I was told that the "stock d17a in my civic is junk"... problem is... I don't even know d17a is?

 

That is your motor. D series (single cam) 1.7L. The "a" can be followed by a "1" or "2" in the generation I believe. One is vtec, the other is not if I recall correctly.

They are calling you "slow" basically. Also, the D17 motor is not the best for modding purposes from what I have learned.