What motors are in the Honda J-Series family?

At HalferLand Performance we found categorizing our Honda J-Series motors into Generations is by far the easiest way to differentiate the motors and compatibilities, instead of listing every single motor and sub model (So now it’s 3 generations vs 30+
car and motor models). For the most part, if you stick to a specific generation the majority of that generations parts will fit or be compatible within that grouping. It’s important to note these groupings listed are ONLY FOR ENGINES/MOTORS, As TRANSMITIONS will have there own generations as the bellhousing change through the motor generations.
Below is how we categorize these motors into Generations.

Gen 1 J-Series Motor’s
– J30a1
– J32a1 – J32a2
– J35a1 -Through- J35a4

GEN 2 J-SERIES MOTORS
– J30a4 – J30a5
– J32a3
– J35a5 -Through- J35a9 (J35a7 VCM)
– J37a1-a2 (MDX only, Single Intake Vtec)

GEN 3 J-SERIES MOTORS
J35z (All and VCM)
J35y (All and VCM)
(Dual Vtec Motors) J37a2 (RL only) -through – J37a5