Alright so ive been a member of this forum now for about a week and have been just reading and most of it is way over my head but ive taken some tips on removing rust/fixing interior problems.

I recently bought an 1989 Honda CRX HF which apparently comes with stock 65 HP >.< The MPG is Great but the HP is not gonna work on the highways around DC i will literally get run over. So from what ive read here im thinking of going with a B16A. But I know absolutelly nothing about Cars i dont even know whats currently in mine, i work on computers for the government. Anyways Heres the engine im thinking of getting: http://www.hmotorsonline.com/s...30023 Will that work? i mean it says it comes with: Engine, Intake Manifold, Exhaust Manifold, Injectors, Fuel Rail, Throttle Body. Is there anything else i will need? Is it a decent price? and...... Any guess's on what i should expect to pay for installation? I know thats like 50 vagues questions.... but hopefully someone can help a noob.

I would love to work on this myself and learn, but its to big of a job and the rules on base dont allow me to do carwork in my parking area . so... yeah.
any help is appreciated

-thx

 

well yes a b16A is a nice upgrade especially for a daily driven crx. Do some more research on here and print out a list of what you will need. Its not a simple swap because you do need some extra's like motor mounts,shift linkage,vtech subharness,axles,throttle cable,clutch cable,etc. Just some stuff you'll have to buy on top of the engine.

If your looking for a more price friendly swap that you can reuse most of your old stuff like mounts,linkage,etc then stay in the same motor family. Since your stock motor is a d15b6, you can upgrade to the 92-95 civic vtec engine which is a d16z6 or a 96-00 civic vtec engine which is a d16y8. They are the same 130 horsepower and everything just one's newer and has obd2. But if you choose to run one of these you will need a crx cable transmission, an si tranny is way better than the hf because its geared for acceleration rather than fuel economy.

I tried to simplify it for you since you said you don't know cars. If you need more info let me know

 

Usually bases have a dedicated area like a shop anyone can use to do repairs. They have tools and lifts and everything u may need to do your repairs for a very low price.

As for the engine, its a decent price and it will give you the power your looking for.But yes you will still need the parts mentioned by alscrx.

 

First off, thanks for the reply. Secondly i was looking through that website i found on here [hmotorsonline] and the only D one i found was a D15B SOHC VTEC Longblock. which the info says IS for a 92-95 Civic Vti. Would that work? And im not to worried about buying some extra stuff if i did go with a B16A. What the problem is, is with something that would be very costly to install. Say for example I have read many posts where people are having to add new Axles or some crazyness. I mean im saving up so this isnt gonna happen instantly, But i dont want to be paying for some crazy **** to get installed. -thx again

 

@GuySensei

yes your correct its called a "Hobby Shop" and i use it whenever i rotate my tires/change oil/ etc. But since im a giant Nab i would not be able to complete this in a day or even a month, so seeing how they wouldnt let me keep it there that long my choice for an engine replacement involves someone else doing all the work for me =P

 

Also, One more thing to anyone who is willing to give help with this, I need it to be manual transmission. So whatever that means, im not sure if all engines work with or .... i dont even know what question to ask about that without sounding to dumb.

 

Learn how to drive your HF stock... tune it up, it's a light car, and if you actually use 1st and second, you're past 50mph and fine...

Don't hack up a perfectly fine HF...

 

do a head swap. you can get enough out of it not to get ran over on the highway and it IS something you can do in a day. its an old honda, its not THAT hard to work on. get a manual from autozone, a write up on HT, a head (probably from HT also ha), all the fixins, and a day in the "hobby shop". your right as rain

 

Well i am exaggerating the getting run over part. And ive only ever driven stick shifts so id have to say im pretty good at it and now how to drive it and when to shift plenty well. but the header swap might work... i mean how much hp could i expect to gain from that? But i am a muscle freak so i know i wont be satisfied till i get an upgraded engine, which i personally would not consider "hacking" it up.

 

You could always buy a SI trans or atleast a dx trans. Also if ya wanna save some bucks ya can swap the intake manifold for a SI one or a d16 z6 one.,buy a decent header to.

On the D15 motor ya asked about it will bolt into your car, with your stock mounts ,linakage ect...

 

@sleepingciv thx for the info on the D15. and as to the transmissions, i think you may underestimate my noobishness because i have no idea whats what really.

but i suppose maybe my real question should be whats the best/cheapest way to add some real HP to this car. (near the 200 range) anywhere from 150 - 25

 

a dx and si are 2 trim levels people bought the cars in as far as trans. they are just geared differently basically to make it faster. the si being better, in "noob" terms i guess.

mini-me head swap, header, and intake i would say you will be close to 130 maybe. but the HF is lighter than any other crx. to be honest i only know these things from what i have read here on HT in the quest to speed up my civic also. so if any of this is wrong i apologize, but i am SURE someone will correct me on it. then we will both be learning

 

hmmmm well although 130 hp would be an excellent improvement, BUT thats what your saying it would be at the peak of putting these upgrades on my current engine. correct? And i think that would just wet my taste for hp. So i think im gonna need to start off at that range, and then upgrade from there. So im thinking i like the D15 idea. But when i called hmotorsonline the person there told me i would need to buy a custom engine harness to fit it in my 89 CRX HF as well as a new computer????


So lets say the question has been broken down a little bit and further defined. From the responses ive gotten, the best/easiest/cheapest/most compatable engine swap would be a D series. So what should i go with? D15? D16? D.... what? Also if you give an answer please provide what all parts i would need to mount it that particular engine. Because i am now leaning towards taking leave and trying to work on this myself at my Dads house which is 350 miles away >.< . Thanks Again.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GrassNinja &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hmmmm well although 130 hp would be an excellent improvement, BUT thats what your saying it would be at the peak of putting these upgrades on my current engine. correct? And i think that would just wet my taste for hp. So i think im gonna need to start off at that range, and then upgrade from there. So im thinking i like the D15 idea. But when i called hmotorsonline the person there told me i would need to buy a custom engine harness to fit it in my 89 CRX HF as well as a new computer????


So lets say the question has been broken down a little bit and further defined. From the responses ive gotten, the best/easiest/cheapest/most compatable engine swap would be a D series. So what should i go with? D15? D16? D.... what? Also if you give an answer please provide what all parts i would need to mount it that particular engine. Because i am now leaning towards taking leave and trying to work on this myself at my Dads house which is 350 miles away &gt;.&lt; . Thanks Again.</TD></TR></TABLE>
PM me

 

Is there a budget to your quest for extra ponies? Here are my picks, easiest to hardest.

1. CRX Si swap (88-91), ~105hp rated.
Need: D16A6 Si motor, Si transmission, Si ECU. This is a bolt on swap with little to no wiring changes. You might need Si or Dx axles. You can reuse your HF transmission, but why? HF and DX transmission are geared for fuel economy, so your acceleration will suffer. Cost for all this is about $800 depending where you live.

2. CRX JDM ZC dual cams swap. ~135hp rated.
Need: DOHC ZC motor, ZC or Si ECU, Si transmission, Si or DX axles. This is also bolt a bolt on swap and is a very popular swap. Cost is about $1200.

3. Integra dual cams LS/GS swap. ~140 hp rated.
Need: aftermarket motor mount kits, shift linkage, 90-93 B17/B18 motors and their ECU's, 90-93 integra axles, 90-93 integra transmissions, shift linkage, some changes to your engine harness. Not a total bolt on swap. Not a job for any unwilling and impatient noob. ~$1500

4. SiR dual cams B16 Vtec swap. ~160hp rated.
Need: aftermarket motor mount kits, shift linkage, 88-91 JDM B16 motors and their ECU's, 90-93 integra axles, JDM B16 or 90-93 integra transmissions, shift linkage, DX or Si front knuckles and hubs, lots of changes to your engine harness. Not a total bolt on swap. Not a job for any unwilling and impatient noob. ~$2500.

5. Integra GSR dual cams B18C Vtec swap. ~180hp rated.
Need: similar to #4 above, but using B18C motor. Will also need wiring converstion harnesses if you don't want to wire things yourself. Some banging or hammering of the engine bay for fitment. Not a job for any noob, willing or not! ~$4000.

6. Prelude H22 Vtec swap. ~200hp. Uhhhm.... go there only if you really really really want to. ~$5000.

7. K20 swap. ~200hp. See #6 above, maybe add "noob shouldn't even think about thinking about it." ~$10000

Good luck. But seriously, just type in "CRX motor swaps" in Googles and you'll see thousands of topics on this.

 

hehehe

 

I vote on the head swap as that would be the easiest and could very well be done in a day.

What you will need
-Head off of a 92-95 D16Z6 or a D15B
-Intake manifold off of a 92-95 D16Z6 or a D15B
-Wiring harness with jumper harness to convert to OBD1. A guy on here makes them. I think his name is Monotech? A couple companies also make them but you have to ship them your harness and wait. They are complete plug and play so all you have to do is plug in all the connections.
-Aftermarket header
-Full top end gasket kit... head gasket, intake manifold gasket and exhaust manifold gasket
-Obd1 ecu (92-95)... P28 preferred
-Possibly a (92-95) engine harness

Still not enough
-Si tranny to help with acceleration

Then power can still go up from there.



Modified by 88efZ6 at 10:17 PM 10/11/2008

 

Yeah ALS i cant pm xD cuz im a (trial) user even though I think ive been a member for over 5 days o.O not sure whats up with that but anyways. Since ima trial member im limited to 5 posts per 24 hours so sorry for not answering to peoples posts =/.

But yeah the D15 sounds good, but at the same time i think going the B16 route would probably have the most potential and therefore pay off the most. But i'm not in a huuuuge hurry i want to get it done right the first time, so if that means saving up and waiting so be it. I suppose it would probably make the most sense for me to start working on something i can work on doing myself.... like my Honda Cancer... and just start enjoying my MPG. damn rust....