I need to get the wagon back on the road for the winter and it needs an engine. I can get either engine for 350+ tax and I need to know which is better and if they are both plug and play. I know I need to be able to activate the vtec on the d15 but will both of these engines plug into the exsisting harnesses and start up like stock. I did a little research and the sohc zc was a stock engine in the 4wd wagon in its later years so would that be my best bet. Neither of the engines will be coming with ecus but I assume the pm6 will run the zc and maybe the d15. I did get a p28 at the yard and it seems that if I get a obd0 to obd1 harness from blownhatch I should be able to run the d15 just fine. I'm just looking for some clarity before I tackle this job. So this is what I'm thinking sohc zc straight plug and play no hassel at all just a little bit more power then a stock a6, d15b vtec still plug and play but won't work without conversion harness. Thanks for the help and sorry for the long question.

 

thats kinda funny. i have a sohc zc in my wagon and my friend has a d15 vtec in his. the sohc zc is a direct replacement. the d15b vtec is obd1, so u will need a new ecu and wire harness or you will need something to control the vtec and do some wiring.


both are great engines.

 

Why not DOHC ZC direct swap "plug and play"

 

Thanks for the reply I sent you an im with a few more questions.

 

We only drive the wagon in the winter so the cheaper the better and 350 is perfect for a few more horses lastly the few engine importers we have in illinois don't have any dohc zcs in stock.

 

How much are you paying for DOHC ZC's?

 

no one had a dohc zc in stock either when I was looking for a motor, I went with the d15b vtec, had forgot all about that I could of asked about the sohc zc.

 

since you already have a 1.6, try doing a mini-me- its very cheap, and adds quite a bit of hp. give it a shot!

 

i have a 1989 4wd wagon with a d15b. Its tight, i still haven't hooked up the vtec, i will some day, it pulls nicely. Im using all obd0 material, i had to do some custom fab work on the d15b because the sohc zc fuel rail won't line up on the d15b, which means the fuel line doesn't bolt up. luckily for me The guys who pulled the engine simply cut off the fuel tube on the d15b so i cut off my old fuel line attachment and shoved the d15b connector in there. Also the wires aren't long enough on the number 1 injector and it rubs against the FPR so you either have to make a custom fab mount to hold the injector harness up about 0.5"=1" or extend the wires. And the IAT (air intake temp) is located in the back of the manifold so those wires need to be made longer, and the wires to the temp gauge sensor and i believe the o2 sensor need to be made longer also. You gotta do custom fab on the dizzy to get it to stay on the head, if you do it right it won't leak at all. and if you want to use the map sensor on the TB simply remove that **** and pull the wires over, there isn't much slack but it still works. All the sensors are compatible between the d15b and obd0 d series, so you won't have to swap them over, all though i did just because i didn't want to have to worry. All radiator hoses line up nicely, you may have to cut a little off your upper radiator hose, but the best bet would be to swap your old d16 inlet onto the d15b since the d15b head inlet is angled differently. Also if you get a 92 there is a bolt on the back where the old t-stat switch was and you can just put yours on there, if not you've got to extend those wires to the side where the t-stat sensor is located, and if you use an obd0 t-stat use your old t-stat outlet that way it won't leak. and there is only 1 hole for the half shaft instead of 3, so fab it or just use one bolt. The tranny lines up perfectly, the whole thing is like a mini project so if you have time to kill and such do the d15b but if you want as little downtime as possible do the sohc zc

 

it's taking two weeks to do my d15b vtec swap. hey, I graduated from unc charlotte.

 

600 plus taxes and most shops don't even want to deal with it they all do the b series swaps but the prices are insane I had a dohc zc boosted in a hf about 3 years ago and I loved the dohc but I want to keep the cost down and at 350 its cheaper then anything for sale locally even a replacement a6. I would have done a mini me but my poor wagon lived a neglected life before we got it. Its always had a few minor problems but it burns oil and drinks coolant daily and and has done so for the last 15000 miles and now its time for a replacement.

 

SOHC ZC NON VTEC <<<My vote
D15B regardless of VTEC is still 1.5
1.6 for a more low end daily driver affairs.
Keep it simple