Confused about wiring harnesses....

We may earn a small commission from affiliate links and paid advertisements. Terms

Rockade

New Member
Alright, after doing a bit of research, I want to put a D16A1 into my 84 CRX, preferably from an 88-89 Integra. But what I'm stuck on is the wiring harness for that one. Is it different than the 86-87 harnesses?
 
You don't want the D16A1. The mounts are not the same. You want the DOHC civic ZC motor, it will bolt up to your chassis.
And the harnesses are different. The 86-87 had vacuum advance distributors, 88-89 were electronically advanced.
Isnt the '84 carbeurated? If so, you got a lot of work ahead of you man.
 
What the bloody hell? I coulda sworn I read in the FAQ that the D16A1 was a direct bolt on to the 84-86 CRX chassis. What the hell is going on? People keep giving me contradicting information, and its starting to piss me off.
 
What the bloody hell? I coulda sworn I read in the FAQ that the D16A1 was a direct bolt on to the 84-86 CRX chassis. What the hell is going on? People keep giving me contradicting information, and its starting to piss me off.
the D16A1 is a bolt-in to the 1st gen CRX - you need to use the 86-89 Integra transmission, intermediate shaft, axles, knuckles/hubs and shift linkage - the easiest way to do it, as far as wiring, is to use the 86-87 engine with the vacuum advance ignition and the 1st gen CRX Si engine and chassis harness (1st gen CRX Si was also vacuum advance) - if your car is not the Si model, you are going to need to replace the entire fuel system and most of the wiring in the car with the fuel and electrical components from a 1st gen Si in order to run the fuel injected engine - to use the 88-89 D16A1 with the electronic ignition requires adding a lot of wiring even if you have the Si - here is some of what is involved:

D16A1 engine swap, part 2
 
Oh... that dirty Si....

Well, with the ZC, is that a lot easier?

And yes, my car is carb'd.
Excuse my lack of knowledge about these cars.... most of my (limited) knowledge revolves around Mitsubishi and Subaru. But I want to have an actual project car..... ugh I just had to buy a dificult one. Blah
 
the JDM ZC that fits the 1st gen CRX is the "browntop" version which is basically the same as the 86-87 D16A1
 
Ok.... I think I had goofed up and was looking at the Black-top version...... But what the hell do I know.
But the brown is the one that will go into my car without to much issues? Or is it fuel injected as well?
 
I thought the mount points on the D16A1 were completely different than the JDM civic ZC motor.
Are you saying the 86-87 D16A1 is the same as the ZC, but the 88-89 is different? :confused:
 
See? lol this is why I am very confused at this point.
All I want to know is what engine will fit my 84 CRX with little issue and has a higher HP than my 58 hp POS D15A2
 
All D16A1's and DOHC ZC motors are PGMFI.

Here's what I know for sure
The 88-89 D16A1 (blacktop) has different mount points than the Civic ZC motor.
The Civic ZC has the same mounts as 2nd gen CRX's, but urs is a 1st gen, so that's probly why I'm confused here too.

Sorry for the confusion, listen to jlicrx, he knows his shit.
 
Well....If I can get some help or pointed in the right direction for putting a new engine in my 84... Cause I have looked, and all of what I have found is related to the Si, mostly in the 85 range.
 
I thought the mount points on the D16A1 were completely different than the JDM civic ZC motor.
Are you saying the 86-87 D16A1 is the same as the ZC, but the 88-89 is different? :confused:
the D16A1 from the 86-87 USDM Integra is basically the same as the DOHC ZC which came in the 84-87 JDM CRX/Civic Si models - that ZC utilized the vacuum advance ignition like the 84-87 USDM CRX/Civic Si - the ZC was 130hp due to higher compression and different cams - it is commonly called the "browntop" ZC due to having a brown valve cover, with 4 attaching bolts in the middle - does not bolt into 88-91 CRX/Civic - does bolt into 84-87 CRX/Civic

there was also a DOHC ZC from the 88-89 JDM Integra which was like the "browntop" but utilized the electronic ignition advance - had a black valve cover with 4 attaching bolts in the middle - does not bolt into 88-91 CRX/Civic - does bolt into 84-87 CRX/Civic

the DOHC ZC that bolts right into the 88-91 CRX/Civic came in the 88-91 JDM CRX/Civic Si models - it also has a black valve cover but the attaching bolts are on the outside edge - it is not the same as a D16A1, not even close - does not bolt into 84-87 CRX/Civic

the OBD1 DOHC ZC is basically like the one for the 88-91 CRX/Civic except it is OBD1, has mount like EG and sensors in same location as EG (MAP on throttle body, fan switch on thermostat housing, etc.) - it does not have the cylinder sensor on the exhaust camshaft but has it in the distributor - can be made to fit the 88-91 CRX/Civic - bolts right into 92-95 Civic
 
Thanks for clearing that up man. So many different versions of the same basic engine, what's a n00b to do but get pwned.
 
Wait..... so what engine out of those would I be able to use? Apparently not the ones with vaccuum advance ignition.... But what about my car being a carb and all?

...or should I just run my car off a cliff and forget about it?
 
the D16A1 from the 86-87 USDM Integra is basically the same as the DOHC ZC which came in the 84-87 JDM CRX/Civic Si models - that ZC utilized the vacuum advance ignition like the 84-87 USDM CRX/Civic Si - the ZC was 130hp due to higher compression and different cams - it is commonly called the "browntop" ZC due to having a brown valve cover, with 4 attaching bolts in the middle - does not bolt into 88-91 CRX/Civic - does bolt into 84-87 CRX/Civic

D16A1 from the 86-87 USDM Integra Engine. (vacuum advanced, "browntop")- about 115 hp
DOHC ZC from the 84-87 JDM CRX/Civic Si - about 130 hp

Apparently either of these will work.
 
Yeah I know it bolts on, But I'm wondering what else I have to do in the way of fuel system, etc.
 
You'll have to either install the tank with the in-tank pump out of a 2nd gen crx, or install an inline pump and hook it to your main relay.
 
Everything does.
Like when someone says "I wanna DROP a new engine in my car."
Well good luck, but it isn't just dumping an engine in their, closin the hood and shaking to the desired consistency. There's ALWAYS more work than you think it'll be.
 
Back
Top