CarlwithaK

***Warning super long post****
Hey guys, hope everyone's having a good day, hope this post finds you well. as always thanks to you all on here for always being helpful and insightful, i love this site. so first things first, ive got a '96 dx with a d16y7. pretty basic upgrades at the current time- SRI, headers connected to straighties, nothing else of the performance nature really. moving on now, my cars pretty old, got over 200k on her, and from what ive come to learn over the past couple years the original owner (im the 2nd) had no idea you needed to do anything besides have the oil changed lol. ive spent most of my time replacing old components with atleast oem quality or better ones, just trying my best to "restore" it. call me crazy i know its a 24 year old y7, but i love my lil civic. as i said, i havent done much "performance" wise, certainly nothing with the internals, and honestly im somewhat new to cars (2ish years) and ive never tore down/rebuilt/assembled an engine myself( i wont be alone during this), that being said i have some questions, some general some civic specific, that id like some insight on. as always opinions and ideas are welcome, lets all just play nice though. so let me stop jabbering and get to the point-
So, let me start at the beginning as to hopefully give a clear picture. a couple months ago i had a,uh, lets call it an overheating incident lol. ive never had much cooling problems with this car, once on the hottest day (literraly, its on record, hottest in like 20 years here) i ran hot bc i mysteriously ran dry and you know cars need that stuff. never figured that mystery out, i was clueless and my trusted shop had her for 3 days running every test they have and found no reason i lost coolant. anyway, aside from the occasional brief temp gauge rise from things like idling for 15 mins at the drive thru. no serious or really worrysome issues. until the incident. i was on my way to my good friends house, we had an open weekend and wrenches to turn, we had installed a modern-updated but eom size and direct fit replacement radiator a few days before, as the stock was littered with little holes and cracks and just general looked deserving of retirement. but i was still having issues, seemed to cause more than we intended to fix. on the way there i ran stupid hot. i was fighting 5 oclock traffic with the temp gauge doing gymnastics lol. i was infront of an advance auto, so i decided to wait for traffic to let up and pulled in. while sitting there chatting with some guy, i thought maybe my thermo was shoddy and had the bright idea to take it out to let it freeflow until i got where i was going, partly bc i thought it might help and partly out of curiosity. so i did that, not noticing the lack of a gasket, therefore not thinking about it, ergo not putting one in. i left the parking lot, and within 30 seconds realized i messed up. i ran hot, stopping twice to cool down and top off. after the last stop, i realized shes just gonna be hot and throwing all my cards on the table, took the last leg *****-to-the wall- in effort to just get there and screw it well assess the damage later. drove a lil over 10 mins doing about 90 (airflow ftw lol) running so hot my needle was outside the gauge, chirped 2nd into my boys gravel drive, parked and let her cool overnight. i was well aware, and worried of the idea that i blew the HG. hondas love doing that from what i hear around here, and that was ideal conditions. i didnt "feel" it blow while driving, but anything can happen so i was worried. fast forward a few days, we had inspected the new radiator, found the fan wasn't kicking on, found out it was the fan switch on the thermo housing not working. ended up straightwiring it. repositioned and adjusted the new silicone houses i bought with the rad, cleaned all the coolant off of everything, new thermo and housing, new overflow, tore down the intake/TB/ IM because it was covered in coolant and 24 years of dirt, cleaned those inside and out, polished all the mating surfaces, put everything back with new gaskets etc all the way around, burped her like 5 times just to be safe. a few test runs and were convinced we solved this one. for the most part we did, other than occassionaly having to adjust or tighten down a hose etc etc, and one little thing that keeps me up at night. from what i could tell initially, and from routinely keeping an eye on everything since, and also without actually checking the HG, i didnt blow mine. no oil in the coolant, no coolant in the oil. externally the gasket looked good, no leaks, no gapping between surfaces, no coolant smell from the exhaust pipe, no coolant on the plugs, etc etc, it seemed all fine. except that ever since then, when i crank cold, and sometimes warm if its my lucky day lol, she will misfire/stumble for a few seconds then even out. i tried to fix this thinking it was ignition related, but new plugs, a new cap and rotor, and other things that didn't help has led me to this much feared decision. im sure most of you guys see where this is going, long story not-so-long, i think i have a tear in the gasket between a coolant passage and the cylinder, maybe (probably) multiple. it bothers me, and i know itll only get worse, and i know im eventually gonna want/have to get in there anyways, so im gonna "rebuild" my motor if you will. while i have it tore down, in addition to a new HG, im gonna check and probably replace the internals. so this is where ive got some questions-
1) in general, whats my threshold for customization, remember this is an old engine thats never been serviced like this, so lets stay in the realm of feasible ideas with daily driving/ occasional doin it for dale in mind. i dont want to go too crazy and modify somehow thats gonna end up hurting (the car or my wallet lol)
2) not necessarily looking for recommendations, but any brands or companies/ component design/features that i should be mindful of when shopping? i understand how an engine works, but im young and dumb and i know theres a few small, not so common knowledge things im clueless too
3 )Now this is not only an important question, but really what im here to ask- if im going to replace my internals, what else will i have to do. IE if i put lighter weight pistons in, what else will have to be modified/replaced to compensate for the now lighter pistons which (as i imagine, to my understanding of how this works) require less energy to move. i dont want my piston rods turning into tom brady lol-this question is not limited to lighter pistons, just an example, feel free to address any and all things internal components. also keep in mind my car has a "locked" ecu and wont allow any tuning, although switching for another is not out of the question for me.
4) anything i should be looking for while down there? any particular hot spots for damage, both wear and tear and overheating/ poor maintenance related? signs of impending doom? indications of some monkey brained jack*** monkeying around?
5) anything specific to these cars to be mindful of? i dont want to miss anything.
6)any important steps/ things to do when re-assembling? i want to be thorough and do it right. like my grandpa always said- best to do it right so you dont have to do it twice.
7) what can these little single cam y7's handle? how much is too much? whats the point of no return? whats just plain overkill? where does fun stop and engine torture start?
8) what can i do for "mo power baby"? what kind of components can i use and why/how will it be beneficial? want cant i do?
9) and lastly, how long does it take to do this? jk jk lol we all know thats impossible to answer
that pretty much wraps it up, but i will briefly say what i hope to accomplish with this job. i want some more performance, not alot i want good mpg, and i dont want to send any engine components into low earth orbit lol. im thinking along the lines of either lighter weight components, or maybe upping compression a hair. idk yet, let me hear your 2 cents. im not quite sure the route ill take, and you guys advice will be a sizeable factor in my decision.
thanks in advance guys sorry for super long, detailed post just wanted to be thorough. feel free to say/express anything related to this kind of work, or any advice/ pro tips to help minimize dumbass moments or even to just rub in my foolishness. lets share some knowledge, exchange ideas, share some stories. thanks for sticking with me guys, hope everyone has a good day
***TL;DR***
im replacing my internals for the first time (ever) and want to know what i can and cant do as far as customizing the components and things that will have to to modified along with these changes.

99stockcivic

Ok, I'm going to give one perspective, it's just an opinion, take it for what it's worth

1 - Rebuilding an engine is a LOT of work, especially since you are new, you won't have any of the tools needed. This will be the first of your expenses. You need everything from an engine hoist, leveler, basic tools take it apart, measuring tools for gaps, spaces, honing, etc. It will be a bigger expense than you think.Take any idea you think that will cost and double it.

2 - The actual cost of parts will climb, especially taking apart an engine that want to update. gaskets, rings, rockers, springs, crank, pistons, etc. Again, take whatever you think it will cost and triple it.

3 - Time - if you have never done this, you will spend a lot of time hitting a section and debating on what to do. Hone, oversizing, cranks, pistons, etc. - It's important that you are in charge of what you want done. Don't let others start telling you "just do xxx" because it will add up. You can easily spend a month or more rebuilding as a beginner.

4 - cost of upgrading - My opinion is that, today, it's totally not worth it outside of something sizable power increasing the engine like a turbo. Everything else is peanuts for the work you put in. Lighter pistons? forget it. Bigger cam? Forget it. ported heads? no. All together you won't really love what it turns out for the cost of doing these things outside of turbo.

5 - Cost of rebuild vs replacement. - If it were me, especially for a daily driver, I would simply buy a JDM engine replacement, it's already done, just throw it in and be done with it. Now, if you are looking for an "in-between" idea for more power, then get a bigger engine out of an Accord and put it in, Both engine are cheap and plentiful. You can ge a replacement engine for these Civics for a few hundred to $800. My local scrap yard sells them for $100, A JDM with about 50k miles on it is about $600-$800 shipped to your door. You can't beat that with a rebuild, it's faster to swap the engine, and you are back on the road quickly. Be realistic with your capabilities, it will still be a heck of a job, but you can swap an engine with far fewer tools, especially if you can get a friend to help get it in and out. Even as a new person, you can do it in a week if you take your time. Maybe two weeks, but no longer.

If you swap in a bigger engine, make sure to get the computer and all the other pieces.
If you go turbo,then yes you need to either buy or rebuild the engine to handle it.

Here's an example of an Accord engine with 150horsepower to swap in.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/98-99-00-01...wAAOSw4rZefjh3

$400

You can replace with an Accord, Acura, CRV engines.

Just my thoughts, others will have plenty of other thoughts.

CarlwithaK

elaborate? are you speaking of how its a 20 something year old car with a low powered motor, etc etc? if so I am well aware, but this is my car and i love it, regardless of it value to others. not to sound like a dick, i understand youre viewpoint. and all but im asking for technical advice here, not the KBB value. again, not trying to be mean just trying to get insight here.

99stockcivic

Accidently hit the return key, I've now fixed my response.

TomCat39

I would second getting a different motor, but not due to cost. I would suggest swapping to a different motor to build. The D series isn't overly conducive to upgrading overall. A B series does much better.

There is only 2 D-series motors USDM/CDM that I would spend money rebuilding. That would be the D16Z6 performance orientated USDM D, And the D15Z1, ultra rare economy motor. The Z6 I would build to the hilt for a Turbo and the Z1 I would go full stock rebuild for the Hybrid performance level fuel economy without the help of electric motors and batteries.

The two D's of your generation have some challenges, the performance D16Y8 only has one oil port per journal in the crank so building it works but the engine tends to spin bearings. The D16Y7 is the economy (not super economy like the D16Y5) engine and doesn't do any better being built than the Y8 and has the same bearing spinning problem. And the D16Y5 I'm not sure is a better version of the previous D15Z1 or if the Z1 gets better fuel economy, but it would be one I would rebuild stock.

So really since you want to build an engine, I'd suggest looking into a B series as it's not super expensive like the K series and is a VERY strong base to be built on with LOTS of room to grow.

That would be my perspective on it all.

CarlwithaK

apologies for the late reply, i had to go to work. i think you may have misunderstood my situation/ reasons for this undertaking which is partially my fault i suppose.ill try to add some clarity on this, ill try to respond to your points in order. firstly while i am relatively new to this hands on-wise, cars have been a life long passion for me as most people here probably can relate. 2ish years may not sound like much, but when you spend 90% of that time "in the field" you learn alot. I have plenty of tools, many not just average joe monkey wrenches, and what i dont have i personally i have access to, ability to obtain or the ability to buy/rent. im well aware of the costs of parts/tools and time these things take and i always spend much more time than needed to research and learn what i need to know before i attempt a project. let me stop there and address your points on rebuilding vs swapping etc because its here i believe we have misunderstood one another most. firstly, i know most people either go boost or high performance setups when undergoing these kind of projects, but i should have elaborated on my reasons for such- im not going for high performance here. i want reliability with any power gains just being a plus. my theory on this project isnt "lighter components equals more power" its lighter weight, good quality components equals less work for an old engine and sturdiness. im not particularly concerned with bang-for-your-buck horsepower, i just want some small net gains, enjoying the fact that ive done this myself, made my car mine, having pride when i look in the driveway bc i know i did something that means something to me. and lastly, why would i want to just plop a different motor in there? im sorry but as a gear head i find enjoyment in doing it myself. i want to get in there and get my hands dirty, learn things firsthand, have the experience of rebuilding a motor to look back on and further my passion of cars. thats why i work on cars, because i love it and want to fill my brain and memory banks with as much as i can. and i just plain have a fun time doing these types of things. sorry for the rant, got a lil carried away lol its just i wanted to know technical details, mechanical theory and such not i should do this not that this is my most economical solution. sorry for the miscommunication

TomCat39

And I think you are missing our points from being further down the road you are travelling or wanting to travel.

You will spend the 300 dollars on a good bore gauge setup set, 100 dollars on a good .0001" bore gauge set, 100 dollars on a good micrometer set etc etc. Then spend 500 dollars on new pistons, 300 or more on new rods, 200 on OEM bearings to do it right, 200 on head work, another 300 on bottom end balancing and possibly line honing etc. And when you get it all done, you will be proud of everything you've done for about 3 months to a year. And then you'll want more and look back at all the money you dropped into this engine to get basically a stock D16Y7 engine that isn't worth more than the 300 or 500 dollar used D16Y7 from the salvage yards. And you will also think about why did you waste all the time and energy on a motor that doesn't have room to grow.

The reason why I was suggesting a B series, is you can learn your rebuilding, have a little bit more torque but still be decent fuel economy, and.... 2 years from now when that "more" bug hits, it has room to do more. You can do it again with a different direction in mind.

But hey, if you want to spend nearly what it would cost for a brand new engine on keeping to your grocery getter engine, by all means. I and many others are just fairly confident that within a couple of short years from now after you've done it, you'll have regrets.

The SiR came with a B16A2 motor, a DOHC engine that has a lot more options available to it to modify and grow into. And it's from the 96+ era. So it's not like your generation didn't ever get a B series as stock.

chrysler kid

Damn I couldn't read that whole first post.