MichaeltsinEF

Hi everybody,
Hello from Israel
As being said, I'm thinking of swaping my dead d16a7 with a d16a9 which is basicaly the european zc dohc non vtec. I've done some search on the forums but couldn't find enough material about the ecu and the harness. Here in Israel B swaps are very expensive, and the d16 vtec engines became rare. Althogh I can get y8 imported from the US. D16a9 is even more rare, but somehow i found one.

My questions are:
- What do i need for the swap? I found out that i need p29 pm7 ecu, but how about the harness, do i need to rewire it or the original can work?
- Are the parts like distributor, water pump and all around the motor the same as other d series?
- Any problems expected reliability?

Sorry for the long message,
Thanks a lot,
Michael

scelestus

The P29 ECU is OBD1. If you choose to go OBD1 then you're going to need adapter harnesses or a significant rewire. If you're not planning to build the engine, then sticking to the OBD0 PM7 would be simpler. You should have very little wiring to do since you already have a multipoint harness. I would suggest careful study of wiring diagrams and pinouts to make sure everything matches.

I don't personally have DOHC D-series experience (SOHC forever!), but I know the block is very similar, so hopefully bottom end parts swap. Do you have any Rovers in your market? Rover used those D16 variants in the mid 90s, so maybe you can source a few things from Europe if you get in a pinch?

jlicrx

Wiring Harness - you will need to make a minor wiring change at the distributor - everything else is the same
ECU - what ECU do you have now? - the PM7 is the OEM ECU for the D16A9 - you could use the PG7 from 88-89 Integra or the PM6 from 88-91 CRX/Civic
Parts - most of the DOHC D-series engine parts are different from the SOHC D16 engines - the crankshaft and rods are the same, as are the water pump and timing belt tensioner, but not much else.
the valve train parts are the same as the 88-89 Integra, as are the distributor and cylinder position sensor

MichaeltsinEF

Thanks for the replies!
I'm planning on staying stock on the motor. Most of the rovers here are long time ago RIP.
I've done some more research and reading, and found that when the swap is being done from D16a6 to D16a9 some small rewiring needs to be done because the a6 has the catalic converter and a9 doesn't, but both the a7 which i have now and a9 don't use catalic converter. I also found out, that probably I run pm6, and it should work fine, but understood that pm7 or pg7 should work a bit better, although the pm7 is limited to 112mph, although I don't plan on going that fast, but i don't like to be limited
- The question now is if from pm6 to pm7 or pg6 rewiring needs to be done as well?
- Where can learn about the rewiring? Which ECU would you recommend?
- About the parts, I meant the parts surrounding the motor like distributor, steering wheel pump and etc. I think that the spark plugs wires are pretty rare? (there are a few mechanics here that can rebuilt a honda motor they are too expensive, and only the rebuilt kit here costs almost like importing a motor - ye funny and sad at once.)
- How about the reliability of these motors? I saw 1 thread about it, didn't get much info about it. In my opinion Hondas are very reliable period.

Thanks again!

scelestus

The PM6 will work, but from what I've read your engine will run lean. The PG7 would also work, but supposedly runs rich according to one thread I've seen. Not sure if that makes sense. Still, if you can find a PM7, get a PM7. Always safest to get stock ECU if you stick to stock engine.
If you haven't found this reference sheet, useful to make sure you know what you have and what you're getting: https://www.hondata.com/tech-ecu-identification

For an idea of how you go about messing with the wiring, look for DPFI to MPFI swap guides and videos. Don't follow them of course, but it'll help you figure how to do crap without getting really irritable in the process. Messing with any of the wiring while it's in the car can be very frustrating.

I've seen some power steering and A/C swaps/conversions that indicate you may not be stuck using the exact part for that engine. If you have salvage yards (do you?) I'd start wandering around with a ruler and checking mount points and clearances.

Spark plug wires are the same as the the 88-89 integra according to this: spark plug wires.... - D-series.org Answer straight from jlicrx 10 years ago, lmao!

Distributor: https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-...oblem-2837316/ You need a TD03U. The TD02U will not match up, though if you can get two bolts in you might be able to at least get the motor running with one.

MichaeltsinEF

Thanks, I'll do some homework

jlicrx

use the engine harness from the D16A7 on the D16A9 and you should be good to go, with the exception of the minor wiring change at the distributor - see below for description of wiring change


the same wiring changes need to be made regardless of the ECU used - the PM6 that you have will work fine - only the JDM PM7 has a speed limiter, as did all JDM ECUs - you would not want a JDM PM7 anyway since you have an IMA sensor and not an O2 sensor - you would need a PM7 specifically for the D16A9, probably from the U.K. - as far as I know, there aren't PG7s that will work with the D16A9 - the PM6 will not run lean - maybe when you first fire it up, but it will adjust itself as needed - we only prefer the PM7 over the PM6 due to the fuel cut-off being 7500 rpm for the PM7 and 7000 rpm for the PM6 - the engine likes the higher rpm

the engines are just as reliable as any Honda engine -
all of the parts for the engine, depending on which part it is, are either from the 88-91 D16A6 or the 88-89 Integra D16A1, except for the camshaft timing components (timing belt, camshaft gears and crankshaft gear) -
the timing belt is same as 1988 Honda Prelude 2.0 Si, Part No. 14400-PK2-004 - the camshaft gears and the crankshaft timing belt gear are unique to the JDM DOHC ZC, D16A8, D16A9 and D16Z5
spark plug wires are not rare and are the same as 88-89 Integra, however, the wire locations on the distributor are not the same as the SOHC D-series engines - see picture below for correct locations

use the attached PDF guide for the distributor wiring changes - this is for the Si D16A6 to JDM DOHC ZC but is the same for your situation - where it says Si, just substitute D16A7 ad where it says ZC, just substitute D16A9

MichaeltsinEF

Thanks a lot!!!

jlicrx

you will also need the upper radiator hose for the 88-89 Integra

MichaeltsinEF

Great info!!! Thanks again!!!