SedanDX88

first off, I am a newbie to honda motor swaps, so please bear with me. My 88 civic dx was stolen and then recovered with a rod hanging out of the side of the old 1.5's block. I have decided to replace it with a jdm b16a. I have read numerous web pages devoted to the wiring involved in the swap (at the ecu, and in the engine compartment) to make it work, and I figured I would tackle that part first since the swap itself seems pretty straightforward(ecu, engine, trans, axles, linkage, what have you) while I was in the middle of doing the necessary modifications at the ecu end of the harness, I discovered a couple of positions in the plugs which were wired, and not supposed to be, and vice versa, some that were supposed to be wired were empty. Some of the insulation colors did not jive with what was in my chiltons wiring diagrams. Since that time I have seen a couple of web pages that mentioned "a difference at the ecu" on 88 models, but no real info on what those differences may be. The ecu end of the harness is wired up with all the changes to pin position of existing wires, + the 8 wires run into the engine compartment, however due to the numerous differences from the "easy to follow" instructions for wiring a DX civic I encountered, I am a little leery about connecting a $250 ECU to the harness I've created. There must be ten thousand people who have done this swap on an 88 model car, and hopefully someone can identify with my problem. If anyone has any info that can help me out I would really appreciate it. I don't know now whether I have ruined my harness, or if I merely need to make a couple of adjustments on my first try, or what. the date of manufacture on the car is 2/88 and the ecu says 87.12.03 on the side. it also says 37820-pm5-a050 if that is any help. I want everything to go smoothly the first time without trial and erroring my wallet to death with a bunch of burnt up pr3s Thanks a lot in advance.

SedanDX88

i guess someone needs to explain the diff between topic/poll too. hope i can still get responses.

Blown90hatcH

First off, you need to have a Pr3 or PWO ecu to make that thing run right. A PM5 is the stock ecu. I can rewire your Dx harness to Sir for 100 bucks. But I need both the Dx harness and the cut SiR/Si harness. If you want to do it yourself, fine.....it is tough to go from DX to Sir...not tough, but have to have patience and time. Email me if interested or have q's. Turn around time is a day.

Blown-civic@att.net

JAson

Flolikewater

Im sure Jason could help you out with the engine wiring if needed. If you decide that you do not want to do the wiring yourself you may also want to check out http://www.HAsport.com for their custom wiring harness. They will be able to make a wiring harness for your exact setup 88 dx w/b16a1 and pr3/pwo (need one of these ecu's for a 1st gen b16). It may seem a bit pricey at first but you will be assured everything will hook up correctly.

If you stick with doing it yourself and for some reason you need a stock b16a1 engine wiring harness (for plugs, wires, connectors etc.) I have one from my b16a1... and its yours if you want it for $20shipped to your door. email me
BigADC@aol.com

derrick

SedanDX88

I gave the number of the stock ecu for reference only, just in case that ecu was maybe exclusive to 88 models or something. the engine harness part is in the bag, no problem, it's the stuff inside the car that is giving me grief. have you ever heard of any discrepancies between 88's and 89-91's with regard to wire locations within the 3 plugs, or insulation colors varying from what is shown in the wiring schematics? I appreciate the offers for work from you guys, but I don't see how you can fix my problem without having the CAR harness in your hands. based on the directions I followed,

(See http://b16a.honda-perf.org/theswap.html)

everything is connected right at the ecu to work with the b16a including the extra eight connections added through the firewall. it's just in the process I came across a terminal or two that was either empty when it should have had a wire to cut and connect to, or vice versa. thanks for taking an interest in my problem, hope I don't sound un appreciative or stupid. just frustrated because my motor is going to be here soon. What's the "mother of all wiring diagrams" for my car, and where do I get it?

Flolikewater

Hmm... well from what I know there are wiring differences between each year and model (i think these differences are mainly within the cabin). I think your best bet would be to get a helms manual..."the mother of all manuals" check out http://www.helminc.com (i think...i'll change it if its incorrect) and find the manuals for your car. This will not necessarily help you with the engine but should help with wiring inside the car. For the engine, go with a del sol vtec manual. This should help you troubleshoot most of the problems that might occur with the engine. Funny im telling you this cuz i need to pick these manuals up for myself Well good luck man.. HTH... oh and you don't sound unappreciative or stupid.

derrick


[Modified by Flolikewater, 12:22 AM 8/17/2001]

SedanDX88

thanks for the help everyone