New member here. Question for the Civic guys
 

Hello everyone!

I am new to the Ecomodder forums. My current daily drive is a Volvo 940 Turbo. It's a great car but with really poor fuel economy (20 MPG EPA). I'm an amateur mechanic and I want to buy a broken down Civic and restore it for my next daily driver (33-38 MPG EPA).

I have questions about the technical side of the Civic D15 engines, specifically the D15B7 and D15B8. I'd love to read more but the only good source I found was the "D15B article" on vtec.net. Is the fuel economy of the 8 valve engine worth the trade-off of 22HP? How difficult would it be to find a D15Z1 lean burn engine cheap ($300)?

Thanks for the info!

Oh someone talking old honda language. Ok stick with the d15b7 I love that motor, and it has plenty of pick up. I had cold-air intake, headers, and catback exhaust on mine. I was no ecomodder back then, and I would average 36 mpg combined driving like a normal person. On trips from washington to Montana I would get in the mid 40s. So getting your 33-38 is very easily achieved with a d17b7. I had it in my 94 civic lx. If my memory serves me correct the dx and lx models had this. Once you hit the ex it got the sohc vetc motor. 92-95 would be the civic you would be looking for that motor. if you have more questions about it let me know. I had one for a long time.

The D15Z1 should not be too hard to find, though they are pretty old now. Try Car-Part.com - Used Auto Parts Market ... but just buying the engine without the wire harness, ECU, and wideband O2 would not be wise... no lean burn, poor functioning in general without all those critical parts. How about using a D16Y5 instead? More recent. It's OBD2. And it has a little more HP the the fifth gen fuel-sipper engines. It can be mater to a VX/CX transmission too if the already tall gearing that comes with its stock transmission is still not tall enough for your project.

Great info! I'll be keeping my eye open for a D15B7 Civic or a D15Z1 lean burn. But if a D15B8 comes along for $500 or less, why not?

Yeah if the D16Y5 can be swapped, that's also a possibility. Performance wise the swap won't be a huge bump, so I'm not looking to spend a whole lot to get it done. But it sure is nice to have the option!

The biggest problem with lean burn is that the oxygen sensors are prone to failing. I have probably had dozens of CELs in the three years I have owned Chorizo. I replaced the oxygen sensor and still have the light come on, just two days ago, in fact. It is $400 from Honda, $173.97 here and $140 on Amazon, but prices fluctuate.

The next weak spot is the aluminum oil pan. Non-DIY people insist I stripped mine by not taking it to a teenager with an impact wrench, but I never had a chance to over-tighten it, it never got tight!

For the aluminum pan (and perhaps even steel ones), please consider http://www.qwikvalve.com/. I can remove the oil filter from above the engine and can flip the Quikvalve without raising the car, so I can change the oil without tools! :)