93 Del Sol S engine swap questions.

[m.glisson003]

I have a 93 Del Sol S and I wanted to swap to a SOHC VTEC engine. I plan on tearing apart the new engine and installing new aftermarket internals such as pistons, rods, cam gears, etc..

I have some questions...

1. In your opinion, which engine would be better for performance, the D16Z6 or D15B?

2. Which engine would be easier to swap?

3. Would any of them require a kit to swap it or any kind of fabrication of mounts? Or could I just pull my engine and throw in one of these over the weekend?

4. Which one is more available and cheaper?

5. Would it better to buy a used engine or a remanufactured one?

Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

[CivicSpoon]

1. D16Z6 since it's a 1.6 liter vs 1.5 liter. But realistically, the horsepower ratings are so close that it's not a big deal one way or another.

2. I suppose the D16Z6, simply for the fact that the correct ECU (P28) is more readily available than the JDM P08. The P08 also looks for a 1-wire O2 sensor instead of a 4-wire O2 sensor.

3. Neither would requre a kit, as long as you're referring to the '92-'95 JDM D15B vtec engine. Stock mounts, shiftlinkage, axles, and even transmission will work with no problems. You can absolutely do it in a weekend, even without any previous experience, as long as you have the correct tools available. Someone who has done it before can do it in 3-5 hours easily, but don't expect it to go that quickly if you've never done it before.

4. Too difficult to answer. Depends on what is available in your area, from people you know, local classified ads, craigs list, internet forums, etc. Obviously there are far more D16Z6's in this country, because they were sold in cars here, so it's just the trouble of finding one. On the other hand, if you can't find one, you can almost always find one at http://www.hmotorsonline.com/

5. Really hard to answer. Used engines can be hit or miss. I've seen some used engines that a fine, while others needed over sized bearing to work, because the crank was marred up. Really, the crankshaft is the only thing you'd have to worry about, since you're going to replace the other parts anyways. With remanufactured ones, most of the time you know you're getting a good running engine, but you're also going to pay more money for it. That's definitely a good thing, but since you're replacing so many parts, it might not be worth it when it comes to price.

[m.glisson003]

Thank you for your input Civicspoon! Very much appreciated.

I've decided to go with the D16Z6 because the engine and parts are more readily available here in the US.

Im still not sure what route I should take for getting that engine.

Before I decide I need to figure out...

1. Is it really worth paying for and installing forged engine internals (pistons, rods, etc..)

Here are my options...

1. Most expensive route...Buy a remanufactured engine $2000 plus a core charge (which I dont have) $240. So that comes to around $2250. With this option I know that I am getting a good and reliable engine with a 3 year warranty. BUT, if I come to the conclusion that forged internals are worth the expense then it wont have them and I would have to tear it apart and install them. Which would be the most expensive route.

2. Mid range expense route...Buy a used engine for about $850 (asapmotors.com). After about 10 minutes of google searching this was the cheapest quote I found. And then install forged internals IF I find out that they are worth it or not. Used engines arent as great as a remanufactured engine but they still go through tests to see if they work or not. I would be taking a little risk with this option. BUT since I am planning to tear apart and rebuild the engine with either forged or regular internals then does it really matter?

3. Least expensive route...Buy an engine from craigslist and rebuild it.

So like I said, before I decide which route I wanna go I NEED to find out whether forged internals are worth it or not. Because they arent cheap! After this is all said and done and everything is put together I just plan on using the vehicle for daily commuting and the occasional "pedal to the metal" excitement. I do NOT plan on using this for any kind of racing applications. There will be occasions where I will rev the engine to high RPMs though. I just want to make sure i dont blow up my engine.