I had my 88SI totaled and I bought it back now im looking for a crx shell to swap my motor over and some other things also. Im going to go look at a 89HF will the motor be a direct swap if I swap ecu's also?

 

I also want to swap the gas tank, hatch, and some how swith over the sun roof

 

EGR valve does the 88SI not have that? ill have to look into that before I start the project. Like I said I have a complete donors car so what ever I need I can get it off that

 

i did an si motor in my hf about 8 years ago and it was all plug and play just leave the egr plug disconnected and use the si ecu ....the si ecu doesnt look for egr so it wont know that its unplugged

 

would it pass smog if I did this?

 

that i dont know...i would assume yes as it will be basically a full on si at that point the only thing i could think might be different would be the cat but i would assume they should be close to the same...im in ohio where we dont have to smog them yet

 

Why wouldn't it?
The extra wires were for sensors that the Si engine and ECU don't have. You could totally remove the wires or cut them off if they bother you.
Actually, you should cut them and tape them or do something to hide their existence. The Smog tech might see them and assume you have something disconnected.

your ENGINE will be an instant fail though.
You need to get the swap inspected before you take it for a smog.

 

Yeah thats what i meant it wont pass the visual inspection for the smog check, but ill go ahead and do that thanks.

Would it be worth switching over the tank? hf has the 9.9 gal and the si has the 11.9 then the hatch i wanted to switch it over for the rear wiper but dont know if its really necessary the sun roof I want to remove the roof skin of the SI and attach to the HF and then just change the whole main harness as the whole interior will be removed anyways.

 

There is no easy way to swap the roof. I wouldn't bother with the gas tank either, but if you want the extra capacity...

 

Well keep in mind I live in Alabama thank god after germany's beautiful car inspections where if you didn't have the manufacturer rim sizz on you were screwed but will they not say anything if its not the stock motor? Won't the si but out more emissions than the hf?

 

Absolutely correct. Did the roof once with my buddy who works at a body shop. You have to cut out all the glass to get the roof out and put it back in and then reinstall glass. The glasswork was 450 dollars from a buddy deal with a guy he knew. Stay away from the roof swap. Zrickety gave you good advice. But if you really want. A sunroof you can always do what bam did to his Lambo

 

I was looking at this http://www.performanceforum.com/wesv...roof/roof.html

it looks difficult but not impossible. The gas tank the less times I have to fill up the better but thats still up in the air if I change it.

I actually never even thought about this. Has anyone ever done this swap and had issued passing smog legally?

Wow 450 just to remove the glass this project might be out of my price range but if I can do all the work myself then maybe. Also might just be cheaper to just buy an SI shell but theres none for sale only that HF and im getting it for a really good price. lol bam has alot of money to do that to a lambo

 

You location is set to Anaheim so I'm assuming that''s Anaheim California.
AS I stated before, when you do an engine swap you need to take it to an inspection station and get a CARB sticker. Without that your engine will fail visual inspection for smog check. It won't even make it to the tailpipe/dyno inspection... legally.

 

yeah I just updated that.

I apologize I actually didnt read that part. Everywhere I look it states that I can put what ever motor I want as long as its the same year or newer so I dont want to go through the whole hassle of swapping motors just not to pass for that reason. As i have a 88 motor and trying to put it in a 89.

Do you have an idea where those inspection stations are located?

and what are they looking for visually?

 

I said CARB sticker, but I meant BAR sticker.
I always mix that up.

http://www.bar.ca.gov/80_BARResource...e_Centers.html
At the bottom of the page it has a phone number.

Going from your DX to the Si motor shouldn't be too much trouble. Just make sure everything is hooked up to that it looks very stock. any aftermarket parts (intake, header, etc) REQUIRE a CARB certification stamp saying they are legal replacements for the stock equipment. All vacuum lines must be hooked up and going to the stock locations of the Si and all the stock emissions equipment of the Si must b e present (charcoal canister has to be there). You can't have a CEL and you must use the correct ECU for the Si engine. Some inspectors will cause a fault by disconnection something just to make sure your CEL works - so no disconnection the bulb if you can't get a trouble code to clear.

From what I hear, the inspection and testing have changed within the last couple years so I might be a bit outdated. Best bet would be to call and find your local station and see if they can give you all the information you need.

 

its going from a SI to an HF shell if that makes a difference.

 

88 motor in 89 car equals instant fail if I'm not mistaken. Pretty sure its illegal to put older motor in new car.

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

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.

Vehicles converted to 100% electric drive, with all power supplied by on-board batteries are considered in compliance with the engine change requirements. All fuel system components must be removed prior to inspection. For additional information contact the ARB helpline at (800) 242-4450

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.

 

Would you know what the difference are between the 88 and 89 motors?

 

Thanks guys for all the help after calling the BAR state inspector he basically said I cant put an 88 motor on a 89 shell. So im going pass on this shell. I will be going to go see an 88 shell on saturday but its also an HF. but this way i can get my BAR sticker legally

 

Since the D16A6 motor was offered as standard equipment in both 88 and 89 then it's a totally legit swap.
You should call back and make sure you were told the correct info.
There isn't any way they can tell the year of the motor if I'm not mistaken.

Vehicles whose original engines have been replaced with an engine not originally offered for that vehicle's year, make, or model.
Consider this ^^ if you blew your engine in your 1989 Si then you could replace it and legally smog it with a replacement motor from a 1988. It's the same D16A6

 

Didn't they do a minor change to the 88 si motor for the 89 and up years to bump HP up by 3. Maybe thats how the inspector could tell

 

do the motors come stamped with a vin number? if the shell was a si i would just go ahead and swap the motor but its going into the 89 hf shell which has a different motor.

 

Bah.. Seems I was wrong.
They require you show what car you got the motor from in some cases.
So the VIN from the Si would be used and it's older.
So technically you fail because the engine is indeed older.

=(

 

most of the shells for sale owe 3-5 hundrend in back taxes so they are not worth buying.

 

Went ahead and bought a 97 civic ex will be started parting out the crx so if u guys need anything let me know