hey guys. i have a 91 civic dx. thing is kind of a beater. i am more into muscle trucks. i have a 1987 chevyR1500 that i am going to take off the road to paint the frame +body work+and eventually do some motor work to. good old V8's. but anyway, i got a civic DX for $200 and i am going to be driving that around for a while while i fix my truck. its a 5 speed andthe things a friggen turd compared to the truck.any cheap ways to get some more horses out of it? i think itsa 1.5 or 1.6? not sure with these things, ive never dealt with them before. so any advice would be helpful

 

hp isnt cheap, will cost you like 600 bucks for about 10-12hp on most civics.

 

Only way to get any real power out of it would be nitrous or turbo. Turbocharging it the right way would cost around 2 grand. Probably way more than you would want to spend since it is probably just your beater for while you are working on your truck.

 

yeah, that all seems to much for me. and just so i know, what do they call the motor in the DX. i see names like D16... or something. im pretty sure it is a 1.6 or a 1.5. And how hard is it to do a clutch in these things. Mine feels kinda high, dont know if thats how they all are or if im just used to V8 clutchs.

 

and try not to laught when i ask this, like i said, totally new to hondas, what is the the difference with the VTEC and what doesit do. i just saw a post about someones VTEC not kicking in and someone said it maay have to do with oil pressure. idk. mines not VTEC nut im just curious

 

1991 DX's have a D15B2 engines. It is a 1.5L... 92hp. lol. VTEC is basically like having two cams, one for low rpms and one for high. VTEC is the high cam that engauges after a set rpm and will lift the valve higher and hold it open longer so the engine makes more power.
Here is a video that explains it better: http://www.honda-marine.com/video/VTEC.wmv

 

i love the 92 horse. now is it possible to change a non-vtec to a vtec with a head swap and some computer stuff? like rob a vtec from a junk yard of necessary parts.

 

Yea you can take the head off of vtec engine and put it on your engine but you need the ecu from the vtec engine and I'm not sure but I think you need to drill some holes for the oil passages that the vtec needs.

Here is a good writeup on it: https://www.hondacivicforum.com/m_45390/tm.htm

 

that vtec swap will up you from 92 hp to close to 120 if you do it right... lol, its still going to cost you more than the cars worth though honestly go buy one of those cheap ebay chips for 10 bucks, it will lean out your a/f's and make you have more power... its hard as hell on the rings but hey, its a beater why not? i have one on my d16 vtec civic and if itake it off i hate driving lol,gives a nice boost in low end torque. no way would i recomend it for anyone planning on keeping the motor in good shape, but its just a beater, so why not?

 

i just went to a junkyard two weeks ago and there was vtecs everywhere. will a newer 1.5 vtec head fit? im sure that they wont want much for a head there. i think that it would be worth the 30 horse if that is a true statement.