First off this topic is not about who it came from. What I'd like to know is how many of you with 1st gen b16a's have dropped it in(considering everything was hooked up right) and they cranked right over no probs? And also how many miles have you put on since your swap and have you encountered any internal problems? These questions do not apply to juiced or blown motors, just the ones stock internally with i/h/e. Reason being my a6 is VERY tired and I'm throwing around possible swaps to do, but the reliability must be there. My other option would be obd-0 b18a, but I'd like vtec. Everyone let's hear. I'm planning on either of these swaps by the summer.(oh and dont tell me get the LS and do a frankenstein) It's one or the other. Either one would be imported.


[Modified by Ef *****, 12:46 PM 2/9/2003]

 

Normally on a OBD0 B16a's the engines are strong except for the weak points.
Distributor bearings, dirty injectors, B series trannys grinds or worn bearings.

If the compression and leak down are good the engine normally lasts

 

mine started up with no problems, it misfired, and the new plug wires and cap and rotor took care of that. to date the only problem i have is a mystery oil leak, ive put 12,000 miles on it and had the swap since june 2002.

the oil leak is one of three things, the distributor o ring, vtec solenoid, or the headgasket. the only mod i have on it as of this minute is an intake,

i spent about 2500 getting it in that includes food, beer, tool rentals, gas for my helpers etc...

 

So pretty much internally the 1st gen b16's are good? Keep in mind I'm expecting to have to change the t-belt and tune up either motor, but hoping that internally they are good. I guess getting either used motor I'm thinking about, the risk for a bad apple is there. What are your opinions on the car being a daily driver that sees 50-75 miles a day?(swap wise.) Oh yeah and which motor is less stressful on the frame?, being that I need a couple more years out of this hatch.


[Modified by Ef *****, 1:00 PM 2/9/2003]

 

mine was fine but im having wiring problems but thats my bad not the motors fault

 

Reputable engine importers will give you a startup guarantee. The tuneup is very important in making the swap last. I had a few probs after the swap. My O2 wires were backwards. TPS was also off. Nothing has been wrong with either B16a I have purchased. I got Engine tranny ECU from ARDperformance.com and I got a longblock form Nippon Motors.

 

After everything was really hooked up properly, mine fired right. No problems since. I've got at least 5000 miles on it since the swap. The motor was in pretty good shape...under the valve cover it was clean, the cams looked almost new, was hardly any wear at all.

 

mine started up on the first crank, no CEL or anything. that was beginning of last summer and its running like a stock new car ever since. it is my daily driver and i redline it at least once a day on average. it pulls strong and i am very happy with the total cost. i did replace the water pump, timing belt, etc before putting the motor in, just for peace of mind. also a new clutch, but that should be done without thinking about it. i highly recommend it, it was well worth it and a nice improvement over the A6.

 

Anybody else? Good--bad experiences?

 

I've had a couple b16 swapped cars and they always start right up. Reliability is awesome, they run smoother than the stock motors that came in the car. Only thing I didn't like was cause I used the JDM ecu and gas mileage sucks ***, I would only get like 225 miles to a tank compared to 330-340 in my stock crx si that I'm driving right now.

 

My B16 runs way better tham my stock D16B2 did. More reliable, more power, can't beat it. The only thing some people don't like is the vibration from the polyurethane (sp?) motor mounts. But that doesn't bother me.

For the price, the B16 can't be beat IMO.

 

my swap fired right up, same with my friend.. and my gas mileage hasn't suffered

 

Ya but what tranny are you using ?
Because a number of JDM trannys are not freeway friendly

 

j1

 

Mines started up with no problems. Beware that the B16a tranny are notrious for grinding. Of course you should replace all the regular maintenance items (t belt, ignition components, and etc. I did notice that the old school JDM (ZC and B16a)motors that my friends and i have. Smoke a tad and have an unsual odor when accelerating? But i'm pretty satisfied with my B16a swap.

 

you really don't have to worry about the motor being internally sound. just compression test it when you get it or have that done before you buy it. obviously replace the timing belt, water pump, and other wear items, but you should be good.

if you really want to be sure it will be reliable and aren't sure of exact "kilometerage" then you could just replace the piston rings and bearings on the bottom end. take the tranny apart and replace the syncros, then you'll have a very reliable motor.

 

Alright I've chose to go b16 over the b18a. All the online suppliers all say they have compression/leakdown tests so I should be alright as long as I replace the wear items. But it would suck if I got a bad trans w/ grinds or even worse noisy bearings that I have now that drive me insane. Because there is no way that they can test the trannys prior to selling them to customers. This is why I am a bit sketchy about paying all this money and getting a fucked up trans or something becuase I dont have the skills to rebuild engine/trans or the loot to pay someone to rebuild being a broke college student. But at least I have a friend who can help me swap it in. How high of rpm's do the b16 trans turn @ 75 mph? Similar to my Si trans?

 

the b16 trannys are closer geared than our si's. so,i can guarantee you will be at a higher rpm w/ab16 than your stock motor at any speed.

 

Iam not sure what tranny i have but at 60 mph iam at 3000 rpm in 5th. 50 mph at 3000 rpm in 4th. so u do the math

 

I have had two different cars with jdm b16's.
My first was a 2nd gen in an EG and my current one is a first gen in my crx.
Both fired right up and I have had no probs.
Hope this helps.
-Trevor-

 

Besides the parts the engine supplyer tells you to replace, what else do you guys do to your engines?

 

when i got my jdm motor. i replaced the oil pump, water pump, timing tensioner, timing belt, all plugs, plug wires, oil pan gasket, distributer, valve cover gasket. new pilot bearing on the flywheel, plus resurfaced it. put in a metal cam seal. forgot the name as im writing this. the lil plastic one on the right side by the vtec solenoid. right side meaning driver right.

i also do leak down test, with compression test. open the bottom and take the valve cover off. look for burnt look. dark **** all over. to see how the motor was maintained. if they changed the oil often. stuff like that.

 

forgive my ignorance..........do you still utilize the stock(d16a6) oil/water pump?