OK ok I am a engine building noob, I realize most of you will say "Search!!!" but I have searched and I have a collection of very mixed facts and opinions so I need to get clarification from the experts here

For simplicity, I bought a SOHC ZC motor and tranny to swap into my DX auto DPFI CRX.

I will be doing the auto to manual swap and a MPFI swap.

Now the real questions....This will be a daily driver so i need reliability and fuel economy

So... Im looking to possibly swap the IM/ throttle body and possibly mill the head and add an adjustable cam

I have a PM6 but Do i need to get a tune? or can I get away with adjusting the cam timing and using the PM6? If I need to tune, what do I need to buy? theres a dyno shop near my house but I dont know what I need to do so.

How much should I mill the head?...I have heard between 0.040-0.050" but how beneficial is this?

Any other advice would be appreciated...please do not say, scrap the motor and buy a b series or anything else...I am specifically asking what to do with the motor and tranny i already have.

Thanks for your help

 

A sohc zc is the same engine as the usdm Si D16A6

 

Yes I know, hense why I didnt ask...what is a SOHC ZC engine?

 

sohc zc is a Japan spec motor!

I just said man, it the SAME as a usdm engine...it has different cam that makes an extra 10hp, but aside from that NO DIFFERENCE, what else do you want to know????

 

Well I did ask very specific questions if you re read my first post. thanks, not anything about the difference between an a6 and a zc

 

ok, i guess what i am getting at, that if you search under the D16A6 engine, you will find many threads full of the info you are looking for.

Personally, i would just drop that engine in and keep it stock, it is not really worth building because of so many other more powerful engine swaps out there, that would actually cost less money and make more power with any kind of money invested.

 

no need to special tuning with your SOHC ZC. treat it like a regular A6.

it would be good to determine if its originally carbed or MPFI SOHC ZC tho. (they were both from japan.) just look on the back corner near the distributor. if theres an opening or a plate covering a hole, then it was a carbed SOHC ZC. shouldnt matter really.

 

yea no real need to do any tuning all though tuning wouldnt hurt anything

 

why would you need to tune a stock SOHC ZC?

my 0.02
if its stock no need for a tune.
you say you want reliabilty and fuel economy- well then why do you need to change TB and CAM??

 

BC if you read my first post, I asked if i would change to a different intake mani and throttle body and deck the head....I was not planning on leaving it stock


Can someone please read my questions and actually help me out...this is why the search function didnt help me, ran into the same exact thing with people telling info about whatever instead of answering questions asked

 

I see why you would change over to MPFI from teh DPFI but really milling the head wont do much. The only advantage here is that you would be resurfacing the head to make it seat better when installing it. A flatter surface is always preferred so you should be good there. Like the others stated, the SOHC ZC is identical to the A6. The only thing i could think of that would make it better and need for tuning is if you went with some PM7 domed pistons. then maybe you would want to tune it for the higher compression.

Good luck!

Personally i would get the SOCH ZC chuck the head and run a Z6 vtec head and run a OBD1 ECU. but thats just me.

 

maybe you need to read our replies.

then maybe you can be able to search better.


your questions are only basic tuning questions. not sohc zc specific questions, so dont search under sohc.

if you have an adjustable cam gear, you DO need to tune it to get the most of it. but you dont HAVE to.

increasing the compression ratio by milling the head does make a difference. but you dont HAVE to tune the ecu. youd be best to.

the changes youve proposed are mild from stock at best. you should have been able to understand that once we clarified the sohc zc is the same as the A6. your question was answered, you just didnt get it.

 

Im sorry this is off topic but where/how much did you get your sohc zc?

 

Bought the complete swap off hmotorsonline, i dont remember the exact price, but i had an auto dx crx so i bout the complete engine and tranny, was something like $725 shipped to my door for everything


Thanks guy for your input guy, I didnt mean to stir anything up, but like i said, i did use the search function, i did understand that a zc was an a6, all i wanted to know about was when, where and what is involved with tuning it with the mods i listed. Thanks anyway

Mods, go ahead and close this if you feel necessary

 

no need for a tune .... pitch the zc head and run a z6 head, y8 intake mani a z6 head gasket, and a z6 exhaust mani.

here is a compression calculator.

http://www.knology.net/~jediklc/dcalc.htm

once you do that then get a tune... no need to get a tune on a stock motor and no need to waste your money and getting it milled the zc engine is a good motor to do a mimi me swap with or a basic turbo set up with but not to go all motor with.

what you need for a mini-me
http://crx.honda-perf.org/articles/m...oreminime.html

 

Wow, that much for for a sohc non vtec zc? You spent way too much!

You could have sourced out a full B18A swap for that much, more hp, and way more torque throughout the power band.

 

With way more work, and taking my build in the complete opposite direction of where i want it, thanks but no thanks

 

dont mind the kids on here just running there mouth

to get to what your asking and is why we are all here try and help or inform each other;

for the intake mainfold you can use a ek d16 one looks like a short log pelum with that a 90 integra throttle bodie can be used easy find @ a local junk yard
dont mill the head no need for it the zc has a higher compression piston over the d16 all ready so your good there
if you get into a fpr and adj the cam with the mani tb headers and all ya tunning is a good idea (NO PART YOU BOLT ON WILL MAKE POWER IF NOT TUNED your stock map will not be set for the new parts tunning is the only way to optimize power out of any motor)
now if this is where you want to go with it then you should look into a aem management unit or hondata if your pocket can afford it
best of lick with it
i used to run a street single cam beet all the Bs around!!!!!
WAM BAM SINGLE CAM!!!!!

 

This is simply not true. The sohc zc has the same pistons, and same compression as the A6. The only difference as mentioned before, is the cam, that's it!!!!!

Being i've owned both a few A6 and sohc zc in the past, the jdm zc has less low end, and more high end with a kind of peaky powerband at the top, but at the end of the day, the performance is pretty much the same between the two.

As far as to what i mentioned earlier about other swaps, i was just giving good advise from years and years of experience with different engines, tuning, models of cars ect.....i have owned 49 cars now. The only advise i give, is in your best interest

 

VERY late model SOHC ZC had different compression ratio. not certain if its just the head gasket or pistons, but generally no. no different pistons and the same compression ratio. its not likely the newer SOHC ZC's have been arriving in the US yet.

http://www.norcalcrx.org/tyson/SOHC_Cam.html

i asked the OP to do himself a favor and identify the engine. it doesnt look like he reads or cares about it because he hasnt even addressed it.

 

Hey Tyson, i was referring to the obd0 sohc zc that comes with the cable tranny, the one that the OP would most likely have for his car.

I realize the the newer sohc zc may have different specs, i should have clarified. I doubt the OP bought the newer pkg along with hydro tranny....but who knows?

 

the sohc zc runs the pm7 pistons while the a6 run pm6 pistons they are different i have owned a sohc zc and the pistons were marked pm7

 

PM7 was originally found in the DOHC ZC.

its not possible they were in the OBD0 and OBD1 SOHC ZC since the compression ratio is the same as A6, with PM6.

PM7 pistons may be the reason why the OBD2 SOHC ZC has a 9.4 CR.

so what year was your SOHC ZC you owned?

 

i dont know it came in the car when i bought it

 

ok, but then your credibility goes down if you did not get the engine originally and checked it yourself.

anyone could have put different pistons in before installing a new engine. kinda like what the OP is doing, messing with the engine before installing, hoping for gains.