Thinking about going ZC........

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91crxhf

New Member
So I found a JDM ZC 1.6 DOHC 88-91 Civic engine and thought this would be a nice swap for my 91 CRX HF.. Anyone know what I would need to do the swap. like motor mounts , mods or ecu? Also what engine code is this ZC, I read it is a D16A8 but not sure....Any help is very much appreciated.!!!
 
i did a zc swap on my first ef and i loved it! its a cheap swap, you dont need mounts! do you have a si? if you dont then you need to get crx si knuckles and what tranny are you running the zc tranny or the si tranny? if your running the zc tranny you need 90 to 93 integra axles, and i cant remember what ecu you need off the top of my head! if you google the swap there are a few webpages with parts lists for what you will need. cuz alot of parts for that motor you will have to get from dif cars, such as accord, prelude, integra, etc.
 
91crxhf said:
So I found a JDM ZC 1.6 DOHC 88-91 Civic engine and thought this would be a nice swap for my 91 CRX HF.. Anyone know what I would need to do the swap. like motor mounts , mods or ecu? Also what engine code is this ZC, I read it is a D16A8 but not sure....Any help is very much appreciated.!!!
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swapping the JDM DOHC ZC into the CRX HF is pretty simple - it bolts right in using the stock mounts - there are a few things you need to do for the swap - you need to use the HF engine harness on the ZC engine and you will need to make a minor wiring change at the distributor, like this:
http://www.zcspeed.com/HFZCwiring.pdf
you will need a lower radiator hose for the 88-91 CRX/Civic Si - you will need an upper radiator hose for the 88-89 Integra - you will need to do some exhaust work as the HF exhaust is too small to handle the ZC engine - i suggest that you get a good quality header and 2 1/4" exhaust system for the 88-91 CRX - you can use the flywheel and clutch from your HF - you can use the HF transmission (bolts right up), however, the HF transmission gearing is not very good if you are looking for acceleration - the 89-91 CRX/Civic Si transmission is the best choice - you will need a different ECU - the preferred ECU is the JDM PM7 which is the factory ZC ECU - next best is the PG7 from 88-89 (not 86-87) USDM Integra - next best is the PM6 from 88-91 CRX/Civic Si - any of these will plug right into your existing wiring harness - i would suggest that you change out the timing belt, water pump, front and rear crankshaft seals and oil pan gasket before you install the engine

the engine code for the JDM ZC engine is just 'ZC' - in Europe, the same engine was designated D16A8, D16A9 or D16Z5
 

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i would recomend using the zc tranny rather than the si tranny! the zc trannys gears are shorter but i think better, cuz i had both on my zc and the zc tranny i thought made the car pull harder
 
Thanks for the replies! What i am running now is the d16a6 88-91 si engine and transmission and ecu with the hf harness ...... should i use the si tranny with the zc engine, the zc im looking at comes with the transmission.
 
jlicrx said:
you will need to do some exhaust work as the HF exhaust is too small to handle the ZC engine - i suggest that you get a good quality header

so will i need a header for a zc engine or a hf header
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Any d series header will work with some port work at the head flange they dont quite line up correct. Bolt patern is the same though. Also the best ecu method i have come up with is a pr4 with a fuel pressure regulator and back the fuel pressure down to about 32lbs with out vacum so it will be at about 26psi with vacum. also if you can get a set of 180cc injectors instead of the FPR those will work also. good luck. Just so you know Bseries camgears fit these engines and you can make a few more hp with some cam adujstment.
 
91crxhf said:
Thanks for the replies! What i am running now is the d16a6 88-91 si engine and transmission and ecu with the hf harness ...... should i use the si tranny with the zc engine, the zc im looking at comes with the transmission.
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if you want the quickest acceleration, use the Si transmission - the ZC transmission does have shorter individual gears, but when you factor in the 4.25 final drive of the Si versus the 3.88 final drive of the ZC, the Si final gearing is shorter in gears 1 thru 3 - the ZC final gearing is slightly shorter in 4th and 5th, but only slightly (1% in 4th and 3% in 5th) - the best combination is to use the ZC gears with the Si final drive - using the ZC transmission will require you to swap out the knuckles/hubs and use the ZC intermediate shaft and the 90-93 Integra axles
 
i think im gonna go with the zc trans because the engine im looking at comes with trans too. im kind of uneasy about swapping out those hubs though, sounds like a pain. found the motor at www.jdmsource.ca , anyone ever bought anything there?
 
Another HF losing it's mpg qualities, I'm sad.
 
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