I just came across a deal to trade my Si tranny that I was going to put with my fully built N/A D16A6 motor for a ZC tranny.

I know already that the ZC 1-5 gears are great but it's taller FD yields worse acceleration than a stock 1988-1991 USDM Si tranny, so here's my question:

How hard is it to swap the 1-5 gears from the ZC into an Si case and keep the Si FD?

This way I'd get to keep my stock (free) axles without needing a midshaft and 1990 Integra axles, and I'd get the best of both trannies.

I was already planning on breaking the Si tranny apart for all new bearings, so here's a few more Q's:

Can I just order new mainshaft and countershaft bearings for a 1988-1991 Si tranny and still fit on the ZC mainshaft?

I'm sure that if I swap the 1-5 gears from the ZC into the Si case that I'll have to use the Si countershaft because it is 1/2 of the final drive that I'm trying to keep from the Si tranny.

So my main Q is will the ZC mainshaft accept 1988-1991 Si mainshaft bearings from my local Honda dealer?

I hope that the swap will be as easy as I'm thinking it should be.

Who here has done such a swap?

 

I always thought the gearing was the with both, just that the midshaft gave you less tourqe-steer... and the fact that some ZC trannys came with an LSD...

I had no clue that the gearing was different? Can anyone verify this?

 

USDM L3:
1 - 3.250
2 - 1.894
3 - 1.259
4 - 0.937
5 - 0.771
FD - 4.250

JDM L3 (ZC):
1 - 3.250
2 - 1.944
3 - 1.346
4 - 1.033
5 - 0.878
FD - 3.888

i want to know too...i want jdm 2,3,4 and leave 5 as an overdrive for highway.

 

Yes again the ZC GEARS are closer, but the final drive is not as good as the USDM Si tranny as seen on those gearing charts.

I've heard of people simply swapping in an Si FD into a ZC tranny, but I want to keep my shitty, unequal length axles because at this point buying axles would cost me a cam or a 5-angle valvejob on the motor - about $200.00 or so because I have no cores to exchange for Integra axles.

I know Mista Bone is the D tranny hydro God, but I'm not sure who to ask about cable trannies.

I wonder if the SRR 4.929FD for the 1992-1995 non-LSD hydro D-Series tranny would bolt into the cable trannies.

 

I'm not letting this one sink...

 

OT: but to make it easier, I am selling my Si trans with Custom Houseman FD 4.55, includes Phantom Grip also.
this Trans ROCKS!

other than that.. Mista Bone get in here.. we need ya.


[Modified by exospeedAMcrx, 6:21 PM 4/4/2003]

 

i am running the zc 1-5 gears, a quaife Si diff and its all in a si tranny case. i have to use si axles b/c i run the quaife Si diff.

you need to use the Si counter shaft will the ZC gears. this way your FD fits. (i just noticed you said you were going to run the Si counter shaft so that's good)

i didn't originally do the ZC/Si hybrid trans, but i am pretty sure the ZC mainshaft will fit into the Si case with the Si bearings. i swapped from the ZC case to an Si one without any problems (just make sure the differential bearing is the right size...)

i used all civic bearings when i swapped parts from the ZC case (that was broken) to the Si case. here are some p/n for you.
http://breaka19.netfirms.com/zc/parts_list.htm

hth.

 

Hells yeah. I was pretty sure that what I was planning to do would work great, and you've just confirmed it for me.

Thanks.

Now I wonder about that SRR 4.929FD...

I've had the ATS 4.929FD in my Type R tranny in my 1992 Civic and it rocked. I'd love to have similiar gearing with the D tranny.

Are the 1992-1995 final drives interchangable with the 1992-1995 hydro ones?

Again I know that 1/2 of the FD combo is the countershaft itself, so that's whay I'm thinking this might not work without "rigging" of sorts, which I'm not willing to do in a tranny.

They're hard enough to reassemble w/o any rigging going on!

 

i've never ridden in a car with a 4.929FD, but i do know that the gearing with the ZC/Si hybrid trans makes the car VERY quick on the highway. downshifts from 5th to pass people are not needed.

i would say the gearing (rev wise @ highway speeds) is similiar to a b16 tranny. maybe inbetween the b16 and the jdm itr tranny.

 

Well I picked up a smooth 134K miled Si tranny on Saturday for $50.00 and then traded straight up for the Zc tranny which has not been in a car stateside yet, so I'll be doing this gear swap thing this week.

I also got an Si tranny here at work for $20.00 with possible mainshaft bearing problems - no biggie.

I'm going to try and plop the entire mainshaft with its stack of gears from the ZC into the Si case and then stack the the ZC countershaft gears onto the Si countershaft (because the end of the3 countershft serves as 1/2 of the Si final drive ) and then put 1989 CR-X Si manishaft and counterfhaft bearings in the tranny.

We'll see how it turns out.

 

the srr fd won't fit in the cable trannies...I'm not sure why but thats apparently the case...Only options I've seen are the houseman or the ATS.

 

I had a tranny shop put the Si final drive into my ZC case with the Zc 1-5 gears and got it done and damn was that thing reving high on the highway. I would be going 90 MPH@5000 sucked down some gas for sure. Then my 5th and 4th ZC gears busted and i had to use the 4th and 5th gears from the Si tranny i had in the garage. Let me just say that i now do not suck gas on the highway and get 40 mpg. Its a supa hybrid tranny. however the acceleration may be affected but it still pulls quite well. Good Luck.

 

let me know whats involved and what parts need to be used and such.

I plan in getting a 89+ si Tranny and swapping in the ZC Gears minus the 5th gear and use the Si 5th gear and final drive.

so basicually im going to do the same swap. Take tons of pics and let us know how it goes!

 

http://www.gamesbbs.com/~dmoore/tranny.htm
(CHECK OUT this site for the gear ratios)

Which gears should be used? to MAXIMIZE PERFORMANCE??

 

Are the USDM ZC trannyes different in gear ratio from the JDM?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by G2-Rex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Are the USDM ZC trannyes different in gear ratio from the JDM?</TD></TR></TABLE>

there is no USDM ZC tranny

 

cause i searched the web and there were different gear ratios for the ZCs

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by G2-Rex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">http://www.gamesbbs.com/~dmoore/tranny.htm
(CHECK OUT this site for the gear ratios)

Which gears should be used? to MAXIMIZE PERFORMANCE??</TD></TR></TABLE>

use the highest value gear you can, i.e.

1st - jdm zc (but all listed have the same 1st gear ratio)
2nd - jdm zc
3rd - jdm teg zxi
4th - jdm teg zxi
5th - jdm zc

all of those with the si final drive. i don't know if the jdm teg gears fit on a si/zc shaft.

 

im kind of confused since i thought that all those gears were in a ZC tranny.

that website made me more confused... are you sure all the JDM ZC trannies use that gear ratio?

 

gotta make sure about the gears!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fastcrxsi90 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">USDM L3:
1 - 3.250
2 - 1.894
3 - 1.259
4 - 0.937
5 - 0.771
FD - 4.250

JDM L3 (ZC):
1 - 3.250
2 - 1.944
3 - 1.346
4 - 1.033
5 - 0.878
FD - 3.888

i want to know too...i want jdm 2,3,4 and leave 5 as an overdrive for highway.</TD></TR></TABLE>

g2 this is the info you want---usdm & jdm gearing info

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by G2-Rex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">im kind of confused since i thought that all those gears were in a ZC tranny.

that website made me more confused... are you sure all the JDM ZC trannies use that gear ratio?</TD></TR></TABLE>

There are some old-*** ZC trannies that are ment for the 1986-1989-type Integras. They'll have the black end casing with removable 5th gear seperate. These trannies are NOT what you are looking for if you want one for a 1988-1991 Civic/CR-X.

I'm sure the gearing will be different for those old-*** ones, so yeah there might be 2 different ZC trannies listed somewhere online.

 

so what kind of things should i be looking for in my search for a Zc tranny? any markings? DO you mean the bell housing is black?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by G2-Rex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so what kind of things should i be looking for in my search for a Zc tranny? any markings? DO you mean the bell housing is black?</TD></TR></TABLE>

The OLD ZC tranies have a black end cap on the bell housing where the 5th gear set is housed.

You do NOT want this tranny, and honestly they are not even common at all.

You are looking for the very common DOHC ZC from the 1988-1991 style JDM CR-X/Civic and the cable tranny from it. I'm sure the SOHC ZC non-VTEC also has the nice cable tranny too, but those aren't as common.

I hope you know that you don't want the ZC tranny unless you're taking the gears out and putting them into a 1988-1991 Si tranny or taking a 1988-1991 Si FD into the ZC tranny.

Stock vs. stock the 1988-1991 Si tranny is better for acceleration than the ZC trannies are.

 

where is the gear housing? WHich side of the tranny?

im planning on doing the same rebuild as you. ZC gears into the si box and keeping the si 5th and FD.

just wondering, will si components fit inside an 88 box? i have a 88 dx tranny at the moment and my bud has a 89 SI tranny. Can i swap the input shaft and everything into my 88 box as well?