hey i am just getting into the honda scene...don't know much about the motors, etc. but i do know of the d16, b16, b18, and so on. i just purchased a 1996 civic coupe dx, but the problem is i have no idea what motor it has. the old owner had the WHOLE motor replaced around 40k miles ago. im pretty sure its the d16, but im not sure if its d16y or d16z, or w/e.anyways the old owner took it to honda to buy the motor and had them install it. i would like to know what parts i should start buying, i.e. motor specific parts. so...my question is, how do i find out what motor i have?

all help appreciated
-the noob on honda tech

 

Should be stamped on the block towards the front of the car.

 

 

as seen here its down and to the left of the header where the transmission and engine mate. if its the stock engine then its most likely a non-vtec d16y7.

 

when you open the hood, right next to the tranny it will say the motor code o the block. The top one is the model the bottom is a serial #.

 

its behind your gas pedal....on the back

 

lol!?

 

lol.....anyways...

 

hey thanks for the help guys unfortunatly i cant look 2nite because its really dark but i will give a look tomorow are let you guys know what i find! here are some pictures of what the car looks like...







sorry about the bad pictures...spent more money on the car than the camera lol...i picked her up for $3k

 

so i found out...it says 16a
so...now im going to sound really stupid asking this BUT...
is it vtech? and if not, is there a way i can make it vtech with out replacing the motor?

 

+=wireless vtech civic.

 

well theres obviously some dirt still covering part of the engine code cause theres no such thing as a "16a". its possible that the D before the 1 is covered up, and a letter after the a is covered up but i doubt it. plus its quite unlikely someone would have put a d16a- anything in there. they all are old *** engines and mostly, if not entirely obd0. that being said i suppose its more likely that it is a b16a and you simply cant see the b beneath the grime. but if it were it would also very likely say dohc vtec right on the valve cover. in which case you wouldnt be asking if it had vtec.. so i'm kind of unsure as to what you have... pictures would help. oh and it is VTEC btw, vtech is a phone company.

does it look like this...



or does it look like this...

 

Shoulda taken a pic of your engine also while you were taking pics...

 

16a? wtf what about the letter before the #'s lol. But from 16a it only makes sense that its a JDM B16a swap. And yes its a VTEC (not vtech) motor.

 

take a pic of the motor.

 

Hahaha sorry but hahah anyways ? To the OP as everyone said an engine bay pick would help us greatly

 

how is year identification gona help this?

 

ok guys sorry about all the confusion...i told you i am new the the honda scene, because i dont know what im talking about haha ok so its VTEC, not vtech. i got that. and to answer d16sihatch, its the top pic, single overhead cam or, SOHC. as a matter of fact, it looks like the same exact motor...and i couldnt read the label that well, it was under poor lighting at night. guess my cell phone isnt quite bright enough lol im going out to look now.

 

so i can clearly read it now...it says d16a...so i have an outdated engine???

 

No, it's not outdated. And by the way, you do not have have an "EK coupe". EK's don't exist in the states. Read your VIN, it'll say EJ6. That's what you have, not an EK.

 

its just a name i couldnt think of anything else. dont have to be a jerk about it

 

The D16A is a great engine.

 

o and if still dont know you dont have vtec
isnt the d16a what came in the efs and ****?

 

its a jdm engine so that explains some of the confusion. it's exactly the same as a usdm d16z6. yes it has vtec.

 

umm, i don't know if its vtec or not, d16sihatch says it is but i think the op would have seen it on the valve cover. To answer the question about making it vtec (if its not): yes you can make it a vtec, you can swap the head with another d series motor that had vtec. theres more to it, but i don't know the details as i have never done it. search, i bet you will find something!
and another thing: dont expect to make real power with a big exhaust on stock d, if you want more power there are ways to do it without swapping the exhaust out. and if you do, dont get 3 inch pipes, they are unnecessary and actually can cause power loss. to avoid controversy on the past statement i will explain myself as simply as possible. a bigger exhaust than needed will cause the gasses to lose pressure and therefore lose velocity, and because of less velocity it will take more for the engine to push the gasses out of the way.