noridetoolow

Ok, let me try to explain what I know so far lol

96 Civic EX sedan bought used from a shady shop (yeah I know )

D15z1 engine ( OBD1 -presumably from 1992–1995 Honda Civic VX, Vtec)
P2E-A72 ECU ( OBD2 - presumably belongs to a 96+ Civic DX\LX, non-Vtec)

auto tranny, this car was bought for the wife who wants a gas saver.

-Blows black smoke out of the exhaust (higher rpms)
-idle fluctuates from 200-500 but not badly, will sit at 200 for a bit then 500
-POOR gas mileage
-shift point seems a bit high, 4000 rpm-ish
-some dead spots in the gas pedal though this COULD be slight slack in the cable or something in the tranny not picking up based on all the other drama I mentioned above.
-Handful of, (3 I've noticed so far) engine harness plugs not connected on the backside of the engine, 2 large plugs, one smaller one

NO CODES....and CEL comes on when you start the ignition so I know the light is working. This was not a custom swap so I doubt anything was converted, it looks to me like the shop simply swapped in the D15z1 engine and then ended up installing a different ECU as well (should have p2p ecu for the EX chassis)

Other than that the car runs and drives great, 70pmh, comfortable and smooth, its more the "in town driving" that is a bit of a pain. A\C blows ice cold, and thankfully the shell and interior are super clean!

I assumed all I need to do is grab me a P07 auto ECU and I should be good but....

OBD1 harness and OBD2 are different....Im not sure if an OD2 to OBD1 harness will fix it as I don't need to convert the ECU, I actually need an OBD1 ECU for the engine to run right and have vtec.

Or am I better off just sourcing a D16Y8 and P2P ecu? I'm not sure of the tranny yet, have not crawled under to look at the model number.

Will one of these $30 harness off ebay along with a P07 auto ECU work? Would it be that easy? Wife is fine with the weaker D15Z1 engine, it gets her around and seems to run great for the most part....clearly, an ECU and adapter would be the cheaper route to go...


Thoughts?

doctorake

I think youare screwed, someone who know more about AUTOs can chime in. The OBD2 AUTO transmission is controlled byt the Normal ECU. I believe the OBD1 Tranny should be controlled by other ECUs designed for the trans. IF you want to run the correct ECU you will need more wiring and I am unsure if anyone has done this.

I am guessing someone who has more experience or knowledge will chime in.

Honestly I would just go with a D16Y7 or Y8 swap.

noridetoolow

Thanks....this is what I am suspecting, not a nightmare but clearly more work, I need to see what the tranny is from just so I have a clue there and that may be why there is an OBD2 ECU in the car now...I hate these shady shops...if the car itself wasn't so clean and we didn't get a good deal I would be pitching a fit lol

noridetoolow

If the tranny in the car is the original 96 tranny and needs the OBD2 ECU, I would probably be better off simply going with a D16Y7 non-vtec engine since these are more available and the ECU I have is FOR that engine. Would just depend on what I find when I look for an engine