K24 Engine Phoenix, AZ | Honda K24A, K24A2, K24Z

Family: K24 (K-series)
Displacement: 2.4 L
Configuration: Inline-four
Valvetrain: DOHC i-VTEC, 16 valves
Bore × stroke: 87.0 mm × 99.0 mm
Produced: 2002 onward

The K24 is the long-stroke member of Honda’s K-series family and the engine behind most of the four-cylinder Hondas still on Phoenix roads. It replaced the F-series in the Accord for 2003 and stayed in production, in one form or another, for the better part of two decades. If you drive a 2003-or-later Accord, a 2002-or-later CR-V, an Element or a TSX, this is almost certainly the engine in front of you.

For a replacement buyer the important thing about the K24 is that "K24" on its own does not identify an engine. The family spans at least half a dozen production variants that differ in cylinder head, intake manifold, compression ratio and VTEC implementation. A K24A2 from a TSX and a K24A1 from a CR-V share a block and very little else that matters when the engine has to bolt to your transmission and talk to your ECU.

That variation is why the swap market treats the K24 as a platform rather than a part, and it is also why a used K24 bought on the family code alone is the single most common fitment mistake we see described. The stamped variant code is what a supplier needs before quoting.

Working out which K24 your vehicle has

The K24 narrows down cleanly as long as you use the generation rather than the model year on its own. A second-generation CR-V has a K24A1 and a third-generation one has a K24Z1. Accords run the K24A4, then the K24A8, then the K24Z series across three spans. A TSX from 2004 to 2008 has the K24A2.

The Accord carries one trap the CR-V does not. Four-cylinder Accords of these years use the K24; V6 Accords use a J-series engine instead. So on an Accord the first question is not which K24 but whether it is a K24 at all, and that is settled by the engine in the car rather than by the badge on the boot lid.

Buying a K24 for a swap rather than a repair

The K24 is sought after for swaps because of the displacement, and the family shares a bellhousing pattern that makes the first step look easy. Two things are worth settling before the engine ships rather than after.

The first is intake manifold height. It varies between variants by enough to create a hood clearance problem in some chassis, and the family name gives no warning at all. The second is balance shafts, which some K24 applications have and others do not. That changes what a rebuild involves and what a swap has to account for, and it is not something you can infer from the first three characters.

Both are answerable, but per unit rather than per family. Tell us the variant you are looking at and the car it is going into, and they get checked before anything is quoted.

What to check before ordering a K24

The variant code is stamped on a flat pad on the block, usually on the intake side near the transmission. Photograph it, because the code settles every other question. A listing that describes an engine only as "a K24" has not told you enough to fit it, and the same three characters cover variants with different compression ratios, different camshaft profiles and different oil pan shapes.

Transmission type matters more than people expect. An automatic transmission takes a flexplate; a manual takes a flywheel. The two are not interchangeable, and the crankshaft bolt pattern is the same on both, so there is nothing in a photograph of the engine itself that tells you which one you need. If the engine is going into a swap, the transmission it will bolt to should be decided before the engine ships.

Balance shafts are the second item that catches people. Some K24 variants carry them and some do not, and their presence affects the oil pump, the balance of the engine and the cost of a rebuild. A K24A1 from a CR-V has them; a K24A2 from a TSX does not. The family code does not predict this, so it is worth confirming on the specific unit rather than assuming.

If the engine is going into a different chassis than the one it came from, the intake manifold is the third thing to check. Manifold height varies between variants and between the US and JDM versions of the same variant. It sits above the engine line and clears the hood on some combinations and does not on others. Measure twice, and if you are unsure, send the chassis and the variant to us before the engine is bought.

Cooling and maintenance on a used K24

The K24 uses a timing chain rather than a belt, which means the chain is intended to last the life of the engine. That is the general case. In practice, a rattling chain on cold startup is a warning sign that the tensioner or the guides are worn, and it is the kind of thing that is cheaper to resolve before the engine is fitted than after. If you hear it, ask the supplier for a compression figure on the unit rather than proceeding on faith.

The cooling system deserves close attention in Phoenix. The K24 runs hot by design, and the Valley makes that worse. The thermostat, the hoses and the water pump are all worth inspecting and, on a high-mileage unit, replacing. A thermostat that has sat in a car in Arizona heat for ten or fifteen years is not something you want to discover on the first drive in July. The water pump is driven by the timing chain, which makes it more laborious to access later, so doing it during the installation is the cheap route.

Motor mounts are the last item on the list and the one most often skipped. Rubber mounts deteriorate with age and heat, and a used engine fitted to worn mounts will transmit more vibration than the same engine on new ones. They are inexpensive parts and they are laborious to get to once the engine is in the bay, so replacing them while the engine is out is the time to do it.

Vehicles built with a K24

One family across a family saloon, a small SUV, a boxy utility and a sports saloon, each with its own variant. The table records what left the factory. It does not say that a K24A1 out of a CR-V will work in your Accord.

Factory applications for K24 variants, by vehicle, model years, trim and market
Vehicle	Years	Trim / body	Engine code	Market
Honda Accord	2003–2007	:	K24A4 / K24A8	USDM
Honda Accord	2008–2012	:	K24Z2 / K24Z3	USDM
Honda CR-V	2002–2006	:	K24A1	USDM
Honda CR-V	2007–2014	:	K24Z1 / K24Z6	USDM
Honda Element	2003–2011	:	K24A4 / K24A8	USDM
Acura TSX	2004–2008	:	K24A2	USDM
Acura TSX	2009–2014	:	K24Z3	USDM

K24 variants

Six codes, most tied to one vehicle and one span of model years. The A and Z groups are a rough generational split rather than a specification difference you can rely on.

K24A1USDM: CR-V and Element. Lower compression, i-VTEC on the intake cam only.
K24A2USDM: Acura TSX. Higher compression, revised head and intake, the most sought-after US variant.
K24A4USDM: Accord and Element. Balance shafts, tuned for torque rather than revs.
K24A8USDM: Later Accord and Element. A revision of the A4 calibration.
K24AJDM: Japanese-market designation. Covers several specifications; the plain stamp is not itself a specification.
K24ZBoth: Later Accord, CR-V and Element series with revised i-VTEC and intake.

Identifying a K24

The K-series variant code is stamped into a machined pad on the driver’s side of the block, near the starter and slightly below the cylinder head deck. This is not the same location as the older B- and D-series, where the code is on the front face of the block between the engine and the radiator. Guides that give one location for all Honda engines are describing the older families.
The stamp reads as a family code plus a suffix: K24A1, K24A2, K24Z3 and so on. The suffix is the part that determines head, intake and calibration.
A JDM K24A will usually carry a plain "K24A" stamp without the US-market numeric suffix, which is one way to tell an imported unit from a US-market one before anything is disassembled.

A seller describing an engine as a particular variant is making a checkable claim. Asking for a photograph of the stamp on the actual unit is not a sign of distrust; it is the normal way this gets confirmed. The engine code guide shows where each family is stamped if you want to read the one in your own car first.

What varies between K24 units

These are the differences that decide whether two engines with the same family code are substitutes in a particular car.

Intake manifold and throttle body differ across variants and are a frequent source of clearance and sensor mismatches.
The K24A2 (TSX) head flows differently from the K24A1 (CR-V) head, and the two are not interchangeable without consequences for the tune.
Transmission bellhousing patterns are shared across much of the K-series, which is why K-swaps are popular, but the ECU, immobiliser and drive-by-wire pedal must be considered together rather than one at a time.
Accessory bracket and mount locations vary between transverse applications; an engine that fits the bay may still need the old accessories transferred.

Nothing on this page confirms that a specific K24 will work in your vehicle. That takes the year, model and trim at one end and a specific unit at the other, and it happens before a price is given rather than after. What goes into that check is set out here.

Ask about a K24 for your vehicle

The code is pre-filled. Add the year, model and trim, and the variant question gets settled on our side before anything is confirmed.

Common questions

Which K24 do I need for my Accord?

It depends on the model year, and the family code is not enough on its own. A 2003–2007 Accord left the factory with a K24A4 or K24A8; a 2008–2012 Accord used the K24Z series. Those are different intake and head specifications, so the year and trim of your car, ideally the VIN, is what a supplier needs before quoting rather than the word "K24".

Is a JDM K24A the same as a US K24A2?

No. "K24A" is the Japanese-market designation and covers several specifications that were never sold here, while K24A2 is the specific US-market TSX engine. They share a block family. Whether a given JDM K24A will work in a US car depends on the head, the intake manifold, the ECU and the immobiliser, which is exactly what a fitment check exists to establish.

Where is the K24 engine code stamped?

On a machined pad on the driver’s side of the block, near the starter. This differs from the older B-series and D-series, where the stamp is on the front face of the block. If you are reading a guide that gives a single location for every Honda engine, it is describing the older families and will send you to the wrong side of a K-series.

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K24 Engine in Phoenix, Arizona