Learn me: Honda D16

So GRM, I have tried reading on Honda forums and I do not have the patience or fortitude do sift through the “information”. 

So.  The Honda D16. The question: can one reasonably extract, say, 130hp from one without boost, without breaking the bank, and without sacrificing reliability? 

Ideally a running engine (local scrapper has) and ~$1000. The car in question comes with a CAI and a full exhaust. 

If the answer is stock engine +cheap turbo and low boost,  I wouldn’t be upset as long as it was still reliable. 

Anyway, thanks all. Just please don’t preach B/K swap. Not interested. The D16 stays or I buy my boring Accord instead. 

Do you mean flywheel or wheel hp?  Because wiki shows a couple that made 122-125hp stock. Dunno much more than that, but I’m sure there’s some D16 experts banging around here?

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

130-140 at the flywheel should be enough to party. I don’t think a 96 civic coupe can weigh too much. Basically would just need to be faster than my Fit. Silly goals, but hey. 

Which D16? A Z6 makes 125 at the crank. If that extra 5hp is critical it’s probably a cheap tune away. 

an ebay turbo would likely put it in the 250hp range.

In reply to MrChaos :

We never dyno’d the s00p3rturd, but it ran a 12.7 on a junkyard t3/4. Twas fun indeed.

barefootskater said:

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

130-140 at the flywheel should be enough to party. I don’t think a 96 civic coupe can weigh too much. Basically would just need to be faster than my Fit. Silly goals, but hey. 

I understand... I frequently have idle thoughts about building up a D17 in an ‘01-05... just because “it’s the bad D, in the bad civic”

A D16Y8 or Z6 with a Y8 intake manifold, B18 throttle body with port match, and intake/header/exhaust is probably going to be in the 135-140 crank Hp range.  

I have sooo many D series parts around from 10 years of racing one that I’m not sure what to do with since we went k24 on the race car. 

A d16z6 with ebay header, exhaust, aluminium flywheel, underdrive crank pulley, and y8 intake with a home brew cai was enough to be suprising in the crx. We later stuffed the same engine setup in a mid 90s civic ex, and it was a fantastic street car with plenty of power. Not stupid, but fun.

This is a D16Y7. And a junked one. Local scrapper has a 160k mile replacement for a few hundred. How interchangeable are the different versions? Head swaps? Is the Y7 terrible and not worth the effort?

I am not experienced in tuning with computers. Thought this would be a good way to start learning. Also I like cheap Honda’s. Basically I’m looking at spending about $2500-3000 on either a really clean original and unmolested 90-93 Accord, or this 96 civic for a couple hundred and playing with it. 

Most of it all swaps around like legos for D16s.  The y7 is the same as a y8 but no VTEC, so 20hp loss there.  Y8s are readily available for the same price, or swap a Y8 head on.  I have a few of them, mostly ported.  Wiring and ecu will need to change to control the Vtec. 

Sonic said:

Most of it all swaps around like legos for D16s.  The y7 is the same as a y8 but no VTEC, so 20hp loss there.  Y8s are readily available for the same price, or swap a Y8 head on.  I have a few of them, mostly ported.  Wiring and ecu will need to change to control the Vtec. 

This is the kind of info I’m after. Now, for someone nervous about wires (I’ve been to therapy, didn’t help), how “do this in your driveway over a weekend” friendly is such a swap?

Complete D17 VTEC unit out of an 01-05 Civic EX - take all of the electronics at the same time.

Y8 wiring harness and ecu are plug and play for a similar year Y7 car.  Wiring was different at the ECU and distributor for 96-98 and 99-00

Another question. 

Would I be able to juice that extra 20hp out of the y7 without vtec? Cam, intake, exhaust, throttle body, tune? I have a spare head I could rebuild and port. 

Dude, been here. Done that. Get a dohc d16ZC. Forget the vtec. It’s 130hp stock. It makes the SAME TORQUE as a B16, and does so in a much more reliable way. Turbo’d they live to 200hp. Then it’s just pistons (from a Suzuki Grand Vitara) and itvwill love north of that. I raced a guy with a 700hp d16 once upon a time. Granted, 700hp in a 1.6 is also only like 450tq. But it was still quick. 

I have 1 or 2 ECUs I can throw a socket on so you can chip/tune them. Will work in either car you choose. It's the cheapest way to do it.

clutchsmoke said:

I have 1 or 2 ECUs I can throw a socket on so you can chip/tune them. Will work in either car you choose. It's the cheapest way to do it.

Definitely go this route since clutch smoke is so generous and offering!

In reply to clutchsmoke :

If I do go this route I'll shoot you a PM. Appreciate the offer.

This whole exercise is so I can make up my mind between a really clean stock Accord (still would need to find one) or a fun-but-reliable toy of a civic. I've never owned a civic and the closest thing I have to compare it to is my old Focus, 2500lbs/130hp. I believe the civic is lighter but that is my goal. If a home port job and some bolt ons and a tune gets me there relatively cheaply I think this car would be a great idea. I'll throw some pictures up, since I've been storing the car already and wouldn't even need to haul it home.

It isn’t worth putting anything into a y7, mod for mod they are always 20+Hp behind the Vtec motors or ZC (which is JDM only, not in every single junkyard like the others). 

The EF chassis civics were fun with 100hp. Any increase in power or decrease in weight will only make it bettter. 

It’s straight and no rust. Really dirty though

barefootskater said:

It’s straight and no rust. Really dirty though

Can't be worse than spacecadet's Hazmat?

one plus for the civic is that you can play "musical wheels and tires" to some degree with the Fit?

sleepyhead the buffalo said:

Can't be worse than spacecadet's Hazmat?

god I hope it's not worse

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

The back seat has a plethora of parts in it, including another set of 14" steelies and a factory trunk spoiler. I have not opened the trunk, so that could be an adventure. Aside from the LH door panel and some discrepancies in the seat upholstery it looks totally salvageable inside. Has AC of questionable functionality, cold air intake, and a full exhaust w/ header. 

To be clear, I am not looking for a race car. I am not looking to be competative. I am looking for a car with cold air, good tunes and *entertaining* performance. If that can be done without opening the D16Y7 then awesome. If not, well, I can still have fun with suspension and noise.