I have noticed on this forum that most guys swap engines in their CRXs instead of rebuilding the original motor. I understand the more horsepower thing but I would think rebuilding the engine would be easier. I have rebuilt a couple of V8s and a four cylinder tractor and I enjoyed that very much. Are these motors hard to rebuild. I haven't been in one yet but I am wondering.

Mark

 

It depends on what you want, you can rebuild the stock motor, but some people like VTEC, no way to get that without swapping either the motor or head or whatever, and cheap low mileaged motors are just as cheap as a rebuild.

 

I rebilt mine for under $200, and it was cake. But I fully understand swapping motors for more power. Most people are swapping out perfectly good engines for more power. If I wasn't planning on going turbo, I would have swapped too.

 

People are also less inclined to boast about an engine rebuild, which is possibley why you dont hear of it as much as engine swapping.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DailyDriverCivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I rebilt mine for under $200, and it was cake.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Then again, what exactly did you do when you rebuilt? Because you sure can't replace much for under $220.

This, of course, brings me to the BIG reason why people swap rather than rebuild: HP to cost ratio. Simply put, there is NO WAY to get the kind of HP increase that you can get by swapping if you rebuild. This is ESPECIALLY true if you go allmotor. For instance, merely getting the same HP from a D16A6 that you could get from a stock B16A is going to be difficult at best. And what are you going to have to sacrifice to get that? Fuel economy? Low end torque? Reliability? Emissions legality? These are all GENUINE concerns for someone looking for more HP. And when you look at it this way, rebuilding just doesn't make sense. Also, if you are going to build a motor for power, it just makes sense to use a motor with a higher 'starting point' to justify the cost and effort of building. Remember that unlike typical V8-powered cars, these cars just don't have alot of power straight out of the factory with their stock engines. This is another reason why so many people swap.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by StorminMatt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Then again, what exactly did you do when you rebuilt? Because you sure can't replace much for under $220. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I have a parts connection. I did rings, bearings, water pump, timing belt, valve guide seals, all other seals on my D16A6 for a total Of $165 just recently. I did the hone myself as the cylinder walls looked great, and had the head resurfaced. The thing runs like a champ now and doesn't smoke anymore. All that and only invested about 10 hours in labor.