Preliminary Info

[Nrkist]

So here's the plan. I'm going to be broke (like barely gas money broke) again at the end of the summer. I can only work weekends with school so I should have the $13-1400 for a D16ZC (yes jdm spec not A1 etc.) swap (with tranny, ecu etc.) by october to put into my '89 civic hatch. I have no professional mechanic experience but access to full tools etc. My question is would it be plausible to assume I could install the motor myself if one followed one of the numerous swap guides on the interweb? Basically how hard is this swap from a standpoint of someone who's mechanic experience has been replacing brakes and changing oil? Kinda rambling post but I think you get the picture. Thanks for any help.

 

[mustang67n]

its not a hard swap at all.
its bassically the same engine you had in before (mounts up the same) if your converting from DPFI to the MPFI, it adds a little bit of difficulty, but nothing too hard. just a little wiring
DX,STD (DPFI) -> Si,HX (MPFI) wiring
that is an awesome write-up on how to do the wiring, its no big deal at all.

its actually a fun swap lol. im doing it again in a few weeks here to.. my old motor snapped a rod

 

[phunky.buddha]

Yup, you can do it. Just make sure you have the right tools- and you can do it all with hand tools. Have a good breaker bar handy, make sure you have an engine hoist, and make sure you have all the parts to refresh the engine while it's still out of the car.

The swap has been well documented all over the web.

 

[Nrkist]

Awesome, thats an excellent confidence booster! I'll be sure to have a cherry picker handy, as well as all the ratchets, wrenches, and screw drivers handy. What parts to refresh the engine do you mean? iow valve stuff or cam/drivetrain stuff?

 

[phunky.buddha]

Yeah- like new timing belt, water pump, cap, rotor, plugs etc.