Acura TSX Engines Dallas | K24A2 and K24Z3

The first-generation TSX, sold from 2004 to 2008, used the K24A2 — the high-compression K24 variant with a different head from the CR-V and Accord engines of the same family. It is the variant people seek out for swaps, which means TSX engine demand comes from two very different buyers: TSX owners replacing what they have, and K-series builders looking for that specific head.

The second generation moved to the K24Z3 in the four-cylinder cars and added a V6 option, so a TSX order that gives only "TSX" and a year in the crossover period needs the generation pinned down.

For anyone buying a K24A2 for a swap rather than a repair, the ordinary swap questions apply and are worth raising at quote time rather than after delivery: transmission and axles, harness and ECU, the immobiliser, and hood clearance for the taller K24 intake on some chassis.

TSX engines by generation

One engine covers the whole first generation, which is unusually clean. The second generation is where the qualifiers start mattering — read the trim column and the years attached to it together.

Acura TSX engines by generation, model years and configuration
Generation	Years	Trim	Engine
First generation	2004–2008	All trims	K24A2Higher compression and a different head from the CR-V and Accord K24 variants.
Second generation	2009–2014	Four-cylinder	K24Z3
Second generation	2009–2014	V6 (2010–2014)	J35 familyVariant confirmed per vehicle before quoting.

Where TSX engine orders go wrong

The TSX is the one vehicle here where the buying problem is as much about the market for the engine as about the car it goes into. Two of these apply to anyone; two apply mainly to people buying a K24A2 to put in something else.

The K24A2 is specific to the first-generation TSX; other K24 variants are not the same head.
Inside the K24 family, the A2 is the higher-compression variant with a different head from the CR-V and Accord engines. A listing that says only "K24" is naming a family that contains several answers. For a TSX owner replacing what the car came with, the A2 is simply the correct part; for a builder, it is the entire reason to be looking at a TSX engine at all. Either way, the characters after the family code are the point.
Second-generation cars use the K24Z3, and some years offered a V6.
From 2009 the four-cylinder cars moved to the K24Z3, and a V6 was offered on the later second-generation cars. So a request that gives a model and a year near the changeover needs the generation established before it can be acted on — and "TSX" on its own does not distinguish a four from a six in those years.
Demand from swap builders means listings sometimes describe a K24A2 loosely. The stamped code is the check.
Because the A2 is the variant people go looking for, its name gets used loosely — sometimes as shorthand for the family, sometimes as a description of an engine nobody has read the stamp on. The stamp is the check. A photograph of it is a reasonable thing to ask for before money moves, and a seller who cannot produce one has told you something.
A K24A2 bought for a swap needs the transmission, management and clearance questions answered before it ships, not after.
The bellhousing pattern being shared is what makes the swap popular; it is not what makes it finished. The transmission and axles, the harness, the ECU and the immobiliser all need answers, and the taller K24 intake manifold makes hood clearance a real question on some chassis. Every one of those is answerable in advance, and expensive to discover after delivery.

Why the model year is not enough on a TSX

The first generation is genuinely simple: one engine, one answer. The complication arrives at the generation boundary. A year on one side of it means a K24A2 and a year on the other means a K24Z3, and later in the second generation a V6 joins the range, so the model name stops implying a cylinder count.

There is a second reason the year is not enough, and it is specific to this car. The K24A2 is a desirable engine, which means a fair number of first-generation TSXs have had something happen to them, and a fair number of other cars are now driving around with a TSX engine in them. The year tells you what the car was built with. It does not tell you what is in it.

Replacing versus swapping

If you are putting an engine back into a TSX, this is a replacement and the goal is to match what left the factory. If you are putting a K24A2 into a Civic, an Integra or anything else, it is a swap, and the engine is the first item on a list rather than the last. The K20 and K24 comparison covers which of the two suits which job. Say which one you are doing when you make the request and the quote will reflect it.

Finding the code, and what we need to verify fitment

Engine size is the quickest sanity check on a TSX order. The four-cylinder cars are 2.4-litre K24s; a 2.0-litre K20 is the same family and a different engine, and the two get confused in listings because “K-series” covers both. From 2010 a V6 option adds a third displacement again. If a seller quotes you a displacement that does not match the car, that is the cheapest possible moment to catch it.

On this engine above all others, read the stamp. The variant is the whole question, and the stamp is the only thing that answers it about a specific unit rather than about a category. The engine code guide shows where the stamp is and how to read it.

For a replacement we need the model year, the generation, the transmission and the VIN or the stamped code. For a swap we need the target chassis as well, plus what you are keeping — transmission, harness, ECU — because that is what determines which questions still need answering. The fitment guide sets out what actually has to line up, and nothing on this page confirms fitment on its own: the table records how these cars were built, and the rest is verified against your vehicle before anything is confirmed.

Tell us about your TSX

Make and model are already filled in. Add the year and the transmission — and if the engine is going into something other than a TSX, put that in the notes so it gets quoted as a swap.

Step 1 of 3 · Vehicle33%

Which vehicle is the engine for?

Year, make and model get us most of the way. Trim matters more than people expect — a 2008 Civic is a different engine depending on whether it is an Si.

Model year

Make

Model

Trim(optional)

LX, EX, Si, Type-S, V6 — whatever is on the badge.

Know your engine code? Add it here.

If you do not, leave these blank. That is genuinely fine — working out which engine a vehicle takes is the part we do. Here is where the code is stamped if you want to look.

Engine code(optional)

Engine size(optional)

Transmission(optional)

VIN(optional)

The single most useful thing you can give us. 17 characters.

We do not confirm that an engine fits your vehicle until it has been checked against it.

Common questions

What makes the TSX K24A2 different from other K24s?

The head and the compression ratio. It is the reason the K24A2 is sought after for swaps and the reason it is worth confirming the stamped code rather than accepting "K24" in a listing. If you are replacing the engine in a TSX, it is simply the correct part.

Will a K24A2 fit my Civic or RSX?

It is one of the most common K-series swaps, and it is still a swap. The bellhousing pattern is shared, but the intake manifold is taller, hood clearance needs checking on some chassis, and the transmission, harness, ECU and immobiliser all need answers. Tell us the target chassis on the request and we will quote it as a swap.

Which TSX years use the K24A2?

2004 to 2008 — the first generation. From 2009 the four-cylinder cars use the K24Z3 instead, which is a different specification.

Related pages

The K24 family page, the vehicles that share it, and the guides that matter whether you are replacing an engine or planning a swap.

Find the right engine for your vehicle

Tell us the year, model and trim. We identify the engine your vehicle takes and come back with current availability and pricing.

Find My Engine