B16 Swap Nightmare !!!

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civicsi1989

New Member
OK so this is whats up...
My engine kicked the bucket on my 1989 civic si hb. I like the car so I decided to put a new engine into it. After a few days of phoning around i had 2 main options, 1) do a replacement swap for a D16 or 2) do a B16 swap. Because im 17 and I want to have a fast car i opted for the b16 swap, so i borrowed some money from my parents and called up JK Japanese auto parts in Richmond BC and asked for an engine. i went out there the next day and picked out a b16 which i payed for and had delivered to honda in chilliwack (where i live). Honda then recomends that i get a new timing belt and water pump just to be safe so i did. I ended up waiting a week for the correct water pump to arrive. The tech at honda then begins to remove my old engine. I call up the tech 2 a few days later to ask how its going and he gives me a big speech about how hes only getting paid for a weeks woth of work and the swap is going to take him 2 weeks to do because he has to fabricate stuff. but im still getting a good deal because he tokk on the job so he has to finish it. So i get a call from honda today and they tell me to come in because the tech needs to show me something. so i call up one of my friends because honda obviously has my car and he gives me a ride there. i walk in to the garage and the tech tells me that its not going to fit. he said that the engine is hitting the rear subframe and the only way to fix it is to order in a new subframe or to notch this one , but he can't notch this one because he is a licenced mechanic and it would be illegal to do that. so this is where i am at now...i have limited funds to order in the parts to do the job and the engine place said they need to talk to the mechanic to ask him why it wont fit... has any one heard of having to notch the rear subframe in order to make a b16 fit into an 89 civic si???
 
a b16 is a BOLT IN SWAP for your car! im sure there are people here who have done it in less than a day! the only thing that may need to be fabricated is the exhaust.
 
What parts are actually needed for this swap, becuz now the tech at honda is telling me that the swap is doable but he will need to get a kit from the us that will cost $900 plus it will cost me $2000 in extra labour to do it....
 
you need a rear motor mount bracket from a da integra.
****in order for it to fit you have to mark the exact location that the mount will sit (i.e. mount the bracket without the engine in the car, mark where it sits on the frame) remove the mount and knock the lip all the way down on the frame.****

this is the only thing keeping the rear mount from sitting in.

your techs a moron. it took me a while to do this swap bc it was my first one.
i know people that do this in less than a day.

get a motor mount kit from hasport or arizona race and machine. $200-$300
aftermarket shift linkage for the swap, get from ebay. easy find.
cv axles from a DA integra
DA integra throttle cable and clutch cable

i believe thats all you'll need to get it in.
never take your car to a dealership shop to do upgrades.
go to a performance shop. they know better when it comes to shit like this.

good luck and do tell what the douche says at honda.
 
I swaped a b16 into my crx and it was my first time and it was cake work make sure you get the right mounts I got some on egay that fit fine but yeah I did have to dick with the exhaust but never take you car to a dealer even some onr you think you know that ownes a shop I took my acura legand to get a type 2 engine installed and they ripped me a new asshole in charges so try a performance shop or if your any good with cars try it your self
 
yeah, i had problems with my exhaust too, the flanges didnt line up so i couldnt bolt the mani to the cat, but i fixed that with an aftermarket header. fixed my problem plus it was an upgrade.
 
I want a header what you get and what did you do about the 2ed o2
 
i picked mine up from a friend for 100, dc sports 4-1. and i just spliced them together as one, doesnt give me any probs. bc im gonna do the obd1 conversion sooner or later. didnt want to have 2 useless holes.

but you should pull your car out of honda and take it elsewhere.
 
I went down to Honda today and had a discussion with the tech and he said if i want to continue with this swap i will need to get mounts and a wiring kit.so i was thinking hasport... but is that all i need ,just mounts and a wiring harness? has anyone had experience with these mounts before? and will i need axels or will the ones from the integra fit?
 
you're stupid if you pay that much to have it done at Honda...
 
Well you do need mounts but not engine harness If your car is a si of hf your stock harness will work but if you have duel point injection youll need a harness out of a si or hf and youll have to run extra wires for vtec youll also need shift linkage some axles out of integras work but try it anyway any more ? ask away
 
here, do this and your swap will go much easier:

TAKE THE CAR OUT OF HONDA

settle your bill and take it all away.
you use the stock harness from the engine out of your car.
add wires for everything needed (i.e. vtec, oil pressure, o2, and fuel injectors if its a dx.)


take it to a real performance shop bc they will know exactly what you need.
if you leave it there then your not the brightest,
you will pay double there than you would at a perfromace shop.

and use integra axles and halfshaft.
 
no, it wont match up to your car harness, might as well use the one that came with the b16, either way you'll have to re-pin the whole damn thing almost.

please tell us that your taking it out of honda.

(lol, get your honda out of the honda dealership bc they cant seem to put a honda engine in) never thought i would say something like that.
 
It would cost me more to take it out of honda than it would to keep it there becuz they put in a new water pump and timing belt so i would have to pay for that and they took my old engine out. the tech said he would only charge me for 25 hrs even if it takes more than that and if its less then he would charge me less.
can some one show me a wiring diagram of how to wire the b16 wiring into my stock si wiring. thx
 
yours is an si. you just plug in the wiring harness in the correct plugs. its easy, tell the douchebag to un do the whole harness from the si and put it on the b16, even he should be able to figure that out.

then you have to wire all of the vtec shit
im trying to find the page that i used that has pics for the ef harness (the one on hs has obd1 pics)

but you can order a vtec harness from rywire.
comes with directions i believe.

did you tell the guy about the rear mount bracket from the integra?
and that you have to hammer the lip in front of the mount?


and i have a feeling that hes gonna take like a month to do this. hes cutting you a "deal" which means that your shit is goin on the backburner while he does other jobs.
then when you call about it taking so long hes gonna be like "Look, im cutting you a deal and i keep running into problems, its taking alot more time than i estimated. so just give me time."
 
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I ordered these motor mounts today and they will be overnighted so i will get them tomorrow. I am not going to get a wiring harness because i talked to another shop and they said its easier to hard wire. If someone could get me a diagram of how to wire the vtec to a stock si harness that would be great !
 
Ill try to find one even thou im looking at one i found but prented out and cant find on line again but Dont!!!! mess with the factory wire harness it will run with out four vtec wires you need 1 wire to the seconed O2 sensor one to the vtec pressure sensor one to the vtec switch and one to the Knock sensor and you run them to the ECU itself you plug them into the pins it shows you But Ill tell you rite now its a bitch to take out the back mount and I think that guy is gonna rip you 25hrs at 50hr you do the math oh and you ground the vtec pressure on the little screw next to it this is the bes I could find and its a mirrored immage its lookin at the plug as if you were lookin at the side that plugs in not the side where the wires go inWire ColorEngine ConnectionEcu ConnectionWhite2nd O2 sensorC8Green/YellowVtec SolenoidA8Blue/BlackVtec Oil PressureB5Red/BlueKnock SensorB19

plug1.jpg
 
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