I'm pretty new to Honda's, but been working on cars for awhile now. I have a 97 civic ex, and from what i've read, the stock motor is a d16y8, i just cleaned the grease and grime off my block and saw a stamp that says d15b. Now from what I've read, that motor never came in a civic after 95. just looking for a little insight. Thanks in advance

 

you're right it's swapped it's an obd1 engine in a obd2 car if it runs good no worries.

 

Looks like someone toasted the old motor went to a junk yard and picked that thing out up.

 

This one is vtec, how can i check to see what kind of power it put out from the factory.
And from reading other threads, there is quite a difference between a usdm d15b and a jdm d15b.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_D_engine

 

I've done plenty of reading on wikipedia, but horsepower and torque is different from car to car. Is there anyway to check the motor in my car to see what car it came from.

 

http://www.d-series.org/forums/gener...-vtec-faq.html

 

This is a good website for all d series. Look around there for more info

 

go book time and have you pos dyno'd.

 

120hp or something like that TQ is 104 lol. just remember it's meant to be a gas sipper not a track car.

 

They prob put a 3 stage VTEC D15B in it. Does it have two vtec solenoids?

 

@HondaPartsHero

I checked there's one attached to my head and then it looks like there's 2 down lower, closer to the block. I'll post pictures when I get home

 

Location: California
So have you had this car smogged yet? It wont pass.

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

Replacement Engines
Entire engines can be replacement parts. As with any other replacement part, the engine must be identical to the original. If the replacement block or engine is obtained without emissions equipment, all the equipment from the original engine must be installed on the replacement block.
If the engine is not identical to the original then it is not a replacement part, instead it is considered an engine change.
Engine changes are a modification that must meet certain requirements to be legal (please see "Engine Changes").
Japanese Replacement Engines
Used engines imported from Japan can be used as replacement engines as long as the engine being used has been identified as functionally identical to the original engine. Please refer to the engine importers catalogue to determine if a replacement engine is legal for installation in your vehicle.
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.

 

the two you see lower are solenoids for the transmission.

 

So what does that mean if it doesnt have 2 solenoids. It's just regular vtec?

 

Yes i do live in California. I bought the car from my cousin and it was smogged and tagged the week before i picked up the car. The car passed smog and the smog tech said that it would probably need a new cat because it was close to not passing. Other than the cat, he said it was fine. But i thought the same thing about swaps in California, I wanted to swap a motor in a different car awhile ago and decided not to because i didnt want to have to deal with getting it BAR'd and all that. SO i dont know why it this car would be fine getting smogged with the swapped motor.

 

Probably because your cousin had it done under the table. A 92-95 motor should not have passed in a 96-00 chassis.

 

On the head

http://s933.photobucket.com/user/MrR...tml?sort=3&o=2


This picture has the 2 that are lower, closer to the tranny

http://s933.photobucket.com/user/MrR...tml?sort=3&o=0


Block Stamp

http://s933.photobucket.com/user/MrR...tml?sort=3&o=1

 

From doing some research, I read that on usdm motors, they have a stamp that have a letter, a number, a letter, and another number, for example D16Y8, and jdm motors have a stamp that have a letter, a number, and a letter, no second number, for example B16A. So for you out there who know, does this mean that my D15B is a jdm motor and if there is some weird case or rare trim level that it wouldve come stock in my 97 ex

 

It DID NOT come in that car. But its in there now, so dont worry about it...

 

No it didn't lol you have 2 veeeteccc solenoids bra that's 50 hp each!!!!

 

There are different variations of the d15b so you can't just assume they dropped in the 3 stage vtec.

 

Are there tags or serial numbers that could help me figure out which one it is. Also, can i assume that it is a JDM motor

 

Yes

Remove the passenger kick panel to see what ECU is installed.

You'll almost surely find that the DLC won't communicate with the ECU. Does the CEL work?

The engine you have is illegal for CA.

 

The CEL lights up upon start when all the other lights on the dash do, but i've never had it come on.
As for gaskets for the motor, are all d15 series gaskets the same?