Our Good Deed For The YearI have been working on my '85 Honda CRX Si build-up for the past six years. Up until about two years ago I really didn't know a lot about cars. So, I started doing a bit more research. In the "I Dream of Mugen" (9/05) article, I found out about RedPepperRacing.com. If it wasn't for RedPepper and HT, my CRX Si would probably be headed in the "rice" direction.
The Si is mostly stock, except for the custom muffler, but I plan on buying a custom carbon-fiber ZC hood with my upcoming tax return funds. I've got a few bolt-on mods and a couple of OEM interior upgrades, too. More are on the way.
Well, that's pretty much what my CRX consists of. As of right now, it's at a friend's garage having another EW3 dropped in because of a warped head and bad TPS. Apparently, a replacement throttle body is very hard to find. Further down the road, I am going to perform a D16A1 swap to go with the ZC hood. Thanks again.Anonymous
If we can push one reader toward "nice" instead of "rice" we're doing our job. It's good to know that we can have a positive influence on our readers. As far as your throttle body is concerned, the reason why you're having a hard time finding one is because the year of your car. The '85 TPS connector is different than that of a later models ('86-'87). Luckily for you, the voltage scales are the same. Just cut your stock connector off and splice in the easier to find later model TPS.
Serial For BreakfastI just bought a first-gen B16A mill to put in my '92 Civic Si. While checking out the motor, I noticed the number 7 stamped into the block under the B16A marking. What is this number? Can I tell anything about my motor's history using this numberTim Fields
The number you are talking about is the engine's serial number. Every motor JDM, USDM or otherwise has a unique serial number to distinguish it from one another. Our primary use for this number is checking whether or not a motor is stolen. If you plan on buying a motor, you can have this number run through the Highway Patrol database and they will let you know if it is legit. On the other hand, since you've already bought your motor, that could turn into problems for you. If you went to spicybseries.com and bought your swap for some ungodly low price, don't be surprised at what happens when the fuzz runs your serial number sometime down the line. If Johnny Law finds that the motor is hot, he'll impound your car, take your motor, then put you in jail for receiving stolen property. Even if you have a receipt saying you bought it legitimately, that oftentimes makes no difference. We, as import enthusiasts have to be extra careful about these types of things. The heat is already looking for swapped motors in our cars because the majority of swaps are not legal-whether they are stolen or not. Make sure the motor you're getting is legit, it might cost more initially, but it can save you a lot of hassle in the future. On a side note, here's a cool bit of trivia for you. Regarding first gen B16s, the 1XXXXXX series motors came from Integras whereas the 5XXXXXX series motors came from a Civic or CRX.
4 Doors With 3 LobesI have an '88 Civic sedan with a D15 motor. It's an automatic and the compression on it is terribly low. I also have an '88 CRX Si with a D16A6 and a manual transmission. How much work is involved in dropping the D16A6 motor with the manual tranny into the slushbox-equipped sedan? What about with a VTEC head on it? I've heard that some VTEC heads will raise my compression. That would be good right? Also, I was thinking of activating the VTEC with an RPM switch instead of going out and finding an ECU and harness. Will this work well enough? Or would having a VTEC ECU be in my best interest?Noe Ramos
You're in luck. This swap is pretty damn straightforward. Basically, everything you pull out of the CRX goes back into the 4-door's chassis the same way. You are just transferring all of the parts from one car to the next. The only thing you'll want to look into buying is a manual gauge cluster for the sedan.
A VTEC head will raise the compression of a non-VTEC motor because of its smaller combustion chambers (except in the case of the D16Y7). Your A6 has a stock compression ratio of 9.1:1. With a P08 head from a D16Z6, or the VTEC versions of the D16A, D15B, or ZC on top of your stock A6 block using a Z6/Y8 headgasket, you would end up with about an 9.96:1 compression ratio. Using a P2P or P2J head from a D16Y8, the compression would jump to around 10.33:1. In most cases yes, raising your compression is a good thing. More compression generally equates to more power, within reason. In general, as long as you stay below 12.5:1 on a street driven naturally-aspirated motor or 10:1 on a boosted street motor, you should be OK.
While you can activate the VTEC solenoid via an RPM switch, we wouldn't recommend it. With an RPM switch, you don't get any fuel enrichment for your high cam profiles. In other words, the ECU doesn't know the motor is on the big lobes and thereby can't adjust fuel and ignition accordingly. The best way to go is to use an OBD-I ECU, such as a P28, and the necessary hardware to make it work (jumper harness, distributor wiring, etc.). You might want to look into engine tuning options, like a Hondata system, to have a little more control over your engine. You will go faster in a tuned car then in an un-tuned car, hands down.