Okay I am not really a honda guy. This is my wife's car so I just need some help in figuring out which direction would be the best to go. My wife drives an 04 honda civic Lx and it's almost to the 100K mark and I don't want a motor in her car with that many miles on it so I want to swap a new motor in. On my MR2 MKII this was a lot easier because there were only two motors to choose from.

There are 3 different versions of the 1.7L I4 that are applicable to my car and I want to know which would be better to use.

The base 1.7L
the HX 1.7L (vtec)
or the EX 1.7L (vtec)

And do they all have the same motor mounts or should I just stick with the base motor?

would it be worth going with the HX or EX as far as power?
what kind of fuel economy can I expect?

I'm researching this on my own and I have done engine swaps too so please don't think I'm just some idiot that thinks he's going to jump under the hood of his wife's car and "reinvent the wheel" I just would like the knowledge of those who deal with this manufacturer more often.

 

the hx isn't vtec, only the ex and si.

honestly the ex is a lot better if you were to plan to do a swap.

 

why in gods name are u thinking about doing a motor swap? 100k miles on a honda is barely anything. If you have been maintaining it properly there should be no need at all for a swap.

 

(good point, maybe plan around 200k)

 

HX has VTEC-E...

EX has VTEC

DX/LX has the non-VTEC engine

Si is irrelevant, he is talking about D17 engines.

 

if you like vtec and you are experiencing currnt problems with your motor, go with an EX or HX, and yes they are both VTEC. Canadian SI did come with the D17 from 2001 to 2005...

If you currently do not have an EX or HX, then you will have to change the ecu and wire for Vtec.

Have full tutorial here
http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2669944

 

for one 100k miles isnt anything thats almost a new motor for a honda, ive had several honda's with over 300k and drove them everywhere, i travel alot,

info for the swaps,
hx is vtec and is the economy motor its known to deliver high mpg's
ex is vtec and is your best option for power
dx/lx is your basic motor

now if you swap a vtec motor into your car you will also need the ecu to go with it, and you will need to wire in the vtec, vtec oil pressure sensor, knock sensor to the new ecu.

 

If this is directed towards me, I thought it was imperative that we were referring to USDM Civics only unless noted otherwise, especially since everyone in here who has their location information posted is in the US.

 

it's Vtec becuase of the CVT addition.?
aren't they D16y7's?

 

no and no

CVT is transmission related only (continuously variable transmission). CVT, to the best of my understanding (off the top of my head), is run by belts and those belts adjust their tension continuously to adjust the amount of torque seen at the wheels. Somehow, this is better for gas mileage.

HX has a VTEC-E engine, which is VTEC with different cam lobes and engagement point, optimized for gas mileage rather than performance. Besides, we are talking about 01-05 Civics, none of which came with a D16Y7. However, the concept is the same in the 96-00 Civics, just with different engines.

96-00:
EX: D16Y8 (VTEC)
HX: D16Y5 (VTEC-E)
DX/CX/LX: D16Y7 (non-VTEC)

01-05
EX: D17A2 (VTEC)
HX: D17A6 (VTEC-E)
DX/LX: D17A1 (non-VTEC)