Newbie needs info chosing motor for my 92

well i am very new to these cars, but i just picked up a 92 hatchback with the 1.5L for cheap. it should work well for a daily driver. i dont know much about anything. what do i want to do? i have NO plans to race it. just good transportation. should i get one of those Japan imported used motors? should i swap a different motor? i want to keep the stock 5 speed in it. what should i do?

i feel uncomfortable about buying a used motor. they say about 500-600 for a motor that has been "tested" and warranted for 3 months. are these a waste? i would like some good milage with it.

thanks for helping out a newbie. i hope to stay here for a while!

I really don't understand what you are trying to do why would you want a new motor if you don't want to go fast? Your 1.5L is fine for transportation.

[KwikR6]

Yeah if don't plan on going fast then don't bother changing the motor...but if you want to do some racing then go with a b16 or b18 sure sure they are typical swaps...but they are typical for a reason. They are good in the civic...and good on gas...and they will get ya to work pretty fast.

[slowEJ6]

you want good transportation, keep it stock, put in a K&N drop in air filter for a TINY bit better performance and gas mileage and call it a day.

sorry about that everyone. i bought a 92 with a blown motor. the timing chain broke and destroyed the cam. it is broken in half. and i am pretty sure the valves kicked the pistons ass! so i am looking for a replacement for the 1.5L. sorry about the confusion.

I am very nervous about buying a JDM motor over the internet since i dont know how much life they have left in them. local guys are very weary about buying a motor for 600 bucks over the internet. anyone have experience with these things? how reliable would these things be? this is my first import car so i hope i can build a pretty reliable piece of transportation. these swaps seem pricey for what i want to do with it.

thanks everyone. i know this is such a newbie question. i am new to these imports, but not to message boards. i am coming from the dark side (www.ls1.com) please dont hold it against me!

If you are only gonna pay $500-600 for a motor, you will only be getting a D series motor probably. You can pick up a D16Z from a 92-95 Civic Si or EX for about that price. 125hp (more like 130), revs to 7200, and Intake lobe VTEC. Good motor that willl last you a long time and give you great gas mileage. Try www.thepartstrader.com for an engine that is used and cheap. Guys that do swaps sell them there all the time for really cheap (I have seen them for 200 dollars and less before).

And by the way, american cars aren't the dark side. Most importers just don't like them cuz some of them are fast =)

wow, so what you are saying is i can get a 7200 rpm motor in decent shape for that kind of money. i was blown away with 500-600 dollars! LOL again, this is totally new to me. thank you for the link. i dont really know what i have but want to learn bad.

what are good companies to deal with when it comes to importing motors from japan? are rebuilt motors worth it in my case? (i am not racing, just want a good motor).

Search the honda's boards for motors peeps got rid of there old motors to do a swap.
I know a friend of mine that has two d16 series motors with like 60k and one with 90k on it
Both motors are 100% perfect came out of civic ex's (both did a gsr swap and the guy kept the old motors)

Anyways he was selling them for like 450-500 bucks to me

could you hook me up with his email or the link? i am searching now. thanks! is this the 160 HP version?

No, it is not the 160 HP version....all D series motors (except one that I know of) are SOHC, and the D16Z6 makes 125 hp. The 160 HP engine you are probably thinking of is the B16A (or slight chance it could be the H23A, but probably not)

thanks, sorry i am still learning.

i looked in the classified here and i could not find a person selling a motor like i need. :(

www.thepartstrader.com

http://www.jdmhondaparts.com = expensive but lets you do some research and look around

http://www.hondamotorsonline.com = more research

http://hybrid.honda-perf.org = best research
this place is becoming out-dated though on some of their stuff I hope they update it

[slowEJ6]

clear this up for me please - you say you just want something for good transportation. so do you want to put the same engine back in your civic - just in better condition? or do you want to upgrade to a considerably faster engine?
If you want the same engine - www.thepartstrader.com
if you want something considerably faster - www.hondamotorsonline.com/shop/