'88 LX Civic (New Guy, read for more info)
 

Hey, I'm new here(oviously) For starters I'm usually a MoPar guy. 100% Big Block V8 MoPar Muscle Machines. But i can't and don't drive them every day. I think these lil 4-cylinder cars are interesting and being that i drive an '88 Civic LX as my daily, and that i cnt leave sh*t alone, i wanna drop a 1.5 "v-tech"(whatever that is) in it. The motor is out of a '95 EX Civic. Motor, tranny, wiring, and all the other stuff for the swap is like 350-450 from a dude i know. 120k on it. He claims 150 horse outta it. Either way it's got a hydrolic clutch and the tranny is close ratio(as in the actual gear ratios for the idiots who think "close ratio" means how far the shifter moves) whereas my '88 is a crappy wide ratio 5-speed. Ontop of all of that my 1.5(i swapped my original for another factory 1.5 with "lower miles") has bad pistion rings. They sold it to me for 350(just the motor) and it had a blown head gasket. It has that crappy Dual Point Fuel Injection on it. And it bellows smoke constantly, unless i'm rolling at 45 and up. Anyways, i wanna know how much B.S. is involved in swapping a '95 Civic EX motor into an '88 Civic.

P.S. I don't hate on ya'll for cruisin 4-cylinder imports, so don't hate on me for my interests :3 I've seen an Eclipse run 10.00 in the 1/4 mile running 45 p.s.i. through a mostly factory motor. I know what these 4-cylinders can do with these big ole turbos :P but just imagine 45 p.s.i. on a 500 C.I. motor ;)

Thanks guys. I hope i get some good responses to my questions :3

Welcome to the forum. Are you sure the engine is a 1.5 vtec? (not v-tech, that's a phone brand.) The vtec engines from the 92-95 generation were 1.6 liters and 127 horsepower. So, 150 might be a stretch unless it has some built up internals. Unless its a JDM D15b. That's a different story.

The swap is going to be pretty straightforward. Anything 1988-2000 is basically the same for Civics. You'll be converting from OBD0 to OBD1. As long as your computer and wiring harness matches the engine, you'll be fine.

Looks like you're unfamiliar with VTEC, or Variable Valve Timing and lift Electronic Control. Basically, it means that when the engine reaches a certain RPM range, the engine switches to a more aggressive cam profile so get more air in at higher RPMs. That = more power from the 4-banger.

Feel free to ask any questions. We're usually friendly here.

I feel stupid. I know exactly what Variable Valve Timing is. I'm not too sure how they actually make it work tho. I'm not familiar at all with Honda stuff. Like if i told you that my 440 has 516 heads. You dnt know what that means. So like explain as you go please? Thanks. Now could I yank the computer and wiring harness outta the '95 and put it in my '88?

Also, my '88 has DPFI(dual point fuel injection) it's sloppy and slow. I dnt like it. I was looking at the intake manifold on this '95 motor. Would I be able to put just the intake into my 88's 1.5? Along with the correct wiring stuff of course. I kno people have done it. But I cnt afford to have my '88 down for more than 2 days at the most. I gotta get to work and school.

If the engine and tranny swap is gonna be too much I'd really like to at least have MPFI on the car. The engine and tranny swap is more idle tho. My 1.5 smokes bad. Popped head gasket and then the water and such messed up my piston rings :/ I'm running 20W50 in the car now and that helps a bit. Around 45mph and up it dnt really smoke(or at least you cnt see it)

Would the motor mounts be the same? And in the same place? Same for the tranny. Would it all be the same? Also, would I have to run the same type of radiator that was in the factory '95? The radiator thats in my '88 is really long. The '95 has a tiny lil one.

Would I also have to take the drive axles with the motor and tranny outta the 95? Or are they the same? I need to know all this so I can plan it all out, get everything ready, and then hopefully spend like 2 maybe 3 entire days swapping everything over and then have it right back on the road. I have a truck I can drive if the '88 hase to be down for too long tho. But I cnt afford 13mpg when i make a 60 mile round trip everyday.

Thanks

How vtec works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcT_ZyY3F0k

Yank computer and wiring? Yes.

DPFI to MPFI conversion on the '88? Yes, common upgrade. But it's a pain because a lot of it is modifying the wiring harness. If you wanna read up on the conversion process, here: http://hondacrx881.tripod.com/mpfiswap.html

20w50 is too heavy. Your oil pump was designed for 5w30. Try using a product called "Restore". It's ~$6 a can. Pour it into the crankcase and it reconditions your piston rings. Won't do well if they're too far gone, but it's better than running heavy oil.

Here's a great thing about Hondas: Same mounts for the same series. D15/D16 engines = same mounts. B series (b16,b18,b20) = same mounts. You can reuse the old mounts or use the 95's if they're in better shape. All will be in the same places.

The if the radiator on the 88 is bigger, hey, maybe it'll cool better. I never got that far into a swap so I'm not 100% on the details.

I'm not 100% sure on the axles. Some have different splines. I would think 88-00 axles are the same but to be safe, wait for another response. I'm going to move your thread to the tech section so it gets more reads and responses.

So a '95 Civic motor should be a D-series? And therefore should bolt right into my '88? Along with all the wiring and crap. So what exactly should I take with the motor and tranny? The wiring harness, and the computer right? And the main relay. I'm starting to think that it'll be easier to just buy the entire car from this guy. He rear-ended a Ford Explorer. The hood and driver side fender are crap. Air bags deployed, and the frame is bent now. He wants less than 800 for the entire car. I'm not too sure if thats the right price for it.(being that it is wreched) I was thinking more like 300 for the entire car. Thats with me loading it and taking home myself. Maybe 400. I'll see if i can snag some pictures. This thing is gone. You could fix it but it would have to be for a really good personal reason.

After looking at the process to switch the motor from DPFI to MPFI, I think it would be better to just go ahead and swap everything. Would I also have to swap all the emissions stuff from my '88 to the '95 version?

I added that into it. Helpped a bit. But the rings are just totally screwed. It can only do so much. This is another reason why i'm considering the engine/tranny swap.

And thanks for moving the topic. I need quite a bit of info.

You can start by just putting the engine itself from a 95 into your 88. Use the old OBD0 manifolds, etc. This is a very simple drop-in that will get back on the road not burning oil. Of course the performance would improve with swapping the controls to effect the MPFI conversion and get the VTEC working.

So i can swap ONLY the motor into my car? Put my '88 DPFI intake on the '95 motor and bolt it to my tranny and it'll work and be fine? No wiring to do at all?

In general, yes. All D series motors are the same. It would work but you wouldn't be getting the full potential out of the engine, performance and fuel economy wise.

Interesting info. Thanks for the links. I'm never going to do any of it but as an old motorhead I find it very interesting & informing.
To the the Mopar guy we own a 1998 GC 5.9 Limited, a late model Mopar goody. A friend of mine owns a 02 Dakota 4x4 with a 5.9 from the factory. & not an R/T. In 1969 a friend bought a brand new Plymouth Road Runner with a 426 Hemi 425 rated HP, HA HA, more like 650 HP dino tested. with a 4sp & triple black.

The mounts change from generation to generation in some cases. However, all the mounts will bolt up to the motor.

You could use the hydro tranny, but it is a lot of work to get it working...
Instead of installing the entire wiring harness from the engine, you could look into getting an obd0-obd1 ecu conversion harness.

Find out which motor you have. To the left of the exhaust manifold, the block number should be etched in. D16z6, D16y8, D16a6, etc.
D = series of motor
15/16 = litres 1.5 or 1.6
y8/z6/a6 etc = type of motor

ideally, use your 88 transmission, 88 engine and tranny mounts, 95 block intake and ecu, get an obd0-obd1 ecu harness adaptor, rewire the distributor to accept your 88 harness.

there are full swap guides for nearly every honda motor out there, going into the ED/EF/EE chassis (88-91, most people just say EF)... just find out exactly which motor you have.