Here's the Scoop.

The car is a 94 Civic Coupe

My D16Z6 swap is missing a few bolts on the block.. many cut wire from the harness.. possibly a blown head gasket...and three CEL codes (god knows what else the previous owner did).

The transmission is grinding like a mother ****** and will go on me soon as well.

I was planning on building it and boosting it, but it doesn't seem worth the money to rebuild as opposed to swapping a DOHC motor in.

What should I do?

And would there be anyone who can lead some insight on swapping engines? (This is something major for me as a daily driver... and I'm also just getting into the Honda tuning scene with the influence from a friend with experience)

I'm a college student too.. so reliability is a must and money is a tight subject.

 

bumped

 

A harness will cost you 100 to replace (uncut)

Bolts are cheap unless they need to be machined out.

Are you sure that you have actual CEL's or they are going off because the harness is screwed? Did you do a compression test to verify the HG is blown? I would check into all of this before going out and spending more money on a swap.

A B18b1 would be the cheapest alternative if you were to not go with the SOHC. Depending on what your plans for the build are you could pick up a blown motor for cheap or a complete swap in the marketplace. Hmotorsonline.com sells B18b's complete for 2200... a little pricey but worth it

 

i have a 94 ex. I swapped in a b18c about a year and a half ago and it has been great. It has been as reliable as a stock car for me. Haven't had any problems except breaking axles, but i think that has something to do with the lsd and the axle not being stong enough. However its still driveable like this, just annoying. I would definitly go with the DOHC swap. More reliability vs. boost and lots more potential for when you maybe get a 2nd car and want to boost it.

 

I agree. swap it for an ls or b20 maybe. It will cost a little more than fixing the d maybe dependibng on who does the rebuild.

 

I was originally eying down a DOHC B16 or B18 to swap in... then boost later on.

but which would be easier for a direct bolt in?

 

night time bump

 

b18c dropped right into my 94 ex.

 

i would really really go with the b18 if you do go DOHC, ive had a few friends get even the jdm b16 and it just doesn't put out enough power unless its built pretty good. I would go with the jdm b18c, little more expensive, but well worth it IMO.

 

Swap in a B series motor. Easy swap.

 

well it looks like i'm going with the b18 guys (as long as it's a direct drop in like you say)

plus i've seen some sick *** 1/4 mile times with this thing boosted.

 

if its an obd-1 engine everything will bolt up perfectly. the harness will plug into the existing location and you can use the teg mounts and stuff. its a pretty essy swap.

 

I've heard the B18C has a slightly longer tranny...

will this cause mounting problems in my chassis or fit differently when the axles go on? (assuming the integra axles come with the engine)

 

no everything fits right up. was the first swap i did and it was really simple. I would definitly suggest getting the jdm b18c with the LSD transmission. You will be sorry in the long run if your dont get the LSD. Hmotorsonline.com is a great sight to buy from (i was very pleased)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by athbaseball23 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It has been as reliable as a stock car for me. Haven't had any problems except breaking axles, but i think that has something to do with the lsd and the axle not being stong enough</TD></TR></TABLE>

that worries me lol

 

no you shouldnt have worries... it has been a great engine. i just didnt get the right axle i dont think. Anyway this could be just in my case of this happening... it has been a great strong daily driver engine.

 

sweet!
i think i'll go with the b18 in a few months when the money comes in.
plenty of time to enjoy it NA and then boost it :]

thanks for the input guys!

 

By "B18" I hope you mean B18b1. I cant see spending 3000+ on a B18c swap and then another 3000+ on a turbo kit to make he same amount of whp you would have if you picked up a B18b/b1 for a $1k less.

 

Is the vtec on the B18C that much less than a normal B18b?

i was originally looking to boost a vtec motor.... but would a b18b boost be better than a b18c boosted? (i know it's all in the tune but i'm assuming the vtec would have a considerable advantage over the b18b)

 

The B18b1 is a DOHC non-vtec motor w/ 140/125 hp/tq... roughly.

Go to http://www.Hmotorsonline.com and price each of them complete. If you are shooting for small whp numbers like 250-270 I would take the cheapest route there, and the cheapest would be to either boost the Dseries now or get a B18b1 if you are stuck on a swap considering your Dseries sounds like it needs some work.

A turbo'd B18b1 will do just fine... I highly doubt you will have any complaints. You could even put that extra 1k you save in to some rods/pistons/bearing and run a lil more boost.

 

it's possible to convert the head into a vtec head later on down the road right?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by slacks &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it's possible to convert the head into a vtec head later on down the road right?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Sure is... LSVtec.

 

awesome!!! b18b is going to work better to boost then.

and down the road i'll swap a Vtec head onto the block and get even more power

thanks guys!

 

Inlinefour.com has a 1st generation B16A for $1200.

 

The b18b, yes would be perfect boosted.... BUT how far down the road are you planning on boosting... If like in my case not for a few years or so, I would definitely throw the extra 1k into getting a b18c. The b18b is a strong motor if boosted, but without boost you will be very disappointed and probably end up either buying another engine or putting a vtec head on it, which is also strong, but for a daily driver car not so reliable (experience). So for what your looking for, it seems like the me you should get the b18c unless boost is in the very near future. IMO