jonnyc

I just got my b18 for my 95 civic cx hatch and im ready to do the swap. I got a couple questions on wiring first however. the 7 wires that need to be added ar econfusing me. how do i connect those wires into the ecu wiring harness ?? is there a proper way to do this ??? i dont want them to be falling out while im driving.

and how should i run those 7 wires into the engine should i bundle them up and run them as a seperate set of wires ??? or should i make them go into the engine with all the other wires that come off the ecu ???? seems like it would be alot easier if i could just make the wires into there own little bundle and go through the firewall with them to there proper locations.

sorry if this post makes no sense i dont really know of a better way to describe

LXguy

OK:

I just did this exact swap (starting the engine tomorrow), so if I did it right, I can help. Otherwise, we're both screwed.

I don't want to dwell on how I got the wires into the ECU, as the way I did it is kind of ghetto, and I don't know if it is going to work or not. I recently asked the same questions, do a search and you should be able to find it.

As far as running the wires through the firewall: There is a round grommet behind the battery. remove the battery and you will see it. It is very near the grommet where the main harness comes throught the firewall. Remove the grommet and poke a long screwdriver through there (carefully). Feel around under/behind the dash and you should be able to find it. You can run the wires through there.

I have a '95 CX too, and I had to run all of the wires. Some people get lucky and have them already included in the harness. Not us. The only wire that we have pre-run is for the evaporative emissions control. For best bets, double check for continuity on all connections with a voltmeter.

The Vtec wires are easy to find. They are on the passenger side harness on the biggest of the three bundles. Its easy to spot them because there is a wire on the GSR harness but no wire on the Civic side of the harness. Same thing for the knock sensor, only it is on a different plug than the Vtec stuff (still on passenger side though). The Vtec ground wire seemed grounded to me already, so I left it alone. I ran the wiring from the ECU, through the firewall, and clipped them to the appropriate wires using scotch locks.

Now, for the confusing part. The GSR harness has an extra plug on the passenger side of the harness that the civic does not have. This is the plug for the evaporative emission control (on the GSR). The wires that the Civic uses to run the evap correspond to the wires that the GSR uses for the intake runner control. These are on the driver side harnesses. Use your voltmeter to find them. What I ended up doing was running the 12v power wire from the Civic for the evap to run both the evap and the intake runners (don't know if this is going to work or not). I ran the wire from the ECU to the GSR side for the intake runners, and ran a wire to the extra plug on the GSR harness from the wire that ran the evap on the civic side. (You have to cut the civic evap wire before it goes into the harness or it will be confusing the **** out of the runner control).

I have probably confused you more, but, if you print this out and keep it with you when you actually do the wiring, it might help.

Other things.

Check the condition of the timing belt before you put the motor in. Mine was fragged. Its a PITA to put in inside the car.


Make sure you have one of these before you start. http://www.matcotools.com/Catalog/to...&page=1I'm a moron who is trying to get around the word filters37533

Okay, the censorship thing screwed up my link. Go to matcotools.com, go to catalog, do a search for 'acura'. When you have the results, go to 'harmonic puller holding tool' or something to that effect. You need one of these.

The upper and lower radiator hoses on the GSR are bigger than the CX. You will either have to find a way to have an adapter the middle of the hoses, or you will need the GSR hoses. (I ran a piece of the original civic hose just around the fittings for the civic, to make sure it was good and tight). You will need some heater hose to make the heater hoses (8 feet ought to do it).

Get a shorty air intake instead of a cold air induction kit. I have both the AEM for the GSR and the Civic sitting here. I made the one for the civic work, but it isn't pretty. Order a short one for the GSR (the civic tubing isn't big enough for the GSR throttle body)

It easier to reuse the ac compressor from the civic than to use the one that came on the GSR. If you use the GSR one, you will have to have some custom hoses made. If you want to keep your Civic compressor, you will have to buy a 94-95 Del Sol DOHC Vtec AC bracket. It is part # 38930-P54-000. It costs about $100 @ hondaparts.com or $130 at a dealer. You can't find it in a scrapyard. You will need the tensioner pulley/bolt/motor mount bolt off of the GSR bracket to make this work.

That's all I can think of right now. Hopefully this information will be helpful to you, and give me the good karma to allow my car to start and run fine tomorrow.

Good Luck

Steve


[Modified by LXguy, 7:07 AM 2/6/2002]

jonnyc

thanks alot for the help bro

im sending you good carrma through the airwaves hopefully your car runs awesome. have fun and if i have any questions i will email you ???

now anyone else have ideas on how to fasten the wires into the ecu harnesses ??
should i solder them or what ???

LXguy

Happy to help:

Email me or post it here if you have any more questions. I will try to help.

Good Luck

Steve

Subtle

Hey- I didnt want to post a whole new thread and get flamed...but I just have a quick question. I can get a complete b16a2 for $2300 and a complete b18c for $3000. Is the 10 HP and 13 lbs of Torque worth the extra money? Or should I save it for the install and random expenses? Thanks.

LXguy

Hey:

Both of those seem like pretty good prices. Be sure you are buying from a reputable place.

I am not a super-expert or anything, but it seems that people complain about a lack of torque in the B16. It also seems like hybrid hatches with the B18 run low 14 sec 1/4 miles, and the B16s run high 14s. Even if you aren't into drag racing, this is a difference you can feel.

If you are going to spend any money at all hopping it up, I would think the B18 would be the way to go, as $700 doesn't buy 10 hp. The B18 would probably also have more ultimate potential.

Good Luck

Steve

Subtle

These prices are on http://www.jdm1.com And I agree, I think I'll go with the B18c.