noobie questions

[scheetz_21]

ok im new here and to all this tuner stuff, ive been in too 4x4s and muscle cars since i was little, now im thinking its time to get in to tuning.. im wanting to get a civic, but i don't know what the best one for me would be. i want good mpg ( which any car will offer prob.) manual definitely, some power, i plan on lowering it and putting wheels, exhaust,header and cold air intake. i like the 92-95 front end look, but don't mind the gen after that either. also all this b18, b20, d16y7, stuff what does that mean? also wtf does v tec do if you have larger than stock exhaust i read that it helps the exhaust gases get out faster? i under stand that it changes the valve timing. and are v tec better than not? ive rebuilt engines before so i know how everything works, just need some help understanding honda talk.also where to look on used civics? common rust spots? leaks? common problems? thanks in advance butch

 

[buzzbombtom]

]ok im new here and to all this tuner stuff, ive been in too 4x4s and muscle cars since i was little, now im thinking its time to get in to tuning.


. im wanting to get a civic
good first choice for a novis tuner

but i don't know what the best one for me would be.
if you want a lot of power then buy the cheapest one you can find, look for the body style you like, because all the motors you want DONT come stock in them, well aside from one or two.

i want good mpg ( which any car will offer prob.)
yes all offer 30+ stock

manual definitely
good

some power,
engine swap or turbo or even nitrous


i plan on lowering
make a budget and try to stay true to it

it and putting wheels
cool lots of options for you out there, right now the trend is to put 15 or 16 inch rims on your car.


, exhaust,header and cold air intake.
good reliable mods, make sure they all meet your local smog laws, ie carb numbers and smog exempt


i like the 92-95 front end look
some of the cheaper civics on the market
lots of trim levels, but no leather stock

, but don't mind the gen after that either
pretty much same car inside the engine bay, aside from the Si



. also all this b18, b20, d16y7, stuff what does that mean?
all those are engine codes. some vtec some non vtec some DOHC some SOHC single cam or double cam

also wtf does v tec do
magic ponies in your motor, if you ask a honda snob its the be all end all variable cam system

if you have larger than stock exhaust i read that it helps the exhaust gases get out faster?
vtec has no effect on this


i under stand that it changes the valve timing.
you know more than most.

and are v tec better than not?
not better just different

ive rebuilt engines before so i know how everything works, just need some help understanding honda talk.also where to look on used civics? common rust spots?
arches, fenders, places where body panels meet. but im in cali we have no rust issues here


leaks?
valve cover problems, normal gasket leaks


common problems?
ricers own civics.

hope i helped you out, enjoy your stay, most of us love to answer questions, and if we dont know we can point you to the answers on this site or use search engines to find what you need.

 

[mymmeryloss]

Hey there Butch!

There is a lot of info out there that will answer all of your questions.

The search function is your best friend along with google.

It really all depends on ur budget and what u want to accomplish with your car.

92-95 or commonly referred to as eg civic chassis code are very popular as well as the 96-98 and 99-00 ek chassis codes. Real chassis codes are eh and ej/em1 chassis codes respectfully.

The 92-95 si hatchback and ex civics have sohc vtec. The em1 civic si has a dohc vtec engine rated at 160hp.

Some people love vtec. Others dont. There are vids on youtube about how ut works and also tons of threads.

On your engine block there is a stamp that says what it is. D series is a single cam unless its a zc engine. B series are dual overhead cam engines. Then u have k series and h series. There are many different frankenstein engines u can build out of these different blocks and heads. The numbers after the letter refer to the number of liters.

There is a lot more, but thats a good basic idea!

 

[mymmeryloss]

Dang tom. I thought i went in depth lol.

 

[buzzbombtom]

lol the guy had lots of questions, i figured it was the only way lol

 

[scheetz_21]

Thanks guys what about water leaks? Electrical issues? Any other things I should look for?

 

[buzzbombtom]

eh not really, blown head gaskets are easy to test for, and just look at the harness make sure its not cut spliced or modified in any unwelcome way

 

[00siboy]

FINALLY a noob who spells vtec correctly.

Basically stick to buying an unmodified civic or integra, basically the same thing, civics are a little more common and more options. Maybe a little cheaper. If I were you I wouldn't buy one that already has an engine swap or turbo kit, there's too much unknowns.

 

[scheetz_21]

Haha yea I figered swapped ones ppl prob had no idea what they were doin lol and it's hard to find stock ones around me and when u do ppl think there's are worth gold lol... And what about miles on these what's considered "high" thanks

 

[00siboy]

Mileage depends on what engine. For the higher performance DOHC engines, they have most likely been thrashed on and have oil consumption problems (valve seals and piston rings are common on high mileage honda engines). They are high compression, high oil pressure engines and need to be taken care of. IMO you would be better off getting a SOHC to start out with, the d16y8 is a good SOHC with vtec to start out with. It comes in the 96-00 EX submodels. Maybe others someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[mymmeryloss]

I would look for a 92-95 civic vx...

 

[scheetz_21]

What's vx? And dohc would be good to find from an older person than? As of another civic also, obviously

 

[mymmeryloss]

At the top of this page theres a tab called civic specs...

Check it...

 

[scheetz_21]

So that's best engine because it's high compression ratio over the others

 

[00siboy]

So that's best engine because it's high compression ratio over the others

At the top of this page theres a tab called civic specs...

Check it...

This.^^

 

[mymmeryloss]

There is no such thing as one best engine in the honda world. It all depends on what your plans are.

The vx comes with vtec-e which is an economy vtec that gets incredible gas mileage. Not very peppy especially with its very tall gears. But its usually owned by older people and are less likely to be trashed since they are less sought after.

Also theyre already wired for vtec making a bseries swap very easy!