what is a good swap?

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pimpology156

New Member
hey all, im new to civic's and ive only recently joined this site and posted a few times. I have a 97' civic hatch CX. It has the D16Y7 motor, in my opinion is very weak but feels like it has a bit of power due to the fact this car is light. Its very reliable but i checked the oil the other day and it was BONE DRY. I dont kow what happened or where the oil leaked out of. When i did an oil change on it last i put a good oil filter on, not a cheap one and i ran mobil 1 10w40 and a quart of lucas in it. The oil should not have leaked out like it did. I want to put a TAC in so i can see when it is redlining...seems like it is geared rather high. My real quetion now is i am trying to figure out what is a somewhat easy and relatively cheap motor swap to do on this car that will give it decent power. I really want to drop in a VTEC motor. Any ideas and advice would be greatly appreciated, Im mainly a prelude guy but i have this civic now and i wanna do something fun with it. The hood is painted black by the previous owner and it looks like SHIT, it was painted with just spray paint i believe and now im just gonna repaint the entire car black and its going to be done right by me, i have access to the right tools and paint guns, i just have to get the color that i want and the clear coat, etc... Here are some pictures for everyone:

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For cheap vtec - JDM D15B sohc Vtec w/ tranny and ecu. Yes get the tranny with it it's fully worth it.

For a faster swap - Any B-series dohc, B-series dohc vtec, but either one is faster than any D-series stock.

Budget for this build?
 
about how much power would the D15B vtec give me over the d16y7? about how much money would this run me? is it a very difficult swap? im very mechanically inclined and i dont have trouble figuring things out. I can find ALOT of D series motors in just one of the junk yards i go to. I have found quite a few B18B1 motors as well. My brother has a integra with this motor in it and i drove it...doesnt feel like it has much under the hood. In the junk yard ive seen a bunch of d16z's(?) or something close to that, i dont remember exactly what they were. As far as a budget...im not sure really. Im not looking to spend a ton of money right now, im gonna shop around and see what i can find and go from there. What should i be spending on a D series motor from the junk yard or the B series? Im prolly not gonna find a b18c1(5) or anything crazy fun like that...
 
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Well if you can find a D-series in your junkyard then a jdm d15b vtec is the jdm equivalent to the d16z6 and d16y8 sohc vtec motor for ex models. Vtec add's around 20-25 hp supposedly, but my '93 sedan pulls a lot harder now than it did with an sohc nonvtec after I did my swap and I haven't even wired in vtec.

If you want the d15b vtec, it ran me $1049 to be exact for motor/trans/and ecu from Specializing in JDM-USDM Engines & Parts...hmotorsonline.com .

Since your car's an ex your tranny should be fine..I had to get one because my dx tranny only took me to like 15-20 mph in 1st.

The d16z6 is the vtec motor for 5th gen ex/si's, you have a 6th gen ex. You'll have to stay in the same OBD or later to pass inspections. I'm not sure if the d15b vtec comes in obd-2 which is what I believe yours is.
 
yes, i have the base model CX...crank windows and what not. how much should i be looking to pay for a d16z6 or the y8...are these both vtec? if so, wich one is better and wich has more horsepower for the money im gonna spend on it? i know my car right now will do like 40 in first before it hits the rev limiter 75 in second and so on... i dont push the car that hard at all...i just did it once or twice to see where it would cut out at. Are these swaps hard? will these motors bolt up to my tranny that i have in there now with the y7 motor? i know that my second gear grinds going in if i shift it hard at a high RPM. this is prolly due to the fact that i definetly need a new clutch. It does not grind into any other gear.
 
i wouldnt put a z6 in there its a 92-95 obd1 motor,,the y8 is a 96+ motor obd2a and b so stick with the right year it will make it alot smoother,,and just to let you know the dx is the base for your year hatch not the cx lol:D
 
Depends where you get the motor, y8's and z6's can be found for as little as $200 probably less depending on condition. But get the y8 if you're choosing between those 2 because it's OBD-2 you shouldn't use an older OBD I think you'll fail inspection the z6 is obd-1.

Or if you want the jdm d15b vtec (I THINK they come in obd-2, not sure) Specializing in JDM-USDM Engines & Parts...hmotorsonline.com has them for $500 for the longblock alone, and mine came clean as hell it looks like new, runs like new, paint is fresh on the valve cover, NGK plug wires. Got a good deal on it.
 
but wait i just noticed your pic of the gauge cluster ive never saw a cx that didnt have a tach, so idk maybe it is the base
 
I would say go with the b18c and do a head swap with a type-r head. I had a 96 integra with the b18 in it and it pulled way harder than my civic did with the d16y7. Plus parts are relatively cheap and easy to find for these motors.
 
alright, so the y8 will pretty much drop in right? will bolt up to my stock motor mounts and tranny? is this a better/stronger motor than the z6? is it worth the power gains i will get to drop this motor in in place of the y7? i did not know that the DX is the base model...i thought the CX was, thats pretty cool to know. What does the CX have that the DX does not? the CX seems like it has very very few options...crank windows, power nothing....doesnt have power steering but i think someone removed it wich is stupid since its really annoying yanking on the steering wheel all the time to make a corner or get a parking spot..especially when your tired. not to mention that the weight reduction from this is most likely not worth it.
 
the d16y8 will drop right in and mount right up same motor mounts tranny mounts and all,,the only thing you will have to do is run a few wires for the new ecu that you will need,
 
awesome, and it will work with my tranny for the y7 im assuming. This seems like a good/easy swap...does the y8 motor have any oiling issues or any problems with the bottom end....its not gonna like blow up or anything right? how does it handle boost?
 
Z6 power = Y8 power, the same pretty much. Both are 1.6L sohc vtec. And I actually like my DX I don't have any problems like stuck windows ;) and relying on fuses for EVERYTHING. Plus the DX is about 200 pounds lighter than an ex/si? Correct me if I'm wrong, ahhvtec.
 
93civicracer said:
Z6 power = Y8 power, the same pretty much. Both are 1.6L sohc vtec. And I actually like my DX I don't have any problems like stuck windows ;) and relying on fuses for EVERYTHING. Plus the DX is about 200 pounds lighter than an ex/si? Correct me if I'm wrong, ahhvtec.
Click to expand...
sound about right,,the y8 makes a few more hp and torque,,but nothing crazy diif about them
 
So the weight difference between the dx and the ex/si's is really around 200 lbs? I thought I read that on here somewhere.
 
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