Questions on replacing head gasket

[Riick]

if you can remove a cylinder head, you can swap a motor. its not hard.

Wouldn't I need one of those crane-thingies and better abilities with difficult bolts? Would I have to open up the clutch? (Not a big fan of friction plate dust - pretty sure some of those things are still made with asbestos.) I'm on the fence about it; this car would be far from perfection even with a great engine.

 

[Culberson]

is this your DD? the D-Series engines are pretty cheap,check your local craigslist or junkyard. i wouldnt give up on it easily but then agian you know more about the problems then we do. if anything keep it and swap the motor if you wana and sell it,it might get you some extra cash and some extra experiance!

just my ,02 cents

 

[Jersey8]

Wouldn't I need one of those crane-thingies and better abilities with difficult bolts? Would I have to open up the clutch? (Not a big fan of friction plate dust - pretty sure some of those things are still made with asbestos.) I'm on the fence about it; this car would be far from perfection even with a great engine.

yes, you will need a engine hoist. no, you will not have to open up the clutch. no, they are not made with asbestos. asbestos is illegal.

 

[TokyoSkies]

From all the work you've been doing, I don't see you having much an issue with doing a swap. It's not terribly difficult (particularly doing D series to D series). As for locating, as others have said, check Craigslist. Junkyards will have them, and a lot of the time, they'll even pull the motor and compression/leakdown test them for you. Just the motor itself is normally like $200-$400 (at least here in CA). Not too bad.

 

[sohclubkid]

ive done over a dozen D series swaps and never used an engine hoist.
your clutch is not made with asbestos, so no worries.

 

[Riick]

is this your DD? the D-Series engines are pretty cheap,check your local craigslist or junkyard. i wouldnt give up on it easily but then agian you know more about the problems then we do. if anything keep it and swap the motor if you wana and sell it,it might get you some extra cash and some extra experiance!

just my ,02 cents

Thanks for the encouragement. Yup it's my car.

asbestos is illegal.

I did a lot of research on asbestos about four years ago and found some surprising things. The 1970's U.S. legislation was never an outright asbestos ban. Existing applications where the asbestos was not friable (crumbly) were still allowed. For example including asbestos as an ingredient in mastics and other goopy substances was not banned. Four years ago brake pads with asbestos were being sold in the U.S. but were not being manufactured here. I was also surprised to see that some of the 1970's laws that did exist has been struck down recently. Asbestos does the job well, it's cheap, and it IS being sold in new products in the U.S., so use caution.

As for locating, as others have said, check Craigslist. Junkyards will have them, and a lot of the time, they'll even pull the motor and compression/leakdown test them for you. Just the motor itself is normally like $200-$400 (at least here in CA). Not too bad.

Thanks. Unfortunately craigslist had nothing but postings by people LOOKING for D-series engines. I'll keep checking though. At junkyards it seems the civic engines have already been pretty well picked over although I haven't done a thorough check. Maybe I should move to Cali! (but how would I get there?)

ive done over a dozen D series swaps and never used an engine hoist.

That's good news. How do you do it then?

Say- how does one transport an engine anyway? I don't know anyone with a pickup, and I doubt I could just throw it in my buddy's trunk...

 

[sohclubkid]

That's good news. How do you do it then?

Say- how does one transport an engine anyway? I don't know anyone with a pickup, and I doubt I could just throw it in my buddy's trunk...

remove front bumper, jack the front end up on the tallest jackstands you can get ahold of, place a piece of board on jack, put it under the oil pan, lightly jack till it touches oil pan, remove engine mounts, lower jack slowly, and slide it out from under the front.

thats a very basic summery... it works like a charm though!

i always just get a tarp or old thick blanket and put it in a cars trunk... they are small and you and a buddy can easily lift it up.

 

[Riick]

Junkyards will have them, and a lot of the time, they'll even pull the motor and compression/leakdown test them for you.

Doesn't compression testing an engine with no oil do damage to the cylinder walls and rod bearings?

remove front bumper, jack the front end up on the tallest jackstands you can get ahold of, place a piece of board on jack, put it under the oil pan, lightly jack till it touches oil pan, remove engine mounts, lower jack slowly, and slide it out from under the front.

thats a very basic summery... it works like a charm though!

Neat! But the car would be at a pretty steep angle, so how do you keep the jack from meeting the jacking points at an angle (which I assume could dent or bend the jacking points)

You all have inspired me, so I'm looking for engines. But I'm also looking for a new car. We'll see which I find first!

 

[Culberson]

well i am glad to see your not giving up. i know in the northeast the civic is a very sought after car haha but another option is maybe finding a B16 out of a DA Integra or something. i think the only thing you would prolly have to change is the mounts and maybe the ECU. there has to be something out there! another option that might work for you is finding a custom "speed shop" that works with imports and maybe see if they know anyone or anywhere that has any D-Series laying around. sometimes some places have there fingers in stuff like that or they might know someone who just recently had a swap done and has one left over. ill keep my eye out for some stuff for you as i wana see this bad boy on the road!

 

[Riick]

I could get a D15Z1 (VTEC-E from Civic VX- always wanted one of those!)
Is it true that I would also have to swap exhaust and transmission for that?
(Noticed the VX exhaust is a completely different system than DX; even different mounting points for pipe A. Noticed transmission may have different gear ratios 'cause the part numbers are different for some gears.)

 

[Culberson]

where would you be getting it from? id snag the exhaust manifold if it seems diffrent then just weld or clamp in your own tubing after your done. and as far as the tranny goes id prolly snag that too, better to be safe then sorry in my opinion.

if all else fails and you didnt need it im sure someone will pick it up on here or on craigslist.

 

[sohclubkid]

I could get a D15Z1 (VTEC-E from Civic VX- always wanted one of those!)
Is it true that I would also have to swap exhaust and transmission for that?
(Noticed the VX exhaust is a completely different system than DX; even different mounting points for pipe A. Noticed transmission may have different gear ratios 'cause the part numbers are different for some gears.)

that swap is hard to do because of wiring differences... the tranny bolts up and your exhaust will too.