dustinlacombe

I have the d15b vtec-e in my 93 honda civic coupe now and am in the market to buy another motor .... long story short i dont wanna waste my time with the vtec e ( 92hp ) anymore because its an economy motor instead of a power motor... so i would like to get the normal d15b vtec ( 130hp ) and so forth found the sight i wanna buy from and everything.....

question is will i have to buy a different ecu or wireing harness to make it work..... please help im stuck

turbojdmhatch

Pick yourself up a z6 instead and a p28 ecu. Later down the road pick up a decent little turbo kit(no ebay garbage) and then go get a professional tune. You won't be dissapointed. It would be a stepping stone to a better set up I.E. built motor with a good turbo making well over 350.

dustinlacombe

ok thanks

B18C5-EH2

The problem is that "D15B VTEC" is very vague. There are about 3-4 different versions of the "D15B VTEC" ranging from OBD1 versions to OBD2 ones that has regular or two stage VTEC. Don't get excited by the "two stage VTEC" as it s all fuel economy stuff.

Since there are different ones you'd need to specify with the importer which one you want. If you get an OBD1 version everything should be virtually plug and play except for you needing to convert from your current VX 5 wire o2 sensor (assuming it's currently wired right).

If you were to get a later model there would be more wiring such as distributor, etc. Also the P/S pump/hose combination has to be changed/modified if you have P/S.

94EG8

There are 2 very different OBD1 versions that look very similar in a picture, the OBD1 regular vtec version that most people want, and the OBD1 vtec-e version thats, well a JDM D15Z1 VX engine. Pay close attention to the size of the intake piping assuming its still there and check for an EGR valve, stay away if it has one.

BTW the 2 or 3 stage depending on what you want to call isn't all about fuel economy Tom, its has normal SOHC vtec coupled with vtec-e and plain old 16 valve mode, its pretty neat, but really needs the special P2J ECU to go with it to run the way its supposed to.

Korman

You can also do a Mini-me, which involves just changing the head with something a bit more performance-oriented, be it a Z6, Y8, or D15B 3-stage head. Remember that this will make your compression ratio different which is something to bear in mind if you decide this is for you and you still want to turbo.

A mini-me setup is just one of your options. It depends on how willing you are to remove the engine or not. If so, a swap like a Z6 or a Y8 may be a better choice. It'll certainly be more straightforward.

94EG8

Can't realistically be done on a D15Z1/D15B vtec-e. They used dished pistons, the stock head for these engines have a small combustion chamber, if you try running anything else for a head you'll drop the compression down to a point where you'll have to turbo it just to get out of its own way.

Korman

Thank you for this info. Usually compressions ratios go up on mini-me setups, but I guess there is always outliers... Looks like we learn something new every day.

Out of curiosity, what compression ratio would be the end result (approx)?

94EG8

6.48:1

Korman

ROFL OMG!!

That's... disgusting.

Yeah, now knowing that, do a Z6 swap. I'll put that setup on my list of things to never attempt. Good info, thanks.

B18C5-EH2

Yes, yes it is neato and all, but my point was more for the people that see "3 stage VTEC" and immediately think "OMG that's gotta be some crazy powerful VTEC yo!"

94EG8

Ahh yes, the "I run an OBD0 B16 vtec solenoid because its bigger and vtec cracks harder yo!" mentality.

B18C5-EH2

Yeah we've got one of those double-headed VTEC solenoids from a later version D15B VTEC. I bet I could sell it on Ebay for a mint to someone who thinks it'd hit TWICE as hard y0!

Korman

Just goes to show they don't understand how what their advertising works. Oh, well... more money in the pocket for you.

turbojdmhatch

I actually had a kid bragging to me about how he was going to buy a 3 stage VTEC motor. He was mostly bragging about how no one around here had one. I was just thinking to myself on how he had no idea what the 3 stage VTEC was. HE actually thought that it meant the 3 stage VTEC was going to be better.

Korman

But it's VTEC, yo! Twice the VTEC, twich TEH POWAH!!!