in minivans, sedans, SUVs, and even a few coupes.

It might be installed in some of the most boring, unassuming cars on the market, but the J-series has a secret. It’s powerful, it’s torquey, and you can find one in every junkyard in the country. It wasn’t long before it drew the eyes of wrenchers on the hunt for cheap engine swaps. If you want a big, juicy V6 to drop into a hot little Honda, it’s hard to ignore the temptation of a little Vitamin J.

Size Matters

The J-series engine first showed up in the Acura CL in 1996 as the 3.0-liter J30A1, which later landed in the Honda Accord V6 as well. Variants soon proliferated across the Honda and Acura lineups with displacements from 3.0 to 3.7 liters depending on application, along with a rare 2.5-liter version for the JDM market. The vast majority of the J-series family are single overhead cam designs, complete with the glory of Honda’s VTEC variable valve timing. The family has also got that solid Honda reputation for reliability, with many examples racking up hundreds of thousands of miles without issue.

As Honda’s mainstream V6 workhorse, the J-Series has ended up in hundreds of thousands, if not millions of cars in the past few decades. By now, tons of them have ended up off the road for one reason or another, which has created a broad population of junkyard engines rich for the mining. Their ready availability made them cheap, and their solid power output made them desirable for swaps.

As you might expect, though, not all J-Series engines are equal. Certain versions have become the most popular for swaps for reasons of practicality. The J32A2 is a great choice, built from 2001 to 2003 for the Acura CL-S and TL-S. In stock form, it offered 260 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque. Alternatively, you can go bigger, and score yourself a J35A4. It appeared in the 2002 to 2004 Honda Odyssey, and also the Honda Pilot for a time. It’s a hair down on power at 240 hp, but the bigger displacement nets you 242 pound-feet of torque.

Meanwhile, the original J30A1 is less desirable. The older engine offers just 210 hp and 200 pound-feet of torque. It might still be worth looking at if you can get one on the cheap, but the earliest versions also have the penalty of using a distributor-based ignition system rather than more modern coilpacks.

Looking at the numbers above, you’re probably realizing why these engines have a cult following. They’re cheap, you can yank one at a junkyard, and you’re getting great power and torque. Out of the box, most of the J-series engines outperform the K-series just by virtue of having two extra cylinders and plenty of displacement. Some will argue that their established power ceiling isn’t as high, and that’s perhaps fair given the prodigious power available from a turbocharged K-series, but for budget power with minimal mods, the J really delivers. In any case, you can expect to make up to 300 hp with the right naturally aspirated build, and 400 horsepower or more if you choose to pursue forced induction.

You needn’t stick to the exact revisions of engine above, either. They’re just the pick of the bunch. There’s nothing stopping you from grabbing something like a J30A4 from a 2004 Accord and enjoying the 240 horsepower it brings, for example. However, you’ll want to consult community guides on the various engine revisions to sure the specific engine you choose is suitable for what you’re trying to do. You don’t want to find out your engine has some sensor or plumbing quirk that makes it impossible to fit in your car.

There are newer J-series engines with ever greater power outputs; indeed, Honda is still building them to this day. However, these engines are less popular swap candidates. These more complicated engines are harder to wire up and run in a swapped car, versus the simpler engines of the late 90s and early 2000s.

Anything is possible, of course, but the more straightforward J-swaps are usually the earlier J30, J32, and J35 engines from before 2010 or so. For the older engines, quick and dirty swaps can be done using the original engine management system, often with a loom hacked up to work with the car its being swapped into. However, higher-performance builds will often use a standalone ECU and a custom tune to get the most out of the engine.

While the J-series engines are powerful, it’s worth noting they do come with a bit of a weight penalty. As explained by Motor Trend, where a B-series or K-series drivetrain might weigh on the order of 400 to 420 pounds, a J-series engine and transmission might come in at 500 to 550 pounds. Obviously, the combination of their smaller size and weight is why those engines have long been the most popular swaps. The  J-series is a more esoteric choice, obviously, but you do get great torque and the charm of six cylinders. In any case, they’re still a huge upgrade compared to some of the cheaper economy motors Honda put in lower-end models back in the 1990s and 2000s.

Of course, if you’re swapping one of these engines into a project car, you’re almost certainly wanting to go with a manual transmission. This is where things get a hair more difficult—as you’d imagine, there simply weren’t a whole lot of manual Acuras and Honda Odysseys built. Ideally, you’ll be able to lay your hands on a six-speed manual from the 2004-2006 Acura TL.

This transmission is prized as it comes with a limited-slip differential (LSD) which is a boon to putting power down. Alternatively, you can snag a six-speed from the 2003 to 2007 Honda Accord V6, but you won’t get the LSD. Automatic swaps are not really the done thing, as the automatics traditionally paired with the J-series engines don’t have the best reputation for reliability.

There are plenty of great community guides on how to navigate a J-swap on a budget.

Where Are You Putting That?

You can of course swap a J-series engine into just about anything if you’ve got the time and money to do so. They’ve become popular choices for sandrails and Miatas in recent years. Regardless, they’re most commonly swapped into Honda builds.

If you look to the aftermarket, you’ll find mount kits for putting J-series engines in all the popular Hondas of the 90s and 2000s. Hasport produces kits for the EF, EG, and EK Civics, and some can be made to suit the CRX, Del Sol, and Integra, too.

Meanwhile, Innovative Mounts produce kits for mounting the engines in various generations of Civics as well as 1994-2001 Integras and even the slinky Prelude. In fact, Innovative even make mounts for putting a J-series into the Honda S2000, though you’ll want to source a special adapter plate to mount it to the original F-series manual transmission.

While some mount kits will make the engine a “bolt in” swap, others require cutting and welding to shoe-horn the V6 into its new home. Either way, getting everything else buttoned up that usually takes the most time. Whichever platform you choose, it bears noting that an engine swap like this is no easy job. Getting the engine mounted is just step one. You still have to figure out how to wire the thing and get it running, as well as how you’ll plumb it with fuel and coolant.

Then there’s the exhaust to think of, axles, and a lots of other jobs besides. Helpfully, aftermarket outlet Power Rev Racing provides a useful swap guide and video for the J-series, which covers a lot of these ancillary considerations for common swaps.

Then, of course, there’s the job of making sure the engine fits in a bay it was never meant to live in. The J-series engine is a bit larger than a lot of Honda inline-fours, even if it is a 60-degree vee. You can often make it fit in an engine bay, but some compromises are usually necessary. Some applications require relocating the alternator. More commonly, particularly in Civics, it’s necessary to modify the hood to clear the intake manifolds on top of the engine. This can require just a little trimming of the hood support structure, or in extreme cases, hood cutouts or a full custom panel. Some mount kits actually allow the engine to be mounted higher or lower for the best compromise between ground clearance and hood clearance.

It Was Ever Thus

It’s always worth remembering that junkyard engines are a perfect lesson in supply and demand. Creative enthusiasts identify a nice engine from some commodity car, with squillions of examples built. They figure it’s got good power, and it’s an easy swap into a popular enthusiast car. The bargain swap becomes popular, and eager modders rush to grab engines on the cheap. Eventually, prices go up as junkyards catch on to their value and supplies begin to dwindle . Then, the cycle begins again, as modders start looking for a different engine for budget performance gains.

This narrative has absolutely played out in the Honda world. Once upon a time, B-swaps were the go. Then, the Bs-series started getting expensive, so modders looked towards K-swaps as the newer engines started landing in junkyards. At first, it was fussy, because K-swaps weren’t established and there were few aftermarket parts available. Over time though, swap kits became available as the market for K-swaps grew. In turn, demand for the K-series engines went up, and prices moved in turn. The J-series engine may yet do the same, but for now, it’s still not too hard to find a dusty old minivan with a gem lurking inside.

This is altogether a more modern look.

The J-series is obviously not the first Honda engine to become a beloved swap candidate. Nor is it likely to be the last. Eventually, production will wind up, supplies will dwindle, and the J-series will likely become less desirable as time goes on. In time, a new generation engine will take its place, once the junkyards are suitably loaded with spritely engines ripe for the plucking.

The appeal of the J-series swap is obvious. It’s cheap, powerful, and just a little more exotic by virtue of being a V6. We always tend to get more excited about the swaps that are a touch more offbeat, too—there’s a reason we spend more time talking about refrigerator engines than LS swaps these days.

They might not rev high, but the J-series offers great power, great torque, and that classic VTEC charm. What’s not to love?

It may not yet have the prestige of the famous motors that have come before, but it’s an engine well worth considering if you have a thirst for something potent and just a little unusual at the same time. After all, who doesn’t want to go blasting around at speed with an engine built for hauling the kids to soccer practice?

Image credits: Honda, Acura, Octane and Mayhem via YouTube screenshot, Innovative Mounts, Roads Untraveled via YouTube screenshot