b16 b18 b20...which one???

[Civicsolidus]

I currently have a b16a1 with ls tranny in my 89 civic hatchback.
the gears are kinda grindy in the tranny, is it possible to change out the gears inside to maybe si gears or do i have to change the whole tranny?


okay, and now to my big question. I've done a lot of research and i also want some advice from other people.

My car is equiped with the b16a1 currently.
I have a b18c1 in my garage with a spun rod...fixable...no problem there
and i'm about to receive a b20b4 from a crv. I doubt that the b20 is vtec


Okay, what i'm wanting some advice or actually opinions on. I want to use the b20 block, but the head doesn't have vtec. should I or even is it possible to take the b18 head and switch it to the b20 block, and use the tranny from my b16a1?

would i come into problems with the wiring or anything. My car is all wired to obd1 now and i just need an ecu that would work for the other engine right? please help me out

 

[YBLEGAL]

i dont have much experiance, but from my research i'll throw a few things out there

you can put the B16 head on the B20 block. use the B16 ecu. no matter what, if you do this, you have to dyno and tune the car. I think the B16 head flows better, and of course it's already vtec.

as far as your tranny situation, you can purchase new gears and rebuild the tranny, but at that point i think it would cost more to rebuild than just buying a new used one. it depends on the application i guess. if your going to be racing it a lot, it might be worth the rebuild and put beefier syncros in as well. and i dont even know if the LS tranny has potential in the first place, someone will have to back me up.

maybe this can help guide your own research

 

[philyphreak2127]

okay the b20b block with a b16 head is possible and as legal stated you need to use the ecu from the head. although you don't need to get it tuned unless you want to race it. The b18c1 head is also possible. The LS tranny has longer gears therefore if you are going with a turbo setup it might be best. The si gears are shorter and are better for an all motor app. so determine your build plans and get back to me. I built a b20vtec with a buddy in a hatch and he loved it. I also did a bit of work on a b18b in my teggy I know a bit about the b-series motors.

 

[BrutalB83]

I currently have a b16a1 with ls tranny in my 89 civic hatchback.
the gears are kinda grindy in the tranny, is it possible to change out the gears inside to maybe si gears or do i have to change the whole tranny?


okay, and now to my big question. I've done a lot of research and i also want some advice from other people.

My car is equiped with the b16a1 currently.
I have a b18c1 in my garage with a spun rod...fixable...no problem there
and i'm about to receive a b20b4 from a crv. I doubt that the b20 is vtec


Okay, what i'm wanting some advice or actually opinions on. I want to use the b20 block, but the head doesn't have vtec. should I or even is it possible to take the b18 head and switch it to the b20 block, and use the tranny from my b16a1?

would i come into problems with the wiring or anything. My car is all wired to obd1 now and i just need an ecu that would work for the other engine right? please help me out

Two things.

First off, the LS transmission is probably the absolute WORST choice for a B16 engine. The gearing is long, designed for the more economical LS's power band. The B16 makes its power up top, so you're going to want a transmission with short gears and a fairly short final drive - i.e. a tranny that will get you into the high RPMs fast and keep you there between shifts. A B16 or Type R tranny would be the best choice, but even a GSR tranny would be much preferable to the LS gearbox you're using now.

Second, yes, you can swap the B18 head onto the B20 block. This is called a "CR/VTEC" or a "B20/VTEC". It's the same idea as the LS/VTEC, take a VTEC head and put it onto a larger displacement block. You can use the B16 head also if you prefer, but if you have a junk'd B18C laying around then you might as well use that head and pull the B16 to sell as a complete swap.

As for your ECU choices, I'd look towards chipping and running a custom tune for whatever motor setup you decide to go with.

 

[Civicsolidus]

thanks to all of you for helping me clear up any grey area i had. I'll post how it goes and what i've decided. thanks

 

[Civicsolidus]

So i have to use the b16 ecu with the b16 head, no matter what block it goes on? if i'm understanding right?

so therefore, if i use the b18 head with the b20 block, then i would have to find a b18 ecu right?

i'm just trying to understand the whole difference of using the different heads and blocks and what you would use to make it work

 

[philyphreak2127]

well to be sure check the ecu chart in the general tech write ups section. they have all the compatiable ecu's written up. you may be able to use the b16 ecu for the b18 as well I just don't know right off hand what the code is.

 

[Civicsolidus]

Buying Help

I'm looking at this turbo kit for sale here locally in central oregon. i'm asking for opinions if its a good deal. heres the listing

"i have a garrett t25 turbo, exhaust manifold and down pipe, saab intercooler, wastegate and blow off valve just need some piping and oil lines. looking to get like $75.00 was going to put on my 94 ex coupe but decided not to. also have a b series turbo manifold for a t3/4 turbo"

I asked about any work needing to be done and here is what he said.
gaskets, piping, oil feed and return, missing link for the map sensor and vacuum lines

I don't think i'll have to worry about the vacuum line and map sensor issue but please let me know if its a good deal for $75 or even $100 dollars

 

[Civicsolidus]

PLEASE HELP w/ opinions

bump

 

[popeye]

That is a good deal. But the stock honda map sensor is 1 bar which is about 11psi so if you plan on running more than that you have to get a 3 bar map sensor. Also that turbo is very small for a b-series motor. It will be fun but you will always be in boost cause of such a quick spool and the power on the turbo is limited.

 

[Civicsolidus]

yeah the size of the turbo is what i was afraid of. I was looking at a turbo from a 02 wrx a while back and i ran into the same thing...the turbo wouldn't put enough power to make a desireable difference and the whole trouble of having to convert it to the manifold didn't please me.


for the price of the parts would it be considered an okay deal? if i chose to put a different turbo in a little later on like a t3 or maybe even a spendy one like greddy? lol that would be nice

 

[philyphreak2127]

the intercooler would probably need to be swapped when you swapped the turbo

 

[Civicsolidus]

picked up the whole turbo set today. Came with 2 b series manifolds, turbo, downpipe, wastegate,intercooler and BOV. totalled 85 dollars. I'd say not too bad in my book. just a couple pipes and oil lines.....and probably fixing something that breaks inevitably. its not a bad setup

 

[philyphreak2127]

not at all definately not for that price.

 

[true_gunta]

b20 block with b16 head with LS tranny trust u would love it im planning on building one myself but u should go with it