questions about ZC

i know there is probably info about the ZC all over this forum but i could not find what i am looking for. I saw a great deal on a ZC. i used to think it is a great cheap upgrade but i have heared negative things about the engine, mainly needing a rebuild and being unreliable. i was going to go with b16 but price is an issue.
1. can i keep the tranny, ecu, injectors ecu from a crx si?( what would i need to change)
2.where do i find headers, intake, cams for this engine. Do any US companies make quality parts for this engine.
3. is it 130 or 137 HP?
4. is it bolt in?
4. ANY other info regarding tis engine. ANY INFO. thank you everyone.

it is a dohc engine by the way

i hope someone replies soon. what axels could i use? could i use stock d16a6 axels or do i need other axels. If someone could tell me where to go for info if they dont want to post that is fine. I get my tax return very soon and have a major decsion to make(for me a major decsion)

i know there is probably info about the ZC all over this forum but i could not find what i am looking for. I saw a great deal on a ZC. i used to think it is a great cheap upgrade but i have heared negative things about the engine, mainly needing a rebuild and being unreliable. i was going to go with b16 but price is an issue.
1. can i keep the tranny, ecu, injectors ecu from a crx si?( what would i need to change)
2.where do i find headers, intake, cams for this engine. Do any US companies make quality parts for this engine.
3. is it 130 or 137 HP?
4. is it bolt in?
4. ANY other info regarding tis engine. ANY INFO. thank you everyone.

1. Yes, you can run it with all of your stock stuff... But a PG7 (88-89 Integra ECU, make sure its an 88-89, the 86-87 wont work) will run it better, and the PM7 (DOHC ZCs own ECU) will run it best... Thats the only thing I would change is the ECU, the rest of your stuff, tranny, mounts, axles, wiring harness (with a few modifications), ect will all work...

2. Headers and intake youd buy for a D series (it may be slightly off from the rest of the D series, but it will work), intake CRX Si, not sure who makes cams, not too many places make parts for it... Alteast I havnt seen many...

3. From my understanding some European variants have 137HP... But I cannot say for sure... I know the normal DOHC ZC 2ng gen is 130HP...

4. See #1.

5. More info here (best site on the net for the ZC):
http://www.thezcr.com/

hey man. i just put this engine in my car like a week ago. it is about the easyest swap possible. about the axles i hear it is best to have the zc intermediate shaft but it will work otherwise. and im pretty sure the si axles will work. but i think the dx/hf ones have to be replaced with 88-89 integra axles. but its a good way to get a little more power just pm me if you need anything else.

and just to let you know. i dident know much about working on cars either. the hardest part about it was the mounts but if i could do it again it would be much easyer . just think hard before any dicisions. and the pin was to hard for me to get out for the shift linkage so i just removed the whole thing(just two bolts next to the shift linkage under the car. but have a few people handy about three could do it. i had five but we all dident know much. so dont worry it will be easy. and i say go for it. just have fun learning and take pictures of stuff for memory of hoses and stuff.

thanks for the info guys. It seems pretty easy to do the swap. I just need more info on rebuilding the engine. I want to increase compression ratio as high as i can go while running on pump gas and increase rev limit without any issues. I figure if i found an engine for 250 and then spent maybe another 300-500 on doing a good solid rebuild i would be happy. Just don't want to buy engine and find out there are not really any places to find quality parts for the engine. I was going to go b16 but i would want to rebuild it and with all the extra parts needed for a swap, i just cannot afford it. 2poor2tune i will probably become good freinds with you if i get this engine. thanks guys.

I figure if i found an engine for 250 and then spent maybe another 300-500 on doing a good solid rebuild i would be happy.

I don't want to burst your bubble, but if you think you can rebuild the motor for under $500 you're in for a suprise.

Here's about what I spent when I rebuilt my DOHC ZC:

Block bored .5mm and decked $80
Resized rods $60
Polished rankshaft $40
Pistons, rings and pins $250
Bearings $80
Cylinder head, 3 way valve grind, seals, resurfaced .050 and assembled (I did the port and polish myself) $450
Gasket kit $200

Total $1,160, and that just gets a solid longblock that I had to assemble.
This does not include the extras like injector cleaning, performance goodies, lightened flywheel and all the other little things that add up fast like the water pump, oil pump, timing belt kit, synthetic oil, and clutch. If I included these parts my total would probably be closer to $3,000. There is more money invested under the hood than the car is worth as a whole.

cool man. i dont know everything but i would be glad to help you out with what i can.

man this sucks, i don't know what to do. it looks like if i want to build any engine then im spending a grip of money. If i buy someone elses loss for my gain then i risk being screwed. i know not every engine has been abused but quite a few have. the zc build is still cheaper than doing a b series swap and build.

I think the best option for someone on a budget is to buy a ZC and install it as is. ZC motors usually have less than 60K miles on them if you get one imported directly from JDM land, this means no rebuild necessary. However, on the flip side these motors have been sitting in warehouses for years so the internals might have some surface rust, and all the good motors have already been picked over. Still, I think this is the best way to go, just drop it in and hope for the best.

ok, i am still undecided but it seems that the zc is going to be my choice because of ease to install and i don't have to change anything but engine( everything from an SI crx seems to be compatible.If not tell me what isnt)here is the link to the engine i want. it is nearby me so i can pick it up. how and what pistons do i use to increase compression ratio? what cams are interchangable? and lastly, does anybody in az know what it will take to pass emisions and legally register the car? thanks again.
everyone
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-ZC-DOHC-Honda-Civic-CRX-137-hp-1-6L-ENGINE-MOTOR_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33615QQitemZ80396 50847QQrdZ1

hey you live in az? me to. the only reason i got my zc is cuz my car wouldent pass emissions and my friend sold it to me for a cd player and 70 bucks. but i havent taken it threw emissions yet(drivin illegaly=not good but heh) but when you put the zc in you will have to redo the distibutor plug but thats really simple. just look it up on google. thats what i did.

the distibutor plug= match color wires to where they go then there will be two extra wires they go to the (i think its called)tps sensor. the thing on the left side of the head on the exhaust cam. but then its just color matching those two wires to. and if you dont have a zc male plug just head to the junk yard and grab a dx distributor plug(male) they are the same.

oh and i just looked at that motor. go for it. its so close you are luckey to find one here so you dont have to pay shipping good luck. and if it doesent come with a tranny. you can use yours from the si.(just in case you dident know)

how and what pistons do i use to increase compression ratio? what cams are interchangable?http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-ZC-DOHC-Honda-Civic-CRX-137-hp-1-6L-ENGINE-MOTOR_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33615QQitemZ80396 50847QQrdZ1

Since this motor already has somewhat high compression pistons (9.3:1CR if I recall correctly), the easiest and cheapest way to up the compression is to shave the head. You can safely shave .050 (I shaved a little more off mine) and this should give you around 10:1CR depending on the thickness of head gasket you use. With this CR you can safely drive the car with high octane pump gas without the risk of detonation.

Crespo Cams sells 5 different stages of cams, but they are pretty pricey. The cheapest alternative is to have your ZC cams reground. The ZC cams are the best factory cams you can get, but any D16A1, D16A8 or D16A9 cams will work, but don't bother with the A1 cams unless you can't pass your local emissions test.

You'll probably want adjustable cam gears too, any B-series gears will work on your Civic ZC. However, D16A1 or ZC1 (Integra ZC) cam gears will NOT work since they have 40 teeth as opposed to your 34.

I just noticed that the motor pictured is missing a distributor. Any '88 or '89 Integra D16A1 distributor will work. Just factor the cost of a distributor into the total cost of your swap. You can usually find them on Ebay for around $50.

It also looks like it came from an automatic, which good because this means it hasn't been beat on like a 5 speed.

how can you tell it was bolted to an automatic? is it cause where the transmision bolts up looks different. I was wondering what that was.
yeah i live in laveen. south west phoenix but it is nice and new here. yeah i knew the distributor did not come included but i found one not too expensive.

how can you tell it was bolted to an automatic? is it cause where the transmision bolts up looks different. I was wondering what that was.


It has a flexplate instead of a flywheel, but the transmission bolt pattern is exactly the same.