Honda B engine

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 and even some models having a redline over 8,000 rpm. They accept high performance modifications well without much risk to reliability. The engine has been made in 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, and 2.0 liter variants, with and without VTEC (variable valve timing and electronic lift control). Later models have some minor upgrades, for instance modifications to the intake valves and ports and piston tops, and moving the dipstick away from the exhaust manifold.



Engine swaps

The B-series engine is one of the most common engines used for engine swaps in Hondas. Various versions are found in American junkyards, mostly in Acura Integras. They were also found in many JDM Hondas and are quite plentiful in Japanese junkyards, and great numbers have been imported from Japan in the last few years. The JDM engine has some slightly different parts (e.g. throttle body) than the USDM version, and tend to have slightly higher horsepower ratings with the JDM equivalent of the B18C1 producing 10 horsepower (7 kW) more than its USDM counterpart. Also, the wiring harness is set up for right hand drive as Japan uses, rather than left hand drive as in the United States or Canada; this is just a minor nuisance, however, as the wires will all fit if some of the mounting clips are released.

The B-series engine fits nicely under the hood of many Civics, a common target for such swaps. Note that the actual B-series engine will not adapt to the transaxle that came with other engine models, therefore the entire powertrain, i.e. engine and transaxle, must be swapped as a unit; normally, however, the entire powertrain is what is meant when "engine" swaps or availability of used "engines" is discussed with respect to front wheel drive cars.

Note that the ECU (engine computer) must be swapped as well. Aftermarket modified ECUs are available, ranging from close to stock B-series to wildly modified, with various degrees of skill. If a VTEC engine is to be installed in a car which did not have a VTEC engine, then additional wiring for the VTEC will have to be run; a minor chore.

The B-Series engine swap is very popular for 1992 through 1995 Civic owners since it is so easy to perform. The B-series engine was available in the United States 1994 Civic-based Del Sol; therefore the stock Honda motor mounts, axles, transmission linkage, and other auxiliary parts on the B-series engine (as well as the ECU, of course) will adapt it to any Civic of that era. Some swaps such as the B20B from the CRV are hard to perform due to the CRV's transmission not fitting therefore the need of a piecing together a transmission. The corresponding parts that came with the stock SOHC D-series engines will not fit the B-series, however. Unfortunately, most of the available engines are removed from the car without any of these parts, and often even the wiring harness has been destroyed, so the parts have to obtained by either scouring junkyards or purchased from Honda at substantial expense. If at all possible, an engine with a complete set of these parts is greatly to be desired over just the engine itself for this kind of swap.

If the engine is complete with these parts, very little else is needed for the 1992-1995 Civic, whether two door, four door, or hatchback. A bracket to adapt the existing throttle cable to the B-series engine is available from aftermarket manufacturers. As mentioned above, it may be necessary to add the VTEC wiring. If the B-series engine is older it may have a mechanical cable-operated clutch, and an aftermarket bracket will be needed to adapt it to the hydraulic clutch cylinder on the car. The only part which may need to be purchased from Honda is the bracket for the air conditioning compressor, if air conditioning is to be used; the stock bracket with most B-series motors will not fit, only the very specific bracket used for the B16 fitted in the Del Sol. [[VTEC is the key in all B-series motors]] For other generations, the swap is slightly harder because custom engine mounts must be used. Due to the popularity of the swaps, however, there are several manufacturers who make suitable mounts, such as Hasport.



Interchangeable Parts

B-series engine parts are largely interchangeable. This allows for custom engines to be built with characteristics unlike any factory model. Any B-Series VTEC cylinder head component will fit in any other B-Series VTEC cylinder head, so installing a Type-R (B16B or B18C5) camshaft into a GS-R motor will yield noticeable power gains. The higher-compression Integra Type-R pistons are a good choice for a bump in power, and also have an anti-friction coating and better oiling characteristics.

Also, complete Frankenstein motors (motors made from parts of others) are possible; these are also known as LS/VTEC. It is popular to take the large displacement, high-torque B18B (or B18A) bottom end and mate it to a high-flow B16 (PR3) or B18C (P72 or PR3) top end to make a very powerful custom motor. One problem however is the LS (B18A or B18B) and CR-V (B20B or B20Z) blocks used for LS/VTEC or CR-VTEC conversions are more prone to fail at high RPMs because the rod bolts and long stroke were not designed to withstand the high engine speeds that VTEC heads are optimized for. The LS/VTEC configuration is logically what Honda would have first considered when designing the B18C1, but they saw a reason to reduce the stroke, reinforce the bottom end, and add oil squirters to help cool it. The reduction in the stroke came at the cost of lowering the displacement from 1834 cc to 1797 cc, but helped enable the benefit of reliable 8100 RPM operation.


B16


B16A

Note: All JDM B16a engines are marked as 'B16a' (with no number to identify version).

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1989-1993 JDM Honda Integra RSi/XSi (DA6/DA8)
o 1989-1991 JDM Honda CRX SiR (EF8)
o 1989-1991 JDM Honda Civic SiR/SiRII (EF9)
+ Displacement: 1595 cm³
+ Compression: 10.2:1
+ Rod/stroke ratio: 1.74
+ Power: 158 hp @ 7600 rpm & 112 ft·lbf @ 7000 rpm
+ Transmission: S1/J1/Y1/A1
o 1992-1995 JDM Honda Civic SiR/SiRII (EG6/EG9)
+ Displacement: 1595 cm³
+ Compression: 10.4:1
+ Power: 168 hp @ 7800 rpm & 116 ft·lbf @ 7300 rpm
+ Transmission: S4C
o 1992-1995 EDM Honda Civic VTi
+ Displacement: 1595 cm³
+ Power: 158 hp @ 7800 rpm & 116 ft·lbf @ 7300 rpm
o 1992-1996 JDM Honda CR-X del Sol SiR
+ Displacement: 1595 cm³
+ Compression: 10.2:1 / 10.4:1
+ Power: 158 hp - 170 hp & 111 ft·lbf - 116 ft·lbf


B16A1

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1989-1991 EUDM Honda CRX 1.6i/VTi (EE8/ED)
o 1990-1991 EUDM Honda Civic 1.6iVT (EE9)
+ Displacement: 1595 cm³
+ Compression: 10.2:1
+ Power: 160 hp (117 kW) @ 7600 rpm & 111 ft·lbf (151 N·m) @ 7000 rpm


B16A2

* VTEC
o 1992-2000 Honda Civic EDM VTi (EG & EK)
+ Displacement: 1595 cm³
+ Compression: 10.2:1
+ Power: 158 hp @ 7600 rpm & 113 ft·lbf (153 N·m) @ 7300 rpm
+ Transmission: Y21
o 1999-2000 Honda Civic Si (EM1)
+ Displacement: 1595 cm³
+ Compression: 10.2:1
+ Power: 160 hp (118 kW) @ 7600 rpm & 111 ft·lbf (151 N·m) @ 7000 rpm
+ Transmission: Y21 S4C
o 1996-1997 Honda Del Sol VTEC (EG)
+ Displacement: 1595 cm³
+ Compression: 10.4:1
+ Power: 160 hp (119 kW) @ 7800 rpm & 111 ft·lbf (152 N·m) @ 7000 rpm
+ Transmission: Y21


B16A3

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1994-1995 Honda Del Sol VTEC (EG)
+ Displacement: 1595 cm³
+ Compression: 10.4:1
+ Power: 160 hp (119 kW) @ 7800 rpm & 111 ft·lbf (152 N·m) @ 7000 rpm
+ Transmission: Y21


B16A6

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1996-2000 Honda Civic - South Africa VTEC (EK)
+ Displacement: 1595 cm³
+ Compression: 10.2:1
+ Power: 160 hp (118 kW) @ 7800 rpm & 160 N·m @ 7400 rpm
+ Transmission: Y21


B16B

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1997-2000 Civic Type-R
+ Displacement: 1595 cm³
+ Compression: 10.8:1
+ Power: 185 hp (137 kW) @ 8200 rpm & 118 ft·lbf (160 N·m) @ 7500 rpm
+ Transmission: S4C With LSD


B17


B17A1

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1992-1993 Integra GS-R (DB2)
+ Displacement: 1678 cm³
+ Compression: 9.6:1
+ Power: 160 hp @ 7600 rpm & 117 ft·lbf (159 N·m) @ 7000 rpm
+ Transmission: Cable~ YS1


B18


B18A

* Non-VTEC
* Found in:
o 1986-1989 Accord Aerodeck LXR-S/LX-S (Japan)
o 1986-1989 Accord EXL-S/EX-S (Japan)
o 1986-1989 Vigor MXL-S (Japan)
+ Displacement: 1834 cm³
+ Compression: 9.4:1
+ Dual Keihin Carbs
+ Power: 130 hp (97 kW) @ 6000 rpm & 120 ft·lbf (164 N·m) @ 4000 rpm
+ Transmission: A2N5, E2N5

* This engine is not 100% related to the other B series engines. It is a destroked Honda B20A engine.


B18A1

Non-VTEC

* Found in:
o 1990-1993 Integra RS/LS/GS (DA)
+ Displacement: 1834 cm³
+ Compression: 9.2:1
+ Bore: 81 mm
+ Stroke: 89 mm
+ Power:
# 1990-1991: 130 hp (97 kW) @ 6000 rpm & 121 ft·lbf (164 N·m) @ 5000 rpm
# 1992-1994: 140 hp (104 kW) @ 6300 rpm & 127 ft·lbf (173 N·m) @ 5200 rpm
+ Transmission: YS1


B18B1

* Non-VTEC
* Found in:
o 1994-2001 Acura Integra "RS/LS/GS" (DC4/DB7)
+ Displacement: 1834 cc
+ Compression: 9.2:1
+ Bore: 81 mm
+ Stroke: 89 mm
+ Power:
# 142 hp (104 kW) @ 6300 rpm & 128 ft·lbf @ 5200 rpm
+ Transmission: S80

b18c10 costa rican model

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1994 Honda Integra SiR-G
o 1995-1997 Honda Integra SiR
* Power: 180 hp (128 kW)
o 1995-2001 Honda Integra (DC2/DB8)(Japan) Type R
* Power: 200 hp @ 8100 rpm

acura integra 2006 300 horsepower stock


B18C1

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1994-2001 Integra GS-R (DC2)
* Displacement: 1797 cm³
* Compression: 10.0:1
* Power: 170hp (127 kW) @ 7600 rpm & 128 ft·lbf (174 N·m) @ 6200 rpm
* Transmission: Y80


B18C3

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1995-1998 Acura Integra Type R

Power: 185 hp


B18C4

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1996-2000 UK Civic 1.8i VTi Acura
o 1998-1999 EU Civic Aerodeck 1.8i VTi 5-door Wagon
o 1998-1999 EU Civic 1.8i VTi 5-door Hatch
* Displacement: 1797 cm³
* Compression: 10.0:1
* Power: 169 hp (124 kW) @ 8000 rpm & 129 ft·lbf (174 N·m) @ 7500 rpm
* Transmission: S9B
* 0/100km/h : 8.5 seconds
* Top Speed : 215 km/h
* Limited Slip Diff


B18C5

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1997-2001 Integra Type-R
* Displacement: 1797 cm³
* Compression: 11.0:1
* Power: 195 hp (145 kW) @ 8000 rpm & 130 ft·lbf (176 N·m) @ 7500 rpm
* Transmission: S80


B18C6

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1998-2001 Honda Integra Type Rx
* Power: 200 hp (147 kW), 136 ft·lbf


B18C7

* VTEC
* Found in:
o 1996- Honda Integra Type R (Australia)
* Power: 210 hp (154 kW), 136 ft·lbf


B20

The B20A3 and B20A5 are not considered part of the B family. See Honda B20A engine.


B20B

* Found in: Honda CR-V, Honda Orthia
* Displacement: 1973
* Power: 126hp @ 5500rpm
* Torque: 133 ft @ 4200 rpm

* Compression: 8.8:1
* Bore: 84 mm[
* Stroke: 89 mm
* Redline: 6300 rpm red line


B20Z

* NON-VTEC
* Found in: 1999-2001 Honda CR-V
* Displacement: 1974
* Power: 146 hp @ 5500 rpm
* Torque: 133@ 4500 rpm
* Compression: 9.6:1
* Bore: 84 mm
* Stroke: 89 mm
* Redline: 6700 rpm


B20A/B21A

The B20A and B21A are not considered to be 100% part of the B family. See Honda B20A engine