Longevity of the D15B7?
12-24-2018, 08:19 AM
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Longevity of the D15B7?
So I recently bought a 1994 Civic DX for $500, which has 214k miles on the D15B7 engine. Originally I bought this car to drive while I知 looking for my next car, but after a few days I知 starting to like it a lot. Luckily, the previous owner took pretty good care of it (still has original clutch), so it痴 in decent condition. How long can I expect this car to last if I知 careful with it? I知 starting to think I might just use the down payment money I had saved up for another car on upgrading this civic and driving it for the next 3 or 4 years.
12-24-2018, 08:27 AM
#2
Re: Longevity of the D15B7?
Impossible^ to know without disassembling the engine and performing numerous micrometer readings.
You might want to compression test the cylinders. The psi readings would provide a rough sense of general engine health.
You might want to compression test the cylinders. The psi readings would provide a rough sense of general engine health.
12-24-2018, 08:49 AM
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Re: Longevity of the D15B7?
Ah okay thanks, I値l take it in to a shop then and have it compression tested. Even if it gets tested and the results come out great, how many miles would that mean it has left? Sorry I知 not trying to be a pain, I知 just wondering if it痴 worth it for me to try to fix this thing up or if I can leave it how it is for awhile with only required maintenance.
12-24-2018, 08:56 AM
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12-24-2018, 08:58 AM
#6
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Re: Longevity of the D15B7?
My original D15b7, had 265K ish miles, and had an overheat from a sudden loss of coolant. Swapped for a replacement
So x2 timing belt / waterpump change,esp if you do not know when this was last done.Ditto for all coolant hoses.
So x2 timing belt / waterpump change,esp if you do not know when this was last done.Ditto for all coolant hoses.
12-24-2018, 09:06 AM
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Re: Longevity of the D15B7?
Unfortunately I do not. How much are they to replace on a Civic/ how easy would it be for a beginner to replace?
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12-24-2018, 09:24 AM
#8
Re: Longevity of the D15B7?
If it's all original, the one weak point of the motor is the head gasket. The non vtec motors 88-95 used a graphite head gasket which is well known to give out earlier than the MLS counterpart.
Other than that, if the motor is not beat on and well maintained, it can last half a million miles before needing major work (new pistons, overbore and hone, new rings, new bearings etc.)
If the motor is beat on or not well maintained, it will need work sooner than later. By the way, I personally do not consider the head gasket to be major work but many people and most shops do.
If you want to get ahead of the head gasket challenge, you can swap out the gasket before failure with this one:
https://www.autopartsway.com/partdetails.cfm?w0133-1621414/ish/honda/1995/civic/dx/1.5l-l4/allb/engine/gaskets-and-sealing-systems/engine-cylinder-head-gasket/pagenum1/tabs
Ishino Cylinder Head Gasket
Other than that, if the motor is not beat on and well maintained, it can last half a million miles before needing major work (new pistons, overbore and hone, new rings, new bearings etc.)
If the motor is beat on or not well maintained, it will need work sooner than later. By the way, I personally do not consider the head gasket to be major work but many people and most shops do.
If you want to get ahead of the head gasket challenge, you can swap out the gasket before failure with this one:
https://www.autopartsway.com/partdetails.cfm?w0133-1621414/ish/honda/1995/civic/dx/1.5l-l4/allb/engine/gaskets-and-sealing-systems/engine-cylinder-head-gasket/pagenum1/tabs
Ishino Cylinder Head Gasket
Part Number: ISH1621414 Manufacturer: Ishino Stone
Product Notes:
Product Notes:
This special head gasket should be used when failure was caused by gasket leakage. Please refer to Honda service bulletin 97-047. It advises that if the head gasket is being replaced due to leakage, this is the correct replacement gasket. Also recommended are special head bolts (90005-PM3-004, 10 bolts required). If the head gasket is not leaking but is being replaced for other reasons, use gasket #12251-PM5-S02 along with the normal head bolts. Refer to the service bulletin for further installation instrustions.
Brand Description:Ishino is a Japanese supplier of gaskets and seals for all sorts of vehicle systems, from the engine gaskets and seals to drivetrain seals.
This is the proper OEM MLS gasket that is the proper thickness for the D15B7 motor. If you use the D16Z6 or the D16Y8 gaskets, they are thinner and cause detonation due to the smaller (less optimal) quench distance. You have to retard the ignition timing by about 2-3 degrees to stop the pinging when heavily loaded and heavy throttle (climbing hills etc) which in turn reduces power output.
The MLS gasket will outlive your ownership of the car assuming you are not keeping the car until your own passing. I highly advise to not use the gasket 12251-PM5-S02 as that's another graphite gasket that will have shorter life and end up failing somewhere down the road. It's also a good idea to take the head into the machine shop and have them resurface the head to RA micro-inches 60 or less to prep for the MLS gasket. If you don't want to take the head to the machine shop, many people use copper spray to fill the rougher surface of the head for the gasket (they spray the head gasket with the spray).
This is the proper OEM MLS gasket that is the proper thickness for the D15B7 motor. If you use the D16Z6 or the D16Y8 gaskets, they are thinner and cause detonation due to the smaller (less optimal) quench distance. You have to retard the ignition timing by about 2-3 degrees to stop the pinging when heavily loaded and heavy throttle (climbing hills etc) which in turn reduces power output.
The MLS gasket will outlive your ownership of the car assuming you are not keeping the car until your own passing. I highly advise to not use the gasket 12251-PM5-S02 as that's another graphite gasket that will have shorter life and end up failing somewhere down the road. It's also a good idea to take the head into the machine shop and have them resurface the head to RA micro-inches 60 or less to prep for the MLS gasket. If you don't want to take the head to the machine shop, many people use copper spray to fill the rougher surface of the head for the gasket (they spray the head gasket with the spray).
Last edited by TomCat39; 12-24-2018 at 12:03 PM. Reason: grammatical error correction
12-24-2018, 07:48 PM
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Re: Longevity of the D15B7?
My D15B7 has almost half a million kilometers on it, still only uses about a liter of oil every 10000km. Just like everybody says, if you maintain them well you could easily drive the 3-4 years that you wish; and if something does go wrong they're fairly easy and inexpensive to fix. 
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