Before I begin my FIRST swap was done using a OBD2 1996 Acura integra motor, a 1995 Acura Integra Transmission, going into a 1992 Honda Civic CX. My second swap was done with a 1995 Acura Integra motor, 1995 Transmission, going into a 1995 civic DX coupe. If you use my document for guidance and are using another combination of parts/cars I cannot guarantee my documents accuracy but will gladly offer guidance.
Please note, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, 1994 and 1995 B18B1's are identical to the 96-01's, aside from the engine wiring harness. (I'm like 99% sure of this).
Additional Reference: 1992 and 1993 B18A1's have comparable Horsepower, and are often available for cheaper than a B18B1, but do have a few assorted differences that I have not had the joy to address as my motors have all been 94+.
Tools needed:
Metric wrenches and sockets
32mm Axle Nut
24+" half-inch Breaker Bar to use with axle nut (Impact tools preferred)
Mapgas torch helps TONS
a GOOD torque wrench.
Metric Sockets (Spare 8-10-12-14-17-19mm's are handy)
C-clamp
Impact HAMMER helps tons (I know you aren't 'supposed' to use it near a transmission, but god-damn if it doesn't get the bitch-pin in and out in a hurry)
Shopping List:
FULL B18B1 OBD1 or OBD2 long block with wiring harness, it doesn't matter as the wiring harness of either will plug right into the shock-towers of a 92 civic (and in most cases anything from 92-95) You will want ALL the mounts attached to it, as well as the stabilizer bracket/mount on the bottom/front.
*BIG IMPORTANT NOTE*
Automatic B18B1 rear torque bracket, DOES NOT WORK, with manual trans, or the civic at all for that matter.
ALSO the CIVIC rear torque bracket, DOES NOT WORK either, due to its design.
B series Transmission (Whatever works really, I picked up a LS tranny due to price/availablity, don't forget all the sensors, the fork/bearing, and starter...
ALSO all mounts and brackets attached to it
1994-2000 Acura Integra LS Axles and midshaft (Automatic OR manual, doesn't matter, please don't ask me again, I've confirmed it twice now.)
1994-2000 Acura Integra Shift linkage and stabilizer bar.
PR4 or P75 OBD 1 Manual ECU. (The last few digits you will notice on the ECU will say "A02" or "A51" 50 and above are ECU's for an AUTOMATIC, below 50 are MANUAL
TO DISPEL ANY RUMORS OR QUESTIONS:
ALL MOTOR MOUNTS AND BRACKETS FOR THIS SWAP ARE FROM THE 1994-2000 ACURA INTEGRA LS MOTOR, the ONLY things interchangeable with the civic, is the MOUNT attached to the frame of the civic, that attaches to the rear trans/motor mount (Torque brace or "T Bracket"), and D-series manual transmission mount works on the B-series transmission.
EVERYTHING BETWEEN THE 2 (Clutch/Flywheel/pressure plate)
Don't forget hardware for everything (including the bolts for the mid-shaft, bolts for the trans, bolts for the flywheel, etc, EVERYTHING)
Plumbing:
A few changes in hosing occur in this swap, so you will need:
the LONGER hose off the teggy motor that goes to the heater core, and the upper and lower main hoses.
the fuel line from the fuel filter to the fuel rail, as the civics is too short
if I'm forgetting anything let me know guys!
Chapter 1:
Pull the old one out.
This is FAR easier said than done, and I feel was the HARDEST part of the project.
Drain your coolant/oil before you get ahead of yourself so you don't get drenched in fluids
Once all your fluids are empty, remove your Radiator, and put your drain plug back in again.
At this point, continue to disconnect everything, Specifically be aware of Grounds, Vacuum lines, and the heater-core lines. once the motor has NOTHING but the mounts holding it place we can get to the axles and linkage.
To pop out your axles you have to start by punching out the axle nut *If you look at the axle nut you will see what I mean*
Next step is breaking the axle nuts loose with the car still on the ground, I had to stand and jump on my breaker bar (225lbs) to get it to get loose, but it didn't take to long luckily, My second time through, the breaker-bar broke... infact I broke 3 of them and was forced to buy a bigger compressor to power my impact gun.
Once this is loose take your wheels off and pull the cotter pins out of the castle nuts on your lower ball joints, then remove the castle nut *17mm IIRC*
Once these nuts are off smack on the sides of where the ball join sits with a healthy sized hammer *The metal part, not the joint* to help shake it a little loose, then pull up on your knuckle to get the balljoint to drop off the knuckle. (I've been told a 'pickle fork' works well for this, and potentially popping the axles out also.
Once that joint has been dropped, remove your lower strut fork bolt to finish dropping your lower control arm so once the axle is loose, it will be able to come out *As you cannot fit it through the fork*
you can now tug the axles out of the transmission, you may need a heavy duty long flat-head screwdriver or a Pry-Bar to pop them out of the trans (I used a 10lb Crow-bar)
once your axles are out, the next big step is getting the linkage and stabilizer bars off the car. (This took me nearly 4 hours the first time I tried, you have been warned)
First thing is to drop everything under the passenger compartment as far as the linkage and stabilizer bar goes. (Basically unbolt everything under the car related to the shifter where the shifter comes through the floor, be sure to remove the shiftknob, the boot, and center console before doing this so it will be able to drop out of the car, this took me a LONG time because most everything was rusted away, take your time, soak everything in PB blaster before hand, I'd almost recommend dropping your entire exhaust to make it easier)
Once that has all been dropped you can unbolt the stabilizer from your transmission (2 12mm bolts IIRC) and it will be totally removed, now the last thing between you and victory is the bitch pin:
*a friend of mine holding the bitch pin*
You are supposed to be able to punch that out of the transmission where the linkage attaches or you can just cut the linkage off right there...
I choose the later,
a $5 hack saw, and 2 min of sawing later it was free. (BE SURE TO CUT THE LINKAGE AFTER THE COUPLER *as per the pic*, AND NOT THE PART ATTACHED TO THE TRANSMISSION)
*UPDATE*
I feel like a retard... Here is a link to a VERY easy way to remove that damn pin:
http://www.performanceforum.co....html
I broke 2 punches and a screwdriver on it trying to get it out, it is a BITCH. *Edit* If you do it the stupid way...
holding a 'garbage' screwdriver 'bit' with a pair of pliers while hitting it with an impact hammer seems to be the 'fastest' way to do this (This is how I did it on my coupe, took all of 30 seconds, but watch your fingers)
once the axles are out, the linkage is all dropped, and everything is disconnected, remove your radiator (and AC lines/condenser if your car is equipped) so it is out of the way when you are lifting and droping your engines.
You can now chain up your engine hoist and get ready to rip that fooker out!
You are best off removing the mounts from both the car and the engine so they are all out of your way.
once all the mounts are off, rip it out!
*some more updates*
I used a 'home made' engine cradle do-jigger out of aircraft cable (Vinyl covered metal braided wire) and a bike cable (bike lock cable).
I find it easiest to get the hoist and cables in place, and just snug up the cables to the motor. At that point, pull all the brackets/mounts off the motor (So this means the rear bolt that holds the T-bracket, the pass and driver side 'main upper' mount bolts (and the mounts as well, makes life easier), and lastly the 2 front lower stabilizer brackets. At this point the motor should be 'free floating' in your motor bay, I've found its VERY easy to just gently rotate the motor 15-25 degree's CLOCKWISE while its just 'floating' in your motor bay, and then lift it out. With it angled like this going out, and going in, I've found it to clear everything very nicely!
ONE LAST THING!!! Be CAREFUL when pulling out your motor, and putting in the new one, SPECIFICALLY I've found old crank pulleys are very very VERY brittle, and if you clip the cars frame, you can chip your crank pulley easily, which will put a damper in your day.
Chapter 2:
Once its out,
Get your new one in!
(Be sure again, to remove the lower stabilizer brackets off the trans and engine before dropping in the motor, but be sure to LEAVE the top trans and top motor mount still attached when dropping the new one in, just makes life easier IMO *This allows you to drop it in at that 20 degree angle, then 'rotate' it back into place. Also If you have an automatic engine, be sure to remove the bracket that 'supports' the intake manifold off the block as it will block you from being able to put the T-bracket in later.)
Drop it in, bolting the 2 top mounts in once you have them in place, once they are both in place, put the rest of the mounts back on (T bracket will have to be put on from underneath, I haven't figured out a better way to do this just yet, maybe it is possible to leave it on while dropping in the engine)
Once the motor is in place you can begin re-attaching all the vac/coolant lines, and you can simply plug the OBD2 wiring harness into the OBD1 shock-towers without any problem if you are using a 96+ motor.
attach the fuel, and power/grounds, and your girl will be ready to fire up!
At this point, you can put the 1994-2001 Integra axles/midshaft into the car (I didn't get hardware to mount the midshaft whoops)
After that is done, re-attach all your suspension bits, get your wheels back on, tighten up your axle nuts and punch them back down so they won't back off.
Lastly, attach all your new 94-01 Integra LS shift linkage to your car, and transmission, be aware that you need all new shifter bushings as well as NOTHING from the civic shifter is reusable on this swap minus the mounts under the passenger compartment.
so once everything is back together again, Drop in your PR4 or P75 ECU and fire her up!
But to answer a few more questions, the car started right up with my chipped P05 (Chipped with Vtec for a D16Y8 mini-me swap..... not meant for this motor)
and there is no need for any Acura Integra suspension bits for this swap at all. (I've upgraded my coupes brakes with EX affair... BIG difference IMO, I know it may not have much more weight than a D-series, but my CX hatch had noticeable fade, and did not stop anywhere near as strong as my coupe.)
Hope you all liked the read, this swap was EXTREMELY easy, and took me maybe 12 hours total, the second time, aside from my 'setbacks' *things breaking, needings extra parts* only took maybe 4-5 hours in labor. (the Bitch Pin consuming about 4 of those hours the first time, and I had to mount my flywheel/clutch/pressure plate and attach my transmission to my motor as well as the fact that I've NEVER done a motor swap before in my life!!!)
*edit* forgot to mention if you didn't see the pics, I did it outside on a gravel driveway in the snow, so 12 hours for a first time swap is haulin ass if you ask me.
This swap is a GREAT cheap alternative to the common B16 SIR2 swap as well as an EVEN cheaper alternative to GSR/ITR swaps. Yes it won't rev as high, but its a very grunty motor and LOVES boost, and again is MUCH cheaper than other swaps.
I've spent sub $750 on EVERYTHING from the first swap to get the motor in this car and ready to roll, only things I have left to buy are an ECU, some bolts, and a Teggy fuel line from the fuel filter. (So another maybe $65), and maybe only $500 the second time through.
Happy Swapping!
BIG IMPORTANT NOTE:
I dropped in a B18B1, Plugged in an OBD1 PR4, and got only one CEL for O2 *which wasn't attached*
This PROVES that OBD2 engines are simply a 'plug in, drop in' swap for an OBD1 car if you use the OBD2 wiring harness, and OBD1 shock-tower wiring.
ANOTHER BIG IMPORTANT NOTE:
When using a short shifter, with aftermarket exhaust, when you switch to the B-series shift linkage you may be hitting your exhaust hangers and may have to grind-off a small piece of extra material on either the linkage or exhaust.
Also, for those curious about "what this swap can do"
My CX hatch with no rear seats ran maybe a dozen times (Me letting friends drive it who helped do the first swap) I raced it 4 times, the first time I did, I pulled up, no burnout, and snapped off a 2.306 60', and a 15.623 1/4th. the other 3 times I was trying to get my 60 down, and didn't improve on my time.
My 'ricer excuses' for my time are: Crappy tires at full PSI, shot suspension (all 4 struts were toast, as well as every bushing/gasket/joint on the suspension was gone/rotted/toast), and lastly I'm a amateur, this was my second time to the track ever. But all in all mid-15's aren't bad for the investment into the car, bringing it from a 18.5 1/4th, to a 15.5 essentially.
I'm aiming for a 14.99 with the coupe, and sub 2.2 60' (has quite alot more done to it in terms of mods and suspension work) Wish me luck!
Please note, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, 1994 and 1995 B18B1's are identical to the 96-01's, aside from the engine wiring harness. (I'm like 99% sure of this).
Additional Reference: 1992 and 1993 B18A1's have comparable Horsepower, and are often available for cheaper than a B18B1, but do have a few assorted differences that I have not had the joy to address as my motors have all been 94+.
Tools needed:
Metric wrenches and sockets
32mm Axle Nut
24+" half-inch Breaker Bar to use with axle nut (Impact tools preferred)
Mapgas torch helps TONS
a GOOD torque wrench.
Metric Sockets (Spare 8-10-12-14-17-19mm's are handy)
C-clamp
Impact HAMMER helps tons (I know you aren't 'supposed' to use it near a transmission, but god-damn if it doesn't get the bitch-pin in and out in a hurry)
Shopping List:
FULL B18B1 OBD1 or OBD2 long block with wiring harness, it doesn't matter as the wiring harness of either will plug right into the shock-towers of a 92 civic (and in most cases anything from 92-95) You will want ALL the mounts attached to it, as well as the stabilizer bracket/mount on the bottom/front.
*BIG IMPORTANT NOTE*
Automatic B18B1 rear torque bracket, DOES NOT WORK, with manual trans, or the civic at all for that matter.
ALSO the CIVIC rear torque bracket, DOES NOT WORK either, due to its design.
B series Transmission (Whatever works really, I picked up a LS tranny due to price/availablity, don't forget all the sensors, the fork/bearing, and starter...
ALSO all mounts and brackets attached to it
1994-2000 Acura Integra LS Axles and midshaft (Automatic OR manual, doesn't matter, please don't ask me again, I've confirmed it twice now.)
1994-2000 Acura Integra Shift linkage and stabilizer bar.
PR4 or P75 OBD 1 Manual ECU. (The last few digits you will notice on the ECU will say "A02" or "A51" 50 and above are ECU's for an AUTOMATIC, below 50 are MANUAL
TO DISPEL ANY RUMORS OR QUESTIONS:
ALL MOTOR MOUNTS AND BRACKETS FOR THIS SWAP ARE FROM THE 1994-2000 ACURA INTEGRA LS MOTOR, the ONLY things interchangeable with the civic, is the MOUNT attached to the frame of the civic, that attaches to the rear trans/motor mount (Torque brace or "T Bracket"), and D-series manual transmission mount works on the B-series transmission.
EVERYTHING BETWEEN THE 2 (Clutch/Flywheel/pressure plate)
Don't forget hardware for everything (including the bolts for the mid-shaft, bolts for the trans, bolts for the flywheel, etc, EVERYTHING)
Plumbing:
A few changes in hosing occur in this swap, so you will need:
the LONGER hose off the teggy motor that goes to the heater core, and the upper and lower main hoses.
the fuel line from the fuel filter to the fuel rail, as the civics is too short
if I'm forgetting anything let me know guys!
Chapter 1:
Pull the old one out.
This is FAR easier said than done, and I feel was the HARDEST part of the project.
Drain your coolant/oil before you get ahead of yourself so you don't get drenched in fluids
Once all your fluids are empty, remove your Radiator, and put your drain plug back in again.
At this point, continue to disconnect everything, Specifically be aware of Grounds, Vacuum lines, and the heater-core lines. once the motor has NOTHING but the mounts holding it place we can get to the axles and linkage.
To pop out your axles you have to start by punching out the axle nut *If you look at the axle nut you will see what I mean*
Next step is breaking the axle nuts loose with the car still on the ground, I had to stand and jump on my breaker bar (225lbs) to get it to get loose, but it didn't take to long luckily, My second time through, the breaker-bar broke... infact I broke 3 of them and was forced to buy a bigger compressor to power my impact gun.
Once this is loose take your wheels off and pull the cotter pins out of the castle nuts on your lower ball joints, then remove the castle nut *17mm IIRC*
Once these nuts are off smack on the sides of where the ball join sits with a healthy sized hammer *The metal part, not the joint* to help shake it a little loose, then pull up on your knuckle to get the balljoint to drop off the knuckle. (I've been told a 'pickle fork' works well for this, and potentially popping the axles out also.
Once that joint has been dropped, remove your lower strut fork bolt to finish dropping your lower control arm so once the axle is loose, it will be able to come out *As you cannot fit it through the fork*
you can now tug the axles out of the transmission, you may need a heavy duty long flat-head screwdriver or a Pry-Bar to pop them out of the trans (I used a 10lb Crow-bar)
once your axles are out, the next big step is getting the linkage and stabilizer bars off the car. (This took me nearly 4 hours the first time I tried, you have been warned)
First thing is to drop everything under the passenger compartment as far as the linkage and stabilizer bar goes. (Basically unbolt everything under the car related to the shifter where the shifter comes through the floor, be sure to remove the shiftknob, the boot, and center console before doing this so it will be able to drop out of the car, this took me a LONG time because most everything was rusted away, take your time, soak everything in PB blaster before hand, I'd almost recommend dropping your entire exhaust to make it easier)
Once that has all been dropped you can unbolt the stabilizer from your transmission (2 12mm bolts IIRC) and it will be totally removed, now the last thing between you and victory is the bitch pin:
*a friend of mine holding the bitch pin*
You are supposed to be able to punch that out of the transmission where the linkage attaches or you can just cut the linkage off right there...
I choose the later,
a $5 hack saw, and 2 min of sawing later it was free. (BE SURE TO CUT THE LINKAGE AFTER THE COUPLER *as per the pic*, AND NOT THE PART ATTACHED TO THE TRANSMISSION)
*UPDATE*
I feel like a retard... Here is a link to a VERY easy way to remove that damn pin:
http://www.performanceforum.co....html
I broke 2 punches and a screwdriver on it trying to get it out, it is a BITCH. *Edit* If you do it the stupid way...
holding a 'garbage' screwdriver 'bit' with a pair of pliers while hitting it with an impact hammer seems to be the 'fastest' way to do this (This is how I did it on my coupe, took all of 30 seconds, but watch your fingers)
once the axles are out, the linkage is all dropped, and everything is disconnected, remove your radiator (and AC lines/condenser if your car is equipped) so it is out of the way when you are lifting and droping your engines.
You can now chain up your engine hoist and get ready to rip that fooker out!
You are best off removing the mounts from both the car and the engine so they are all out of your way.
once all the mounts are off, rip it out!
*some more updates*
I used a 'home made' engine cradle do-jigger out of aircraft cable (Vinyl covered metal braided wire) and a bike cable (bike lock cable).
I find it easiest to get the hoist and cables in place, and just snug up the cables to the motor. At that point, pull all the brackets/mounts off the motor (So this means the rear bolt that holds the T-bracket, the pass and driver side 'main upper' mount bolts (and the mounts as well, makes life easier), and lastly the 2 front lower stabilizer brackets. At this point the motor should be 'free floating' in your motor bay, I've found its VERY easy to just gently rotate the motor 15-25 degree's CLOCKWISE while its just 'floating' in your motor bay, and then lift it out. With it angled like this going out, and going in, I've found it to clear everything very nicely!
ONE LAST THING!!! Be CAREFUL when pulling out your motor, and putting in the new one, SPECIFICALLY I've found old crank pulleys are very very VERY brittle, and if you clip the cars frame, you can chip your crank pulley easily, which will put a damper in your day.
Chapter 2:
Once its out,
Get your new one in!
(Be sure again, to remove the lower stabilizer brackets off the trans and engine before dropping in the motor, but be sure to LEAVE the top trans and top motor mount still attached when dropping the new one in, just makes life easier IMO *This allows you to drop it in at that 20 degree angle, then 'rotate' it back into place. Also If you have an automatic engine, be sure to remove the bracket that 'supports' the intake manifold off the block as it will block you from being able to put the T-bracket in later.)
Drop it in, bolting the 2 top mounts in once you have them in place, once they are both in place, put the rest of the mounts back on (T bracket will have to be put on from underneath, I haven't figured out a better way to do this just yet, maybe it is possible to leave it on while dropping in the engine)
Once the motor is in place you can begin re-attaching all the vac/coolant lines, and you can simply plug the OBD2 wiring harness into the OBD1 shock-towers without any problem if you are using a 96+ motor.
attach the fuel, and power/grounds, and your girl will be ready to fire up!
At this point, you can put the 1994-2001 Integra axles/midshaft into the car (I didn't get hardware to mount the midshaft whoops)
After that is done, re-attach all your suspension bits, get your wheels back on, tighten up your axle nuts and punch them back down so they won't back off.
Lastly, attach all your new 94-01 Integra LS shift linkage to your car, and transmission, be aware that you need all new shifter bushings as well as NOTHING from the civic shifter is reusable on this swap minus the mounts under the passenger compartment.
so once everything is back together again, Drop in your PR4 or P75 ECU and fire her up!
But to answer a few more questions, the car started right up with my chipped P05 (Chipped with Vtec for a D16Y8 mini-me swap..... not meant for this motor)
and there is no need for any Acura Integra suspension bits for this swap at all. (I've upgraded my coupes brakes with EX affair... BIG difference IMO, I know it may not have much more weight than a D-series, but my CX hatch had noticeable fade, and did not stop anywhere near as strong as my coupe.)
Hope you all liked the read, this swap was EXTREMELY easy, and took me maybe 12 hours total, the second time, aside from my 'setbacks' *things breaking, needings extra parts* only took maybe 4-5 hours in labor. (the Bitch Pin consuming about 4 of those hours the first time, and I had to mount my flywheel/clutch/pressure plate and attach my transmission to my motor as well as the fact that I've NEVER done a motor swap before in my life!!!)
*edit* forgot to mention if you didn't see the pics, I did it outside on a gravel driveway in the snow, so 12 hours for a first time swap is haulin ass if you ask me.
This swap is a GREAT cheap alternative to the common B16 SIR2 swap as well as an EVEN cheaper alternative to GSR/ITR swaps. Yes it won't rev as high, but its a very grunty motor and LOVES boost, and again is MUCH cheaper than other swaps.
I've spent sub $750 on EVERYTHING from the first swap to get the motor in this car and ready to roll, only things I have left to buy are an ECU, some bolts, and a Teggy fuel line from the fuel filter. (So another maybe $65), and maybe only $500 the second time through.
Happy Swapping!
BIG IMPORTANT NOTE:
I dropped in a B18B1, Plugged in an OBD1 PR4, and got only one CEL for O2 *which wasn't attached*
This PROVES that OBD2 engines are simply a 'plug in, drop in' swap for an OBD1 car if you use the OBD2 wiring harness, and OBD1 shock-tower wiring.
ANOTHER BIG IMPORTANT NOTE:
When using a short shifter, with aftermarket exhaust, when you switch to the B-series shift linkage you may be hitting your exhaust hangers and may have to grind-off a small piece of extra material on either the linkage or exhaust.
Also, for those curious about "what this swap can do"
My CX hatch with no rear seats ran maybe a dozen times (Me letting friends drive it who helped do the first swap) I raced it 4 times, the first time I did, I pulled up, no burnout, and snapped off a 2.306 60', and a 15.623 1/4th. the other 3 times I was trying to get my 60 down, and didn't improve on my time.
My 'ricer excuses' for my time are: Crappy tires at full PSI, shot suspension (all 4 struts were toast, as well as every bushing/gasket/joint on the suspension was gone/rotted/toast), and lastly I'm a amateur, this was my second time to the track ever. But all in all mid-15's aren't bad for the investment into the car, bringing it from a 18.5 1/4th, to a 15.5 essentially.
I'm aiming for a 14.99 with the coupe, and sub 2.2 60' (has quite alot more done to it in terms of mods and suspension work) Wish me luck!
(Being a smart-ass)
, but lastly, I LOVE the torque the LS has 
