Page 1 of 2

DOHC ZC?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 7:17 pm
by CaliEJ2
im planning to get a zc in about 2days. i was wondering wat the pros and cons are for this engine? And wat would i need to swap it into my 93 coupe? My buddy is selling his 91 civic si hatch with the zc in it for an incredibe price that i dont want to let go. Is this a good choice?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 8:04 pm
by jmsplitfyre
Well, I think it is a good choice to replace your sohc. :D

PostPosted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 8:49 pm
by Classiccarsrule85
so your also getting the 91 si? or just the zc itself? the obd-0 zc which he probaly has in there is a good motor i have one as well as a spare head im planning on boosting and placing into my 95 cx which at the moment has a z6 in her....what you need to do is convert the motor to OBD-1 which isnt hard at all and easiest way to run it correctly would be to burn the p29 map on to your ecu....

now the cons I have come across have worked themselves out in the aftermarket...

such as the intake manifold now you can only use the zc intake on a zc any others wont fit unless you buy the zc speed intake adapter.

Parts there out there you just gotta look alot of the sohc d parts work with the zc and the 87-89 teggy d16a1 which is another dohc d parts work as well...however you need to search a little harder than if you had a sohc d or b

Also aftermarket parts such as a exhaust manifold may need to be mildly ported though just match it to the gasket sometimes you dont need to other times they are way off and dont even look like a sohc d's port.....

but yea in order to convert to obd-1 here is a link to one of my posts where ive been asking some questions and gaining knowledge about this motor....

http://www.d-series.org/forums/showthre ... ost1413092

now here are a couple of good websites that will help you with your zc

d-series.org

thezcr.com

those sites should get you off to a good start. like i said there really arent any cons to this motor that you wouldnt have with any other d its just parts are a little harder to find but they are out there. even arp headstuds

PostPosted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 3:22 am
by CaliEJ2
yea im going to get the si and zc... for the price of $300!!! this is just going to be a temporary swap until i have enough for a b series. i cant stand my d15b8 :x . But its ok cuz i love the mpg :D

something weird that i noticed about the zc is that i didnt see a clutch fluid reservoir ( i think thats wat it called :? ) and wen i first got in to drive it the clutch had a bit of pressure and then BAM!!! it went all the way down like nothing. Wats up with that? And am i going to need different mounts to swap it into mine? and if i wana give it a tune up like spark plugs, wires, etc., exactly wat kind of car do i ask them for?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 3:36 am
by Faded_Milano
Can you get a DOHC ZC to pass emissions/inspection in cali?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 3:40 am
by CaliEJ2
i doubt it i read somewhere that theyre illegal in california... but i plan to smog my car first so i can get the tags... after that swap it and im good for two years :thumb:

PostPosted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 3:47 am
by Classiccarsrule85
well first might i ask why you are not keeping the zc in the si and just driving that until you get a B? for your sol

The thing you are feeling with the clutch is that of a cable clutch compared to what you are use to (hydro)

Thankfully there is no special need for another trans you can use your stock D and the mount all you have to really change is the d.side top though this would be easiest when changing out the timing belt which you can use a 88 prelude si for that from what i hear. and then just take the whole mount includeing that post that connects to the block with 2 14mm-17mm i am pretty sure its 14 though but yea just swap that and I think thats all you really need. And the tune up well heres another link to help you with that has parts that are interchangable with the ZC

http://thezcr.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12262

its in the pdf file under the first post. that should get you all teh parts you need.

but yea if i was you id keep the si they are nice cars gotta love the 88-91 hatch

PostPosted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 4:00 am
by CaliEJ2
hmmmm.... im not a big fan of that model. and with my budget i cant really have two cars. and i really want to put th zc in my coupe. And if i wait to get a B its gonna be toooo long :thumbdown:

great link by the way :thumb:

PostPosted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 4:02 am
by marvinp8700
Classiccarsrule85 wrote:well first might i ask why you are not keeping the zc in the si and just driving that until you get a B? for your sol

but yea if i was you id keep the si they are nice cars gotta love the 88-91 hatch

thats it :thumb:

PostPosted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 4:22 am
by CaliEJ2
idk man i really need to think about it now i have two cars now that dont pass smog :x

PostPosted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 2:19 pm
by Classiccarsrule85
itd be a heck of alot easier to get the si to pass smog with just doing some recouping of the zc motor than placing it into that of your del sol the time and effort and funds you put into the obd0zc into-the eg coupe project if you will...would be probaly enough to get both cars smog legal and if anything just get one and if you are unhappy with your coupes performance id stick with the Si and its ZC since its already done

but yea like i said id stick with the si and just put a little bit'ocash into it to make it smog legal shouldnt be too hard

but its all up to you i mean the distributor to convert it to obd1 unless you can get one near you which is possible its going to be 150-300 or so ....and i fyou can get them cheaper let me know i need one as well lol...

but you just have to weigh your options here id suggest making a list of parts you need to swap it into the coupe or to keep it in the hatch and get that smog legal. make a parts list of stuff youd buy to get it smog legal and then see where you are at. id do what ever is cheaper and just to let ya know getting a b for the 88-91 civics are alot cheaper to boot cable trans lol

PostPosted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 2:41 am
by CaliEJ2
i really dont want to stick with the si at all. i dont have the money to do all these things like fixing the zc to make it smog legal. ive been having alot of thougths lately, im thinking of just selling the zc and getting some profit from it and put the money into my coupe. I have till the end of this month and ill doubt ill make the si smog legal unless i do it illegaly... and its a bit pricy. All this would be much easier if i had a better budget...and then i would take your advice. but its a bit hard for me. Im only 19 working at Mcdonalds, and im the man of the house soooo....... c'mon now!!! LOL

But thanx for the advice tho, i really appreciate it.
And uhhh.... why are you mentioning a del sol? i have a coupe :?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 8:09 pm
by cal
i have a dohc zc and im very impressed with the engine.

low down toeque is good and they do rev well.

easy to get gains from these from boost or n/a
parts are a little harder to get hold of (well from uk anyways)

but overall a good engine.

PostPosted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 10:04 pm
by CaliEJ2
besides the distributor wat else am i gona need for the swap? and im gona need a PM7 correct?

PostPosted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:50 pm
by Classiccarsrule85
sorry i mentioned del sol because i had just gotten done answering someone who has a del sol and i guess just had the del sol on the brain you know....but yea I think youd be better off selling the ZC since it is obd0 and save up money and get yourself a nice mini me or 1.6 for yourself and then save up for the b since if you arent happy with the mini me or D16 you can always turbo

your best bet might even be to sell/trade the zc for like a Z6 + some cash from their end or something its a easier swap and most of the parts are easy to get to the ZC is a nice motor and all but obd0 conversions will cost a pretty penny in the long run and heck you can sell the si shell for money as well. and get some performance mods for your newly aquired motor or even set the money aside to get that b with....

but thats just my two sence i do think that would actually be the best option if you are looking for a little more performance from your coupe and its on the cheap side as well and i think dont quote me on this one but you may be able to get rid of the carbon on top of your pistons and end up with a smog legal car after the head swap if you get a good head.