FAQ: Detailed B Series Swap into 5th Gen Civic How-To - Check it Out and Help Everyone Else Too!

[B18C5-EH2]

Okay, I’m sure this has been covered before, but I would like to have a fresh topic for this. In a recent IM with a friend here who bought a GS-R swap for his 1992 hatchback, we talked about him doing his own swap. Like him I’m sure that most of us were intimidated by our first swap, but I hope this thread can help cure any anxieties that people might have about doing their own swap. I’ll try my best, but I could forget a thing or two here, so don’t take this as a end-all swap guide. Here’s how I see it: You’re going to pay a shop to do the swap. This could be anywhere from $500-$1,200 in labor. I work at a shop and there are some people that NEED to pay us to do the work, but if you have confidence and some common sense I promise you can do it. Rather than pay for labor, you could use some of that cash to but a really nice toolset and a nice hydro jack too. Rent an engine hoist and possibly airtools and compressor and you're done a LOT cheaper than paying a shop - you KEEP the handtools and jack too! I recommend any toolset like Craftsmen or Husky, whatever. Get the really nice “Mechanics’ Toolset” even if it costs a few hundred dollars. Remember, you KEEP these tools forever and they will help you countless times. I got a 250 pc. Craftsman set with a toolbox for lie $250.00 I think. Also remember METRIC Get a hydro jack too - $100 sounds about right? There are other tools that you will need too in order to swap successfully. I’ll TRY my best to list them - I’m sure you guys can add some more. 32mm socket for axle nuts Prybar for axles and various deeds Punchset for getting that damned shift linkage pin out Nice sturdy hammer (obvious reasons, right?) ****s (don’t laugh - the wire-cutter things guys) Cotter Pins (not a tool really) Soldering iron for securing wiring And fluids too: However much motor oil your motor takes (usually 4.25, right?) Tranny fluid of your choice (I prefer Honda MTF 3 qts. - really takes about 2.5) Coolant P/S fluid if applicable So the labor part - not really in too much particular order for the first group of steps: 1. Drain coolant and tranny fluid You can pull the radiator out too to have more room Disconnect all that would keep the engine from coming out: 2. All plugs on the engine harness that plug into the chassis harness 3. All hoses that connect as well. Upper and Lower radiator hoses, fuel lines, etc. 4. Header from exhaust 5. Shift linkage A. To get that damned linkage pin, try this: B. Pull the boot back from the shifter where it connects to the tranny. The boost exposes a clip that can be removed with a flathead screwdriver or your fingers. Then you’ll see the infamous linkage pin exposed. This is where you’ll need the right sized punch to get it out. It has to be small enough to slide in the shift rod, but big enough to push the pin out. C. If you got pics of this bastard boot, please post them up! 6. Pull the axles out - how you ask? I’ll post the detailed instructions as soon as I find my old post about that here. A. Here's how to pull the axles: Tools you'll need if doing a Civic or Integra: 19mm for the wheel 32mm big-ass socket and BIG rachet for it - to break off and tighten back up the axle nut 17mm wrench 17mm wrench again or rachet ****s Hammer Prybar TRY to get the entire front of the vehicle off the ground so you can turn the wheels to make things easier. 1. Take the wheel off with the 19mm 2. Take the 32mm nut off the end of the axle 3. Take the ****s and pull the cotter pin out of the bottom 17mm castle nut on the lower balljoint 4. Take the 17mm and remove the castlenut from the lower balljoint 5. Take your big-ass hammer and whack right ON the lower control arm where the balljoint sits - this method for buting the balljoint out will not tear the balljoint boot like the "balljoint wedge" will 6. Take both 17mm and remove the thru-bolt that runs through the lower fork of the front stut - this will allow the axle to slide out when ready by pulling the strut fork to the side of the lower control arm 7. Pull the brake rotor out of the way - axle is ready to come out 8. Take the prybar and pry the axle by prying between the inner joint and the tranny housing **CAUTION** If it's a manual tranny you NEED to drain it if you're doing the PASSENGER side on a car with equal-length driveshafts - if it's a B-series this applies. Unequal length shafts will require yopu to ALWAYS drain the tranny. Reassamble it how you disassembled it. Only then you need to stake the axle nut down by putting a dent in it and do'nt forget to replace the cotter pin in the lower balljoint castlenut! 7. Undo the front and rear motor mounts. 8. Secure the engine hoist - there’s a bracket on the tranny to hook the chain to, and a place on the back of the head that accepts a solid 14mm bolt to hook the chain to as well. This is a balnced way to hoist it up Others may have other options too 9. After securing the motor, undo the rest of the mounts and YANK THAT BITCH OUT! 10. As the We Todd Did crew would do, sit back and drink some beer So, how do you put the new motor back in? Same as the old one came out, and on the 1992-1995 Civics use the CIVIC mounts except for the timing cover drivers’ mount. I suggest Energy inserts for the other mounts Wring? This has always been my weakness. Although it ain’t hard, I just get weird when wires come up. I’m sure others here have good advise and links. I see posts about pinouts and wiring, so how about we make this one a great place to find out exactly how it goes? This is really a rough guide - it just shows you how easy the swap really is though, and others feel free to add advice/info too please! I’m going to bed now, so if someone else wants to do a detailed install, feel free! And don’t forget the wiring! Later! [Modified by B18C5-EH2, 5:41 AM 2/19/2002] [Modified by B18C5-EH2, 6:07 AM 2/19/2002]

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[TurboBumblBee]

B18C5-EH2 that was a great how-to... i just got done taking a dx motor out of my roomates new hatchback (same roommate you gave me advice on for his civic coupe, coupe was totaled last week, not his fault) those directions are very good for someone who thinks that they cant do the swap.. trust me guys and gals, it is CAKE!! i could do this all day long now and never be stumped.. btw, it is a LOT easier w/ a set of airtools if you can rent from a place like trak auto or pep boys, etc.. it just makes it easier and less of a chance of breaking any bolts.. i wish that i could help w/ the wiring, we had a import shop wire up the last 2 wires we could not do, hopefully we can figure out on this swap.. i got some pics of the project as we go along and hopefully post them when were done w/ the swap in a couple days (were taking our time cause certain parts like rotors and exhaust have to be shipped)

[DragII]

to bad we don't have an archive.

[letsride]

Or a FAQ!! Good job Tom!!

[Spade]

I would also like to add Jack stands in the to get list. Sure a hydro jack will hold (most of the time) However you don't want to get a faulty one and have the car flat on the ground after you get it all apart. Four jack stands is even better (hell there only 15 dollars) and keep the whole car off the ground and level.

[B18C5-EH2]

Yes jackstands are the safest way to hoild the car up. My bad, I meant to put that on there too. Jackstands are a must for safety!


[Modified by B18C5-EH2, 12:03 PM 2/19/2002]

[blackDA]

Thanks Tom....I'll just print this out
It will be very helpful for this summers project!
How hard would it be to persuade your help(I'm sure I can do it alone, not sure if I want to though).....for beer, cash, food....comradery always makes working on cars funner IMO than just doing it by yourself-

[B18C5-EH2]

I would like to help you, but my job kind of prohibits me from working on others' cars outside of the shop.

I'll be more than happy to help you out with advise and whatnot, but physical labor might be out of the question.

You have IM

[WAFFLES]

And another thing I've noticed. I have seen a lot of post about the axels nuts. Sometimes those things will not budge off there. So definitely use a larger drive size(3/4" or 1"????).

I know you covered that already, but that seriously seems to be a common problem and time taker.

[blackDA]

I understand. thanks anyways Tom.

[paulzy]

dont forget about those 36mm axle nuts for the accord and preludes

[Trey]

Now make a webpage and you'll be all set.
http://www.jspectuning.com/6gen/

hehe

[EKen9]

Thanks for the great info Tom! Can we also get a thread up that says what all should be replaced/bought when swapping in a JDM engine?

[Blue-Civic-Hybrid]

Sweet, just what I need, plan to do a swap on a CRX soon with a B16a1...

[JKim0901]

I just got done with my first swap .i did almost exactly like you said it and it was easier than i thought. I guess it was time consuming cuz i did everything with hand tools (no air gun) but it was worth the satisfaction of doing your my own swap after i started it up and IT RAN FINE!!!!

[raph]

very nice . ill try to use this info when i do my swap in a month or so.

[HaUTSaauce]

much props

[mojoGSR92]

Thanks for the great info Tom! Can we also get a thread up that says what all should be replaced/bought when swapping in a JDM engine?

Here is my ongoing list that is just way too big. I think this is EVERYTHING! I swapped a DOHC VTEC USDM B17A for a DOHC VTEC JDM 2nd gen B16A SiR.

PCV Valve + Grommet (Purolator)
Air Filter (Purolator)
Axles (driver's side and passenger side NEW, GCK brand)
Coolant
Cotter Pins (for ball joint castle nuts)
Distilled water (to mix with coolant)
Water pump + Gasket - OEM
Timing Belt - OEM
Timing belt tensioner - OEM
Spark Plug Wires - OEM
Honda bond (for sealing gasket surfaces)
Distributor Cap - OEM
Distributor Rotor - OEM
3qts Honda MTF
Spark Plugs - OEM NGK-R's
Fuel Filter - OEM
Alternator Belt - OEM
Exhaust Springs/bolts/nuts - OEM
8mm Shift Rod Pin - OEM
Energy Suspension Motor Mount Inserts (not necessary, but prevents torn bushings in future)
Valve + spark plug gaskets (OEM)
Thermostat + Gasket (OEM)
4 qts Oil (Mobil One)
Oil Filter (Mobil One)
Front tranny mount (OEM, was shredded when I pulled the engine)
VTEC Spool Gasket (OEM, taking off VTEC spool to prevent damage from the chains when I hoist the engine)
Exhaust manifold gasket (OEM, head to exhaust manifold upper section)
Exhaust manifold doughnuts (OEM, exhaust manifold upper section to downpipe)
Upper Radiator Hose (OEM)
Lower Radiator Hose (OEM)
3 distributor adjustment bolts (OEM, ones that came with B16A are nearly stripped/missing)
Heater inlet hose(s) (OEM)
Heater outlet hose(s) (OEM)
3/8" coolant lines (Autozone)
Black skinny wire loom (for my various electronics connections)

Tube scrubbing brush (for cleaning exhaust manifold/headers)
Carb cleaner
Scratch pads (brillo pads for cleaning)
Body color paint (to touch up corrosion/rust/nicked paint)
Feeler gauges (for valve adjustment)
Chain or Strap Wrench (for holding the crank pulley)
Pitman arm puller (rented from autozone for balljoint removal)
Dremel tool (for various purposes)
Reinforced cut-off wheels (to cut off pesky axle nuts)
Chisel (for axle nuts)
2X4’s (have many purposes)
Acetone (to clean gasket mating surfaces)
Old Rags (to clean up)
Old Blankets (to protect fenders)
Newspapers/tarp/drop cloth (to soak up spills, and protect garage)
Simple Green (to clean engine and floor)
Fast Orange (Soapless hand cleaner for when your hands are unbearably greasy)
Various ratchet extentions (several 3", 5", 8" and 10" are very helpful)
Deep and Shallow socket set
Torque Wrench
Boxed end wrenches
8mm Pin Punch (to punch out shift rod pin)
3/8" to 1/4" adapter (for torque wrench)
Ratchet extension(s)
Crow Bar (for ball joints, maneuvering engine, prying axles)
32mm Axle Socket
Breaker Bar (to break axle nut loose)
Small Propane Torch (for helping break loose stubborn nuts/bolts)
Spark plug gapper
5/8" spark plug socket
Camera - (for remembering where everything goes)
Labels/Labeled Twist Ties (to label all connections)
Hose (for transmission fluid)
Timing Light
Engine Lift
Engine Hoist Chains
Vacuum Hose
STR Cam Seal
Wire Cutters
Electrical Tape
Soldering Iron and Solder


[Modified by mojoGSR92, 10:57 AM 2/20/2002]

[B18C5-EH2]

Good GOD mojo - that's a very thorough list there buddy! I think ideally it would be great to do all those things you listed, however I'm sure a lot of people were like me and just had to drop the swap in with a new clutch and cross their fingers

mojo is certainly cutting NO corners. All of those things add a lot of cost into the equation, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of people doing a swap are already stretching his/her budget.

I'd say there are some necessities though, but it really depends on mileage too.

If you get a motor with 30,000 miles or so, then really only the spark plugs, rotor button, valve cover gasket, and a valve adjustment should do fine.

Belts and waterpump don't come but every 90k - unless you get an old-ass JDM motor. JDM motors should get belts and waterpump because of uncertain mileage and AGE.

Just a few more thoughts.


[Modified by B18C5-EH2, 11:25 AM 2/20/2002]

[EKen9]

Thanks mojo but that list is scaring the crap outta me! I never could afford all that stuff since the swap itself made me broke, so I'm gonna have to go with Tom's method of just replacing the clutch and flywheel and hoping for the best!

[Suprdave]

Loosen Axle nuts before lifting the car off the ground....definately

Suprdave

[mojoGSR92]

Well, I just wanted to add that the engine distributors who import the JDM motors really don't have an idea of the condition of them besides a sensor check, compression test, and making sure that they turn over. The engines are estimated to have 30,000 to 40,000 miles on them but they may have much higher mileage. You really never know. I think a 60,000 mile tune-up isn't an unreasonable thing to do on a motor with unknown but guesstimated mileage.

I ended up waiting on the water pump, timing belt tensioner, and timing belt because I've already got my hands full as it is. I'll probably be doing it within the next 20,000 miles but while the motor is in the car. And yes, my list is absolutely thorough and covers a lot of the odds and ends that people leave out when doing your own swap. Hopefully, you already have a lot of these tools sitting around in your garage, or at least know someone from whom you could borrow them.

Good luck everyone on your swaps, as I know mine has been a pain in the ass but nothing more than picturing an almost worst case scenario on almost every bolt removal. The worst has been the spindle (axle nuts), ball joints, and separating the tranny from the engine. Really minor in consideration of everything else.

[HXMan]

If someone needs pics to put together a swap page, I got lots of digi cam pics from my swap. I was going to make a swap page myself, but never got around to it. I got around 45 pics of differnt parts to the swap process.

Right now I am getting paid to do my second swap. After being the first person in my city to do a swap himself, I now have a reputation. I'm getting $400 to do the labor....not bad if you ask me. This swap is going sooo easy after doing mine. I don't even really need the helms now.

[1 2 NV]

great tech article. remind me again that u do have a job and u r way too busy to write that all out in 1 day, haha........just playin.

[AmauryR]

Nice thread!!! I'm still stuck on my swap (got everything done, cept the damn axles - balljoint won't seperate ). I was just gonna drop the motor in, but I didn't really know anything about the motor except it was a B18C, Y80 tranny and a P72 ecu, so I did some maintenance (minor overhaul) to it:

waterpump, timing belt
headgasket
misc. o-rings
oil-pump
oilpan/valvecover/sparkplug gaskets
clutch/lightened flywheel
refreshened tranny (checked bearings, etc...)
new fuel filter
flush motor oil, coolant, clutch systems

and some other stuff, lol - I spend about 2.2-2.5k on my swap total, but I came out with some extras too (cf hood, excedy race clutch, lightened flywheel, adjustable fpr, dc 4-1, headgasket, etc...), whereas I spent roughtly the same $$$ my 1st time around with my old car (rip) and got a LS motor and a 5-speed conversion for roughly a bit more. I actually enjoy doing this myself, @ 18yrs old its something fun to do when I go home from college - well, anyways lets keep this thread going!