what kinda of motor can you swap in a 1990 honda civic si but also do it with a legal bar swap

 

well im not from cali or anything but im sure you can swap in anything thats a direct replacement (like d16a6 to sohc zc), but from the threads ive seen here, it appears you can put anything in it that isnt a light truck motor like the B20, but idk someone from his area help him out

 

cali sucks i was looking into doing a b16a swap in it than i called the state ref and they said no sooo im kinda stuck now

 

someone will post that knows for sure, im 3000 miles away where smog laws dont really exist like they do there, if anything earch because i have seen a thread on this somewhere

 

As far as I know, same rules that have always applied still hold true for US motors. It has to be the same year as the car or newer, you have to have the correct smog equipment for that motor, and you cannot use truck motors (specifically for our case B20 cannot be used). Factor in JDM motors, you can only use them as direct replacements meaning if you're car came equipped with say a B16A2/3 then you can use any B16A as a replacement so long as you retain the correct smog equipment. If you're car never had the option for the JDM motor you want to put in it then you can't use it.

I know there was a thread not too long ago (after the JDM swap laws changed) that someone here in California did in fact use a JDM GSR in a Civic and the referee said it was fine. Bottom line though, if you have ANY questions you really should get in contact with your local referee. They actually are there to help you.

 

sooo i can't put a jdm motor in my car because it didnt come with one correct?

 

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermkt/replace.htm

 

is it legal to turbo it?

 

I had a DOHC ZC in my 88 smogged fine never questioned me and my stock motor was SHOC 1.5...

 

An ignorant smog station doesn't qualify as being legal. A dohc ZC will never be smog legal in the US. That motor was never offered here or anything equivalent.

If you bring your car to a REF for just a routine smog check, he will give you the finger.

 

maybe in cali but not here tons of folks here have sohc and dohc zc's in there ef's, not to mention all the other swaps that have been done here

 

Yea, I forgot to mention in CA. But you don't worry about legality of swaps in other states like CA, so it should be a given where the OP is.

 

im guessing the op lives in cali but he didnt really tell the world so idk he just asked what was legal and what wasnt lol im pretty sure in the state of GA, if you can get that baby in there its legal

 

ARE B18C1 or c5 motors LEGAL FOR THE EF'S

 

Of course.

Make sure the VIN is on the motor and you have proof of a legal sale if the REF asks.

You will need all of the emission components to match the vehicle the motor came out of. Evap controls, o2 sensors etc.

Also if the motor came out of and OBD1 car, you need to convert to OBD1. Same goes with OBD2


Again the above is for CA.

 

the zc sohc is legal but the zc dohc isn't...although the zc dohc could be considered equivalent to a 88-89 integra motor in some aspects...!!!

 

I just remembered that you can smog a sohc. Thanks for the correction.


I've never seen a dohc zc legally smogged though.

 

if i moved to an area that required smog checks how would i go about passing it with a b series. if i read correctly i would just need the smog equipment from the integra right?

 

i've smogged a zc dohc at a regular smog check before...that was at one of your basic smog check spots in south central los angeles where they dont care or dont know the differences in motors.

i did however literally give the finger to the ref at east la college a few years back because he didn't want to perform a db exhaust test on my old sedan since it was swapped with a zc dohc motor with a ricer fart can.

i just drove away over to the chp and got the ticket signed off for free and paid the $10 correction fine

 

Depends on the state. CA, then yes.

 

ok well GA smog laws are retarded where i live in my state there are none, but closer into atlanta there are smog stations everywhere thats why i asked

 

Thats what I thought but I didn't only take it to the same place every time it needed a smog, also took it to Test Only places.. I guess I was just lucky then. I now have a SOHC ZC in it and it passes smog good no prob. since I thrashed the DOHC ZC...

 

im in cali and they told me if your car didnt come with vtec you cant swap in a motor with vtec for smog reasons... who knows if this is true... im currently debating between a zc sohc or z6 witch i heard were the best usdm and jdm sohc motors... can someone verify this.. please...

 

currently have a 89 civic sedan with a lsvtec and need to swap out motor for the ref...sigh looking for a decent motor that will pass smog and keep me happy for my dd. again located in cali....

 

pump.. i wanna know as well.