civicmatt

Once and for all, I need to know how many valve indents per piston the lowly cx has? I want to do a head swap but don't want to find out the hard way that I can't do it. I don't want guesses. I want definite answers and if you have done this operation, your information would be welcomed. THANKS!

93SSPHatch

The CX head has 8 valves, and yes it is possible to do a head swap for an EX/SI complete head swap. This kind of swap is know as a "mini me." Try using the search button next time, instead of demanding information. . .the responses might be more plentiful


[Modified by 93SSPHatch, 8:49 AM 7/27/2002]

civicmatt

I'm sorry if seem demanding, and I know what the swap is called, I even know how many valves my head has. I just need to know how many valve indents per piston and people seem to give me conflicting answers! I want a response from someone who definitly knows, not someone who just thinks they know. I don't want to purchase a head, take mine off, and find out the swap can't be done because of pistons. Thank you for your response.

Mista Bone

What year is the CX motor????

Some of the 92's still had the 8 valve pistons, the the DX 16valve pistons were phased in.

Only way to truely tell is to pull the head.

civicmatt

Holly dude! you are extremely helpful! A picture! My car is a 95. what year did they phase in the dx pistons? It would have made sense for Honda to put the same pistons in all their d-series blocks just to keep the cost down. At the very least use pistons in the cx from a parts bin to cut costs on an already budget motor. How do you know Honda used different pistons in different cx's? If there are any numbers on my motor or timing belt cover that might indicate if My motor is from a batch with dx pistons let me know! Thank you for all your information.

kane2g

sorry dude, your cx, although 95 still has different comp. ratios than dx. Which means it uses different pistons- the ones w/ 2 indents. I would suggest getting a ex pistons if you can if you plan on mini me swap.

B_CRUZ!

...

Mista Bone

did you ever think the lack of 2 valves in the combustion chamber MIGHT effect the combustion ratio?

Also how are you gonna make up for the 3mm LOWER compression height of the EX pistons? The EX pistons would be nice if you were making a TURBO motor, but would be a dog without boost.

mafioso102

wow, feels like i post this alot. I have done a 92 cx mini me swap, and mine had 4 valve reliefs per piston. So do the hf crx's. Just pull the head off, and check. Wors case senario, you can put some dx pistons in, or just buy a dx bottom end!

Slopoke

My best friend has done the mini-me conversion on a '93 cx motor. His also had 4 valve reliefs per piston.


I agree

civicmatt

Thank you for all the good information. I guess the only way to tell for sure is to remove the head. Can anyone tell me what is involved with pulling the head? I don't want to take it off and not have the right tools to put it back on. I cannot have my car out of commission for more than a weekend in the summer. What is the best non vetec head to swap on to my block and what is involved with hooking up sensors on the intake and can I reuse my distributor? I have so many questions.

mafioso102

not a hard swap...

just remove the intake manifold
remove valve cover
pull head bolts (make sure you at least have a manual, so you ge the correct pattern to take them off)
cut the timing belt (you will need a new one anyway)
remove head
remove crank pulley (this is a hard one, need impact wrench, or special tool, or a lot of patience)
replace water pump
bolt on new head w/ correct torque specs
set to TDC (top dead center)
replace timing belt
replace valve cover

depending on your car, the rest is different. I had a 92 cx, so i had the full ex/si wiring harness. So i just plugged the ecu in, and spliced the vtec solenoid wire from my engine bay. I would suggest using the ex/si ecu..it will by far be the most beneficial. And please..please...replace the tranny. Cant tell you how important that is!!!! There are hundreds of postings, so do a search for more info

civicmatt

Did you do a swap on a cx? how difficult was it to wire up the vtec? I didn't want to go the vtec route in order to avoid wiring problems. When I replace the head, say with a z6 or y8, or any head, what cat do I use with my new headers? By the way, what is the best head for the swap?