Originally Posted by aarzate01

Hey i have about $2700 for a nice engine, i was thinking of droping in a b16 engine in a ef hatch, would b16 be reliable? ? Or should i save up and get a gsr? Just want to knoe witch motor has a good amount of power and is reliable, right now i have a d15b2 non-v

Originally Posted by Dark_Teg

B16/b18A1/B18B/B20/B20Z/B18c1/B18C5/R----They are all very reliable.

For a nice budget friendly daily driver I would go B20Z.
If you want fast NA B18C5/R.
If you see boost in your future B16/B18C1.

Originally Posted by RanCRX

B16 is easier to swap in if you get the 1st generation JDM B16a as it is obd0 wiring like your ef, but still needs some mods. But if you bump up to a newer b16 or b18 gsr stuff, then you are looking to spend well over $2700 just to get it in the car and running

Originally Posted by Freemananana

Shopping List

This is everything that I had to purchase for my swap, most of this can be packaged if you go through a company such as Hmotors or a for sale ad in the marketplace.

1. Motor – Deciding on the motor is a key point in your swap. The B series motors ranged from the B16A, the original JDM DOHC VTEC, to the B18A1, Non-VTEC, to the B18C series swaps and even the B20 motor. The price ranged on all the swaps. Generally, higher displacement is better for boost and VTEC is good for staying NA. Your budget will decide which motor you should buy.





2. Transmission – Most of the B series transmissions are fine. The GSR and B16A transmissions have shorter gears, which is great for the drag strip and NA set ups. While the LS transmission has longer gears which can help build boost for longer durations and offers much more comfortable highway cruising. Note that you can build your own transmission and change final drives, gear ratios, ect. Note that many of these transmissions are cable driven, but some are hydraulic. The hydraulic transmissions will need custom work or the purchase of a conversion kit to work with the cable clutch of the EF Civic.



3. Basic Bolt ons – I am talking about the starter, alternator, Power steering, air conditioning, intake manifold and the distributor. These should all be easy to come by. They should be included with the motor most times and are easy to find at the junk yard if they aren’t.



4. Motor Mounts – The EF generation came with a D series motor. If you want the B series motor to fit you must buy custom mounts. eBay offers many choices, from Hasport to off brand. Used mounts are also a good choice. You will also need the rear mount bracket from a B series transmission if yours does not come with one.

5. Accelerator Cable – You need an accelerator cable out of an Integra. 90-93 should work. Automatic and manual accelerator cables are the same.

6. Clutch Cable – stock clutch cable will work just fine. You will have to loosen the mount on the B series transmission and push up on the pull arm to get the cable to fit, but it fits none the less. If you have a hydraulic transmission, you will need to fabricate or buy a conversion since the EF civic is cable driven.

7. Clutch and Flywheel – The stock flywheel and OEM clutch components will work fine. But replace the clutch, pressure plate, and throw out bearing while you have the motor out.



8. Water Pump and timing belt – Both of these are easier to replace with the motor out and are items that wear with time. Cheap insurance for a lasting motor



9. Radiator – The stock radiator will work perfectly for the B series.

10. Shift linkage – The shift linkage will have to be custom made. You can buy a premade shift linkage, but I would suggest buying the same brand motor mounts since they were designed together. eBay motor mounts and a hasport shift linkage may or may not line up.

11. Injectors and resister box – If the injectors are peak/hold, you need an injector resister box. If they are saturated, you do not.

12. ECU – It goes without saying that you need a new engine control unit. The ECUs for each motor are different and often you can buy ECUs chipped to run your motor. The P28 is a common ECU choice for the OBD1 motors. Note that the ECU and distributor need to share the same OBD code to be compatible.

13. ECU Pins – I suggest getting some spare plugs and/or a conversion harness. For anyone running a VTEC motor, regardless of OBD, you will need extra wires put into the ECU. And if you are running a DPFI model, you will need to add the extra wires to convert to MPFI for any B series swap.

Originally Posted by Freemananana

B20Z is nice if you plan on keeping it factory stock. It has large displacement and will definitely get you around town fast. It should be very reliable too since it isn't that old.

Originally Posted by solorex

Light flywheel and short ratio tranny is key here. If you are keeping the engine stock and reliable, you will enjoy the B20Z much more than the b16.

Originally Posted by 4drEF

Reliable?
On a used engine?
Impossible to tell.

Originally Posted by aarzate01

Im going to get the engine from a shop with 45k miles on it going with the b16

Originally Posted by 91turbosohc

Save some money and keep it sohc. www.d-series.org for more info...

Originally Posted by DCRB

both are reliable, if you don't mind a slight drop in fuel economy i'd go with the b16 and convert to obd1, because parts are easier to find for obd1/2 b series swaps, and most shops wont tune obd0

b16's, while it is true the don't make much more power than their sohc counter part, are more boost friendly and respond better to NA bolt on mods. you can reliably make 300whp all day on a stock healthy b16, and in our cars that's WAY more than enough power for street