jdm b16a 1.6 vtec motor swap into 95 gsr has some problems

Ok here is my deal, i bought a car that has already been modified, its a 95 gsr and here is what is installed in it:

JDM 1.6 VTEC motor with factory oil cooler
Type R red valve cover
Moroso 8.5mm wires
NGK plugs
JDM 95 GSR intake cam
Type R exhaust cam
JE PISTON rings
Type R flywheel
PT performance lightened crank pulley(blue)
New Proline axles
99 GSR Tranny
Complete Tokico Illumina Springs and adjustable shocks
SP Greddy exhaust with new 2.5in piping
Exedy stage 1 Clutch and flywheel

So the guy has done some good modifications to it and i got it for a good price. But I do have some problems one is that it is running real rich, the guy said he put a spoon ecu chip in but he doesn't know witch one specifically.

So what i need to know is what kind of ecu can i should put in there, i don't know if it is a p28,p30,pr3 etc etc.... Debating on putting a stock chip in but again i don't know what kind would be the stock chip

Also my AC don't work, I don't know if it is because he kept the original AC in there or it just doesn't work. Need to know if it is necessary to have the AC compressor that is native to that motor or i can use the stock 95 integra gsr AC compressor.

Any help in this would be greatly appreciated, here is a pic of the carhttp://www.ourhomenetwork.com/images/mycar.jpg

what doesnt make sense to me is why this character would swap a smaller engine into this car, he already had a b18c1 in it, why downgrade?

as far as the ecu, the motor should have the pr3, but im not sure if that would work correctly in a 95 gsr, might have to go with the p28.

you need a P28 ecu buddy....sorry about the B16

the A/C was prolly never hooked up electricly this would keep it from running of course. The compressor from a GSR should be the same. so as long as its hooked up your fine...is the compressor and so forth running when you turn the a/c on???

not to worried about the b16, not looking to race, i will check to see if the ac is running when i get out of work, i know there is not belt hooked up to it though

lol, well that would def have an influence on it not working then

ok yeah ac definately does not have the belt hooked up, a friend of mine told me that mechanics usually take the belt off if the ac compressor don't work, they take it off until the broken ac compressor is fixed.

Also got another problem that i didn't notice, the Cluster isn't keeping track of mileage properly, all the other gauges work fine such as mph, gas,temp and tripometer.

Would that have anything to do with that it doesn't have the stock motor or just a broken cluster, thanx in advance again

this guy didnt know how to do much right i guess lol...Its not the engine causing it, its out of calibration...or the fool tried to roll the miles back before he sold it....hmmmm. take it out and check it out, 1st hand inspection is the only way to be sure.
Your compressor might not be shot just because the belt is off. Some times when people do swaps they just wont hook teh a/c up because they dont want it..due to never using it. Trial and error is the only way were gonna solve this problom...so hook your belt back up and run the ac and lets see if it works before we go any further...

ok, pulled the cluster out, the connector to the mileage was half-in/half-out, so that was no biggie, works fine now.

Took the car to my local mechanice and he was gonna put a new belt in for the AC but noticed that the belt pulley wasn't there. Maybe it was lost during the swap? i dunno, guess i will find out.

ok got another quick question, my motor is a b16a, and the stock motor should be b18c1, now i am looking to upgrade my exhaust headers.

Now I am pretty sure that the b16a headers and b18 headers are not interchangeable correct? (just looking for assurance)

Will i most likely have to buy headers for a b16a correct?

yeah, you'll have to go with the b16a header, i'm pretty sure that the sizes of the ports on the b16 and b18 are different, therefore it wouldn't really work very well if you tried to bolt up the gsr header to the b16 head. the length of the header for the b16 maybe a little too short at the end, so you might have to get it extended to bolt up to the cat properly.. my :2cents:

ok, got the ac fixed, it was a belt issue, it was a bitch vause the belt pulley wasn't there for some reason.

i know that the guy befor me installed a PT performance lightened crank pulley would that have something to do it.

Does anyone know where the O2 sensor is on the stock b16a exhaust manifold? Is it closer to the motor or to the catback? Don't want to have to rewire the sensor if i don't have to, this way i can get a header that matches.

thanx in advance

its about half way, its not on the arms like a toyota or so forth nor down right in front of the cat like a ford.. youll be fine

ok please answer this question ... why the hell did he put a b16a in place of your b18c ?? makes no sense at all , and now you want performance upgrades ?? thats like buying a type r and then swapping for an ls motor ..... :screwy:

probably the b18c was blown or something, not sure why he swapped it out. But got it cheap so doing a couple of upgrades won't kill me

Hey the exterior looks pretty good so when you say cheap how much did you spend.

but with the added weight of the teg compared to the civic, wich that b16 was made for ... you will be losing power .... i would try and swap that for at least a b18a

paid like 5700 for it. pretty god for all the cosmetic things done to it

it does look really nice though buddy ....

thanx, workin on interior stuff on the car for now and doing some bolt on mods, i have read on these forums that some people have been able to get some pretty good speeds out of these b16's, not as fast as a b18 but still pretty fast.

Maybe after a while i might put a turbo in, but i have to weigh my options first and would be the last thing on my list

But I do have some problems one is that it is running real rich, the guy said he put a spoon ecu chip in but he doesn't know witch one specifically.


Spoon "chips" don't exist. Spoon Sports only makes complete ecu's, no ECU chips, stock ECUs with replacement chips, or programmable ECU's.

that is what i meant ecu, sheesh...someone needs to lay off the caffeine

but with the added weight of the teg compared to the civic, wich that b16 was made for ... you will be losing power .... i would try and swap that for at least a b18a

a 95 GSR coupe only weighs about 50 pounds moe than a 99 SI coupe. not anything to worry about at all as far as weight goes.

Spoon "chips" don't exist. Spoon Sports only makes complete ecu's, no ECU chips, stock ECUs with replacement chips, or programmable ECU's.
And can you prove they make their own complete ECUs as opposed to resocketing the stock one?

yeah, i just pulled tha "spoon ecu" out today and put a custom one in and it didn't look much different than a regular ECU, except that casing is a different color than the stock one. Spoon ecu just burnt way to much gas

Interesting, I wonder who makes it for them.

it had a high as hell redline on it though 9700, i would be to afraid to go that high anyway

hey would an ls dash fit a gsr dash? samething?

And can you prove they make their own complete ECUs as opposed to resocketing the stock one?

I don't care if they manufacture them or not. My point was that Spoon CHIPS don't exist. No chips and no stock ecu's with REPLACEMENT CHIPS. Theres no such thing as a spoon CHIP. Dick.

a 95 GSR coupe only weighs about 50 pounds moe than a 99 SI coupe. not anything to worry about at all as far as weight goes.


seriously ?? i thought all civics weighed at least 200 pounds lighter than integra's ... thats nice to know tho

Okay, you said earlier maybe the gsr motor was blow and that's why he swapped in a B16A...but then why did he dump the 95 gsr tranny for a 99 tranny...why the ecu...I just don't get it...He already had all the other gsr shit...all he would have needed was to buy another gsr motor and bolt it right in...I've never understood the reason people dump a gsr out of a teg and dump in B16A...anyways, I am glad to see some of the problems were taken care off....Also, if he blew the gsr motor, and then stuck in a B16A, I'd be worried about the abuse the B16 has been though, espeically considering the incompitence of some of the other things done you mentioned. The fact he left half the stuff off, didn't put the gauge cluster connector in fully, let is run rich, etc...just leaves me suspious. I hope everything works out for you with the car.

I dont know how accutrate it is where I find the weights, I go to autotrader side by side compare and it shows curb weights and the GSR was 2667 lbs and the SI was 2612 lbs.

I dont know how accutrate it is where I find the weights, I go to autotrader side by side compare and it shows curb weights and the GSR was 2667 lbs and the SI was 2612 lbs.

Well, if thats ture, Civics certianly got a lot heavier in design as they got newer.

looked up last years for 4th and 5th gens and first year of 6th gen and it shows 2315 lbs for a 91 civic EX sedan(no coupes), 2443 lbs for a 95 EX coupe, and 2483 lbs for a 96 EX coupe. the 99 EX coupe weighs 2513, then the SI has the extra weight of the B series I guess. I hope its right, then my car only weighs 2108 pounds.

Hey the dash on a LS should fit the GSR the same right? samething?

looked up last years for 4th and 5th gens and first year of 6th gen and it shows 2315 lbs for a 91 civic EX sedan(no coupes), 2443 lbs for a 95 EX coupe, and 2483 lbs for a 96 EX coupe. the 99 EX coupe weighs 2513, then the SI has the extra weight of the B series I guess. I hope its right, then my car only weighs 2108 pounds.

Well, I looked up my car once on edmunds (forgot how I found the weight, I can't find it now) and I think I remember it is supposed to be 2250lbs or so. Also, I know the 5th gen Coupes weigh more than the Sedans, sometimes as much as 100lbs more if I remember right. So if you are comparing a 91 sedan to newer years, you must compare it to the sedan of the newer years. With 5th gens at least, the hatchback is the lightest, the sedan is second, and the coupe is the heavist.I am pretty sure a 95 EX Sedan isn't much more than 2380-2400lbs, a little lighter than the 95 EX coupe.

a 1995 EX sedan is 2522, a 96 EX sedan is 2518, and a 99 EX sedan is 2513lbs.

why in the world would a coupe weigh more, you're saving the weight of 2 less door frames, 2 less full size windows, 2 less window motors on them, 2 less door lock motors, 2 less sets of door hinges 2 less of whatever recieves the doors pin(name?), etc...


and I wasnt saying that the 91 was fair to be compared to newer coupes, but the GSR 2 door to the civic 2 door is, which is what I was providing info for, then you say civics must get heavier as they get newer so then I post some weights on different years.

and yeah, I got a hatch, the CX, 2nd lightest 5th gen I think, and the VX is only like 12 pounds lighter. 1st in the lowest power category also. good thing I never had to suffer with that 70 HP beast.

yeah i am kinda worried too, motor doesn't look abused. No sign of any oil leaks or anything like that. Got the AC hooked back up, gauges workin good, change that gas burning chip with one that only adds more fuel at above 75% throttle.

Gonna have my mechanic do a full checkup on everyything so that i dont have any suprises. Gonna replace the dash soon with one from a 97 ls, hope it fits, its in fantastic condition

a 1995 EX sedan is 2522, a 96 EX sedan is 2518, and a 99 EX sedan is 2513lbs.

why in the world would a coupe weigh more, you're saving the weight of 2 less door frames, 2 less full size windows, 2 less window motors on them, 2 less door lock motors, 2 less sets of door hinges 2 less of whatever recieves the doors pin(name?), etc...


and I wasnt saying that the 91 was fair to be compared to newer coupes, but the GSR 2 door to the civic 2 door is, which is what I was providing info for, then you say civics must get heavier as they get newer so then I post some weights on different years.

and yeah, I got a hatch, the CX, 2nd lightest 5th gen I think, and the VX is only like 12 pounds lighter. 1st in the lowest power category also. good thing I never had to suffer with that 70 HP beast.


I wasn't trying to get on your ass dude, chill out and relax...I was saying what several places I looked said...and it baffled me too...I took another look, and it seems they numbers have changed now...hmm...weird...the site your looking at has different numbers than Edmunds used car price guide, I can tell you that. Edummnds lists a 95 EX at 2522lbs http://www.edmunds.com/used/1995/honda/civic/4223/specs.html?tid=edmunds.u.options.leftsidenav..6.Ho nda*. Buy contrast, the 1992 EX sedan was 2480 lbs. http://www.edmunds.com/used/1992/honda/civic/3904/specs.html?tid=edmunds.u.options.leftsidenav..6.Ho nda* The best bet really is to get the numbers straight from honda, cuz I can tell you right now, you and I are finding diffrent weight numbers on the net....and both are considered "respectable numbers." The lightest 5th gen hatch is 2100lbs about give or take...my 1992 5th gen was around 2275 lbs when I bought it http://www.edmunds.com/used/1992/honda/civic/3902/specs.html?tid=edmunds.u.options.leftsidenav..6.Ho nda*. Now, I suppose the added power junk adds weight, but my point was, it's a hell of a lot heavier than my 5th gen, that's all...Don't get all bent out of shape man, it's not like I was trying to "show you up." But the fact is, the 1992 EX Sedan is about 42 lbs lighter than the 1995 EX sedan...yet they are the same body style and generation of car.

The CX and VX show up as the same weight in 1993...2094lbs
1993 CX...but the CX has less power and torque to the VX....the CX has a 70hp and 91 ft/lbs of torque D15B8...the VX has a a 91hp and 97 ft-lbs of torque.
1993CX
http://www.edmunds.com/used/1993/honda/civic/11560/specs.html?tid=edmunds.u.options.leftsidenav..6.Ho nda*
1993 VX
http://www.edmunds.com/used/1993/honda/civic/11563/specs.html?tid=edmunds.u.options.leftsidenav..6.Ho nda*

But the 1992 CX shows but as 2094lbs still....but the VX shows up as 2178lbs...I imagine both arn't correct...
http://www.edmunds.com/used/1992/honda/civic/3912/specs.html?tid=edmunds.u.options.leftsidenav..6.Ho nda*

Cuz 1994 shows both the CX and VX at 2108 lbs, but 95 shows the CX as 2108lbs and the VX as 2094lbs...

I told you I had read sedan/coupe info somewhere...1994 EX sedan...2213lbs...
http://www.edmunds.com/used/1994/honda/civic/4124/specs.html?tid=edmunds.u.options.leftsidenav..6.Ho nda**
1994 EX Coupe...2231...
http://www.edmunds.com/used/1994/honda/civic/4122/specs.html?tid=edmunds.u.options.leftsidenav..6.Ho nda*
I

That must have been the info I was remembering, back from years ago when I was looking into buying a civic....now...back to more strange numbers...
1993 EX Coupe...2390lbs....
http://www.edmunds.com/used/1993/honda/civic/11566/specs.html?tid=edmunds.u.options.leftsidenav..6.Ho nda*

1993 EX Sedan...2520lbs
http://www.edmunds.com/used/1993/honda/civic/11568/specs.html?tid=edmunds.u.options.leftsidenav..6.Ho nda*

Now, some of this seams strange, but in 1993, ex's got a sunroof, hence the added weight... http://www.edmunds.com/used/1993/honda/civic/11562/review.html?tid=edmunds.u.specs.specs..0.Honda* Anyways, looking back, yea...I can garner that the info I read orginally....the 1994 info...was probably wrong....


BTW...stopufool, the dash should fit.

not sure why I gotta chill out, never got worked up about anything, just saying what I think and have read, nothing more.

and about the sedan coupe info thing it was only 18 pounds different, not 100 pounds, seems weird how it is close to the same that year but coupes are lighter other years, and where I loked at 94s stats for the CX/VX was the same as you found for 95's.

and you found 2522 for the 95 EX sedan, whihc I found the sedan at the same, and on edmonds shows the coupe at 2443 which I found at the same weight again, so they must be somewhere near those weights.

anyways just want to say I didnt take your post as you trying to give me a hard time or anything and if I come off as an ass in my post, my bad.

not sure why I gotta chill out, never got worked up about anything, just saying what I think and have read, nothing more.

and about the sedan coupe info thing it was only 18 pounds different, not 100 pounds, seems weird how it is close to the same that year but coupes are lighter other years, and where I loked at 94s stats for the CX/VX was the same as you found for 95's.

and you found 2522 for the 95 EX sedan, whihc I found the sedan at the same, and on edmonds shows the coupe at 2443 which I found at the same weight again, so they must be somewhere near those weights.

anyways just want to say I didnt take your post as you trying to give me a hard time or anything and if I come off as an ass in my post, my bad.

It's all good, no hard feelings. I just misunderstood you a bit. Sorry about that. I just read it and thought...dude...he usually doesn't get worked up...so it's all good.

Anyways, with weights, it just goes to show...you really can't trust everything you read on the net...both sites can't be right. It's only a small difference but still.

Anyone know a good resource to use to take off my dash, looking for a how-to instruction to remove the dash. Don't want to mess it up

its pretty easy once you start, when you open the doors theres 2 panels that pop off and theres a couple of bolts, I think there is one under the top center vent, a gew on the sides undere the dash and then take out the center console and thre stereo and stuff and i thin a couple more there, then theres harnesses you gotta disconnect, I did it a long time agio so I might have forgoten where a few are, or it might be a bit different since I did a civics but I have heard that you can fit a 3rd gen teg dash into a 5th gen civic so they must not be much different at all.

I would think a helms manual would have a detailed how-to. If the regualr Helms for your car doesn't, the Helms Body Manual should. One of the 2 will have it.