Forgive this incoming wall of text but I figured I might as well get everything out on the table in one dreadfully long post. I'll try and sum it up as short and simple as possible!

To start off, hello there - I'm Mandi! I'm 22 years old from Maryland. Last march 2009 my boyfriend - who I've been with for 8 years now, got his car stolen and totaled. A random drunk idiot stole my boyfriends car - which was a Mazda 3 speed and drove it into someones garage crashing into 2 other cars and totaling the mazda.

With all of that said aside, my boyfriend's insurance didn't cover all of the car, and now my boyfriend is still paying on a car he doesn't even own. So to get a replacement car was not an option, the only thing he was able to do was buy his coworkers 1992 Honda Civic Dx hatchback that had 200k+ miles on it. So he got it for like 1200.

Since then the car now has over 240k miles and its already had problems where he goes to start it and it wont start, so he waits 2 minutes and tries again and it will start. Fyi I apologize about my lack of knowledge in the car department - I'm just desperate to help him so I figured I'd come here.

Here is the dilemma. Right now his engine is a D15B SOHC VTEC. Between rent, utilities, groceries, insurance...etc he really hasn't had an opportunity to save much/any money. Right now he has about $1800 saved up and I'm willing to pitch in at the most 3k to helping him fix up his car.

The car is completely gutted - theres no AC, no air bags - I guess the person before him raced it, I'm really not sure. My boyfriend wants to do an engine swap and is looking at engines online right now, I think it was like hmotorsonline or something like that. Anyway, He has 2 options. He could get a B16A 92-93 HC Engine for $1900 plus shipping so thats like $2200. This is not including paying for the labor to have someone swap it. Or and this is the part where we aren't sure if it will even work, he could get a ZC 88-92 DOHC for $650 and then $300 for the transmission and chip, so $900 not including shipping so then $1250 total including shipping BUT it doesn't come with the clutch, the flywheel the axiles the mounts...etc all the stuff the B16 does.

Okay SO with that said, If he were to get the ZC 88-92 DOHC would the parts he has in his car now work with it? Would he have to order all new parts? I heard that the parts for the ZC are really rare and pricey.

I really just don't know what are options are and what to do. I don't even know what we should be paying for the labor to get it done, or which engine to chose. If you've read all of this thank you, any advice/input would be greatly greatly appreciated, I signed up on these forums because it makes me really sad how upset the boyfriend is over this and he is really scared the car is going to give out any day now.

Please give any honest advice you can!

Thanks, and nice to meet you guys.
-Mandi

 

honestly id put that 1800 that he has saved and your 3k and buy a decent car for that, instead of wasting your money in a POS..

 

=/ really

 

he really does love the car though its just the engine/trans thats crapping out. And his credit isn't good due the the jerk that stole his car.

 

if i loves it then go for it but it sounds like its just going to be a money pit. From the sounds of it that doesnt seem very logical.. OR just buy a good daily driver for 4k and keep his current car as a project...

 

Well whats a good daily driver? And do you know anything about the engines he is considering and which one he should choose if he does?

 

something like this...http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/1849630570.html .. and no i dont kno much about the older engine's.. sorry

 

Welcome to the forum. The DX trim level is the base model, and AC was a factory option, not standard.

Use the search function to look up "main relay" and you'll likely find the solution to the no start scenario. It's the most common failure in that generation and it's SUPER easy to fix. Here's a repair guide for your reference if the symptoms of main relay failure match; http://techauto.awardspace.com/mainrelay.html

Is that a JDM D15b engine? Or does it say something like D15b7? If it's a D15b, that's actually a pretty badass engine for a single cam. If it's the D15b7... yeah, ****'s weak.

What are your boyfriend's goals? Does he want a fast car or a reliable daily driver? hmotors online is a great source for high performance swaps (some complete, some incomplete) but you might have better luck finding cheaper swaps on your local craigslist or over at the Honda-Tech marketplace. Many members here are also members there for their HUGE online marketplace.

His current engine is SOHC, so he would need different axles, wiring harness, computer, mounts, mostly everything. The ZC is a more uncommon engine so parts might be a little harder to find.

Labor costs are gonna depend on where you take it and who you talk to. I know some local enthusiasts who would come over and help me swap an engine just for the fun of it and for the experience. But you don't get the guarantee of a shop. Others will charge upwards of $25 an hour for labor. Probably much more.

How about more info on the car. He's afraid it's gonna die. Has it been maintained? Recent spark plugs/wires/distributor? Does it drink or burn through a lot of oil? Does it still get good mileage (when it starts, lol)?

We can give you all sorts of information if we know specifics about the car. You've come to the right place for help. You might have to wait a few days for people to read the thread because the forum is slow on Sunday and early in the week.

[edit] Oh, and watch out for leghumpers. We don't have many women on the forum.

 

Is that a JDM D15b engine? Or does it say something like D15b7? Yes it is a JDMD15b!

What are your boyfriend's goals? Does he want a fast car or a reliable daily driver? He wants reliable but not slow, a fun car to drive - it's already lowered due to the previous owner.


How about more info on the car. He's afraid it's gonna die. Has it been maintained? Recent spark plugs/wires/distributor? Does it drink or burn through a lot of oil? Does it still get good mileage (when it starts, lol)? Okay so far this past year he has replaced: spark plugs /wiring, distributer, altinator, battery, battery wiring, oil pan, ECU, the intake manifold, intake, exaust, rotors, valve cover, timing belt, water pump, fuel pump, serpentine belt, and the starter.

Some more info about the problems he is having with the car:
transmission is dying - makes whine sound
engine is leaking oil out of the valve cover
seems to be burning alot of oil
Clutch makes alot of squeaking when pushed in
car randomly doesn't start

He said that the real problem is the transmission however it's cheaper to just get trans and engine done at same time because its so cheap
trans and clutch going might as well get engine block too?

All in all he just wants a reliable fun car - he would get the same engine he already has but it's always sold out at hmotorsonline.

Also, if he were to get a turbo set up how much would it cost and what is a good one to get?

Thank you SO much for replying by the way WellFedHobo, it really means alot to me!

 

Where at in Maryland are guys located?!?!?

anywho Welcome to the forum and sorry about his Mazda :/ I live in Baltimore and someone stole my cobalt so now I have a civic

engine is leaking oil out of the valve cover-VC gasket is blown

Also, if he were to get a turbo set up how much would it cost and what is a good one to get?-Meh Im looking into turboing my car its all in if you want to to an ebay junkyard set up or something really good..I mena the ebay turbo kits will last for a while and their like 600 bucks