Cthenerd88

Hi everybody,
This is my first post on here, so I'm excited to see what you guys can tell me about my car..
To start off, I have a 1996 civic ex 4dr, automatic; the stock engine is gone, (pretty sure it was a d16 non vtec),threw a rod bearing..So I had someone put another engine in, I was told it came from a 1997 ex, but it was going to have vtec.. So a few years later and many issues later I'm trying to determine what engine I actually have in the car and if it's worth fixing.. I see on the engine d16y5, which I have read is vtec-e, but vtec in my car kicks in about 5grand or so and tacks out over 7grand so from what I've read it can't be the vtec-e engine.. Now this brings me to my next question, my Ecu appears to be the stock , March 96 stamped on it, it is a p2p-a71 and as said in beginning of post original engine was not vtec.. Which leads me to my next thing, for as long as I have had the car vtec is really funky; if I start the car and let it warm up and go drive, if I floor it vtec kicks in, and it puts you in the seat, but it only works for a short amount of time.. For about 5-7 minutes vtec will work in 1st, 2nd and 3rd.. By the time I could get to the top of 3rd gear ( doing about 85-90mph) the car will go to 4th and that's about it for vtec, but if I slow back down and try to get vtec in a lower gear, it will not engage vtec.. It will rev well into upper 6 thousands up to 7, but it really feels like the car isn't going anywhere when vtec should engage.. By the time that happens vtec just stops engaging altogether. It won't work again until car cools down and you start it back up and warm it up and get vtec engaged.. Few questions now for what's going on:: the people who put the 97 engine in, could they have combined the y5 and a y8 to get me what I have? Is the Ecu part of the problem(stock was non vtec or maybe vtec-e)? Is there something wrong with the valves or timing or something to cause vtec to only work a short time?

Also right now I have a bad oil leak constantly coming out of backside of engine near oil filter.. Valve cover gasket has recently been replaced but that cause the oil leak to start, is that head gasket? And the transmission is starting to get stiff to shift through gears (automatic) and it doesn't run smooth through the gears..

Car has over 260,000 miles on it and engine has over 300,000 miles on it

Cthenerd88

Here is a picture of the current (stock) Ecu

Former User

Post the head code:

https://honda-tech.com/honda-civic-d.../#post48684945

https://honda-tech.com/honda-civic-d...-here-3210150/
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Also post the CEL codes.

https://honda-tech.com/honda-civic-d...lists-1901557/

Check the VTEC solenoid, distributor, oil filter, and oil pressure switch for oil leaks.

Cthenerd88

P2j-2

And here's a picture of the whole engine if that helps any too

Cthenerd88

Also I am not sure what year but I think the exhaust manifold is older than the engine could that be part of the problem? The other one had a hole in it so it was leaking bad and I got that one of my neighbor for free

Former User

Cthenerd88

ill try to get the codes tomorrow or next day. Car has a dead battery in it now needs to be charged some. Thanks for the help so far!

Former User

eghatch9295

iTrader: (1)

your head code indicates a 1996 d16y8 head, which is why your car runs normally. the blocks are nearly identical, except the y5 has different pistons. your compression ratio is a little lower than a stock y8, but not enough to really notice a difference, especially with a slushbox.

Cthenerd88

So does that mean i originally had the y5 and they used parts from both to put this together?

eghatch9295

iTrader: (1)

no, it means you had a y8, the bottom end went, and they put a y5 bottom end in it. fyi- your transmission is rebuilt. painted case + no vin tag.

Cthenerd88

So do you think it's even worth trying to fix or junk it and get something else? I'd prefer to get a manual especially if I found a good deal on engine/tranny together, but I guess I'd have a lot to switch over..

Former User

Given that Y8 and Y5 share the same head code, doesn't OP need to remove valve cover to know which he has? See diagrams.

For the IM, the OP similarly should be able to distinguish Y5 from Y8 based on differences seen in the diagrams.

eghatch9295

iTrader: (1)

https://honda-tech.com/honda-civic-d...-here-3210150/