HT, this has probably been beaten to death over the years but...

I have a 2000 Si, the engine has all sorts of little issues. Previous owner didn't treat her too well.

- leaks oil, from tranny mount to engine block (slow methodical leak)
- Random hard shift after warm-up (comes and goes)
- Coolant overflow leak after spirited driving, causing overheating
- Knock sensor slow response CEL (new harness/direct wire)

I want to make this my DD (I already have a truck DD) but I want reliability and little bit more power than this anemic b16a2. I know it would be cheaper to fix this engine, but I could get all the power and reliability that I want from a swap such as a b18c5 or even a B18c... well maybe not the b18c. I don't plan to build anything other than a few bolt ons.

I don't want a b20v or any other patched together build, Honda OEM is the best for reliability.

Just wanted some opinions...

 

Before you worry about swaps, you need to look at your budget and power goals. A properly tuned B18C5 (ITR) can easily make 200WHP with the right bolt-ons and tune. B18C1 (GSR) can make a little shy of that, and should be about a grand cheaper.

Your oil leak at the transmission mount is your rear main seal. Easy to do, just time consuming. Remove transmission, remove clutch/flywheel, replace seal, have flywheel resurfaced, and installation is reverse of removal from there.

Hard start might be a couple minor things, but I would start with a fuel pressure leakdown test. Attach fuel pressure gauge, turn key to ON(II), make sure fuel pressure gets to OEM spec (you can find this in your car's FSM). If it does, turn key to OFF, and leave the fuel pressure gauge attached - your pressure should hold with no more than 1 PSI drop over 1 hour.

Coolant overflow could be minor, or it could be major. Do a compression test and post numbers.

Knock sensor code, start off by resetting the ECU. If the code doesn't come back, great. If it does, start off by resistance testing the wires from the sensor to the ECU.

 

thanks, I'm look at about $4k for the swap... I want reliable no nonsense, 200 whp would be nice too.

its a hard shift not a hard start... the clutch won't engage at random times, shifter won't go into gear without quite a bit of force, more than should be necessary. I was told that there is a exedy stage 2 clutch installed...

The knock sensor slow response is definitely the wires, I replaced the sensor and no change on the CEL.

I probably have too many damn projects going on in my life and I'm getting tired/impatient.

 

You already have an OEM B, so you don't have to worry about a new transmission. That's a plus. You also already have VTEC wiring, so boom, another bit of easy.

http://www.hmotorsonline.com/shop/sc...age&item=30011

Call them. You don't need mounts, you don't need the transmission, you don't need the shift linkage or axles. Hell, you don't even need the starter, alternator, distributor, or engine harness.

See what they can do, and if it's within your budget. Keep in mind that 200BHP won't just magically happen - you'll need some basic bolt-ons and a tune, but those can always be done down the road.