Hello all, my first post here on this forum.... well, my daughter fried the engine in her '09 GE Fit; she ran it after the serpentine belt let loose for over half an hour, sigh.
I've done a JDM engine replacement before, on a '94 Accord, but I'm not seeing alot of info on this site, nor any JDM engine availability, for the L15A7 engine specifically. Were the Japanese Domestic Market GE "Jazz" engines different than the L15A7's engines in the '09 Fit that were imported to the USA?
I've tried the search feature on the forum, but not coming up with anything pertinent to JDM L15A7 engines.
Any help, recommendations, or links would be much appreciated!
THX,
Jim K

 

There’s no reason/benefit to use a ‘jdm’ engine for the Fit.

 

Thanks for the reply Mike; can you tell me why you feel there is no benefit? I would think the low mileage on the JDM engines would be a big plus, if it isn't a hassle to modify to US emissions configuration.

 

I won't speak for mike410b, but I think the general consensus is that used Honda Fit engines are readily available at pretty low prices from junkyards, salvage, etc.
Just speculating, but installing a direct replacement engine is going to be easier and cheaper than installing any engine requiring even minimum modifications, so unless you can source your JDM engine at a considerably lower price you won't come out ahead.
As far as getting a low mileage engine, does that even matter anymore? There are plenty of threads on FitFreak with folks driving Fits with 200K or even 400K miles. Some of them provide great detail about the maintenance they've done, and generally it's pretty minor in my opinion and certainly no more than you would have to do with any other engine with that many miles.
Of course there's a risk of getting a bad used engine, but I believe most reputable sellers have some sort of warranty. Plus, if you find a "local" direct replacement you can inspect it before buying.
Basically, I see zero advantage of trying to source a JDM Fit engine outside of having something unique, in which case I wouldn't mess around with a stock Fit engine.

 

Some good points there Drew, thanks for the input!

 

I do understand the interest in a JDM motor specifically, as they are usually well maintained and replaced sooner.

 

I agree with Drew.

Also, many American motorists put the majority of their mileage on cars via highways, which are very low stress for engines. A mile on the highway is a lot easier on a car than a mile in a city (one of a billion reasons cars are awful transportation in cities)