6th gen Civic B-series swap info
piyush1
10-29-2010, 12:27 AM
here's the information i've come across when doing this swap, i'm sure others can contribute to this as well.
1) expect to take about a week if doing it in spare time. overall, i probably worked for 48 straight hours to do this with 1-2 people. never had more than 1 person helping me. and honestly, i would consider myself a novice to somewhat experienced in this stuff. i'm not comfortable with rebuilding internals just yet.
2)Help is great. in fact, i wouldn't have been able to do this without it i don't think. Many thanks to Ace and my Dad, but more so my dad--even though you cut through my fuel line
Now, things you'll absolutely need to do this on a 6th gen civic:
Mounts
other than the motor, tranny, linkage, etc; you'll need the mounts to accompany a b-swap. on a 6th gen civic, here's the part numbers for the OEM honda parts i used:
50827-S04-N10 BRACKET, RR.
50825-S04-000 BRACKET, TRANS MTG
11910-P30-000 BRKT, ENGINE MOUNT
50843-S04-N10 BRKT, R. FR. STOPPER
I have heard that the Trans mount bracket isn't needed, and upon inspection it wasn't. but, i ended up using the one i ordered so i could still move the old d16y8 around by that bracket with the cherry-picker.
for the torque mounts on the engines that the a/c condenser and the front tranny bracket mount to, you'll have to either get nuts to fit the b-series shafts, or just remove the shafts from the d series mounts and put them on the b-series bracket. they unscrew, so no worries there. there's a hex-head slightly hidden on them.
other than that, use the civic rubber for all mounts.
Installtion
It's nearly a drop-in affair, if you have the right tools available at your disposal. removing the crank pulley is the way to go to get this in, but if you don't have a pulley holder, you can remove the condenser, p/s pump, and alternater to get the right amount of twist and jimmy the engine in. but the alternator is a bitch to get back in, so i would suggest making your own pulley holder if you know how to weld, or know someone that does:
get a nut thats the same size as the cutout in the pulley around the pulley nut, weld a hollow pipe for socket access to the pulley nut and a bar to hold onto to keep the pulley from moving, and waa-laa, a diy pulley remover for about $10 (thanks Chiltons manual for that bit of info).
A/C stuff
there are brackets you can get to mount the d series compressor on a bseries motor, thus negating having to remove the compressor from the lines and evacuating the system. the part number for the bracket(s) i got are:
38930-P7J-000 BRACKET, COMPRESSOR38941-PR3-000 BRACKET, IDLER
these cost about $120 to ship new from honda. However, i wasn't smart enough to figure out to use this setup. also, the motor i bought came with the compressor, so i decided to use that.
when switching to a b-series compressor though, the stock high and low a/c lines are somewhat difficult (if not impossible) to use. i was told to bend the lines, and i was also told that an auto-air shop should be able to fabricate new ones relatively cheap. i have not ventured down that road yet.
Fuel line
The fuel line on the d16y8 has 2 prongs that stick out to prevent it from moving. this is a problem when attempting to fit the line from the filter to the fuel rail on the b18b1 because those prongs keep it from going on either the filter or the rail. so after deciding i was going to have to buy a new line anyway, we used an air grinder and ground the prongs down. unfortunately, dad got a little to happy with the grinder and nearly cut completely through the brass fitting. yes, i'm still using it at this time. it holds pressure fine, no fuel leaks as of 30,000 miles.
Transmission/clutch lines
ah, this was tricky. the slave cylinder line that goes into the actual cylinder is slightly longer than what's on the d-series. once everything was in, we realized that this was losing fluid, and upon comparison, knew we had to change it. after driving all over town trying to find a place to buy a new line, we decided to run by a semi-truck place and just had them cut the d16y8 line, and put the b18b fitting on the old line, then flare the ends. best $1.50 i have ever spent.
Power steering
The line for the d16y8 that goes into the top of the power steering pump (the steel line that screws in) the male end is too large to accomdate a b series pump, so this line will either have to be changed, or loop the lines. i may change the line someday, but for now the lines are looped.
Update - due to local laws, i had to get a line made. I sourced an integra line from the junkyard, and had a hose shop fab up a p/s integra end, and the civic rack end. it ended up costing about $80, and you can find b16 civic lines for ~$90 online in some places. however, i'm not certain the b16 line will work.
Wiring (many thanks to klungemonger for helping me stay sane with this one)
the wiring is pretty straight foward when staying the same obd as you are. going from a 98 d16y8 to a 97 b18b1, there are 3 plugs leftover: two vtec plugs and the knock sensor. everything else is nearly in the same spot with the exception of the primary O2 sensor being at the end on the exhaust manifold just before the cat and must be extended; as well as the crankshaft fluctuation sensor and evap purge control solenoid sensor need to be exteneded.
the air intake temperature sensor on the d16y8 is built into the intake hose, but in the b18b1 it is on the opposite side on the intake manifold itself. the plugs are different, so having the teg harness is desirable, otherwise i'm sure you can get the plug from a dealer. but that needs to be wired in regardless.
radiator
possibly one of the biggest hurdles i faced was finding a 99-00 civic si radiator in one day. the d-series radiator has 30mm outlets, and the b series require 32mm outlets. we tried like hell to get the oem hose to work on the b18, but there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell of that. after sourcing the radiator, new hose had to be gotten, which was also kind of a bitch to find, ended up getting the lower from oreillys, and the upper from autozone. for the upper there were two parts that matched for the b18, so we bought both and test fitted before cutting them to fit. also had to have new hose clamps.
I was also told recently that you could take a dremel and ground the end of the radiator hoses down to fit onto the b series motor. might be worth a shot, since you're going to replace the line, so it's not going to hurt if you mess it up i guess.
as for 5th gen civics, it should also be known that they use same mounts as a 94-01 teg.
__________________
1) expect to take about a week if doing it in spare time. overall, i probably worked for 48 straight hours to do this with 1-2 people. never had more than 1 person helping me. and honestly, i would consider myself a novice to somewhat experienced in this stuff. i'm not comfortable with rebuilding internals just yet.
2)Help is great. in fact, i wouldn't have been able to do this without it i don't think. Many thanks to Ace and my Dad, but more so my dad--even though you cut through my fuel line
Now, things you'll absolutely need to do this on a 6th gen civic:
Mounts
other than the motor, tranny, linkage, etc; you'll need the mounts to accompany a b-swap. on a 6th gen civic, here's the part numbers for the OEM honda parts i used:
50827-S04-N10 BRACKET, RR.
50825-S04-000 BRACKET, TRANS MTG
11910-P30-000 BRKT, ENGINE MOUNT
50843-S04-N10 BRKT, R. FR. STOPPER
I have heard that the Trans mount bracket isn't needed, and upon inspection it wasn't. but, i ended up using the one i ordered so i could still move the old d16y8 around by that bracket with the cherry-picker.
for the torque mounts on the engines that the a/c condenser and the front tranny bracket mount to, you'll have to either get nuts to fit the b-series shafts, or just remove the shafts from the d series mounts and put them on the b-series bracket. they unscrew, so no worries there. there's a hex-head slightly hidden on them.
other than that, use the civic rubber for all mounts.
Installtion
It's nearly a drop-in affair, if you have the right tools available at your disposal. removing the crank pulley is the way to go to get this in, but if you don't have a pulley holder, you can remove the condenser, p/s pump, and alternater to get the right amount of twist and jimmy the engine in. but the alternator is a bitch to get back in, so i would suggest making your own pulley holder if you know how to weld, or know someone that does:
get a nut thats the same size as the cutout in the pulley around the pulley nut, weld a hollow pipe for socket access to the pulley nut and a bar to hold onto to keep the pulley from moving, and waa-laa, a diy pulley remover for about $10 (thanks Chiltons manual for that bit of info).
A/C stuff
there are brackets you can get to mount the d series compressor on a bseries motor, thus negating having to remove the compressor from the lines and evacuating the system. the part number for the bracket(s) i got are:
38930-P7J-000 BRACKET, COMPRESSOR38941-PR3-000 BRACKET, IDLER
these cost about $120 to ship new from honda. However, i wasn't smart enough to figure out to use this setup. also, the motor i bought came with the compressor, so i decided to use that.
when switching to a b-series compressor though, the stock high and low a/c lines are somewhat difficult (if not impossible) to use. i was told to bend the lines, and i was also told that an auto-air shop should be able to fabricate new ones relatively cheap. i have not ventured down that road yet.
Fuel line
The fuel line on the d16y8 has 2 prongs that stick out to prevent it from moving. this is a problem when attempting to fit the line from the filter to the fuel rail on the b18b1 because those prongs keep it from going on either the filter or the rail. so after deciding i was going to have to buy a new line anyway, we used an air grinder and ground the prongs down. unfortunately, dad got a little to happy with the grinder and nearly cut completely through the brass fitting. yes, i'm still using it at this time. it holds pressure fine, no fuel leaks as of 30,000 miles.
Transmission/clutch lines
ah, this was tricky. the slave cylinder line that goes into the actual cylinder is slightly longer than what's on the d-series. once everything was in, we realized that this was losing fluid, and upon comparison, knew we had to change it. after driving all over town trying to find a place to buy a new line, we decided to run by a semi-truck place and just had them cut the d16y8 line, and put the b18b fitting on the old line, then flare the ends. best $1.50 i have ever spent.
Power steering
The line for the d16y8 that goes into the top of the power steering pump (the steel line that screws in) the male end is too large to accomdate a b series pump, so this line will either have to be changed, or loop the lines. i may change the line someday, but for now the lines are looped.
Update - due to local laws, i had to get a line made. I sourced an integra line from the junkyard, and had a hose shop fab up a p/s integra end, and the civic rack end. it ended up costing about $80, and you can find b16 civic lines for ~$90 online in some places. however, i'm not certain the b16 line will work.
Wiring (many thanks to klungemonger for helping me stay sane with this one)
the wiring is pretty straight foward when staying the same obd as you are. going from a 98 d16y8 to a 97 b18b1, there are 3 plugs leftover: two vtec plugs and the knock sensor. everything else is nearly in the same spot with the exception of the primary O2 sensor being at the end on the exhaust manifold just before the cat and must be extended; as well as the crankshaft fluctuation sensor and evap purge control solenoid sensor need to be exteneded.
the air intake temperature sensor on the d16y8 is built into the intake hose, but in the b18b1 it is on the opposite side on the intake manifold itself. the plugs are different, so having the teg harness is desirable, otherwise i'm sure you can get the plug from a dealer. but that needs to be wired in regardless.
radiator
possibly one of the biggest hurdles i faced was finding a 99-00 civic si radiator in one day. the d-series radiator has 30mm outlets, and the b series require 32mm outlets. we tried like hell to get the oem hose to work on the b18, but there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell of that. after sourcing the radiator, new hose had to be gotten, which was also kind of a bitch to find, ended up getting the lower from oreillys, and the upper from autozone. for the upper there were two parts that matched for the b18, so we bought both and test fitted before cutting them to fit. also had to have new hose clamps.
I was also told recently that you could take a dremel and ground the end of the radiator hoses down to fit onto the b series motor. might be worth a shot, since you're going to replace the line, so it's not going to hurt if you mess it up i guess.
as for 5th gen civics, it should also be known that they use same mounts as a 94-01 teg.
__________________
Automotive Network, Inc., Copyright ©2025