CroCivic90DX

Yeah...the body looks very nice. Paint too...real nice and clean, as everybody said.

biotic

POLL

Which motor should I install and why,

(1) B16A

or

(2) B18B


Go Vtec or non Vtec?

Vote and help a CRX enthusiast decide on whats best for time, money, and speed...

Biotic

daveb91

I dont know you have to get based on what you want to do with it. I have a CRX that is basically my third car that gets driven once maybe twice a week and only in the summer and I dont race it and i just freshened up the D16a6 so I opted for the JRSC and it gives me pretty good power down low that I havent seen out of any other stock motors. Also I didnt have to worry about rewiring new tranny, motor swaps and new axles. Also you could go with one of the D series vtecs and have a huge aftermarket to build from or a DOHC ZC whickh is basically a drop in to your existing tranny and wiring. There are many options they just have to match what you want.

biotic

Sounds good. I will be using this car as a daily driver. I hear that a lot of B16's have ticking problems. I don't want to put something in the car that is going to give me a lot of problems. All I really want is an engine that will give me a nice boost from the stock engine. I am going to have to replace the transmission anyway due to the fact that it has over 223k miles on it. I had already budgeted for that. I am leaning toward a nice DOHC Vtec motor. I think the B16A will be a nice fit, but I want to be sure it will be reliable. Hmotorsonline has the complete changeover, for like 1500 bucks not including the hasport mounts and LSD.

mistacee

With what you just said above....
go with the DOHC Zc. Good for daily driver,EASY,DROP RIGHT in and BOLT up swap,and def nice little boost from your stock motor. Plus with the Zc,you can use your existing tranny!

Based on what you want out of the car,save your money and go with the DOHC Zc.

biotic

You are probably right about the ZC, but it only comes stock with 129 hp. I guess you sacrifice reliability with performance. The B16A comes with 160 HP which is 52 HP more then the stock CRX si motor for 1991, (108hp). I think 52 HP would make hella difference especially with aftermarket heades, flywheel, exhaust, and ECU. That will be later down the line, of course. I have been reading around and it seems like a lot of people are having some issues with the old 89-91 B16A used JDM engines. I was reading that when I buy a motor I should do the following...

This was taken from the following link...
http://crx.honda-perf.org/articles/m...torprimer.html
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"Before you do an engine swap, it will pay to do your research. Things like power output, availability, cost, and complexity should be considered. Another big one is buying an engine from a legitimate seller. Check the VIN against your states DMV to verify it’s not stolen, if possible. Buying an engine that’s stolen may be a good deal dollar wise but if the police get wind, your motor can be confiscated, even if you didn’t know. Plus somebody’s car got stripped for that engine and I hate to see people support criminal activity by purchasing ripped off goods. There is such a thing as karma"…

"There are many shops that sell imported Japanese domestic motors (JDM). They almost all universally say less than 40k. But you have no way of telling. They quote 40k because Japanese cars get a lot less miles because (a) being on an island (b) cars are more expensive to operate and the public transportation system is used more and(c) something about insurance and taxes getting higher on older cars. So a perfectly good car gets disassembled for scrap because no one wants to pay higher premiums. Consider these engines can be 10+ years old and you have no way to verify mileage, caution is best exercised".

1. Get a warranty, this may not be the best guarantee because they are typically short, like 3-6 months but it will insure your engine won’t be a bummer right out of the garage.

2. Insist the seller do a compression test AND a leak down test and report the results to you, in writing. If anything is out of place don’t be afraid to ask for a different engine. And when you get the engine, confirm the results yourself or have a reputable garage test it. If they are worse than originally reported, ask the shop that sold you the engine why and what they are going to do about it.
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This is some really good advice. Do you guys think www.hmotorsonline.com is a reputable company?

Biotic

biotic

I guess my real question is, what motor will perform the best in a 91 CRX? B18C, B16A, ZC, B18B?

Biotic

mistacee

Because good 1st gen b16's are getting harder to find,being that they are getting older.Most are or have been beaten and the good ones have dried up,leaving the older ones left.
Most of the "good" ones have been scooped up already.

I would go with the Zc,less work,easier swap and cheaper.IMO it sounds like a better fit for what you want outta your car.Of course i could be just biased.
I have had 2 Zc's,one SOHC and one DOHC,loved them both but like the DOHC better,hence that is why i am replacing my SOHC with a DOHC version later on.

ED9man

B18C, but it is also the most expensive.

biotic

Well, after much thought I am down to 2 engines. The "ZC DOHC" and the B18B from the LS Integra. The ZC is very cost effective and will give me some nice gains from the stock motor. I can add some bolt-on's that will add to the power. On the other hand, the B18B has a lot more torque. I'm not really going to be racing this little guy, I want it for a daily driver and to have some power when I need it. The b18b is more costly but has nice gains over the ZC. What do you guys think? I know, it's all in what I want, but honestly, I am afraid if I put in the ZC, I wont be happy with the power output. Think I will????