ok... I am going to ask the single most annoying question that mocks every guy who has a car who wants to swap a motor in cali. What are the rules on swaping a motor into a car. I get the whole vtec thing (well ok I don't get it...) Sooooo.... my basic question is this.

I have an 89 dx hatch and I want to swap out the motor (i currently have a d15 in it and well...) I was concidering getting a d16. What do I need to know to keep it legal so the cops don't tell me to pull it out. And if anyone can answer it why is the vtec swap illegal? I mean come on?!? Its just digital variable timing for a 4 cylinder engine.

 

D16 is not an illegal swap. You should be good.
VTEC is not legal because you have an OBD1 engine in a OBD0 car.

 

ok... thats weird because the i know that I have read that it is legal to put in engines into a car as long as its the same model year or NEWER. Right? So under that cali ruling it should be ok. and with the swap you should have to bring it up to obd1 code to install the engine due to the install. But a d16 should be ok as long as its obd0? How about jdm? I know that as long as the engine exists on us shores they will not trip as long as you follow the standard rules. But more importantly will a jdm d16 mate to my transmission? Or do I need to swap that out too?

 

The trans should bolt right up.

You can legalize the swap by making an appointment with the B.A.R. for a ref. to inspect it. Make sure everything on that motor is hooked up properly, charcoal canister, purge, pcv, egr (if applicable), etc.

As for the swap you want to do, I wouldn't even sweat it unless you drive like a moron and get pulled over by a pig, he [i]might[i/] cite you and make you take it to a ref. Most of the time the pig won't be able to tell as long as everything was done clean and nothing really looks modified. If you're sticking with a tiny D-series motor (v-tec or not) it looks pretty innocent - unlike the B-H-K series motors (heck you might even get away with the B).

 

Engine Changes
Engine changes are legal as long as the following requirements are met to ensure that the change does not increase pollution from the vehicle:
*The engine must be the same year or newer than the vehicle.
*The engine must be from the same type of vehicle (passenger car, light-duty truck, heavy- duty truck, etc.) based on gross vehicle weight.
*If the vehicle is a California certified vehicle then the engine must also be a California certified engine.
*All emissions control equipment must remain on the installed engine.
*After an engine change, vehicles must first be inspected by a state referee station. The vehicle will be inspected to ensure that all the equipment required is in place, and vehicle will be emissions tested subject to the specifications of the installed engine.

JDM MOTORS CAN BE LEGAL AS LONG AS:
1. The engine is the same year as car or newer.
2. The ECU is a USDM and not JDM.
3. NO JDM wiring harness, it must be USDM.
4. The intake must be the original USDM air box, OR an intake that has a C.A.R.B sticker that is STRICTLY for the swapped motor. (Example: an AEM CAI for a GSR with a GSR motor will PASS, a AEM CAI for a Type R with a GSR motor will NOT pass)
5. The exhaust manifold MUST BE USDM, and if it is not O.E. then it must have a C.A.R.B sticker that matches the motor. I asked the ref. if they could really tell the difference between a stock USDM and JDM exhaust manifold, and he said that they have pictures for everything, and there are slight differences.
6. No adjustable FPR's, not unless it has a C.A.R.B. sticker.
7. Must have a catalytic converter hooked up (this one is pretty obvious).
8. All USDM O.E. smog equipment MUST be hooked up and working properly!




Do the swap, get it inspected. If if fails, the referee will tell you exactly everything you'll need to pass the inspection.

 

ah. thanks everyone that really helps. I swear we need to make a sticky for something like this so we don't get 50 people asking about it.

 

So this mean i can pass inspection with a k series as long as I do everything as listed?

 

There is a sticky, in the EG forum, ha.

 

Yes it's possible, it's been done, but its a BIG HASSLE. You would need all of the smog components, fuel lines, fuel tank, wiring harness, and ecu from whatever car you plan on getting your k-series from.

 

So I need to turn my ef8 into DBW?

 

I say go with the d16A6. Because you can play around with it and still have it good for the street.... That's me because I have the same engine and I what an D16A6.... I know that www.exospeed.com sell an good all motor D16A6. If you what to look into it.

 

Yeah, basically, you need to transfer all of the emissions components from a DBW into your CRX, from my understanding.

Search the EG or Hybrid forums regarding Kswaps. There is more detailed information than I can give you.

 

lol i passed with d15b vtec. i just used a d16z6 manifold LOL

 

you are supposed to have everything be from the car that the motor came from be in the car you are putting it in and dont use jumper harnesses for the ecu. you can put a obd0 ls motor in the car as long as all of the smog stuff is there from a ls and the ecu is from a ls you will pass. if you are doing the swap yourself make sure you solder and heat shrink all the wires you pig tail. if your trying to do a kswap it is almost impossible to get it to pass you would need the whole dash the gas tank fuel system everything that is used for emissions and since the fuel system is different you need even the fuel lines its a pain in the *** if you pockets are deep enough it can be done though

 

ah i see not much has changed in a year and a half, god what a pain in the a$$, but so worth it.

 

I passed with a jumper harness.

 

Actually, that's from my research from 3 years ago. It could have changed since then. Most of that info was found on the BAR (Bureau of Automotive repair) website anyways.

 

My 1st visit to the ref station was when I 1st bought my 89 HF with a D15B2 (DX engine). Did a major tune up and it passed with flying color.

2nd visit was when I swapped the D15B2 -----> 91 JDM D15B VTEC. Never converted to OBD1 (since I was using the D16A6 intake manifold) and the ref technician allow me to run it as a replacement motor. Passed

3rd visit. Same set up as above but the ref technician didn't allow me to test it cuz the timing was off since the OBD1 motor with OBD0 distributor didn't have the same time adjustment. So how did I get it tested the previous time? Don't know. My guess is that the ref technician let me go the 1st time.

4th visit. Swapped the D15B VTEC-----> 91 JDM B16A
Pretty much I did what Jedi Sol mention. Used Del Sol P30 intake manifold with all sensor + USDM P30 ECU + conversion harness + TD44U distributor. FAIL only HC (hydrocarbon) on both 15 and 25 mph.
Tried many things and visited the ref 3 times but I could not pass the HC. I scratched my head since I was clueless. Compression was 180 all the way so, I don't have burnt valve. Had a slight exhaust leak so that might be it or I might soldered the wrong wire for the EVAP purge valve.

Anyway I want to get BAR legal for my B16 but the time ran out and I was moving up to LA for college, so I no longer have a place to work on my car anymore.
The DMV started to charge on registration extension this year so yeah. NEXT time in 2010. I hope i could get a BAR tag for my CRX.

 

i have a 89 b16a in my 91 crx si the year does not matter..i passed my first time with luck kinda i passed by .1 on the hc. i went in there with and new cat fresh tune up and it passed and now its legal, i used the usdm p30 ecu the p30 manifold w/ sensors and the conversion harness and dizzy.

 

i have a 89 b16a in my 91 crx si the year does not matter..i passed my first time with luck kinda i passed by .1 on the hc. i went in there with and new cat fresh tune up and it passed and now its legal, i used the usdm p30 ecu the p30 manifold w/ sensors and the conversion harness and dizzy.