I just got a 1990 civic lx for changing a guys clutch. The car is really nice and was repainted about two years ago. The interior is also really nice because it was driven by a girl. But it has a bad motor.

I haven't personally looked at the motor yet but according to him and his "honda friends" it's blown. His daughter was driving it and then it started to lose power and it shut off. That's all I know about it. I might just be something I can fix. But just in case I want to know what my options are.


So far this is what I found:

-Full rebuild kit with all new gaskets, seals, bearings, pistons, piston rings... for $250

-A shop selling a JDM d15b 16v wtih 40k and 1yr/12000 warranty for $600. But I'm not sure how true those miles are.

-A guy selling a d15 from a 94 civic with 160k and says it ran fine when pulled. Wants $300 but I'm not sure I trust him. And idk if a 94 motor will work since I'm keeping the stock transmission and everything.


So what else can I swap? I don't want to have to change anything else. Well maybe some wiring or mounts but not the tranny or axels or anything. I'm just new to hondas so I'm not really sure what I can do..


Thanks

 

that's a d series motor. any other d series motor will drop right in. unless you get the exact same one though you'll have to make a few changes to your harness and or ecu. nothing major though.

 

ok thanks. so is that the only one? b series won't work?


oh and should I stay with 95 and older motors? or is it not that hard to swap an obd2 motor in? the emission testing in my state is really easy

 

have u tried doing anything too see if the motors bad? or u just dont care and u gonna swap it?

 

your trans will fit the 94 d series. just have to use your stock motors driver side post where the mount attatches and modify your engine harness to fit it. (extend wires etc). and 600 for a d15b? jeez i bought mine for 100 bucks complete. im still driving it 5 years later

 

D15B swap!!

 

yeah I found another shop in my area that sells a D15B motor with 1 year warranty for $600. It's imported from japan and supposedly has around 50k. Is that a good deal? Or a little too much? I wouldn't mind just buying a nice motor and dropping it in so I would have a reliable car to drive.

 

too much!

You can swap in a d16 as well, just swap over the mounts, dizzy, waterneck on the back of the block.

I got a d16y7 with 80k miles and ran great for $200, $600 is rediculous for a d15b

 

where are you located?
i just rebuilt a d15b2 but just got rid of my civic, i still have the motor.
the head is rebuilt as well

 

look in craigslist , you can find some cheap engines

 

b series can be done, easily, but its not plug and play. alot of things have to be changed. and it costs a bit of money finding everything you need.

 

Hey guys, first off i'd like to apologize if i may have posted on the wrong thread. I have been struggling to figure out if my car is vtec or not. i have a 1990 civic hatch. my block says D15B, and so i assumed it was jdm but then looked at my head code which says pm3-1 which would either be off a d15b1 or d16a6. on the back of the headon the side closest to the distributor there seems to be a metal plate blocking off where i think the vtec solenoid is supposed to be. so im confused as hell as to if my engine has a jdm block and a usdm head or if there are even any d16a6 vtec heads. any help is appreciated.

 

they make a us d15b and a jdm d15b the vtec head would be a z6 head or a y8 head

 

okay i thought that the us d15 was the d15b1 though. My car used to be a 4 speed and now its a 5 speed and the head code matches d16a6 which is off a 1990 civic si manual transmission. Did they make a d16 a6 vtec??the d16a6 is also known as a d16z2 btw im just confused as to how do i know if the head is vtec or not? The valve cover does not indicate so but like i said before there seems to be a port for the vtec solenoid thats covered up with a metal plate.

 

id post pictures but my stupid laptop won't allow file sharing via bluetooth so i cant post the pics i took with my phone.

 

FYI...you can put any D series motor including the japan ZC in that year model civic....just swap your factory drivers side motor mount and remove all the accesories (intake manifold exhaust manifold etc...) I have a 1991 DX hatch and I have a 2000 ZC in it. All of my external parts mounted right onto the block and cylinder head with no problems. The only mod is to transfer the two wires from the cooling sensor up to the thermostat housing.

 

great info i got stuff to look into now

 

Perhaps I'm way off base as to where to post this but the subject matter seems in the right ballpark. I've got a '91 CRX SI with a d15b1 that supposedly has a blown distributor. I also have a d16y7 from a '00 civic that's in decent shape and have been told that the swap is doable and fairly straightforward. Problem is, I've never done a swap on ANY honda motor and I'm not sure how to go about the process. Any info or directions to a thread with the info would be much appreciated.

 

SWAPPING A MOTOR.
Drain fluids, disconnect shift linkage and exhaust, fuel lines, remove radiator, remove throttle body, disconnect wiring harness, disconnect mounts, remove motor (lower frame on ground, disconnect mounts, jack car up and pull motor out)(crane, lift, anything!)

installation is reverse of removal.

in a nutshell.

axles match transmission, flywheel/clutch match the transmission.

motor mounts match chassis

use Honda MTF, the new formula is great.

replace timing belt and water pump while motor is out, it's much easier.

replace whatever you can when the motor is out.

take off the throttle body when installing motor so you don't smash your TPS

i've installed a motor with intake manifold and exhaust manifold still attached to the motor, not using a lift, only using one jack stand, and a 6 ton hydraulic floor jack in my driveway. it's really not that hard.