1991 civic transmission help

[purifiedmadness]

hi im new here and a noob to honda's i have a 1991 civic lx and my transmission is going out and i am trying to find out what i can use to replace it with as far as i can tell it can be from any 89-91 civic is that right? i just want something that will be an easy swap. the guy i got the car from told me the transmission was from a dx for better shifting but im not sure if that is true or not. it has the stock 1.5ltr in it. thanks for the help.

 

[blasterman87]

i believe that the hf had a higher gear ratio for better fuel economy but i could be wrong there all the same as far as bolting up and everything though. i have a 89 si tranny ill sell ya, 150 its yours

 

[purifiedmadness]

im all for anything with better fuel economy but, i dont have much to spend being jobless i just need something cheap and that will bolt on easy. and thats not a bad deal on that but im not sure where your at and shipping wouldnt be cheap im guessing. i can get one out here for $100 at a junk yard i just need to know what makes, models, and years i can pull one from and have it bolt on easy.

 

[blasterman87]

well, in that case any d series tranny will work d15/d16 all are the same in that aspect

 

[purifiedmadness]

thanks for your help. so as long as its a d series tranny the years of the car i pull it from does not really matter?

 

[phunky.buddha]

Yes and no. There's a difference between the 88, 89, and 90-91. The comparison file is a PDF posted somewhere here on the site- search for it.

Basically, there are two disc/pressure plate sizes, and there are two input shaft sizes on the transmission. You can build a hybrid setup- just make sure that you have the right pressure plate to bolt up to your flywheel, and that you have the right disc to fit on the input shaft for your chosen transmission.

Years DO matter.

As far as DX vs LX, the difference is in the chassis type. All USDM sedans had 4.058 final drives. The non-HF/Si 5 speeds have 3.888 final drives. The Si has a 4.250 final drive. The 1-5 ratios between the DX, LX, EX and Si are all the same.

For the best gas mileage in a 5 speed, the HF transmission would be best- but your performance will suck. The best mileage transmission where your performance WON'T suck too hard would be the hatchback DX transmission. It's also going to be the most common in the junkyards.

 

[blasterman87]

atleast i was somewhat right...

 

[purifiedmadness]

thank you. so as far as i understand you the easiest to put on and gave the best mileage would a 90-91hatchback DX transmission. sorry im a real noob but trying to learn.

 

[phunky.buddha]

Yup, that would be it. With the HF, unless you drove really slowly, you would probably get worse mileage since you would have your foot on the ground more trying to accelerate than you would with the DX hatchback transmission.

 

[phunky.buddha]

Oh, and good on you trying to learn. You're asking the right questions.

 

[purifiedmadness]

thank you for all your help. i am trying to learn but i hope that i am not sounding like to much of a noob at this.

 

[Korax]

The 88 was the model that had the different size Clutch/Flywheel. 89-91 are the same.

 

[purifiedmadness]

so i shouldnt have a problem pulling one from any 89-91civic but, one from a DX hatckback would be best?

 

[Korax]

It's all your preferrence. I personally like the Si 5-speed I have in my DX, but it is also hooked up to a Japanese 88 CRX Xi originally dual carbed D15b. I get close to 35-38 mpg with it. I also don't beat on it. If you like the way it drives now I'd just replace it with another DX tranny.

 

[phunky.buddha]

He has the sedan final drive- it's between the Si and hatchback DX final drive gearing.

 

[purifiedmadness]

what advantages would there be to trying to find a Si over a DX tranny and would it be any harder to install? i wouldnt mind a little bit of a performance boost but this is my daly driver and i mostly want to keep it running with good gass mileage.

 

[phunky.buddha]

The final drive is shorter, so you'll accelerate faster. You'll lose a little bit of fuel economy over what you were used to, but not much- the sedan transmission already has a final drive a LOT closer to the Si than the hatch DX.

 

[purifiedmadness]

so i take it that it wouldnt be any harder to install? i think i can find a Si tranny but it might be as old as 87 and im sure that would be harder to put on my car being that old.

 

[phunky.buddha]

It bolts up the exact same way as the other D series transmissions- the casing is the same. Only the final drive gearset inside is different. Make sure you don't get one from an '87- that's a different generation!

 

[purifiedmadness]

so i just need to stick with 89-91 civics but what about trannys from non civic hondas? cause theres a chance i could get my friends 91 prelude.