I own a 1990 Civic Si. I bought it from a guy (friend at the time but no longer) who claimed that he bought it from a place where it was taken by the previous owner who got them to put in a rebuilt engine and then never came back for the car. I'm sure he used the word "dealership" but I've called all of them in the city and the most recent service at one of them, while close on km, was 2 years prior to when he bought it, and didn't include a rebuild. (Obviously he failed to produce any paper work on this, and now can't remember where he bought the car.)
I've already figured out that there's no way I can find out if it has a rebuilt engine based on registration or insurance history and I can't phone every mechanic shop in the city and ask them if they rebuilt an engine on VIN # blah blah blah...
It was recommended to me that I call the original dealership and ask them what the serial number is on the engine (original engine) and then see if it matches the one that's in the car now. I did, and they told me that that's tracked at Honda Factory level, not dealership. However, when I called Honda Canada service (car built in Canada), they said that they don't track serial number of engine in relation to the VIN, that the serial number is only used to find parts. Is that possible?? What's the point of putting a serial number on it, instead of just a model #? Serial numbers are unique trackers, just like VINs!

Anyhow... any suggestions on how I can tell if this car has the original engine in it?
Thanks in advance,
Melissa

 

what is the big deal, is it a D16A6??, if not, then you got screwed real hard. If it is a D16A6 and it rund strong, what the hell is the big deal.

It is not uncommon for these cars to have replacement motors. Not a big deal, if your motor has taken a dump on you, a swap is a sinch.

 

Maybe you're a crx fanatic, but who cares? Its a d-series, they aren't special, there are tons of 90 si's with original motors, and - you already bought it.

My only suggestion is to check the date stamp on the head/block, but I don't know how older/newer it should be in relation to the chassis. Also, its typically the gregorean calendar (whatever the weird round 'dial' one is called), and its hard to find info on how to read that.

 

Reasons for wanting to know:
a) I was told that the rebuilt engine has less km on it than my odometer showed. If so, then the things that are currently going wrong with the engine wouldn't make a whole lot of sense.
b) Regardless of the ease of changing out an engine, it costs a pretty penny when you don't have the equipment yourself (which I don't) and it'd be nice to know if it'd ever been done.

How do I find out if it's a D16A6? And if it's not, what is the alternative and why is it bad?


I appreciate that there's nothing special about this car to any of you, but it is my only mode of transportation, and in terms of servicing, it'd be nice to know what sort of km range the engine is at. If it only has 20,000km on it, then I wouldn't get the same things serviced as I would if it has 150,000km. Please try to appreciate that owning a "common" car does not make me a lesser human being. *I* care, and *I* asked a question, rather than posting a request for insults.

 

The engine code will be stamped in the area indicated
in this pic:

You may have to pressure wash it or spray some sort of cleaner
there as it will usually be covered in ****..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 88DXCRX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> ...it will usually be covered in ****.. </TD></TR></TABLE>

hahaha

covered in "****"

 

Melissa,
i work for a dealership (not honda or acura, but for 18 wheeler) and thisw is how the whole vin # and engine serial # issue work.
the Vin # on the chassis is meant to the vehicle itself. it will tell you (if you happen to go to the dealer) what kinda engine/transmission/interiors/exteriors/etc for that specific Vin #. now i don't know if Honda or Acura give or tell you the engine serial # but in the Big Rig industry they do give the serial # to the engine for a paritcular Vin #.
The Serial # stamped on the block is use to search the components (such as; piston/rod/bearing/etc.) for that particular engine.
Now if you happen to just just want to find out weather the Engine has been rebuilt or not and if it is orginally for your purchased car, i can't really tell you if that is possible. in the Big Rig if i was given a engine serial # and the customer want to find out the same thing you asking for. it won't work casue i can't tell the customer what truck or year or if it was rebuilt or not.
so i hope this help you with what you trying to find out.

 

Lucky for me I washed the engine off 2 days ago as I had a coolant leak and it smelled horrid under the hood. I could not find any numbers that looked anything like D16A6. I found 3 different numbers, one of them I'm not sure I'm seeing it right cause it looked dirty but when I wiped it off, it actually got harder to read (lettering same colour as metal?). That would be the one that was in the location circled in the picture. From what I could tell the number was 90013L 1033. The other numbers that were there are L3-1045660 (on a plate a little lower) and ZC 5736859 (stamped on the metal). I have no idea what any of these numbers are or mean, or what it means that I don't have a D16A6 engine. More help please?

 

You don't have a d16a6 you have a twin cam ZC engine by the sound of it, japan import only not made in Canada. There will be NO RECORDS of it in Canada. Also, I tried to find out about the block serial numbers previously at a number of dealers just to see if they kept track of that and Honda cannot trace those numbers. Basically there is no real way that anyone can link xxx motor to xxx chassis so don't waste your time looking.

 

It sounds as if the original engine was replaced with either an SOHC ZC or DOHC ZC. If the engine looks like the one 88DXCRX posted then it is a SOHC ZC.

 

YAY!!!! you have a slightly more agressive motor. Hoorah!! Don't worry the zc is a great motor and prob. wont fail you!

Hail the D!!

 

Does your motor look like this:



Or like this:

 

Both good motors.but the one in the top pic is better. I know because I've had both at separate times. In fact I did exactly what tippyman did with his std hatch then swapped that out for a dohc one. Much better!
The single zc is basicly a d16a6 anyway.

 

Since it says ZC, your motor has in fact been replaced, meaning you definitely have lower mileage than is on your odometer (in most cases). Importers typically say those motors have anywhere from 40k-60k miles on them. So it should last you a good while!

 

Mine looks like the picture in the bottom.

I'm confused as to whether that's good or bad. Not as good of engine? But good cause likely less mileage? *sigh* Just one more reason why things like engine swaps should be required reporting to registries or something; would make my life *so* much easier! Is there a possibility that this engine is from a different year's car, or would it be one that was just not used much and then put in? What exactly does it mean to have an engine "rebuilt"? (I absolutely hate that I don't know any of this, thanks for being patient with me!)

Other than doing it for better performance (which is funny considering how little power this car has in comparison to the 84 Prelude I had previously), why would someone swap out an engine?

I thought the tag on the door said it was built in Canada, but the engine was built in Japan?? I will check on the door tag tomorrow to find out. I will also look again, but I believe it's a SOHC engine, though I could be mistaken.

Thanks again!
Melissa

 

It has to do more with what 'servicing' a normal mechanic could do. The top one is from japan - you need parts from different honda models that will work on the motor. Btw, I thought you were trying for a prestine crx, not trying to determine it's age. Its just that there are as more crx owners that are **** about their cars than type-r owners (which are very ****).

I wouldn't suggest taking it in an getting it serviced for the typical parts at a certain milage. Calling a motor 'rebuilt' can range from new headgasket to replacing everything besides the cast block/crank/head. Chances are they rebuilt it with the least amount of new parts they could. If you get it serviced, take it to someone who knows cars, and have them replace the typical wear parts, as well as anything else that looks worn or too old. When you do that, you usually won't have any problems with your honda for quite some time.

As for the swapping, the DOHC ZC motors (and the other cheap ones), most people can get them for much less than you'd expect, and get a decent power boost. Some of those 'cheap' motors can put out more power than new mustangs when you mod them [heavily].

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by HiProfile &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Maybe you're a crx fanatic, but who cares? Its a d-series, they aren't special, there are tons of 90 si's with original motors, and - you already bought it.

My only suggestion is to check the date stamp on the head/block, but I don't know how older/newer it should be in relation to the chassis. Also, its typically the gregorean calendar (whatever the weird round 'dial' one is called), and its hard to find info on how to read that.</TD></TR></TABLE>

excuse me?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dogmelissa &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> What exactly does it mean to have an engine "rebuilt"? (I absolutely hate that I don't know any of this, thanks for being patient with me!)

Other than doing it for better performance (which is funny considering how little power this car has in comparison to the 84 Prelude I had previously), why would someone swap out an engine?

I thought the tag on the door said it was built in Canada, but the engine was built in Japan?? I will check on the door tag tomorrow to find out. I will also look again, but I believe it's a SOHC engine, though I could be mistaken.

Thanks again!
Melissa</TD></TR></TABLE>

haveing an engine rebuilt in the common useage normaly means new piston rings, oil pump, water pump, etc... alot of people will put in a new HG and say "newly rebuilt!"

theres more reasons to swap an engine then power.. one is replaceing a blown motor, i've had to do that a couple times... theres the power schtick, i've done that.. and theres more out there.. my aunt had a 71 datsun 510 that she gave to me.. had it off the showroom floor.. blew the motor then the shop she took it too couldnt find an original to replace it with (L-16) and replaced it with a newer L-20B instead.. that could have happend but doubtfull

as said before, its a D-series, its not special and theres more of them then you can shake a stick at.. so your motor has been swapped out, welcome to the honda world.. as long as it runs, dont complain lol

i'd just find out from your friend or anyone who can look at it what year and model it came out of so you can tell people what the motor is out of for service reasons

 

Reporting swaps to regestries would make your life easier, but it would make ours much harder. Having a swap usually means its a newer engine, so unless your doing regular tune-ups I wouldnt worry about it.

 

Your motor is more powerful than a stock CRX. Most likely putting out around 120-130hp as opposed to 100. As far as maintenence, just tell the mechanic it is a CRX Si. It's the exact same motor w/ a different camshaft.

 

Man I wish my EF had a SOHC ZC when I bought it.. damn D15B2

 

Melissa, i live just south of calgary and have owned 2 SOHC ZC engines from japan. There is no real difference as to the motor you have, as far as parts go they will have no trouble ordering parts as your car is an SI.
Buying a ZC motor from japan is just the most economical way to repair a worn out motor.
Average rebuild new rings bearings gaskets seals machine work 1500-2500
Used engine from japan 300-1000

As far as registires shhh. don't be suggesting that we live in a province that still lets us play with our cars ie engine swaps etc..

You said the car was slower compared to your 84 prelude?
I've owned 5 84-87 preludes. However i've always come back to the civic. I suspect that your civic requires some maitenance tune up etc... if it is lacking power.

I can point you in the direction of some people that know a lot about these cars locally if you want.

 

1. I don't have a CRX. Never said I did. I have a 1990 Civic Si.

2. Yes, this car has a *lot* less power than my Prelude did. It doesn't have the personality that the Prelude did... I beat a brand-new (2003 at the time) F150 off the mark in my Prelude. I have trouble passing on an un-divided highway in this car, when I drop the pedal to the floor it doesn't seem to make any difference. I got in a crash in it trying to avoid a merger who had stopped, and though I did make a mistake in judging distance between me and the car coming at me, I would have been fine if the car had enough guts to go from 60km/h-80km/h in less than 100m!
So--suggestions on what it might need to get it back to where it should be for power? Or is it too late and as long as it keeps running I should just suck it up and not worry about the power as long as I can get from A to B eventually? An engine replacement is neither in my budget nor something I want to do unless I can't drive the car without doing it.

3. AJxr... I agree... And now I'm confused, cause first it was a type-D, and now it's a type-R and both types of owners are ****??

Anyways... I guess I sorta got my original question answered. I still have no idea when it was put in, though I'm sure it was before 1998, as the service records since then don't show any engine swaps.
Not really happy about how I had to get my info... people are surely getting over charged all over the place if they have no idea how to find out this information before they make a purchase. I know if I didn't own the car already and have easy access to what's under the hood, and have found this forum, I wouldn't have a clue. *sigh* Oh well... I guess that's a chance a person has to take. Maybe next time I buy a used car, I'll ask for the VIN and the engine code and come here and find out. Thanks guys.
Melissa

 

Do some typical bolt ons.. start with an intake first, as that's the easiest to do. Then move up to headers, and exhaust..