Hello friends.
I have been a fan of the del sol for some time and I've wanted one for a long time. I live in Norway and del sols are super rare here and kinda overpriced, but I still want one.
The last year alone there have only been 2 del sols up for sale, both of them 94 models. I am very close to consider purchasing the one that's for sale now which has 190 000km on its B16a3 engine.
While I know that Honda engines are super durable, I do not expect it to last forever, but I took comfort thinking I could just replace the engine with a cheap low milage one from ebay, especially if I decide to slap on a cheap turbo kit and push it harder.
I learned today however that the a3 engine is super rare and very expensive, while the newer a2 version is the one that is cheap and easy available.
My research also shows me that there are different OBD versions on these engines, making them incompatible.

So what I wonder is the following: is it possible to somehow convert a 94 del sol to make it compatible with OBD2?
Or is it possible to convert a B16a2 engine to accept the OBD1 setup the car is intended to run with?
I'm my mind I figured it could be as easy as swapping the ECU with an old Civic(or maybe del sol) or something that was intended for the B16a2 engine, but I guess it would be a lot more work involved than this?

Any answer is appreciated! I really hope to join you on the roads soon

 

yes

 

While I appreciate the optimistic answer, I was looking for a bit more of an explanation. I assume dropping an A2 engine where an A3 used to live will not be plug and play. What other conversion is needed?

 

If the civic came with a b-series a replacement should be any concern.

 

Specifically, you will remove the complete intake manifold, distributor and alternator from your B16A3 engine. Install these items on your replacement B16A2. Bolt your clutch, transmission, A/C compressor, P/S pump and re-install your original engine wiring harness... then set the whole assembly back into the Del Sol engine bay. Connect everything back up and fill all fluids. Ignore the two pin connector just above the alternator that was the crank fluctuation sensor (which isn't recognized by the OBD-1 ECU found in your Del Sol) and turn the key. You are done.

Specific enough ???

 

I believe so.

 

... and you might have to swap out the left side engine bracket to align with your engine mount... so if your mount is a two-bolt one, the A2 bracket will work. If your mount is the 3-bolt aluminum one, you will need to move the A3 bracket over to the A2.