1990 CRX Si Build thread

[daveholiday]

This is my first build thread. This is also the first major project/half swap/anything huge with the exception of painting a valve cover

I wanted some more power, and as usual, thought of boosting it. I Also looked into making a NA motor, etc. My brother has a 91 Civic hatch NA, GSR block b16 head, so I kinda wanted to go the other direction. My buddy happened to be selling a y8 head, that he just had tore down and cleaned, then decided that he was gonna go b series boost instead of d. So here's my saga. Input, comments, criticism, or whatever is welcome. Also, I'm not a super car builder, and I just got into cars as far as performance when I bought this, about a year ago. Before that, I couldn't tell you what a camshaft was. But since I'm just getting serious with this, I'm not familiar with all the terms so excuse some of my descriptions of parts. Thanks.

motor, as is. D16A6, 1990 CRX SI.

someone remind me to fix that later, I always seem to forget

Don't get me wrong, I love the super clean OEM look that a lot of people go for, but I like having something different, so if thats what you want to critique me on, don't bother, I love going as far from stock as possible lol. And I do have real seats, mine are just torn and I don't have the mounting brackets for them yet, so thats what the seat covers are for.

Real seats

Now, the building.


Thats the valve cover, it was ugly red so I did a little touch up since nothing on my car is red, but I think it is maybe for a z6? I was told that z6 covers would fit y8 heads, maybe maybe not. Help?


::EDITED ON JULY 24TH:: I do realise that the valve stems are upside down, I now know this so no need to re-tell me. Thanks

I think this also may be from a z6,

when only one of the holes is lined up, neither of the other 2 line up, which is why I don't think its from a y8. Also, I looked up solenoid's from y8's and the ground wires I think? actually extend a fair amount, this one is right against the solenoid.
Now I'm stuck a little more, being that I'm putting this head together myself, there's some parts that I don't quite know what they are. I had the option of having the kid put it back together, but he wanted another $75 bucks, and I didn't think it was worth it.

Lost Motion Assemblies, clueless as to where they go. Haynes manual says to remove them and inspect them and how to inspect them, and I've done it but it doesn't say where they go.


This either, I have 1

pic of all 3 parts just shown

I need some help, so please anyone help, you're all welcome.


oh and this is the magical booster, its off a saab 9000 and I'm using a 7psi wastegate.


all the goodies and bolts and such, thought it was a nice pic

[daveholiday]

i just realized my valve stems were upside down, now I feel like a moron.

as far as setup goes though, I might know where some more stuff goes though?

[klyph]

www.helminc.com

You need to buy a service manual. Don't guess your way through assembling a head.

[daveholiday]

also, for making future problems easier, the kid who I bought the turbo and head off wants to sell me his P28 ecu I guess? He has a 92 civic I believe with the stock d16z6, but he's sellin everything because he blew it, and now wants to sell me that ecu. He said it would work because the basemap is for the turbo that I now own, but wouldn't it give me problems at the whole 96-00 vtec head, running off a 92-95 vtec ecu?

[daveholiday]

this is true. I guess somewhere in all of this, I forgot about helms.

[get_nick]

don't buy the ecu. you wont need it. you are going to need a good tune and a non turbo ecu wont do much for you.

[daveholiday]

So I just bought a haynes manual, they didn't have helms. I was indeed right in my correction of what the "little things" are used for. They are indeed the keepers, and go on the top of the valve, so now that thats settled, I'm under way

[daveholiday]

Originally Posted by get_nick

don't buy the ecu. you wont need it. you are going to need a good tune and a non turbo ecu wont do much for you.

this ecu is set up with the basemap for my turbo though, he had it done and never got around to having it tuned before he bought a bigger turbo. he said it still has the basemap for the turbo that I now have

but if thats a non-turbo ecu, then what exactly do you mean by a turbo ecu?

[get_nick]

Originally Posted by daveholiday

this ecu is set up with the basemap for my turbo though, he had it done and never got around to having it tuned before he bought a bigger turbo. he said it still has the basemap for the turbo that I now have

but if thats a non-turbo ecu, then what exactly do you mean by a turbo ecu?

there isn't a honda "turbo-ecu". when i said "non-turbo ecu" i meant that you should just keep the ecu and chip it. if you got the turbo kit and engine from the same person with the ecu, then it's your call. hopefully it's a good ecu.

[daveholiday]

well in his exact words, "the ecu is chipped and has a basemap for that turbo, so it'll be good."

I have seen his car run with the turbo on his car, and it seemed to run well. What I'm concerned about though is the fact that I'm gonna be trying to use a 92-95 ecu with a 96-00 head, will that cause any problems?

I'm not tryin to act like I know exactly whats going on, I just know what I've been told and I'm trying to figure out everything to make sure that in the future, I will run into as little problems as possible

[daveholiday]

also, I figured out some names, but unsure of location?

^lost motion assemblies

I found from my handy new manual that these are lost motion assemblies, whatever they do, I can't find where they go. I'm reading through the entire head disassembly and the only thing I can find on them is to check them to make sure you can push them down with a finger force

[daveholiday]

Problem Solved I think
That means tomorrow the stage 2 turbo cam goes in, and I'm getting a y8 vtec valve cover, and a real y8 vtec solenoid, which means the head will be back together soon

[89crxzc]

nice start dude.

[89crxzc]

nice start dude.

[daveholiday]

thanks, I'm tryin. Like I said before, you kinda inspired me and now I'm done with the "this is what I want to do," and now I'm going with the "this is what I'm doing, and doing it right."

[daveholiday]

alright, so now I have another proposition. The kid who I'm getting this junk off is now saying that he's just gonna give me allllll his d-series junk for the money I paid him for the turbo, all its necessary stuff, head, and all the other d series stuff ever. He had a d16z6 motor, and so now this opens up more doors, as to what I can do.

I used the compression calculator (SolBlu's Helpful Del Sol Site), and with the y8 head and the p28 ecu (chipped and basemap for my t3 turbo), I was lookin at 9.065:1, and with the z6 head and p28 ecu, I was at 8.78:1, all on the a6 block. But then again, if I use the y8 head with the pm6, I get 10.3:1, and the z6 head on the pm6 gets 9.95:1. He said the z6 head flows better but then again I could say that I have 3 arms, but that doesn't make it true.

I'm looking to see what is going to be better in the long run. I know that one way or another, I'm going to have to update my obd and go from either 0-1, or 0-2. the y8 is obd2, so theres that, and the z6 is obd1. Help me out here. My main concern is compression, and how difficult it would be in the long run. Is 9.065:1 or 8.78:1 too low of a compression if I'm running boost?

[daveholiday]

I've changed courses, and I'm going with the z6 head. I'm doing this because I'm using a p28 computer, and I know that this setup works well with that head. I found out I was using the calculator wrong, and in real life I'll have a cr of 9.95, and the y8 would have 10.3. I think 10.3 is also a little much for boost, so yeah. I should be getting the rest of the parts on the 6th of august, so thats where the real fun begins. Pittsburgh Import Fusion is August 25th, so thats my deadline for having my car boosted with the new head (and that little patch of rust ) so check back in about a week or so

[daveholiday]

So I have parts. Lots of parts. and the z6 head, ecu, and all the other goodies. I have to get the rest of the charge pipe, but I got a top piece with a greddy type s bov. I found out also that the p28 ecu has been chipped with a chrome chip. I have one big question here though. Since I originally planned on using the y8 head, I have most of it put back together. Now I have the z6 head, which needs put back together also. I have the springs and retainers in, but I was wondering, is the rocker assembly, (not including the lost motion assemblies, or the LMA holder,) interchangeable between the z6 and y8 head?

[89crxzc]

baller baller post some piktars

[klyph]

Ok, you are confused. The P28 option is for the type of pistons you will be using. It is not the ECU. The ECU does not affect compression ratio's.

[daveholiday]

I know I realized that I was doing it wrong, thats why I kept getting super low compressions, and when I realized I was doing it wrong, I did it right and now I'm getting the right compression estimates. z6=9.95:1 and y8=10.3:1

[daveholiday]

pictures of new stuff

boost guage

downpipe

exaust manifold

z6 head

p28 ecu with crome chipping

vtec valve cover

painted w/ matched intake manifold

lol evo anyone?


I actually downloaded a couple sound clips, just so I could listen to it.

Thats all the pics I have for now, the only thing I need is the lower charge piping, which I'm getting this weekend, and progress will start a week from Friday.

[eg6sir]

that valve cover looks just like the one that i did..
How to Paint a Valve Cover

[daveholiday]

Originally Posted by eg6sir

that valve cover looks just like the one that i did..
How to Paint a Valve Cover

maybe I should give you credit then?
I knew how to paint a valve cover before coming to this site, but figured I'd just read through all the stuff anyway, saw that, and thought it looked real nice gold with the black lettering. I didn't think you had the colors copywritten lol, but I do admit that I got the idea of the colors from your guide

except i think you used a better gold paint, yours looks much nicer

[eg6sir]

haha.. i dont care if you use the colors.. .. thats what its there for.. i'm selling that one anyways.. putting the b16 one back on, but its painted a medium grey.. nothing too fancy.. just not my style.. i'm pretty basic