Hey all, I'm new here, will likely be picking up a 91 Civic hatch tomorrow for a winter beater/replacement. I've been driving dubs since I got my license, but my corrado has been too expensive to fix and I need something cheap and reliable (college student). First off, the car in question is a 91 Civic hatchback, 1.5L 8v 4 speed stick. A real rocket. What is the engine code for this model? And is there anything in particular i should look for? Its been maintained well, with 175k on it. Thanks.

 

The engine is a D15B2. Dual point fuel injection (only 2 injectors instead of 4) but later on if you get the urge it can be upgraded and modded like any other Honda engine.

 

Where are the injectors located? Does the intake manifold go 2 into 4 or something? I've never seen that before.

 

dont even mess with that the engine just yet, if you want speed then look into a swap otherwise i would go appearance (lowering it/rims/etc)

 

Yeah its going to be a while til I can afford to mod anything big anyway. If I end up keeping the car for a while I'll look into some sort of swap, who knows. I got a lot to learn.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by klungemonger &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The engine is a D15B2. Dual point fuel injection (only 2 injectors instead of 4) but later on if you get the urge it can be upgraded and modded like any other Honda engine.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Nope, it has 8 Valves so it is a D15B1, which I have no idea how it ended up in the Hatch out of the CRX.

 

Well when I looked the car up on Edmunds, it was listed as a Civic STD hatchback model, 1.5L inline 4, SOHC, 8v, 4 spd standard. The motor has never been changed in this car to my knowledge. I'll get some better info when I go to look at it tomorrow

 

yeah give it sometime before doing anything, especially lowering it before the snow hits unless if u wanna plow driveways with ur bumper

 

Yeah I'm usually broke during the school year anyway.

Back to my original question, are there any problem areas I should look for, like common rust areas or motor problems at all?

 

d15b1 - all of 70 hp...Gotta love it. Sucks you got the 8v version, though. Post pics!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by G60 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yeah I'm usually broke during the school year anyway.

Back to my original question, are there any problem areas I should look for, like common rust areas or motor problems at all?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Rust in the 1/4 panels,windshield area..check everwhere for rust..
And bring a magnet and run it along the body to see if there is any bondo on the car..because that's no good..
If there isn't rust on the 1/4 panels and you buy it ..make sure to take off the rubber lining thing that goes around the 1/4 panel to prevent rust..

And all std's have 16 valve engines so it must be a misprint..
Alot of 88-91 civics smoke on start-up.
Check the radiator for leaks because the stock radiators love to leak..
Make sure the fan(s) kick in..
Go over bumps to make sure the shocks are good and arent makin any noise..
Shift into every gear to make sure there are no grinds
pull out the carpet in the hatch and inspect for rust in the spare tire well.(spelling)
Ask the seller the same questions over and over so you can feel him/her out..
And dont forget to run the vin through carfax..There's a thread in GDD with a free carfax if you want to do it..

Good luck with the purchase and enjoy the 40mpg..

 

also old hondas love oil so make sure to feed it once a week (if needed, and if so its usually twice a month atmost) and there usually rust under ur door and on the runner and also in the door jams. and its prob just me but every old honda ive ever bought had a bad tranny or a bad clutch.

 

Look under the oil cap for oil crust. If there's a ton, it probably hasn't had the oil changed often enough. You'll want a new motor anyway, trust me.

 

Well, looked at the car today. It is a 16v, I screwed up before. Body is in ok condition, runs pretty strong, been dealer serviced for pretty much all the car's life. The guy I'm buying it from bought it from his uncle or something. He also works with my dad so I feel pretty safe about not getting screwed. He said it burns about a half quart over 2500 miles, so I figure at almost 180k its not doing too bad. Radiator has been replaced, timing belt has been replaced, new tires and brakes. It'll make a good beater for a while anyway. Time will tell if I decide to hang onto it and do a GSR swap or something or just get rid of it for something better. But in any case, got it for 800 bucks so it'll get me to school and back just fine.

 

Gitter done! Sounds like you will be able to drive it for a good while until you get tired of 70hp and put a real motor in it. Should take a couple weeks.