Hey guys, I'm not too familiar with the whole Honda scene, I don't know much about all your 'B's 'D's, 16s 17s, and whatever else there is. I am however a gear head and know my way around a car. So here is what I've been dealing with.

buddy has a 2000 civic ex. 1.6l SOHC. from what knowledge i had on hondas, not very much mind you and without any research of his own he sprung for a 96-00 ZC jdm motor 1.6L SOHC NON-VTEC.

So, it is my duty to put this motor in. Now, after initial looks everything is just fine and dandy until he gets the motor to his place and i start prepping his motor to come out. Oops, do a little research, his D16Y8 has v-tec.

ive been searching and cant come up with anything so i look to you guys for any kind of guidance.

So, my question is - can i use the ZC motor with the stock wiring harness/ecu?

Do i need to find a 1.6l non v-tec ecu/harness?

also let me just mention that this is an automatic car whichs needs a motor due to oil neglect. my friend is not looking to mod or have a fast car in anyway. He just needs his car to run. Id really appreciate any kinda of input/advice you guys have to offer. Thanks in advance

also id like to add that he got a transmission with the ZC, what can be done with this? the tranny looks a good deal different than the one in the car.

 

I think (i'm not sure so research it) you can use the harness, but you're definitely going to need a different ECU.

ZC's are hard to find info about.

Here's something that may help you begin your research:
ZC swap info - HondaSwap Forums

 

The non-VTEC should bolt in and run (just leave the VTEC plugs unplugged) but the first time you hit 5500 rpm and the ECU finds the VTEC is not there, the CEL will come on. Since it's an automatic EX, it has the 3-wire IACV already-- you can just swap in an automatic DX or LX ECU and it will work properly as a non-VTEC car, no need to rewire anything.

All the D16 engines mate to the transmission the same way. Put your original transmission onto the new engine if the new one doesn't fit the car.

If the problem with the old engine is strictly in the bottom part (seized, burns oil, thrown rod, etc), you could swap the VTEC head onto the new block. I would strongly suggest installing and running the complete non-VTEC first to make sure it is OK then go back to change the head.

 

To make things easier as well, you can use your D16Y8 intake manifold. This way, all your injectors and idle control stuff is kept intact.

mk378 raises a good point about the 3 wire IACV (jdle air control valve, under your throttle body)...

If you want the motor to run like a ZC, you'd be best to get an obd2b-obd1 ecu jumper harness and either a chipped obd1 ecu or the stock ZC ecu (also obd1)

If I recall correctly, it's basically a D16a6, which is just a non-vtec d16Y8 (BASICALLY... some differences lol)

obd stands for on board diagnostics. basically troubleshooting sensors.

The other issue you're going to have is the distributor!

OBD2B doesn't always have a wire at the distributor for the tach signal... This is where my info ends because I'm not totally sure on OBD2B stuff, but, you might have to run your own wire for the tach signal and get a distributor jumper harness.

The easiest route would have been to get a D16Y7 since they are physically the same thing as a D16Y8 minus VTEC, and just get the matching ECU.

I hope that helps!

 

I would strip off the JDM manifolds, distributor, transmission, engine mounts, etc. and install just the head/block assembly. Transfer over the car's existing USDM parts. I think the distributor mounts slightly different but you can get one bolt in and run it that way.

Use of a ZC engine in a 2000 model may not be smog legal in California. Conversion to OBD1 definitely isn't, and may be an issue in other states too.