I have a couple questions on the ZC. And when I say ZC I mean a bone stock from the factory ZC engine. Are these engines available DOHC and SOHC? And with Vtec and without? And whats the rev limit? Is it still a screamer compared to that hardcore 92 hp 1.5L? I have looked in tons of places and have got all different information and its annoying as hell. Man I swear people imagine half the **** they post about Hondas. I am swapping a b16 but a bud is probably doing the ZC for lack of funds. Please post only if you KNOW your ****, not guesses and heresay.

 

What is a ZC?

1st gen DOHC ZC - brown valve cover - came in 86-87 JDM Integra - will bolt directly into 1st gen CRX Si and 3rd gen Civic Si - will not bolt directly into 2nd gen CRX or 4th gen Civic.
2nd gen DOHC ZC - black valve cover - came in 88-89 JDM Integra - will bolt directly into 1st gen CRX and 3rd gen Civic, same as brown valve cover, however, it uses electronic advance distributor like 88-89 USDM Integra D16A1 - 1st gen CRX Si and 3rd gen Civic Si have vacuum advance distributor, so, to use it on 1g CRX or 3g Civic, you will have to do a lot of wiring changes.
3rd gen DOHC ZC - black valve cover - came in 88-91 JDM CRX Si and Civic Si - bolts directly into 2nd gen CRX and 4th gen Civic.
4th gen DOHC ZC - black valve cover - came in several different models of JDM cars 92 & up - is OBD1 - has Cylinder Position Sensor inside the distributor and will bolt directly into 92-00 Civics
SOHC ZC - basically the same as D16A6 (little more horsepower) - will bolt directly into 2nd gen CRX and 4th gen Civic.
SOHC VTEC ZC - basically the same as D16Z6 - OBD1 - will bolt directly into 92-00 Civic

DOHC ZC Specs.

1.6L (1590 cc) DOHC
130-135 hp @ 6800 rpm
Bore 75.0
Stroke 90.0
C.R. 9.5:1 I can find no evidence of it being any higher than this.
91 octane. Some have reported no problems with 87, but the specified gas is 95 and/or 96 RON, which is equal to 91-92 'pump octane' available in the US.

The ZC comes with a black valve cover with the cover bolts on the sides
The Honda symbol is on the exhaust side of the valve cover
The ZC comes with a 4-2-1 header style exhaust manifold
The ZC comes with a small oil to water oil cooler on the back of the block
The ZC has the same mounting points as the standard 88-91 CRX/CIVIC
The ZC will bolt right in to the 88-91 CRX/CIVIC no fabricating or welding is needed

The swap can use your existing wiring harness if you have an SI or HF, if you have a DX or STD then minor modification is necessary. There is info on this procedure here

The engine only adds about twenty-five pounds to the front of the car, so your steering and suspension should be the same. Your ZC didnt come witht he header. The scoop on the headers, is that while the bolt pattern for the Civic SOHC engines and the ZC engines are identical, the port pattern is not. The ZC engine has the ports shifted almost 3 mm (appx 1/8"). In real terms, this means that when you use the SOHC header, the ports do not align properly. The exiting exhaust gases literally run into one edge of the misaligned header flange. You can see this by holding the steel exhaust gasket from the ZC engine up to the DC header.

The easiest and best solution is to use the ZC gasket as a template and mark the misalignment. Using an air grinder, with a small stone "port" the header to match the ZC port configuration. While you're at it clean up the entry point of the header a little so that the whole port on the header is slightly larger than the ZC port. It is an old, but proven trick that the larger header port decreases the chance of exhaust gas reversing flow and re-entering the still open exhaust valves. It is better to have the port larger than to have them matched identical. Do not under any circumstances grind the port on the head to match the header though. This gives poor results

 

all from http://www.thezcr.com

 

Whoa. Thanks. So DOHC zc is the way to go, 3rd gen?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by b16er &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Whoa. Thanks. So DOHC zc is the way to go, 3rd gen?</TD></TR></TABLE>

If a ZC is what you must have. I would do a USDM SOHC VTEC due to the ease of getting parts. It is all preference in the end....I have a few buddies that have had DOHC ZC's and well the key word is HAD.

Any ZC will take a little wiring in a USDM chasis.

 

i have a dohc zc in my 90 hatch. wiring was minimal, just swapping dizzy plugs with a std, since i had an si. there are quite a few people who make parts for the dohc zc, just check out http://www.thezcr.com. just use the search button.

 

the sohc zc was not offered in a vtec version as far as i know but it has a better cam than vtec and other none vtec motors, the block is basically an a6 block i have an official zc from japan, dunno anything about dohc zc
i did a mini me swap on my zc

 

Yes, the SOHC ZC is a bit zippier than the D16A6 due to a different cam, and otherwise they're identical. I say get the SOHC for easy part locating, but there are many sources for the DOHC, you just have to dig a little more and maybe have some custom stuff made (i.e. if you go FI). And like said before, check out http://www.thezcr.com, tons of great ZC info there

 

im doing a dohc zc swap myself...the wiring isnt that much, ecu is cheap, n u can keep obd0

 

i have a dohc zc as well, and it runs great . i would recommend if u do get the engine when its not in the car do the major tune and go to the zcr for all the parts list , but you they dont have "zc" part #'s at your local auto store and i recommend getting a jdm zc tranny with zc mid shaft as well . overall great engine