The B Series Swap
The B Series Swap
Introduction
If you are thinking of doing a B series swap into your EF Civic or CRX, there is a handful of things to consider first. Do you have the time, money and the skills to perform the swap? While the swap has been performed in a weekend by many, there is a chance you will have forgotten something or broke something along the way which will hold up the progress. This is where money comes in to play. Buying pieces that you didn’t originally factor in can add up very quickly. I believe the skill cap on a swap to be very minimal these days. With companies like hasport and the wealth of knowledge on the internet, a swap like this isn’t as hard as it once was. It is best to have all your materials in hand before you start.
Engine References
These are taken from the wiki page, so they are flywheel base numbers from the factory. With that said, I included every motor, its horse power, and its torque in foot pounds. This should make it easy to compare the raw stats against each other to decide if a certain motor will meet your qualifications, desired specs, and budget. (Prices are from online dealers)
B16A SiR-I ($1999-$2399)
158 HP
112 LB-FT
B16A SiR-II ($2550-$2750)
168 HP
116 LB-FT
B16B ($3599)
185 HP
118 LB-FT
B16A1
150 HP
111 LB-FT
B16A2 ($2199)
160 HP
111 LB-FT
B16A3 ($2199)
160 HP
111 LB-FT
B16A4
168 HP
111 LB-FT
B16A5
174 HP
111 LB-FT
B16A6
158 HP
111 LB-FT
B17A1
170 HP
117 LB-FT
B18A1
130/140 HP
121/127 LB-FT
B18B1 ($2000)
142 HP
127 LB-FT
B18C Type R ($3699-$4799)
197 HP
133 LB-FT
B18C ($2999-$3199)
178 HP
128 LB-FT
B18C1
170 HP
134 LB-FT
B18C2
170 HP
128 LB-FT
B18C3
177 HP
112 LB-FT
B18C4
169 HP
128 LB-FT
B18C5
190 HP
130 LB-FT
B18C6
190 HP
131 LB-FT
B18C7
187 HP
127 LB-FT
B20B
126 HP
133 LB-FT
B20Z
143 HP
133 LB-FT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_B_engine here, to original document.
Torque Specs
Credits to the original author. Link here.
Common Bolts
Credits to the original author. Link here or here.
Shopping List
This is everything that I had to purchase for my swap, most of this can be packaged if you go through a company such as Hmotors or a for sale ad in the marketplace.
1. Motor – Deciding on the motor is a key point in your swap. The B series motors ranged from the B16A, the original JDM DOHC VTEC, to the B18A1, Non-VTEC, to the B18C series swaps and even the B20 motor. The price ranged on all the swaps. Generally, higher displacement is better for boost and VTEC is good for staying NA. Your budget will decide which motor you should buy.
2. Transmission – Most of the B series transmissions are fine. The GSR and B16A transmissions have shorter gears, which is great for the drag strip and NA set ups. While the LS transmission has longer gears which can help build boost for longer durations and offers much more comfortable highway cruising. Note that you can build your own transmission and change final drives, gear ratios, ect. Note that many of these transmissions are cable driven, but some are hydraulic. The hydraulic transmissions will need custom work or the purchase of a conversion kit to work with the cable clutch of the EF Civic.
3. Basic Bolt ons – I am talking about the starter, alternator, Power steering, air conditioning, intake manifold and the distributor. These should all be easy to come by. They should be included with the motor most times and are easy to find at the junk yard if they aren’t.
4. Motor Mounts – The EF generation came with a D series motor. If you want the B series motor to fit you must buy custom mounts. eBay offers many choices, from Hasport to off brand. Used mounts are also a good choice. You will also need the rear mount bracket from a B series transmission if yours does not come with one.
5. Accelerator Cable – You need an accelerator cable out of an Integra. 90-93 should work. Automatic and manual accelerator cables are the same.
6. Clutch Cable – stock clutch cable will work just fine. You will have to loosen the mount on the B series transmission and push up on the pull arm to get the cable to fit, but it fits none the less. If you have a hydraulic transmission, you will need to fabricate or buy a conversion since the EF civic is cable driven.
7. Clutch and Flywheel – The stock flywheel and OEM clutch components will work fine. But replace the clutch, pressure plate, and throw out bearing while you have the motor out.
8. Water Pump and timing belt – Both of these are easier to replace with the motor out and are items that wear with time. Cheap insurance for a lasting motor
9. Radiator – The stock radiator will work perfectly for the B series.
10. Shift linkage – The shift linkage will have to be custom made. You can buy a premade shift linkage, but I would suggest buying the same brand motor mounts since they were designed together. eBay motor mounts and a hasport shift linkage may or may not line up.
11. Injectors and resister box – If the injectors are peak/hold, you need an injector resister box. If they are saturated, you do not.
12. ECU – It goes without saying that you need a new engine control unit. The ECUs for each motor are different and often you can buy ECUs chipped to run your motor. The P28 is a common ECU choice for the OBD1 motors. Note that the ECU and distributor need to share the same OBD code to be compatible.
13. ECU Pins – I suggest getting some spare plugs and/or a conversion harness. For anyone running a VTEC motor, regardless of OBD, you will need extra wires put into the ECU. And if you are running a DPFI model, you will need to add the extra wires to convert to MPFI for any B series swap.
Removal
The engine removal should be straight forward. There are a handful of things you must remove. Some things I won’t have pictures of, so I’ll describe it the best I can.
Advice: Label everything with the location and name using tape and a marker. Take your time and make sure everything is disconnected from the engine to the body of the car before removing.
1. Start by moving the car into a well covered area. Preferably a garage. You don’t want to do a project like this in the sun or rain.
2. Jack up the car and place it on jack stands. Never trust the jack with your life. You need to jack the car up pretty high, so a good jack or some blocks of wood that you trust. I used the double jack technique. You use two jacks, one on either side, and jack the jack up using the jack stand points as the pivot point. You can get much higher this way than you can with the single jack in the front of the vehicle. Simply by changing the fulcrum point.
3. Remove the battery. Negative terminal first. Now is a great time to remove the battery tray too. While it isn’t in the way when removing the engine, it makes putting in the new motor much easier.
4. Remove the hood, this is optional but I like the extra space. There are 4 bolts holding it on. Try not to break the spray nozzle lines.
5. Remove splash guards. This may or may not be necessary, but it gives you more space when under the car and the access granted makes it easier.
6. Drain fluids. The oil drain plug and transmission fluid drain plug are on the bottom of block and transmission. The radiator drain is on the passenger side, near the bottom of the radiator.
7. Remove the factory air box or aftermarket intake system. Should be a clamp on the intake a few bolts around the air box.
8. Unbolt the exhaust. When removing the engine, it is fairly easy to remove the manifold from the catalytic converter and leave the manifold with the engine. Should be two bolts underneath the vehicle.
9. Now is a good time to remove the exhaust from the body of the vehicle. It should be hung with metal hangers. Just unhook the exhaust near the shift lever so that you can get to the shift linkage.
10. Remove the shift linkage. There is a bolt that holds the stabilizer in place. Then there is the pin that holds the shifter to the transmission. This can be a major pain while under the car. Either you luck out and can smack it with a hammer and a punch (8mm I believe) or use a pneumatic hammer to get it out. Or there is the way I did it. Remove the bolt on the bottom of the shift lever. Then unbolt the lever from the car body. You can later drag the shift linkage out with the motor.
11. Removing the axles comes next. You have to remove the wheels from the brake spindle or knuckle. Then break loose the bottom ball joint bolt. Loosen it until the nut is at the end of the bolt. Then take your jack and jack up the lower control arm, be careful not to over jack and pick up the car. Then take a strong socket, 14m or so, and place it in between the lower control arm and the bottom of the spindle. Lower the jack slowly and watch the ball joint pop off. You should be able to hammer the axle through the spindle and pull the spindle off to the side, out of the way.
12. This step is for standard EF civic owners only. If you have the D15B1 motor in your car, much like I did, with the four speed transmission. You will need to completely remove the brake spindles and install larger ones to accept the new axles. I suggest DA integra spindles. I believe DX or SI EF Civic spindles work. You need to remove the steering and upper ball joints from the knuckle. You will also need to remove the brake line that attaches to the caliper. Using a hammer, you should be able to hit the piece the ball joint bolt goes through, not the actual bolt, to knock it loose. If not, go to autozone and rent a ball joint tool and remove them all.
13. With the brake spindles moved out of the way, it is time to remove the axles. Looking down on the motor from the front, the passenger side should have two axles coming out of the transmission. It is very easy to take a pry bar or large flat head screw driver and pop the axles out. They should slide right out to the point where the strut meets the lower control arm. You can remove this bolt and slide the axle through the opening after wards. If the axle is giving you trouble at the transmission, you can pop the silver clip off the rubber boot. Then the rubber boot pulls off with ease. I only recommend this if the axles are trash or you are comfortable replacing the clip. It isn’t difficult. My axles were tore at the spindle, so I opted to do this myself.
14. On both the driver and passenger side there are large electrical plugs. Now is a good time to unplug them and trace the wires back to the motor. Unhook any retaining clips along the way.
15. The MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor will be located on the firewall for OBD0 applications, follow the hoses back to the motor and remove them from the motor. There should be two. If they don’t slide off without too much hassle, cut them with wire snips. Vacuum line is cheap. Cents per foot cheap. No need to unplug the MAP sensor plug as it is easier to leave on the fire wall and remove the vacuum lines.
16. While you are in this area, the fuel lines are close by. You need to relieve fuel pressure. Open up the gas cap. Then the service bolt on top of the fuel filter can be undone. I believe that is the proper way to remove fuel pressure (The service bolt, not the gas cap). Either way, now you can unbolt the fuel line that comes out of the fuel filter. It should go to the manifold. It’s a banjo bolt with some crush washers.
17. Unhook the clutch cable. This should be as easy as spinning off the adjustment nut and pulling up on the clutch lever. Then it should slide out the bottom. Then you pull the top out and disconnect it from the lever and the bracket.
18. Disconnect the throttle cable. This can be tricky if you’ve never done it before. It’s not hard, but it’s not intuitive either. You can start by going inside the car, above the pedal assembly. There should be a white clip and a metal circle piece attached to the top of the gas pedal. Push up on this. I just forced the clip out, but there may be a proper way. After that, go back to the manifold. Pull the cable until it rotates the little cylinder about 180 degrees. Then the cylinder will slide out towards you and the throttle cable is disconnected. The spot where it goes through the fire wall is a clip that rotates 90 degrees and comes out.
19. There is a transmission ground about where the battery was, unbolt and disconnect this. There is a ground on the valve cover that needs to be unbolted. There is also a ground on the thermostat housing that will need to be removed.
20. Remove the radiator hoses from the radiator and heater hoses that attach to the firewall. These may be old and stubborn, silicone spray works well. Also, you can cut them as heater tube is about two feet for a dollar. The larger radiator hoses that connect to the radiator shouldn’t be an issue. But they are more expensive than the heater hoses if you have to cut them. The rear hoses that connect to the fire wall are the cheap ones that are harder to remove. They should connect around the thermostat housing. You should also remove the coolant overflow container. It pulls straight up.
21. Optional step, removing the radiator. No need to bust a hole in an expensive piece when it’s this easy to remove. There are two retainers on the top of the radiator that have a couple bolts each. There are also the fans. They can be unplugged from the wiring harness, unbolted from the radiator, and slide up and out of the way. Then the top retainers on the radiator can be removed and the radiator slides up in a similar fashion.
22. Remove the Air conditioning. This can be annoying to say the least. Draining the system the proper way is something I am unsure of. I drained it like a bicycle tire. There are screw caps near the fire wall on the passenger side, undo one and wedge something in there to open the valve. It will spray so wrap or cover everything. After the system is done, you can start unbolting it. There are two bolts on top of the compressor that you can undo and leave the lines in place. If you aren’t reusing the compressor, you can remove the lines by unbolting them. This can be difficult. You can opt, like I had, to cut the lines since you won’t be reusing them. Then remove them much easier and unbolt it from the firewall later.
23. Unbolt the front and rear motor mounts from either the engine block, or the frame. Either way it does not matter. I found it easier to unbolt the rear mount from the block since the bolts were easier to get to. Same may be true for you. The transmission and driver side mount stay in place for now, they will support the weight of the motor.
-If I have missed anything I will add it here at a later date.
Now comes the time to strap the engine chains to the motor. If you don’t have engine chains, the cheap tow straps from the local store will also work. I have a pair of 500 lb red tow straps that I used to lift out my old D series motor and install the new B series motor with ease. For engine chains, there are definitive places to mount them to. For the strap method, try and evenly disperse the weight the best you can. You will get a feel for it very quickly. Slowly raise the engine hoist enough to take the weight off of the motor mounts. Now it is time to unbolt the mounts from their locations. After you have loosened the bolts to the end of the threads, it may be difficult to pull them completely out. Here’s my advice, take a pair of large pliers and grab the bolt behind the head. Then take a mallet and tap on the pliers. It will pull the bolt out if you have the motor properly supported by the hoist.
Pre-Engine installation
Now is the time to get some things done as far as the engine bay goes, here are just a few things to do before you install the new motor.
1. Mate the new motor and transmission together. Now is an excellent time to install a new clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, throwout bearing, water pump, timing belt and spark plugs/wires. These are all items that need to be replaced throughout time and easy to do at this point.
2. Paint or wire tuck the engine bay. Now is the best time to do either of these.
3. Remove the Air Conditioning lines and condenser unit. If you don’t plan on reusing these, now is a good time to remove them. The condenser is the unit that looks a lot like a radiator, but is connected to the A/C.
4. Replace suspension. During your engine swap, you have altered your wheel alignment most likely and will have to get it realigned at a shop. So why not do some suspension upgrades and only pay the alignment fee once.
5. Now would be a good time to create a custom shift linkage too. One design I have seen is to cut the integra shift linkage at the straightest point. You then remove roughly 2 ½ inches from the shift linkage. Take two nuts and weld them inside of the shift linkage. Then take a threaded rod, cut to approximate length to fit, maybe 6 inches at most. Then you thread it between the nuts and your linkage is now adjustable. This has also worked by using a bolt and a nut, instead of two nuts and a threaded rod. You don’t get as much adjustability, but it works pretty much the same. If you are cut and welding the linkage the old fashion way, non adjustably, then wait until the motor is in the car to fashion the linkage. This way it will be cut to fit, since motor mounts can differ in the motor location greatly.
6. Attaching the exhaust manifold and intake manifold would be appropriate at this time. One piece 4-1 headers are hard to get into position with the block inside the car.
7. Convert over to OBD1 if needed. All you need to convert your EF from OBD0 to OBD1 is a conversion wire harness, OBD1 ECU, and OBD1 Distributor. These can all be purchased online or second hand, or salvaged from the junk yard.
8. MPFI conversion. Now is a good time to think about doing the MPFI wiring if you must, I will included a detailed write up with pictures after the
engine installation.
Engine Installation
Installing the engine should go smoother than the removal if this is your first time. That’s mostly due to the new found experience with the motor you have gained. It is essentially the same thing, but in reverse. Despite this, there are some tips along the way.
1. The first step of this swap is to move the old EF wiring harness over to the new B series motor. It is very straight forward. Nearly everything is in the same position and should not be a problem. There are a couple sensors that need to be lengthened, the Throttle Position sensor and the Idle Air Control Valve. Sometimes the Intake manifold temperature sensor will need to be lengthened.
2. Install the rear transmission bracket to the transmission if it is not already there. You should also attach the passenger and driver side mounts to the motor, LOOSLY. You should also attach the rear engine mount to the sub frame of the car. Tighten the rear nut but leave the front loose to swing it and make installation easier.
3. You will most likely need to notch out a portion of the sub frame by the rear transmission mount in order for the bracket to fit. You can either cut this or smash it in with a hammer. Make sure it is flattened as the bracket will be a pain to attach if there isn’t enough room for it.
4. The alternator on the B series motor will also not fit in the small space provided. There is a square hole in the engine bay, on the driver side, that we will use as a reference point. Directly below that you will need to dent the wall in to make room for your alternator. Take a large hammer, a small sledge will work, and bang away at the wall. It’s better to go a little bigger than it is to go smaller since this is a hard to reach area after the motor is installed. You can remove the alternator and intake manifold to get to this spot after the engine is installed, but that is more hassle than it is worth.
5. Now it is time to install the new motor. You will want to lift the engine up with your hoist. But leave the transmission side drooping. It will need to be much lower than the driver side to get up and under the bracket on the body of the car. As you are lowering the motor in, you may have to remove the transmission side mount from the motor if it is in the way, and then reinstall it after the transmission is below the bracket. Regardless, you will want to align the rear bracket first. This is the most important mount to get aligned. As soon as you can get the rear bolt in, do so. Remember to keep it loose though, until everything is installed. Next, align the transmission side mount. This may require disconnecting and sliding it in, loosening bolts to force it into alignment, but it will fit. Lastly, the driver side mount since it is known to be the easiest to align. But since it is the last mount, it will give you some trouble. You will have to jack up, lower, tug, push, and force the motor into proper alignment. After it is in, torque the bolts down to spec while still supporting the engine with the hoist. Then lower the hoist until it is no longer supporting the motor and roll it out of the way.
6. Now is a good time to attach the intermediate shaft and the axles. Mount the intermediate shaft to the block before installing the axle into it. After the axles are in place, reinstall the lower control arm to the shocks.
7. Regardless of your brake spindles, you have to remove the dust ring. It is a metal ring around the axle. I believe there is a rubber dust ring on the axles also, remove this. This will give your axle more room to move and reduce binding. With this removed, reinstall the brake spindle. Tighten everything down and reattach the brake lines if you disconnected them.
8. Install the shift linkage at this time. It should bolt back in with no issue if you have shortened it to the correct length.
9. Install the exhaust manifold if it is not already attached to the motor. If you have the factory exhaust, and it is two pieces, this is easy. Disconnect the two pieces; attach the manifold to the head using an appropriate gasket. Then attach the lower piece to the upper piece and bolt it together. If you have an aftermarket exhaust, try and wiggle it in there the best you can or disassemble it in the same manor if possible.
10. Connect the exhaust. You probably will have to hold off on this until the car runs since the exhaust most likely won’t line up. The flanges are rotated and often not long enough.
11. Wire up the alternator and starter. These are very straight forward.
12. Near the alternator is the Vehicle Speed Sensor. On some transmissions
this will be electrical, on the EF it is mechanical. There is a single bolt that holds it together. Remove the bolt, and with a twist/pull you should be able to remove the VSS. Do the same on your old transmission, or buy a new VSS, and replace it with the mechanical. You can also opt for a gauge cluster swap at this point.
13. Reinstall the radiator. The upper and lower hoses may need to be replaced or trimmed to fit. Depends on the motor that was preexisting and the motor being transplanted.
14. Next you should focus on reconnecting the fuel and vacuum lines. Finding vacuum line diagrams for your specific motor and intake manifold can be troublesome. Keep searching for one that fits your specs.
15. Reattach the accelerator cable. It should be an Integra throttle cable and will fit perfectly. Adjust it so that it is almost opening the throttle plate. That way the throttle will open as soon as you touch the pedal, giving good throttle response.
16. Reattach the clutch cable or install your hydraulic operated clutch. For a cable transmission, disconnect the upper bracket for the clutch cable and slide the cable into it with it disconnected. The cable is very tight and will seem like it is too short if you don’t disconnect it from the transmission first. For your hydraulic operated clutch, you need a conversion kit since the EF came stock with a cable transmission.
17. Finish plugging in everything that was preexisting on the motor. Checking twice. It is easy to miss a ground that you disconnected before. There are numerous sensors that will be plugged back in at, or near, the same location.
18. Fill up the fluids. Oil should be 10W-30 on most applications. Transmission oil can range from 10W-30 motor oil for some models, Manual Transmission Fluid from Honda, GM Synchromesh, ect. Chose a transmission oil based on your manual. Radiator fluid should be roughly 50/50. You can buy it premixed or concentrated and water it down. The motor oil should be about 4 liters, transmission fluid should be about 2.3 liters, and the radiator should be a gallon or filled to the brim of the radiator. After filling the radiator fluid, you have to bleed the system. The bleed bolt is located by the distributor, above the thermostat housing.
19. Reinstall the battery tray and the battery, but don’t hook it up until you install the ECU.
20. Install the factory or aftermarket intake.
-If I have missed anything I will add it here at a later date.
Grounds
There are 3 main grounds that I can think of on the B series motor. The valve cover has a ground connected to the driver side and mounts close to the radiator. This is said to be an auxiliary ground, basically a back up. I would recommend keeping it but it can be deleted. If you go for a tucked look, relocating it behind the block is the best option. The transmission has a ground that mounts underneath the battery tray. This grounds the starter, so it is very important. Then there is the ECU ground on the thermostat housing. Without this ground your ECU light will stay lit red and the car will not function.
Pre-Start Check
1. Make sure that everything looks right.
2. Make sure all the sensors are plugged in.
3. Make sure your grounds are connected.
4. Have a friend double check.
5. Shift through the gears and leave it in neutral.
Starting the Motor
When you start the motor for the first time, it might be a good idea to leave the car jacked up. This way you can put the car in gear and make sure the wheels spin. I would make sure to have someone to watch for leaks and ready with a fire extinguisher. A fuel leak on a hot motor can create a flame, coupled with radiator fluid and engine oil, can be hard to put out. Better safe than sorry. The motor should crank but may have issues idling. Try and let it warm up and check your check engine light codes. Fix your codes and move onto the timing. Timing can be changed by rotating the distributor. Use a timing light or have a professional do it for you. There is an idle screw on the intake manifold, adjust this if your idle is too high or low. Make sure the radiator fans kick on and that the temperature gauge is reading properly.
DPFI to MPFI
The dual point fuel injection found on some of the EF D series motors is made for fuel efficiency. With that said, they are basically a glorified carburetor. Replacing the DPFI intake manifold with a MPFI intake manifold will increase performance even as a standalone modification. It is very easy to wire. Make sure to label wires. It is also a good idea to run them through a plug instead of direct wiring them to the ECU. That way you can disconnect the plug if you remove the motor again, instead of cutting wires.
Shopping List
1. Four injector Plugs
2. Injector Resister box (if applicable)
3. One ‘A’ Male ECU plug and one ‘B’ or ‘C’ Male ECU plug
4. Assorted colored Wire
5. Soldering equipment, crimping equipment, or anything applicable.
6. Heat shrink, electrical tape or liquid tape
7. Wire wrap (black plastic, about $1 per ft, OEM style wire covering)
Installation
1. If you have peak and hold injectors, you will need to install an injector resister box. I suggest the driver side shock tower mounting area.
2. The MPFI distributor should have a 7 pin plug instead of the 5 pin plug on the DPFI distributor. This means chopping off the existing plug on the engine harness and replacing it with a new plug.
3. There should be 2 wires that are not connected to the existing engine harness. These should be extended into the cabin through a small bushing near the, passenger side, rear transmission mount.
4. The injector plugs from the DPFI won’t fit the injectors on the new motor, so you will have to source 4 new plugs.
5. Remove the DPFI plug from the wires. You should be left with yellow and a yellow/black wire on one plug and a red and yellow/black wire on the other plug.
6. Connect both of the yellow/black wires together and run them to the yellow/black wire on the injector resister box. If you don’t have an injector resister box, I believe you run the wires to each injector’s red/black wire.
7. Take the yellow wire from the old DPFI plug and run it to cylinder #1
8. Take the red wire from the old DPFI plug and run it to cylinder #3
9. Run the wires from cylinder #2 and #4 into the cabin.
10. Wiring the ECU comes next, here are the pin outs for everything you have extended into the cabin
A3 - #2 Injector
A7 - #4 Injector
B10 – Move wire from C1 to here
B12 – Move wire from C2 to here
C1 – Blue/Green Distributor
C2 – Blue/Yellow Distributor
11. Test that the MPFI wiring is correct. Car should start, timing may be off if the distributor was changed.
12. Wrap all connections with appropriate tape and wrap in black plastic to give it a stock, OEM, look.
VTEC – Variable valve timing and electronic lift control
VTEC is a very cool feature available on a wide variety of Honda motors. VTEC is comprised of a solenoid and a pressure switch. When oil pressure reaches a certain pressure, caused by RPM, the switch activates the solenoid. The solenoid pushes oil through part of the head, activating a third lobe portion of the cam. This portion is larger than the normal lobe. The longer travel gives the motor more top end horse power. But it is not optimal at low RPM due to requiring more power to get the cam to spin. So in short, VTEC gives a motor more top end without sacrificing low end HP. Some consider it a gimmick. Many say, “There is no replacement for displacement.” But most people agree VTEC is a good feature that offers a compelling sound and boost to power.
Wiring VTEC
The VTEC wiring is very simple. On a motor with VTEC there is basically two wires to the ECU that need to be added, and a chassis ground.
1. Locate the VTEC Solenoid, near the distributor. There should be a single wire coming out of it. Run this to the cabin into A8 on the ECU.
2. Below the Solenoid is the pressure switch. One wire is the signal wire, one is the ground. The signal wire goes to B5 and the ground should be connected to a known good ground. One of the numerous bolts into the frame or even the transmission ground should work.
That is all that is required to wire VTEC. Make sure you have the knock sensor installed and wired also.
ECT FAQs
This area will be updated as I see fit. Post a question in response to this thread, I will add it here with an appropriate answer.
Credits
Any directly copied information has the appropriate citing and credits post information. Other than the credits listed within this document, I claim the production of this document. All photos were taken by me, excluding photos with credits to the original posting/author. Reposting of this document is encouraged to further the spread of information. However, apply appropriate citation and credit for information not paraphrased.
Update Log
8/2/13 Posted original document [13 pages, ~6,000 words, pictures being added]
If you are thinking of doing a B series swap into your EF Civic or CRX, there is a handful of things to consider first. Do you have the time, money and the skills to perform the swap? While the swap has been performed in a weekend by many, there is a chance you will have forgotten something or broke something along the way which will hold up the progress. This is where money comes in to play. Buying pieces that you didn’t originally factor in can add up very quickly. I believe the skill cap on a swap to be very minimal these days. With companies like hasport and the wealth of knowledge on the internet, a swap like this isn’t as hard as it once was. It is best to have all your materials in hand before you start.
Engine References
These are taken from the wiki page, so they are flywheel base numbers from the factory. With that said, I included every motor, its horse power, and its torque in foot pounds. This should make it easy to compare the raw stats against each other to decide if a certain motor will meet your qualifications, desired specs, and budget. (Prices are from online dealers)
B16A SiR-I ($1999-$2399)
158 HP
112 LB-FT
B16A SiR-II ($2550-$2750)
168 HP
116 LB-FT
B16B ($3599)
185 HP
118 LB-FT
B16A1
150 HP
111 LB-FT
B16A2 ($2199)
160 HP
111 LB-FT
B16A3 ($2199)
160 HP
111 LB-FT
B16A4
168 HP
111 LB-FT
B16A5
174 HP
111 LB-FT
B16A6
158 HP
111 LB-FT
B17A1
170 HP
117 LB-FT
B18A1
130/140 HP
121/127 LB-FT
B18B1 ($2000)
142 HP
127 LB-FT
B18C Type R ($3699-$4799)
197 HP
133 LB-FT
B18C ($2999-$3199)
178 HP
128 LB-FT
B18C1
170 HP
134 LB-FT
B18C2
170 HP
128 LB-FT
B18C3
177 HP
112 LB-FT
B18C4
169 HP
128 LB-FT
B18C5
190 HP
130 LB-FT
B18C6
190 HP
131 LB-FT
B18C7
187 HP
127 LB-FT
B20B
126 HP
133 LB-FT
B20Z
143 HP
133 LB-FT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_B_engine here, to original document.
Torque Specs
Credits to the original author. Link here.
Common Bolts
Credits to the original author. Link here or here.
Shopping List
This is everything that I had to purchase for my swap, most of this can be packaged if you go through a company such as Hmotors or a for sale ad in the marketplace.
1. Motor – Deciding on the motor is a key point in your swap. The B series motors ranged from the B16A, the original JDM DOHC VTEC, to the B18A1, Non-VTEC, to the B18C series swaps and even the B20 motor. The price ranged on all the swaps. Generally, higher displacement is better for boost and VTEC is good for staying NA. Your budget will decide which motor you should buy.
2. Transmission – Most of the B series transmissions are fine. The GSR and B16A transmissions have shorter gears, which is great for the drag strip and NA set ups. While the LS transmission has longer gears which can help build boost for longer durations and offers much more comfortable highway cruising. Note that you can build your own transmission and change final drives, gear ratios, ect. Note that many of these transmissions are cable driven, but some are hydraulic. The hydraulic transmissions will need custom work or the purchase of a conversion kit to work with the cable clutch of the EF Civic.
3. Basic Bolt ons – I am talking about the starter, alternator, Power steering, air conditioning, intake manifold and the distributor. These should all be easy to come by. They should be included with the motor most times and are easy to find at the junk yard if they aren’t.
4. Motor Mounts – The EF generation came with a D series motor. If you want the B series motor to fit you must buy custom mounts. eBay offers many choices, from Hasport to off brand. Used mounts are also a good choice. You will also need the rear mount bracket from a B series transmission if yours does not come with one.
5. Accelerator Cable – You need an accelerator cable out of an Integra. 90-93 should work. Automatic and manual accelerator cables are the same.
6. Clutch Cable – stock clutch cable will work just fine. You will have to loosen the mount on the B series transmission and push up on the pull arm to get the cable to fit, but it fits none the less. If you have a hydraulic transmission, you will need to fabricate or buy a conversion since the EF civic is cable driven.
7. Clutch and Flywheel – The stock flywheel and OEM clutch components will work fine. But replace the clutch, pressure plate, and throw out bearing while you have the motor out.
8. Water Pump and timing belt – Both of these are easier to replace with the motor out and are items that wear with time. Cheap insurance for a lasting motor
9. Radiator – The stock radiator will work perfectly for the B series.
10. Shift linkage – The shift linkage will have to be custom made. You can buy a premade shift linkage, but I would suggest buying the same brand motor mounts since they were designed together. eBay motor mounts and a hasport shift linkage may or may not line up.
11. Injectors and resister box – If the injectors are peak/hold, you need an injector resister box. If they are saturated, you do not.
12. ECU – It goes without saying that you need a new engine control unit. The ECUs for each motor are different and often you can buy ECUs chipped to run your motor. The P28 is a common ECU choice for the OBD1 motors. Note that the ECU and distributor need to share the same OBD code to be compatible.
13. ECU Pins – I suggest getting some spare plugs and/or a conversion harness. For anyone running a VTEC motor, regardless of OBD, you will need extra wires put into the ECU. And if you are running a DPFI model, you will need to add the extra wires to convert to MPFI for any B series swap.
Removal
The engine removal should be straight forward. There are a handful of things you must remove. Some things I won’t have pictures of, so I’ll describe it the best I can.
Advice: Label everything with the location and name using tape and a marker. Take your time and make sure everything is disconnected from the engine to the body of the car before removing.
1. Start by moving the car into a well covered area. Preferably a garage. You don’t want to do a project like this in the sun or rain.
2. Jack up the car and place it on jack stands. Never trust the jack with your life. You need to jack the car up pretty high, so a good jack or some blocks of wood that you trust. I used the double jack technique. You use two jacks, one on either side, and jack the jack up using the jack stand points as the pivot point. You can get much higher this way than you can with the single jack in the front of the vehicle. Simply by changing the fulcrum point.
3. Remove the battery. Negative terminal first. Now is a great time to remove the battery tray too. While it isn’t in the way when removing the engine, it makes putting in the new motor much easier.
4. Remove the hood, this is optional but I like the extra space. There are 4 bolts holding it on. Try not to break the spray nozzle lines.
5. Remove splash guards. This may or may not be necessary, but it gives you more space when under the car and the access granted makes it easier.
6. Drain fluids. The oil drain plug and transmission fluid drain plug are on the bottom of block and transmission. The radiator drain is on the passenger side, near the bottom of the radiator.
7. Remove the factory air box or aftermarket intake system. Should be a clamp on the intake a few bolts around the air box.
8. Unbolt the exhaust. When removing the engine, it is fairly easy to remove the manifold from the catalytic converter and leave the manifold with the engine. Should be two bolts underneath the vehicle.
9. Now is a good time to remove the exhaust from the body of the vehicle. It should be hung with metal hangers. Just unhook the exhaust near the shift lever so that you can get to the shift linkage.
10. Remove the shift linkage. There is a bolt that holds the stabilizer in place. Then there is the pin that holds the shifter to the transmission. This can be a major pain while under the car. Either you luck out and can smack it with a hammer and a punch (8mm I believe) or use a pneumatic hammer to get it out. Or there is the way I did it. Remove the bolt on the bottom of the shift lever. Then unbolt the lever from the car body. You can later drag the shift linkage out with the motor.
11. Removing the axles comes next. You have to remove the wheels from the brake spindle or knuckle. Then break loose the bottom ball joint bolt. Loosen it until the nut is at the end of the bolt. Then take your jack and jack up the lower control arm, be careful not to over jack and pick up the car. Then take a strong socket, 14m or so, and place it in between the lower control arm and the bottom of the spindle. Lower the jack slowly and watch the ball joint pop off. You should be able to hammer the axle through the spindle and pull the spindle off to the side, out of the way.
12. This step is for standard EF civic owners only. If you have the D15B1 motor in your car, much like I did, with the four speed transmission. You will need to completely remove the brake spindles and install larger ones to accept the new axles. I suggest DA integra spindles. I believe DX or SI EF Civic spindles work. You need to remove the steering and upper ball joints from the knuckle. You will also need to remove the brake line that attaches to the caliper. Using a hammer, you should be able to hit the piece the ball joint bolt goes through, not the actual bolt, to knock it loose. If not, go to autozone and rent a ball joint tool and remove them all.
13. With the brake spindles moved out of the way, it is time to remove the axles. Looking down on the motor from the front, the passenger side should have two axles coming out of the transmission. It is very easy to take a pry bar or large flat head screw driver and pop the axles out. They should slide right out to the point where the strut meets the lower control arm. You can remove this bolt and slide the axle through the opening after wards. If the axle is giving you trouble at the transmission, you can pop the silver clip off the rubber boot. Then the rubber boot pulls off with ease. I only recommend this if the axles are trash or you are comfortable replacing the clip. It isn’t difficult. My axles were tore at the spindle, so I opted to do this myself.
14. On both the driver and passenger side there are large electrical plugs. Now is a good time to unplug them and trace the wires back to the motor. Unhook any retaining clips along the way.
15. The MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor will be located on the firewall for OBD0 applications, follow the hoses back to the motor and remove them from the motor. There should be two. If they don’t slide off without too much hassle, cut them with wire snips. Vacuum line is cheap. Cents per foot cheap. No need to unplug the MAP sensor plug as it is easier to leave on the fire wall and remove the vacuum lines.
16. While you are in this area, the fuel lines are close by. You need to relieve fuel pressure. Open up the gas cap. Then the service bolt on top of the fuel filter can be undone. I believe that is the proper way to remove fuel pressure (The service bolt, not the gas cap). Either way, now you can unbolt the fuel line that comes out of the fuel filter. It should go to the manifold. It’s a banjo bolt with some crush washers.
17. Unhook the clutch cable. This should be as easy as spinning off the adjustment nut and pulling up on the clutch lever. Then it should slide out the bottom. Then you pull the top out and disconnect it from the lever and the bracket.
18. Disconnect the throttle cable. This can be tricky if you’ve never done it before. It’s not hard, but it’s not intuitive either. You can start by going inside the car, above the pedal assembly. There should be a white clip and a metal circle piece attached to the top of the gas pedal. Push up on this. I just forced the clip out, but there may be a proper way. After that, go back to the manifold. Pull the cable until it rotates the little cylinder about 180 degrees. Then the cylinder will slide out towards you and the throttle cable is disconnected. The spot where it goes through the fire wall is a clip that rotates 90 degrees and comes out.
19. There is a transmission ground about where the battery was, unbolt and disconnect this. There is a ground on the valve cover that needs to be unbolted. There is also a ground on the thermostat housing that will need to be removed.
20. Remove the radiator hoses from the radiator and heater hoses that attach to the firewall. These may be old and stubborn, silicone spray works well. Also, you can cut them as heater tube is about two feet for a dollar. The larger radiator hoses that connect to the radiator shouldn’t be an issue. But they are more expensive than the heater hoses if you have to cut them. The rear hoses that connect to the fire wall are the cheap ones that are harder to remove. They should connect around the thermostat housing. You should also remove the coolant overflow container. It pulls straight up.
21. Optional step, removing the radiator. No need to bust a hole in an expensive piece when it’s this easy to remove. There are two retainers on the top of the radiator that have a couple bolts each. There are also the fans. They can be unplugged from the wiring harness, unbolted from the radiator, and slide up and out of the way. Then the top retainers on the radiator can be removed and the radiator slides up in a similar fashion.
22. Remove the Air conditioning. This can be annoying to say the least. Draining the system the proper way is something I am unsure of. I drained it like a bicycle tire. There are screw caps near the fire wall on the passenger side, undo one and wedge something in there to open the valve. It will spray so wrap or cover everything. After the system is done, you can start unbolting it. There are two bolts on top of the compressor that you can undo and leave the lines in place. If you aren’t reusing the compressor, you can remove the lines by unbolting them. This can be difficult. You can opt, like I had, to cut the lines since you won’t be reusing them. Then remove them much easier and unbolt it from the firewall later.
23. Unbolt the front and rear motor mounts from either the engine block, or the frame. Either way it does not matter. I found it easier to unbolt the rear mount from the block since the bolts were easier to get to. Same may be true for you. The transmission and driver side mount stay in place for now, they will support the weight of the motor.
-If I have missed anything I will add it here at a later date.
Now comes the time to strap the engine chains to the motor. If you don’t have engine chains, the cheap tow straps from the local store will also work. I have a pair of 500 lb red tow straps that I used to lift out my old D series motor and install the new B series motor with ease. For engine chains, there are definitive places to mount them to. For the strap method, try and evenly disperse the weight the best you can. You will get a feel for it very quickly. Slowly raise the engine hoist enough to take the weight off of the motor mounts. Now it is time to unbolt the mounts from their locations. After you have loosened the bolts to the end of the threads, it may be difficult to pull them completely out. Here’s my advice, take a pair of large pliers and grab the bolt behind the head. Then take a mallet and tap on the pliers. It will pull the bolt out if you have the motor properly supported by the hoist.
Pre-Engine installation
Now is the time to get some things done as far as the engine bay goes, here are just a few things to do before you install the new motor.
1. Mate the new motor and transmission together. Now is an excellent time to install a new clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, throwout bearing, water pump, timing belt and spark plugs/wires. These are all items that need to be replaced throughout time and easy to do at this point.
2. Paint or wire tuck the engine bay. Now is the best time to do either of these.
3. Remove the Air Conditioning lines and condenser unit. If you don’t plan on reusing these, now is a good time to remove them. The condenser is the unit that looks a lot like a radiator, but is connected to the A/C.
4. Replace suspension. During your engine swap, you have altered your wheel alignment most likely and will have to get it realigned at a shop. So why not do some suspension upgrades and only pay the alignment fee once.
5. Now would be a good time to create a custom shift linkage too. One design I have seen is to cut the integra shift linkage at the straightest point. You then remove roughly 2 ½ inches from the shift linkage. Take two nuts and weld them inside of the shift linkage. Then take a threaded rod, cut to approximate length to fit, maybe 6 inches at most. Then you thread it between the nuts and your linkage is now adjustable. This has also worked by using a bolt and a nut, instead of two nuts and a threaded rod. You don’t get as much adjustability, but it works pretty much the same. If you are cut and welding the linkage the old fashion way, non adjustably, then wait until the motor is in the car to fashion the linkage. This way it will be cut to fit, since motor mounts can differ in the motor location greatly.
6. Attaching the exhaust manifold and intake manifold would be appropriate at this time. One piece 4-1 headers are hard to get into position with the block inside the car.
7. Convert over to OBD1 if needed. All you need to convert your EF from OBD0 to OBD1 is a conversion wire harness, OBD1 ECU, and OBD1 Distributor. These can all be purchased online or second hand, or salvaged from the junk yard.
8. MPFI conversion. Now is a good time to think about doing the MPFI wiring if you must, I will included a detailed write up with pictures after the
engine installation.
Engine Installation
Installing the engine should go smoother than the removal if this is your first time. That’s mostly due to the new found experience with the motor you have gained. It is essentially the same thing, but in reverse. Despite this, there are some tips along the way.
1. The first step of this swap is to move the old EF wiring harness over to the new B series motor. It is very straight forward. Nearly everything is in the same position and should not be a problem. There are a couple sensors that need to be lengthened, the Throttle Position sensor and the Idle Air Control Valve. Sometimes the Intake manifold temperature sensor will need to be lengthened.
2. Install the rear transmission bracket to the transmission if it is not already there. You should also attach the passenger and driver side mounts to the motor, LOOSLY. You should also attach the rear engine mount to the sub frame of the car. Tighten the rear nut but leave the front loose to swing it and make installation easier.
3. You will most likely need to notch out a portion of the sub frame by the rear transmission mount in order for the bracket to fit. You can either cut this or smash it in with a hammer. Make sure it is flattened as the bracket will be a pain to attach if there isn’t enough room for it.
4. The alternator on the B series motor will also not fit in the small space provided. There is a square hole in the engine bay, on the driver side, that we will use as a reference point. Directly below that you will need to dent the wall in to make room for your alternator. Take a large hammer, a small sledge will work, and bang away at the wall. It’s better to go a little bigger than it is to go smaller since this is a hard to reach area after the motor is installed. You can remove the alternator and intake manifold to get to this spot after the engine is installed, but that is more hassle than it is worth.
5. Now it is time to install the new motor. You will want to lift the engine up with your hoist. But leave the transmission side drooping. It will need to be much lower than the driver side to get up and under the bracket on the body of the car. As you are lowering the motor in, you may have to remove the transmission side mount from the motor if it is in the way, and then reinstall it after the transmission is below the bracket. Regardless, you will want to align the rear bracket first. This is the most important mount to get aligned. As soon as you can get the rear bolt in, do so. Remember to keep it loose though, until everything is installed. Next, align the transmission side mount. This may require disconnecting and sliding it in, loosening bolts to force it into alignment, but it will fit. Lastly, the driver side mount since it is known to be the easiest to align. But since it is the last mount, it will give you some trouble. You will have to jack up, lower, tug, push, and force the motor into proper alignment. After it is in, torque the bolts down to spec while still supporting the engine with the hoist. Then lower the hoist until it is no longer supporting the motor and roll it out of the way.
6. Now is a good time to attach the intermediate shaft and the axles. Mount the intermediate shaft to the block before installing the axle into it. After the axles are in place, reinstall the lower control arm to the shocks.
7. Regardless of your brake spindles, you have to remove the dust ring. It is a metal ring around the axle. I believe there is a rubber dust ring on the axles also, remove this. This will give your axle more room to move and reduce binding. With this removed, reinstall the brake spindle. Tighten everything down and reattach the brake lines if you disconnected them.
8. Install the shift linkage at this time. It should bolt back in with no issue if you have shortened it to the correct length.
9. Install the exhaust manifold if it is not already attached to the motor. If you have the factory exhaust, and it is two pieces, this is easy. Disconnect the two pieces; attach the manifold to the head using an appropriate gasket. Then attach the lower piece to the upper piece and bolt it together. If you have an aftermarket exhaust, try and wiggle it in there the best you can or disassemble it in the same manor if possible.
10. Connect the exhaust. You probably will have to hold off on this until the car runs since the exhaust most likely won’t line up. The flanges are rotated and often not long enough.
11. Wire up the alternator and starter. These are very straight forward.
12. Near the alternator is the Vehicle Speed Sensor. On some transmissions
this will be electrical, on the EF it is mechanical. There is a single bolt that holds it together. Remove the bolt, and with a twist/pull you should be able to remove the VSS. Do the same on your old transmission, or buy a new VSS, and replace it with the mechanical. You can also opt for a gauge cluster swap at this point.
13. Reinstall the radiator. The upper and lower hoses may need to be replaced or trimmed to fit. Depends on the motor that was preexisting and the motor being transplanted.
14. Next you should focus on reconnecting the fuel and vacuum lines. Finding vacuum line diagrams for your specific motor and intake manifold can be troublesome. Keep searching for one that fits your specs.
15. Reattach the accelerator cable. It should be an Integra throttle cable and will fit perfectly. Adjust it so that it is almost opening the throttle plate. That way the throttle will open as soon as you touch the pedal, giving good throttle response.
16. Reattach the clutch cable or install your hydraulic operated clutch. For a cable transmission, disconnect the upper bracket for the clutch cable and slide the cable into it with it disconnected. The cable is very tight and will seem like it is too short if you don’t disconnect it from the transmission first. For your hydraulic operated clutch, you need a conversion kit since the EF came stock with a cable transmission.
17. Finish plugging in everything that was preexisting on the motor. Checking twice. It is easy to miss a ground that you disconnected before. There are numerous sensors that will be plugged back in at, or near, the same location.
18. Fill up the fluids. Oil should be 10W-30 on most applications. Transmission oil can range from 10W-30 motor oil for some models, Manual Transmission Fluid from Honda, GM Synchromesh, ect. Chose a transmission oil based on your manual. Radiator fluid should be roughly 50/50. You can buy it premixed or concentrated and water it down. The motor oil should be about 4 liters, transmission fluid should be about 2.3 liters, and the radiator should be a gallon or filled to the brim of the radiator. After filling the radiator fluid, you have to bleed the system. The bleed bolt is located by the distributor, above the thermostat housing.
19. Reinstall the battery tray and the battery, but don’t hook it up until you install the ECU.
20. Install the factory or aftermarket intake.
-If I have missed anything I will add it here at a later date.
Grounds
There are 3 main grounds that I can think of on the B series motor. The valve cover has a ground connected to the driver side and mounts close to the radiator. This is said to be an auxiliary ground, basically a back up. I would recommend keeping it but it can be deleted. If you go for a tucked look, relocating it behind the block is the best option. The transmission has a ground that mounts underneath the battery tray. This grounds the starter, so it is very important. Then there is the ECU ground on the thermostat housing. Without this ground your ECU light will stay lit red and the car will not function.
Pre-Start Check
1. Make sure that everything looks right.
2. Make sure all the sensors are plugged in.
3. Make sure your grounds are connected.
4. Have a friend double check.
5. Shift through the gears and leave it in neutral.
Starting the Motor
When you start the motor for the first time, it might be a good idea to leave the car jacked up. This way you can put the car in gear and make sure the wheels spin. I would make sure to have someone to watch for leaks and ready with a fire extinguisher. A fuel leak on a hot motor can create a flame, coupled with radiator fluid and engine oil, can be hard to put out. Better safe than sorry. The motor should crank but may have issues idling. Try and let it warm up and check your check engine light codes. Fix your codes and move onto the timing. Timing can be changed by rotating the distributor. Use a timing light or have a professional do it for you. There is an idle screw on the intake manifold, adjust this if your idle is too high or low. Make sure the radiator fans kick on and that the temperature gauge is reading properly.
DPFI to MPFI
The dual point fuel injection found on some of the EF D series motors is made for fuel efficiency. With that said, they are basically a glorified carburetor. Replacing the DPFI intake manifold with a MPFI intake manifold will increase performance even as a standalone modification. It is very easy to wire. Make sure to label wires. It is also a good idea to run them through a plug instead of direct wiring them to the ECU. That way you can disconnect the plug if you remove the motor again, instead of cutting wires.
Shopping List
1. Four injector Plugs
2. Injector Resister box (if applicable)
3. One ‘A’ Male ECU plug and one ‘B’ or ‘C’ Male ECU plug
4. Assorted colored Wire
5. Soldering equipment, crimping equipment, or anything applicable.
6. Heat shrink, electrical tape or liquid tape
7. Wire wrap (black plastic, about $1 per ft, OEM style wire covering)
Installation
1. If you have peak and hold injectors, you will need to install an injector resister box. I suggest the driver side shock tower mounting area.
2. The MPFI distributor should have a 7 pin plug instead of the 5 pin plug on the DPFI distributor. This means chopping off the existing plug on the engine harness and replacing it with a new plug.
3. There should be 2 wires that are not connected to the existing engine harness. These should be extended into the cabin through a small bushing near the, passenger side, rear transmission mount.
4. The injector plugs from the DPFI won’t fit the injectors on the new motor, so you will have to source 4 new plugs.
5. Remove the DPFI plug from the wires. You should be left with yellow and a yellow/black wire on one plug and a red and yellow/black wire on the other plug.
6. Connect both of the yellow/black wires together and run them to the yellow/black wire on the injector resister box. If you don’t have an injector resister box, I believe you run the wires to each injector’s red/black wire.
7. Take the yellow wire from the old DPFI plug and run it to cylinder #1
8. Take the red wire from the old DPFI plug and run it to cylinder #3
9. Run the wires from cylinder #2 and #4 into the cabin.
10. Wiring the ECU comes next, here are the pin outs for everything you have extended into the cabin
A3 - #2 Injector
A7 - #4 Injector
B10 – Move wire from C1 to here
B12 – Move wire from C2 to here
C1 – Blue/Green Distributor
C2 – Blue/Yellow Distributor
11. Test that the MPFI wiring is correct. Car should start, timing may be off if the distributor was changed.
12. Wrap all connections with appropriate tape and wrap in black plastic to give it a stock, OEM, look.
VTEC – Variable valve timing and electronic lift control
VTEC is a very cool feature available on a wide variety of Honda motors. VTEC is comprised of a solenoid and a pressure switch. When oil pressure reaches a certain pressure, caused by RPM, the switch activates the solenoid. The solenoid pushes oil through part of the head, activating a third lobe portion of the cam. This portion is larger than the normal lobe. The longer travel gives the motor more top end horse power. But it is not optimal at low RPM due to requiring more power to get the cam to spin. So in short, VTEC gives a motor more top end without sacrificing low end HP. Some consider it a gimmick. Many say, “There is no replacement for displacement.” But most people agree VTEC is a good feature that offers a compelling sound and boost to power.
Wiring VTEC
The VTEC wiring is very simple. On a motor with VTEC there is basically two wires to the ECU that need to be added, and a chassis ground.
1. Locate the VTEC Solenoid, near the distributor. There should be a single wire coming out of it. Run this to the cabin into A8 on the ECU.
2. Below the Solenoid is the pressure switch. One wire is the signal wire, one is the ground. The signal wire goes to B5 and the ground should be connected to a known good ground. One of the numerous bolts into the frame or even the transmission ground should work.
That is all that is required to wire VTEC. Make sure you have the knock sensor installed and wired also.
ECT FAQs
This area will be updated as I see fit. Post a question in response to this thread, I will add it here with an appropriate answer.
Credits
Any directly copied information has the appropriate citing and credits post information. Other than the credits listed within this document, I claim the production of this document. All photos were taken by me, excluding photos with credits to the original posting/author. Reposting of this document is encouraged to further the spread of information. However, apply appropriate citation and credit for information not paraphrased.
Update Log
8/2/13 Posted original document [13 pages, ~6,000 words, pictures being added]
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,858
Likes: 4
From: Orlando, FL
Re: The B Series Swap
Looks great! missing a few things in a few places, but not bad at all!
What I saw missing on my first skim through:
Clutch and Flywheel - you say "stock will be fine", but i think you should state that it must match the transmission, as there are 2 different spline sizes for b series transmissions.
Pre start check - I would add in that you should re-check all fluids, and maybe crank the engine over with the plug wires pulled of the plugs to let the oil pump get some oil to all the bearings before letting it fire up. JMO
Radiator hoses - I would give more info on which hoses to use for which engine. Like the top hose from an xx for the b1x. something like that.
Cant wait to see the pics! Hopefully each one will be captioned!
What I saw missing on my first skim through:
Clutch and Flywheel - you say "stock will be fine", but i think you should state that it must match the transmission, as there are 2 different spline sizes for b series transmissions.
Pre start check - I would add in that you should re-check all fluids, and maybe crank the engine over with the plug wires pulled of the plugs to let the oil pump get some oil to all the bearings before letting it fire up. JMO
Radiator hoses - I would give more info on which hoses to use for which engine. Like the top hose from an xx for the b1x. something like that.
Cant wait to see the pics! Hopefully each one will be captioned!
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 335
Likes: 0
this will help me a lot with my current b16a swap in my ed7... I hoped I wouldn't need to change throttle cable but I do thanks! also f22master has a great ifea and point I will do that.
Posted from Honda-tech.com App for Android
Posted from Honda-tech.com App for Android
Re: The B Series Swap
Looks great! missing a few things in a few places, but not bad at all!
What I saw missing on my first skim through:
Clutch and Flywheel - you say "stock will be fine", but i think you should state that it must match the transmission, as there are 2 different spline sizes for b series transmissions.
Pre start check - I would add in that you should re-check all fluids, and maybe crank the engine over with the plug wires pulled of the plugs to let the oil pump get some oil to all the bearings before letting it fire up. JMO
Radiator hoses - I would give more info on which hoses to use for which engine. Like the top hose from an xx for the b1x. something like that.
Cant wait to see the pics! Hopefully each one will be captioned!
What I saw missing on my first skim through:
Clutch and Flywheel - you say "stock will be fine", but i think you should state that it must match the transmission, as there are 2 different spline sizes for b series transmissions.
Pre start check - I would add in that you should re-check all fluids, and maybe crank the engine over with the plug wires pulled of the plugs to let the oil pump get some oil to all the bearings before letting it fire up. JMO
Radiator hoses - I would give more info on which hoses to use for which engine. Like the top hose from an xx for the b1x. something like that.
Cant wait to see the pics! Hopefully each one will be captioned!
And the prestart check addition is a good idea. Mostly applicable for new motors. If the motor was just pulling, it shouldnt be an issue.
I have no experience with the radiator hoses. I used what came on the motor and it worked. I also used the hoses from my old D series I removed and they fit. Maybe it's a fluke. But I will look into it and write more about it.
I'll do my best to make the pictures make sense.
(im not much of a Honda person, just got one a while back, so forgive me for my ignorance)
Would I be able to wire VTEC to my D15B2, as well as MPFI? the MPFI I know is possible, the VTEC im not 100% sure. and also, if I went to MPFI would my CAI still work with it or would I have to shorten it?
Would I be able to wire VTEC to my D15B2, as well as MPFI? the MPFI I know is possible, the VTEC im not 100% sure. and also, if I went to MPFI would my CAI still work with it or would I have to shorten it?
I'm not sure when I'll be updating with pictures. Busy busy busy, but I will hopefully get it done shortly.
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Joined: Oct 2012
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From: South bend, in
Re: The B Series Swap
I didnt use a new throttle cable. Im still using my dpfi one with my GSR swap. And it works just fine every day. I can try to upload a pic if anyone is interested in seeing how i routed it.
Re: The B Series Swap
I would enjoy seeing that actually. It'd be nice to show an alternative instead of just saying "must buy a new one."
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 116
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From: South bend, in
Re: The B Series Swap
Ok here is the pic of my throttle cable. Sorry it took so long but i kinda forgot what thread it was in. Lol
Oh and yeah i know, HOLY DIRTY FREAKIN ENGINE BAY. LOL
Last edited by ED3 SEDAN-GSR; Aug 7, 2013 at 04:29 AM.
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 11
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Re: The B Series Swap
Apologies in advance. I'm new to the forum thing, been lookin around for awhile now and can't find what I'm lookin for...faq for motor ID? Point me in that direction and I would greatly appreciate it...
Re: The B Series Swap
It will say something like D15B1 or B16A3 or K20A2.
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: May 2014
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Re: The B Series Swap
Thanks, I thought I was lookin in the wrong spot (in front of car lookin left of the headers on the block...mine JUST has a 6 digit number and HM)...
Re: The B Series Swap
That should be the right place. On the motor, where it connects to the trans, below the distributor. Take a picture and post it. Should be a letter followed by numbers and another letter. HM is the stamp of a specific importer if I remember correctly.
Re: The B Series Swap
Try taking some purple power (or similar degreaser) and make sure it's not just filled in with junk.
Some examples.
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Jan 11, 2008 08:38 AM