91 civic hatch dx wanna do an engine swap help?

sleepers91hb

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Just bought a 1991 EF Honda Civic dx wanna do an engine swap any suggestion...

Hey Everyone, Just got a 91 honda civic hatchback dx. I want to do a engine swap, but not sure what engine is the best and the easiest.. Also looking for info on how to do it right! I would like to do a b16 or b18 type r or just vtec. Any info would help or suggestions. Links to other posts as well would also help. I am New to Clubcivic and having a hard time finding the info I am looking for. Thanks
 
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StilAHondaFreak

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Just a FRIENDLY bit of advice, you may wanna go back and edit that post, you'll get burned on for sure if you leave that "vtech" ish on there, it's VTEC ;)

Have a nice day :D

Oh, and here ya go, (Full credit from this point goes to Tom, and the Search button :word:

HOW-TO: 88-91 MPFI swap

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The Effin Guide to MPFI swaps
The MPFI(multi point fuel injection) is the first step to making power in a dual point fuel injected (DPFI) equipped car. While the stock DX makes 92 hp, this conversion typically results in 100-102 hp with improvements across the entire RPM range. While still a few horsepower shy of a full Si because of .1 liter difference in displacement, the DX is a few pounds lighter...so it about equals out. The MPFI system also responds better to the regular bolt on power modifications.



The parts you will need:
88-91 Si intake manifold and gasket (Get all the sensors)
Intake manifold brace (The DX brace is different)
ECU: 88-91 Si or 88-89 teg
Injector Resistor Box 88-91 Si or 88-89 teg
88-91 Si distributor
Extra wire or a wiring harness from a Si
Some assorted connectors can be custom made or sourced from the Si wiring harness
Throttle body and gasket
Injector o-rings and seals
There is a hose that is different between the DX and Si on the distributor side of the intake manifold. It has a 180 degree bend [Looks like a U] and it goes from the intake to the head and will be needed.
The stock DX airbox will not fit properly. Either get a Si box, an aftermarket cone style intake or plan on some ghetto fabrication
Preparation:
I would give the MPFI intake manifold and throttle body a good cleaning with carb cleaner.

Now would be a good time to do any port/polish work on the intake manifold. Just don't go overboard on the polishing as a slightly rough surface encourages some turbulence/air tumble that is ideal for combustion.



Removal:
Drain the radiator.
Remove all the hoses, wiring, and vacuum lines that go to the DX manifold.
Make sure you mark them or have a service manual handy to know where they go after you put the new manifold on the car.
Then remove the old manifold and clean up the mating surfaces.
While the DX manifold is off:
Extend the throttle position sensor (TPS) plug about 8 inches making sure that you switch the wires per the wiring instructions.
Extend the EACV plug wires about 5 inches.
Add the appropriate wires for the injectors now. The wiring instructions come in handy here as well. You will be glad you did this before you installed the manifold.
Then install the new manifold and reconnect the hoses and vacuum lines and connections.

Now you need to finish up the wiring...




Wiring Instructions:
In order to convert your dual point injection DX to multi-point injection you will need 4 injector plugs, an injector resistor box, extra wire, a wire stripper/cutter, heatshrink and/or electrical tape, and some patience.

When doing this conversion I would highly recommend soldering all connections and heatshrinking them. If you do not have access to heatshrink neatly wrapped electrical tape will be satisfactory

It is also extremely helpful to have an extra multi-point injection engine harness laying around to take plugs from (i.e. injector plugs, injector resistor box plug, and distributor plug).

Listed below is a straightforward and easy to follow set of instructions to help you complete your DX to Si manifold swap.

There is a comprehensive pinout diagram and chart attached below.





Inside car @ ECU
Pins B10 and B12 are empty. Unused pins can be taken from B2 or B11. Some models have a wire located at B12.
Cut orange and white wires off at C1 and C2 and connect them to wires added at B10 and B12. Orange-B10. White-B12. Leave enough wire for next step.
Run wires from C1 and C2 (direct ECU connection) into the engine compartment. Label these wires for later use.
Cut wires at A3 and A7 leaving plenty of wire. Run these wires into the engine compartment and label them for later use.
Before installing MPFI manifold
TPS and EACV plugs are too short and must be extended.
Be sure to switch green/white and yellow/white wires on TPS
Injectors and injector resistor box
Connect the yellow/black wires from the two DX injector harnesses and run it to the yellow/black wire on the injector resistor box.
Connect the yellow wire from the DX injector to the #1 injector (brown wire).
Connect the red wire from the DX injector and run it to the #3 injector (blue wire).
Connect the A3 wire to the #2 injector (red wire).
Connect the A7 wire to the #4 injector (yellow wire).
Connect the 4 red/black wires from injector resistor box to each injector.
Cylinder position sensor
Connect C1 to blue/green wire on cylinder position sensor plug.
Connect C2 to blue/yellow wire on cylinder position sensor plug.
These wires are off the Si distributor so connect them there.

That's it. Double check everything and start it up. Good luck!
 


boosted_zc

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easiest and cheapest are zc swaps(can use your stock transmission if you cant find one), a b18a1 out of a 90-93 integra(cable transmissions) or the b16a's that come with the cable trannys to, with all you need to switch to mpfi like posted above, but you can stay obd0 with these also
 

sleepers91hb

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Thanks for the posts and comments. Very helpful... Also I made that change thanks...
 


sleepers91hb

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Does any one else have any suggestions on what i should do for an engine swap?

Is it worth trying to put in a b16 type r engine or is that too much work? I was told i can get a cable tranny to go with that engine...

Dx engine now should i just upgrade to a 1.6 si engine or integra engine?
 

StilAHondaFreak

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That really all depends on YOU, do you have the money to do a Type R swap? Are you willing to live without the car untill it's done? What is your budget? So many different things to be considered here, it's really a matter of personal opinion.

I say do the MPFI swap for now, and go from there. Once thats done and you have all the bugs worked out, it's pretty basic. If you try to do everything at once, you are looking at alot of down time, and alot of headaches.

Hope this helps, just my :twocents:
 

sleepers91hb

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I bought the car to be a project car to work on. Dont need to drive it every day.. I have a main car I drive every day a new 5 series bmw that I have done a lot to but everything is so expensive for bmw's that I thought I would get some thing for cheap and toy with that.. You can see my what I have done to my 5 series at www.CLUTCHRIDES.COM click bmw and then 5 series, its all black with chrome 20 asanti's, it is under the same name Sleeper but I have a hot chick as my profile pic..

I got my 91 civic for $1500.00 and got a bout $5000 to spend looking for the best possible set up. I t doesn't have to be the fastest civic out there but if i was gonna do a swap I thought I should try to do something cool and thought a type r engine would be cool, but dont know how much different it is from a vtec integra engine... It really doesn't have to be type r. I just thought it was the best.

I am very new to honda's and am trying to get input and read up on as much as I can to see what is the best scenario to build...

Thanks for the responses.

I am thinking of creating a new post with pics of my car and how it looks now and a possible build list of things I want to do then update the thread as I go with new changes.
 


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