Hey guys..I'm new to the civic...I've been into accords lately.I just got my bro's civic.Its 89 DX and I don't know what's the potential of it.
The mech told me that I have to change the engine head as its burnt up.
ANy suggestion on what kind of engine shld I drop it in...or where to start on this car.My mum wanna sell it for 500 bucks and I refuse..so I need ur help guys.

 

first of all welcome to the board, there are many possibilities on that car, i have a 89 civic dx also, i still have the stock motor in it, but i have a mpfi swap (intake manifold conversion) it frees up alot of horsepower that is bogged down by the dpfi (dual point fuel injection) dpfi=2 injectors mpfi=4 injectors. either way if you want to swap in a motor you will have to do a wiring conversion to accomodate for the four injectors and the crank positioning sensor.

my suggestions for motor swaps
dohc zc- can be found for pretty cheap i think 500-700 dollars
sohc zc- same as si motor just a little more aggressive rated at 118hp
b16- dohc vtec 1.6 liter, usually can be bought for around 1000 bucks
b18c1- dohc vtec 1.8 liter, i dont know how much these cost anymore i have heard prices ranging from 2000-3000 bucks
b18c5-dohc vtec 1.8 liter type r motor, this is a pretty spendy motor, but has alot of good power along with the rest of the b series motors, usually ranging from 4000-6000 bucks.
lsvtec- dohc vtec head with integra ls block, motor has alot of torque and high end power do to the 1.8 liter non vtec bottom end
b18a/b- dohc non vtec, this is an integra ls motor, these motors are prime for doing turbo price- 500-800
b20vtec or crvtec- utilizes a crv block with a vtec head of choice pretty much same design as lsvtec (price unknown for hybrids like these)
d16a6-sohc non vtec, came stock in the 88-91 honda civic and crx si, rated at 110hp usually can find from 100-300 bucks
d16z6/d16y8- these are the sohc vtec motors, came in the 92-95 ex/si and the 96-00 ex civics, price is unknown i havent checked on these before.

there are a few more swaps but are more of a pain in the *** and cost alot more $$.

 

isn't the sohc zc rated at 130ps which is about 128hp? its vtec too.

 

Thanks alot that's what i needed.What if I want to swap it with a vtec engine,I understand that dx is non vtec and where can I find the vtec wiring and stuff...my friend told me is kinda hard to find it.ANyway,if I want to get the engine,does the MPFI included?
or I have to like swap the mpfi first?

 

no sohc zc is a non vtec its at 118 horsepower is what i have seen, its just an equivalent to the d16a6, same motor just a different valve train.

mpfi is included with the swap, but you still have to do wiring, you have to do some sort of 12 volt to activate the vtec, if you do a search for mpfi you will find like 10 pages of stuff. there are a whole bunch of sites out there that have the diagram on the ecu pins and stuff and exactly how to do it, but if your not mechanically inclined i dont suggest that you do it yourself because it can be kind of a pita

 

damn matt....what do you think I should throw into my std hatch?.....what do i have to do if I get a b18a1 motor.....what do I have to get? let me know.....Just wanna know....

 

daniel for the b18a you have to do the mpfi and then mounts and bam your done

 

what exactly has to be done to the mounts?... also, what about the d15b (jdm civic vti)?... any thoughts on this motor?... thanks...

 

what from the mpfi do I need? Doesnt the b18 have a different manifold? So you dont need that right? So i am guessing that you need the resistor box and the wiring to the b18 ecu. Right? Help me out here.....Thanks Matt....

 

i havent heard much about the jdm sohc vtec motor, so i cant give advice about it, as for the mounts you have a d series motor, it is a wise idea when you switch to a b series motor to change mounts because i believe they are a little different

daniel, you need all the wiring, like i have explained to you before u need the wiring