Project POGI part 1: Change of heart

The blue 1995 Honda EG Civic LX me and my wife drive badly needs a make-over. It is a 13 year old car and hasn't been through any major face-lifts or general overhauls. Why? That's because the Civic is a very reliable car. The stock engine hasn't broken down all these years and all the major parts that has been replaced are the master brake and the left side mirror which was crushed by my lovely wife in a little accident she had a few years back. Although I prefer a "sleeper" look in cars--the way they look right out of the factory--and hate PIMP MY RIDE and FAST AND THE FURIOUS looking autos, I think its about high time we give this car the pampering and special treatment it deserves. He is christened by my wife as Pogi after all. For more information on the car, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Civic

Part 1. Engine Swap
The 1995 (Ph) EG Civic LX has a 16-valve 1.5L non-VTEC non-fuel injected (carb) engine. Its engine code is Ph15. Since it has a carb style fuel delivery system, it wastes more fuel compared to that of a similar displacement but fuel-injected model. Moreover, we can't use the bio-ethanol shit that Shell sells at a cheaper price.

1995 LX carb engine (PH15)

"The primary functional difference between carburetors and fuel injection is that fuel injection atomizes the fuel by forcibly pumping it through a small nozzle under high pressure, while a carburetor relies on the vacuum created by intake air rushing through it to add the fuel to the airstream. The functional objectives for fuel injection systems can vary. All share the central task of supplying fuel to the combustion process, but it is a design decision how a particular system will be optimized. There are several competing objectives such as:

• power output
• fuel efficiency
• emissions performance
• ability to accommodate alternative fuels
• reliability
• driveability and smooth operation
• initial cost
• maintenance cost
• diagnostic capability
• range of environmental operation

Certain combinations of these goals are conflicting, and it is impractical for a single engine control system to fully optimize all criteria simultaneously. In practice, automotive engineers strive to best satisfy a customer's needs competitively. The modern digital electronic fuel injection system is far more capable at optimizing these competing objectives than a carburetor." (source: wikipedia)

After deciding to change the LX's power plant, the question which arises is this: What engine should I choose? Fortunately, I am not the first schmuck who has attempted to do this kind of thing. It is a common and general practice among low to mid-end Civic (generally, the Type-R folk do not fit in this category) owners all around the world to change their stock engines with something better. There are as many choices of engines as there are Civic variants--from the cheapest Ph16 ESi to the fastest and most expensive K20A found on the current FD Type-R. In choosing the right engine for the LX, there are two things I greatly consider to be the main factors: 1) performance; and 2) cost. I don't care if its the fastest one available if it costs more than my car, like the K20. But I also don't care how cheap it is if it won't meet my needs in fuel efficiency and velocity. Taking into consideration those important elements in making my selection, I have narrowed my choices into five (5) engines: The D15b2, D16A6 (ZC VTEC), D15B VTEC-E, D15B EK3 (D15Z7) and the famous B16A2. These three (5) are all VTEC engines. VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) is a valvetrain system developed by Honda to improve the volumetric efficiency of a four-stroke internal combustion engine. This system uses two camshaft profiles and electronically selects between the profiles. (To learn more about VTEC technology, you can visit these sites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VTEC; http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question229.htm; http://asia.vtec.net/spfeature/vtecimpl/vtec1.html)

D15B2
The D15B2 was produced for the Honda Civic VTi (EG4) in the years 1991-1999. The D15B2 is one of the more popular used Honda engines sought out by tuners today. The D15B has always been in the shadow of its larger, more powerful 1.6l brothers--perhaps due to the popularity of the B series engine by way of the Type-R monsters Honda, Mugen, and Spoon had popularized during the nineties. Nevertheless, the VTEC D15B is a very significant engine variant because Honda used VTEC to make it possible to generate as much power as a DOHC (double overhead camshaft) design from its SOHC (single overhead camshaft) configuration. Thus the VTEC-D15B generates 130ps and redlines at 7200rpm, ably replacing the DOHC ZC design despite having 100cc less displacement and one cam-shaft less! Also frequently overlooked is the fact that with 130ps from 1.5l, the specific output of the VTEC D15B is 87ps/l which actually compares favorably with the larger capacity DOHC VTEC designs such as the BB1 Prelude's H22A. The specific output of the VTEC D15B is in fact higher than the 190ps version of the H22A used on the previous generation Accord SiR. This type of engine can be purchased locally at Kanzai surplus (http://www.kanzaisurplus.tk/) or any other car parts shop in Banawe or elsewhere which sells JDM (Japan Domestic Market) shit at a cost ranging from 27 to 30k PhP, then you may trade your stock engine as payment for the installation on your car.


a light-tuned D15B2 engine


D16A6 (JDM ZC)
The ZC VTEC is the JDM counterpart of the D16A6 engine. Its origin can be traced to the 1988-1991 EF Civics and CRX's. Basically, it is the 1.6L brother of the D15, with slightly more torque and consumes a little more fuel. I think this engine sells at about the same price range (or possibly even cheaper) as the JDM D15Bs at Banawe or Evangelista shops.


a modded D16A6 (ZC) on a 1996 EK sedan

D15B VTEC-E
The D15B VTEC-E is the economy implementation variant of the D15B series engine. It has slightly lower horsepower but consumes less fuel. When VTEC became available, two versions of VTEC D15Bs were developed for the EG-series (1991-1995) Civic. One is the well-knowned VTEC-E which delivered an incredible 20+km/l mileage. The other is the VTEC D15B, a power implementation. The VTEC-E variant costs about the same as a power implementation D15B but harder to find in local JDM importers since it is not a tuning engine in the strict sense. It is just not a typical "rice boy" engine since its focus is on fuel economy and not velocity.

fuel efficient D15 VTEC-E

D15B EK3 (D15z7)
For the EK-generation Civics, development on the D15B engine finally culminated in the now famous 3-stage VTEC D15B. This engine was used on the 6th generation Civic EK3 VTi and Ferio Vi. 3-Stage VTEC D15B is a wonder engine in that Honda took the technologies of the VTEC-E and VTEC-D15B engines and merged them into one single engine. This implementation allowed Honda to give us an engine that is both economical and powerful. Although with the same amount of max Hp and Torque, the other D15B is quicker as it reaches its peak at a lower RPM than the 3-stage. The 3-stage VTEC system was only offered in the Asian markets and not in the US market at all.

D15B EK3 (D15z7) 3 stage VTEC

B16A2
"The B-series Honda DOHC engines are popular automotive engines from the modern series of Honda engines. They are good performers from the factory having models with around 126hp to around 200hp, with even some models having a redline over 8,900 rpm. They accept high performance modifications well without much risk to reliability." (source: Wikipedia) The B16A2 was produced for the Honda Civic Si in the years 1999 -2000. The B16A2 is one of the more popular used Honda engines sought out by tuners today. It also costs double compared to that of a D15b. It is commonly found on local EK SiRs and the EK JDM Si and its highly praised B & C variants are on USDM and JDM Civic Type-Rs from 1996-2000. To know more about this venerated Honda power plant, click: http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/tech/0203ht_acura_honda_b_series_engine/index.html


B16A2 (with B16C valve cover)

I have not yet decided on which of these engines I would choose to purchase and install on the LX. I know this change might possibly bring more problems than satisfaction--afterall, they are not new engines but rebuilt or surplus--so I am really careful on making the decision. Maybe I'll talk to CP of H3 for some advice. He recently built a 1990 CRX with a K20 engine. Hopefully, by the end of the year the LX will have a new power plant. So folks, feel free to type in your comments if you have any insights on this engine-swap deal I am planning.

Coming soon: Dancing Shoes (suspension & wheel tuning).

Note: ...now my blog sort of looks like an old crappy issue of sport compact car magazine.