I recently bought a 91 Civic Si for $1k with 55k mi. on it. Its in great condition, inside and out. However, it doesnt run. It needs the engine rebuilt. Im currently having that done for a fair deal. Now, I bought the car from a friend (who doesnt know much about jdm motors/cars) who said there was a b16 in it. Im being told by my mechanic now it is in fact a ZC engine, not a b16. Now i know theres a noticable differnce between the two but im not too familar with the ZC. I dont know anyone who has or had one. Was it still a good deal? Besides the rebuild it runs and drives good. Burns oil like bitch but beside that its not in bad shape. Im reading the specs on ZC enignes and its alot slower then the b16 i was expecting. Does anyone here have a ZC? Id appreciate any input or thoughts about my purchase or this engine.

 

There are various versions of the ZC engine. First question, is it a single cam or dual cam ZC?

 

Its a DOHC. Im reading its only putting out 128hp and 108lbs. Doesnt sound impressive to me..

 

if paired with the zc tranny its really not all that bad. may not be a b16 but i spanked b16 swapped cars back when i had my old dohc zc..kinda wish i still had it

 

It must've had one hell of a hard life if it only has 55k miles on it.

 

i loved my zc they have a very good powerband but parts are not easy to find

 

I still run my DOHC ZC to this day. It can hold it's own against similarly modified cars but it's ancient compared to what newer cars come with stock today.

Next question, is the Honda "H" on the intake side of the valve cover or the exhaust side? (Valve cover color and valve cover bolt location are variables too).

 

a friend had one with I/H/E quickness was fair. motor seemed to be bullet proof. he beat the hell out of it, rippin around town high rpms all day, bounced the needle can't count how many time just when i rode with, raced it on the weekends. just changed oil often.

your Q: seem a little high for not running. could have got a shell and motor separate for less. BUMP FOR PICS

 

Check out the "thezcr.com"

There all dohc ZC nuts there.

 

"Next question, is the Honda "H" on the intake side of the valve cover or the exhaust side?"

I cant really remember what side its on. I know the intake is in the back of the engine so i would think the "H" would be on the exhaust side then?

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"It must've had one hell of a hard life if it only has 55k miles on it."

I wish i knew for my own curiosity. My guy bought it from someone he met at Checkers auto. It was in the same condition its in now. That was 2 yrs ago. However, my mechanic (who works on drag cars and bikes) says its not in bad shape. Hes gonna tune it up and flush the works for me and he thinks itll run great when its done. I hope hes right.

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"seem a little high for not running. could have got a shell and motor separate for less."

I figured it sounded kinda high. But like i said at the time i thought it was a b16 so i was alittle more willing to put alittle more cash on it. Its not a total rip off in my mind tho. The body and interior are in great shape (minus needing paint on the hood and roof, due to pipes being stored on it ). It has a new lowering kit and brakes on it, shortshifter, white face guages, shiftllight and Tanabe headers back exhaust. All of which are still in great shape. And the sunroof still works good and doesnt leak. Its hard to find that in WI due to the weather. So i guess im ok with spending alittle more $ for alittle less work in the future.

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"i loved my zc they have a very good powerband but parts are not easy to find"

Im finding that out.. I found a re-build kit on ebay for alittle less then $300. Im trying to find a new valve cover to make it look alittle nicer and im havin trouble with that.

 

Sounds like you have the black top version DOHC ZC if in fact you have the "H" on the exhaust side. Don't worry about the motor only having about 130hp and a B16A having 160hp. Torque wise, it's like 106ft/lbs vs 111ft/lbs or something similar. Depending on your intentions with the car, "peak" hp may not be as important as "usable" hp. For example, the guy that swapped my ZC for me back in the day had a B16A in his hatch. We ran heads up at the track and it turned out that I was able to beat him by .2 seconds. We basically had the same mods, but he had a J1 tranny (really close ratio) attached to his B16A while I had a DX tranny attached to my ZC (fairly long gear ratio) AND I had a widebody kit back then. Now, that doesn't mean that DOHC ZC motors are better than B16A motors. If you're into this hobby long enough you'll understand that there's always someone faster, there's someone doing more with less, someone will always be one up on you, etc. I was told when I got the motor that it's a bastard motor, either you love them or you hate them. I love mine. Wish you were here, if you were I'd let you bash on mine all you want and then you can decide for yourself if you like it or not.

I guess what you gotta do is drive one to understand one.

As for your original question, I'd have no problem shelling out a $1k for an Si model equipped with a DOHC even if it's not running. An Si hatch in good shape is hard to find so if it really is in good shape like you say, I'd be very happy with it.

 

hi there,
Looks like you have a Zc dohc from japan! Those like mine that is in a ef7 (crx si) from japan !
I'm running that engine for about 2 years and man, beside it takes oil, a bit normal cuz its old, but it's not that bad man ! You can something pretty good with it ! It impress people when you tell them that you have a 1.6 non vtec and you kicked his *** haha
If you have any question about, ask me i did a lot on that engine !

 

I have heard stories about zc's man... those things are evil!!! I have been told that there is a way to tweek the intake and exaust timing to make that thing go like a bullet. Good luck man and be thankful you are not in cali. the cops would take that engine in one hot second.

 

Thanks alot 24TEN i appreciate the info. Ive been going through the threads around here and been hearing alot of what you are saying about how they can take some punishment. Which is good concidering im new to all this and ill probly be giving it some for a while. lol. I cant wait till it gets running and i can whip it around a bit.

fbdohc Thanks for the words of encouragement. lol. I was kinda bummed when i found out it was a "weaker" engine then i thought. Im glad to hear that ill still have some fun with it.

shyguy4no1 Why are they so hard on ZC's?? Do you know how to tweek the intake and exhaust timing? Or know how i could find out how to do it?

 

I friend of mine has a si hatch with a zc. I drove it to his house for him he had been drinking. long story short, is it had some ponys that can pull that hatch no prob. I think you'll have a great time with it when it up and running. they corner great its like a go cart.
I just got a 1990 crx hf with/ b16 not running. so I know what its like wanting to drive your new car around, but having to wait.
good luck with your new whip, hope you get it running.

 

Thanks alot 1990 hf crx (Mick). Good luck with yours also. Whats arong with your b16?

 

It had a pretty bad fuel leak. I just fixed that up.
It's not getting spark, trying to get it fixed in the morning. might have to get a new dizzy. I hope that is the only problem with it. then I will be driving my first honda

 

I hear that! im geeked as hell! lol. I used to drive a olds acheiva with a 2.4 twin cam and i spanked on so many hondas with it. It was tourqie as hell. Now ive sold that and im buying the very car that ive beat so many times. Lol. I just like the idea of having a car that u can customize so well and so easy for little coin.

 

I used to drive 81 celica that I'm selling, parts are to hard to come by. I currently drive 96 subaru legacy family wagon that I will keep as long as it lives. that wagon is unstoppable in the snow.lol. puts trucks to shame in the snow. I never raced before, road with friend many times though.

 

hey mad mike where a bouts Wisconsin do you live? if your close enough to Illinois let me know if u ever need a hand.

 

I live just south of Milwaukee. In Racine. Not far from the Rockford. Ive done some work there b4. Mayb an hr to an hr-n-half away. I really appreciate the thought man! But im not the one workin on it. lol. I have a mechanic that does drag car work that is taking care of it for me. Im pretty illiterate when it comes to getting that deep in an engine. I would appreciate any help i might need in the future tho!

What do you drive? Mayb when i get it up and running we can make a run or something?