redm3turbo

So, yesterday I traded a ps3 for a running eg civic. I was amazed at how good it actually runs. One of my neighbors was going to scrap it and we got chatting and well, I ended up with it. I was thinking hmmm...a gsr motor would be perfect in this thing, so I took it and started plotting a motor swap.
That swap got veto'd and I decided Id do a nice thing for an extended family member that is on hard times. I picked the car up for nothing (didnt play the ps3 anyhow) About the car, 1995 eg, clean body, no rust, just a dime sized piece under the door, nothing on frame though. Car runs good but uses about a quart every 3k from leaks. Doesnt burn it, just leaks it. Overall car is in great shape, starts right up, a/c and heat work great, everything is good even tires have 7/32nds. The faults are it needs a cv joint, and the engine leaks everywhere. Its not huge gushing oil leaks, but little ones that haven't been addressed in years.

I got some questions though--
1) this civic leaks like a swiss cheese hose. It runs/everything looks good, however its at 149k and it has leaks everywhere. Valve cover gasket, o rings, and even between the motor/trans (this Im not sure about though because there is alot of oil so I dont know if its leaks from above or if its leaking there) I could change all this, however Im thinking would it be smarter to basically rebuild the motor, or just swap it?

1b) One small hiccup with the swap, the car must remain automatic. Its auto now, but it has to stay automatic since the recipient only drives auto. Tranny in the car now shifts a bit hard however I have a feeling it may just need a drain/fill. If I did do the swap, I sorta to prefer just putting in a 30k tranny though along with the 30k engine.


2) Ive read that headgaskets in the b7 are junk composites, and even changing them they are still a weak spot for the motor, so that would make me lean towards a swap. Truth?

3) how reliable are jdm motors, I mean it may have 30-40k miles, however it is still 10+ yrs old. Ive never had a jdm motor that was driven like a regular car, the only swap Ive had was beat on (however it did last quite a long time even with daily redline trips, lol)
I would do all maint such as timing belt/water pump prior to installing however should I have to plan on doing things such as headgasket?

4)From my research, a d15 jdm should bolt up to pretty much any d series transmission right? If I can score a y8 auto transmission what parts would I need, just a y8 Ecu to run it correctly?

I think thats it in a nutshell. I appreciate every piece of info.

94EG8

Either just replace the seals and oil pan gasket or swap it.

Any OBD1 D-series will work (except the D15Z1, because there is no automatic ECU for it) That said to keep things easy and keep costs down I'd drop in a JDM non vtec D15B (normally these are actually dual carbed and you swap over the intake and exahust manifolds and block off the mechanical fuel pump hole on the back of the head) or an OBD1 non Vtec ZC.

Also, try adjusting the TV/kickdown cable, it has a lot to do with shift points and how hard or soft it will shift.

Truth, although both of the engines I mentioned above use the same type of head gasket (the D16Z6, JDM SOHC Vtec ZC and JDM OBD1 D15B vtec both used a 3 layer steel gasket though, and both are great engines if you don't mind sourcing an automatic P28. Also you can replace the headgasket with a 3 layer steel Y7/Y8 gasket.

In my experience they're very reliable. I've swapped a bunch of them in. My own daily driver '94 Sedan has a JDM D15B vtec that's been in there for 4 years and over 100,000kms now. I put a timing belt and water pump on it when I got it, that's it. It still doesn't take any oil or coolant. oil pan gasket stays a little damp but it's never dripped at any point. I always change the water pump and timing belt, you should change the cam and crank seals too while you're at it, and the distributor O-ring.

Part A: yes, Part B: no. Do not get a Y8 and matching transmission, don't get either.

redm3turbo

replacing the seals/gaskets would add 60-80k more life to her you think?

I mean I dont think 200k is really too much on a eg, just needs new gaskets all around so she can keep her oil, right?

94EG8

Unless it's leaking really bad and you're letting it run low on oil it's not really going to have an impact on overall mileage. But I would take care of it if you're going to keep that engine.

200k is pretty reasonable.