[panda]

From tuning to transmissions, replacement parts and even information on unusual swaps, if it's a ZC, this article touches on it.collected from all over the net. if there is anything wrong just let me know.

Swap Info:​

The ZC will bolt right in to the 88-91 CRX/CIVIC no fabricating or welding is needed
The swap can use your existing wiring harness if you have an SI, if you have a DX then minor modification is necessary.You can use the SI or DX transmissions, they both bolt up. You can also use the SI or DX flywheel.

The engine only adds about twenty-five pounds to the front of the car, so your steering and suspension should be the same. If you are still concerned about the added weight, move your battery to your trunk.


Identification:

1st Gen ZC
Identified by:
External coil, small dizzy, dual butterfly TB, cam cover bolts on top, brown/gold cam cover. Large cam pullys.
+3cc PG6B pistons, non-pent roof combustion chamber.
As a ZC it appeared in JDM AV integra Si and JDM E-AT civic/crx Si. Commonly produced at the time but now over 20 years old and getting harder to find.
D-series version D16a1 86-87

2nd Gen ZC (rarest)
Identified by:
Internal coil, large dizzy, single butterfly TB mounted on slight angle forward, bolts on top of cam cover, black cam cover, large cam pullies.
+7cc PM7 pistons, 43cc Pent roof combustion chamber.
As a ZC appeared in JDM facelift AV bodied integra Si did not appear in civic or CRX, rarest ZC only produced for less than one year.
D-series version D16a1 88 - 89 (somtimes +7cc P29 pistons)

3rd Gen ZC
Identified by:
Internal coil, large dizzy, single butterfly TB. Black cam cover. Cam cover bolts on the sides. Small cam pullies. Inlet Manifold stamped PM7.
+7cc PM7 pistons, 43cc Pent roof combustion chamber.
As a ZC appeared in JDM EF3 civic and EF7 crx, did not appear in an integra body. Most commonly produced ZC, manufactured in Japan from end of 87 through to early '91
D-series version D16a8/9 (euro civic Si) (somtimes +7cc P29 pistons)

4th Gen ZC
Identified by:
Internal coil. OBD1 efi system (grey plug). No cam angle sensor on exhaust cam, now located in Dizzy. Rubber plug where cam angle sensor would mount. Black cam cover. No PGM-EFi plate on the inlet manifold, replaced with three ribs instead. P29 stamped on inlet manifold. MAP sensor on TB.
+7cc PM7 pistons, pent roof combustion chamber.
As a ZC only appeared in EG5 civic bodies, no integra or CRX received this engine. Reasonably common produced from 92 to 94. (20th Anniversary edition & japanese car of the year)
D-series version D16a8/9 (Euro & Australia civic Si & NZ civic Gti) (somtimes +7cc P29 pistons)

Technical data​

1.6L (1590 cc) DOHC
130-135 hp @ 6800 rpm
Bore 75.0
Stroke 90.0
C.R. 9.5:1 I can find no evidence of it being any higher than this.
91 octane. Some have reported no problems with 87, but the specified gas is 95 and/or 96 RON, which is equal to 91-92 'pump octane' available in the US.
idle -730rpm manual-700rpm auto
static timing 16 deg BTDC manual and auto
compression measure at 250rpm and wot----nominal 192psi(1,324kPa, 13.5kgcm2)
minimum
135psi(932kPa, 9.5kgcm2)
maximum variation
28psi(196kPa, 2kgcm2)
cylinder head warpage limit 0.05mm(0.002")
height 131.95-132.05mm
valve clearances inlet 0.13-0.17mm(0.005"-0.007")
exhaust 0.15-0.19mm(0.006"-0.008")
stem to guide clearance in 0.02-0.05mm(0.001"-0.002") limit
0.08mm(0.003")
ex 0.05-0.08mm(0.002"-0.003") limit
0.12mm(0.005")
valve seat width ex&in 1.25mm-1.55mm(0.049"-0.061") limit 2.0mm(0.08")
fuel - 96+ octane unleaded

Parts list - Maintenance:


Ignition/ timing parts​

OBD1 distributor
TD43U

OBDO Distributor
TD03U 88-89 Integra .
_
OBDO Distributor Cap
30102-PM7-305 88-91 CRX Si/88-89 Integra OEM .
. JP936 . WELLS .
. 44-9620 . VALUCRAFT .
. JP936G . GOLD .
. 8290 . MSD w/Coil Bypass .
_
Distributor Cap gasket
OEM # 30132-PM5-A02

Rotor Button
88-91 Civic/CRX // 88-89 Integra
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 30103-PM5-A05
WELLS - JP923
VALUCRAFT - 33-8220

Spark plug wires
88-89 Acura Integra
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM -
MSD - 32339
MAGNECOR - 45125
NGK - NGK-HE48
NOLOGY - 011014011
If not going for High performance wires USE OEM all others are inferior except for performance wires.

Spark Plugs
Dont waste your money on platinums or iridiums
NGK is standard from Honda. If your Boosting the motor choose your type carefully as a standard plug is not for you, you will need a colder plug.

88-91 Civic/CRX si 1.6L // 88-89 Integra
Brand—–Part#
—————
NGK V-POWER - BCPR6E-11

Spark plug tube seals
86-89 Integra
OEM # 12342-PT2-000

Distributor O- ring and CPS O-ring
88-89 Integra
OEM # 30110-PA1-732

Water Pump
88-91 CRX/Civic
Brand—–Part#
___
OEM - 19200-P01-003 or 19200-P01-004

Water Pump Gasket
If your gasket is leaking You might as well get a new pump and it will come with the gasket
___
Oil Pump
88-91 Civic/CRX
OEM # 15100-P06-A01

Timing Belt
1988 Prelude 2.0 Si.
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 14400-pk2-004
NOTE:I have heard people get part #14400-pk2-003
they should be the same

Timing belt tensioner
OEM part # 14510-PM7-004

Gaskets and head parts​

Cylinder Head Gasket
1988 & 89 Integra
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 12251-PM7-003
FELPRO - 9451PT-1
HKS BEAD - 2302-RH001 (0.7mm Thick/76mm Bore/9.9 CR)
HKS GROMMET - 2301-RH010 (0.6mm Thick/76mm Bore/10 CR)

_
Head Studs ARP
tunertoys.com sells the zc studs get them from their site
___
Intake Manifold Gasket
1988 & ‘89 Integra
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 17105-PG6-S00
FELPRO - MS93362

Exhaust Manifold Gasket
1988 & ‘89 Integra
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 18110-PG6-003
FELPRO - MS93363

Header
88 - 91 CRX/Civic Headers will fit. The ports are off just a tad but the bolt pattern is money. Nothing a little grinding can’t fix.

Throttle Body
88 - 91 Civic/CRX Si 1.6L

Throttle Body Gasket
88-91 Civic/CRX Si 1.6L only
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 16176-PM6-S00 or 16176-PM6-000

Radiator Hoses
*Upper: 88-89 Integra
*Lower: 88-91 Civic/CRX

Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM Lower Hose - 19502-PM3-000
OEM Upper Hose -

Valve cover Gasket
86-89 Integra
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 12341-PM7-000

Valve cover stud Grommets
90-93 Integra 1.8L
**OEM part # 90442-PR3-000

Thermostat
88-91 CRX/Civic
Brand—–Part#
—————
Stant OEM TEMP - 45878
Prestone OEM TEMP - 392180
Fuel Injectors
88 - 91 CRX/Civic Si / 86-89 Integra

Fuel Injector
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 06164-PK2-010

silinoids and electronic parts​

IACV (Intake Air controll valve)
88-91 Civic/CRX
oem # 36455-PT3-A01

CPS (Cylinder Position Sensor)
1988 & 89 Integra 1.6l
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 37841-PG7-006

Alternator
88-91 CRX/Civic

Alternator:
Get a NAPA if you must use other than OEM, but try to stay OEM here if you can. Advance and Autozone and most other parts stores Have VERY LOW quality replacements…**Why do you think they have to offer a lifetime warranty??..( a little something to make you think)
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 31100-PM8-A03RM or 31100-PM8-A03RMD

Bottom End Components​

Rear Main Seal
1988 & 89 Integra
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 91214-PH1-013

Oil Pan
88-89 Integra -the Integra pan will only work if you also use the Integra oil pump pickup

88-91 CRX/Civic -the 88-91 CRX/Civic Si D16A6 oil pan works without changing the pickup

the D16A1 pan is slightly deeper than the D16A6 and requires 1/2 quart more oil

Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM #

Oil Pan Gasket
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 11251-P01-004
FELPRO - OS30542R
ROL - OS5725
_
Oil Filter
88-91 Civic/CRX // 88-89 Integra
The S2000 OEM Filters will work also and are made by a reputable company in Japan that makes high performance oil filters, but you will pay more for them.
MY Suggestion…Get OEM Its only a couple bucks so why buy others when you can have a OEM filter for mostly the same price.

Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM -
STP - S2808
FRAM - PH6811
K&N - HP-1004
MOBIL - M1-104
__
Connecting rods
88-91 Civic/CRX Si 1.6L
But any D-series 1.6L rods will work for upgrading.
__
Pistons
88-89 Integra OEM
the std bore on a zc is 75mm so anything with that bore would work. a6,z6.ect. will work as long as it's a 75mm. but it depends on the compression you want to run.
There are many companies that offer ZC specific Pistons now, so Aftermarket is there.
__
Main & Rod bearings and thrust washer bearings
88-91 Civic/CRX si 1.6L
__
Piston Rings
88-91 Civic/CRX // 86-89 Integra
__
Engine and tranmission Mounts
1988 - 1991 CRX/Civic (All trim levels)
Brand—–Part#
—————
OEM - 50810-SH3-040 (Rear, Firewall Mount)
OEM - 50805-SH3-040 (Transmission Mount)
OEM - 50821-SH3-040 (Side Mount, By Timing Belt)
OEM - 50840-SH3-000 (Front Mount)

 

[panda]

Modifications:
​

Throttle body:

is the same as the 88-91 CRX/CIVIC SI D16A6..... 55mm

b18b 58mm throttle body on a obd1 zc, it bolts right up but you need to port match the manifold to the throttle body

camshaft:

HKS makes cams for the ZC, here are the specs, 256 degrees intake and exhaust duration, 5.95mm Intake lift, 5.3 mm exhaust lift, they are ground from new billets.

headers/exhaust manifold:

The exhaust manifold for Greddy Turbo kit for the 92-95 Civic, was originally designed for the ZC. Greddy modified the casting tool for the D16 ports, so there is plenty of material to safely port it back out to ZC sized ports. However, the guys at greddy say don't bother until you are running over 7 psi.

" The scoop on the headers, is that while the bolt pattern for the Civic SOHC engines and the ZC engines are identical, the port pattern is not. The ZC engine has the ports shifted almost 3 mm (appx 1/8"). In real terms, this means that when you use the SOHC header, the ports do not align properly. The exiting exhaust gases literally run into one edge of the misaligned header flange. You can see this by holding the steel exhaust gasket from the ZC engine up to the DC header.

The easiest and best solution is to use the ZC gasket as a template and mark the misalignment. Using an air grinder, with a small stone "port" the header to match the ZC port configuration. While you're at it clean up the entry point of the header a little so that the whole port on the header is slightly larger than the ZC port. It is an old, but proven trick that the larger header port decreases the chance of exhaust gas reversing flow and re-entering the still open exhaust valves. It is better to have the port larger than to have them matched identical. Do not under any circumstances grind the port on the head to match the header though. This gives poor results."

adjustable cam gears

you can use B-series cam gears on the DOHC ZC, however, the marks for aligning the camshafts on the B-series gears are not the same as on the ZC gears - the B-series gears have 16 teeth between the teeth with the marks, on both the top and bottom of the gear - the ZC gears have 15 teeth between the teeth with the marks on the top side of the gear and 17 teeth between the teeth with marks on the bottom side of the gear - to use the B-series gears on the ZC, the mark on the left side of the gear for the intake cam is o.k., but the mark on the right side of the gear for the exhaust cam is one tooth off - you need to scribe a new mark on the next tooth above the tooth with the mark for the B-series and use that new mark for lining up the camshafts - here is where the new mark goes:

ZC Swap Links​

links are from fourth Gen Hatch all these wright ups are made by that dude.. ive used them and know they work. he has alot of good tips aswell.

Mpfi swap​

http://www.fourthgenhatch.net/mpfi.html​

Dohc Swap​

http://www.fourthgenhatch.net/zc.html​

3G ZC Swap​

You need an 87 Integra parts to run an 87 F.I. ZC motor:


ECU
Axles
Distributor
tranny (waayyy better than a 87 ZC tranny (longer gearing))
tranny mount
shift linkage
hub & spindle assembly.

If you can get a Japanese ZC ECU get it!! I had it, it runs good at
idle. The 86-87 ECU tends to run a little rich at idle (stinky fumes
emmitted), the ZC ECU fixes that
& runs a bit smoother (way less fumes).

89 Integra valve seals DO FIT a ZC​

almost all Integras have the same size valve stems dia. approx 6.6mm. My Helm book for 89 Integra confirms this, it says 6.56mm-6.52mm. My other Helm book for the 91 Civic says that the SOHC engines have 5.46mm-5.42mm valve stems.
I removed my exhaust manifold (again) and stuck a pair of dividers in the port to get a measurement. I did not use the most exact method because my dividers had straight legs instead of the ones where the tips curve in (wouldn't fit in the port). I then measured them with my calipers and got 6.5mm! I would say that that is pretty close.
I also got to thinking, if it was thought that the Teg had the 5.5mm valves, somebody would have noticed that when the valve seals were being installed. I'm sure that the machine shop would have given me a call to let me know that I got the wrong seals, that is quite a bit of slop for a "seal". So after all this, the 89 Teg valve seals DO fit a ZC.

Transmissions:​

4 speed 88-91

5 speed DX 88-91

5 speed Si 88-91

5 speed ZC 88-91

ZC Pressure Plate:-----1989 Civic DX

ZC Clutch Disk:-----1989 Civic DX

the 89 DX and the 89,90,91 CRX use the same size shaft and same number of splines on the
transmission. The 89 DX clutch disk and pressure plate is smaller in diameter by about one inch than the CRX Si. Although the flywheel is the same diameter on both. As long as you stay with one or the other it should work fine.

I know these have been asked before, and I know they will be asked again,
but here are a few ZC tranny questions.

Questions​

Q-1.) For axles, I use the ZC halfshafts, 90-93 teg axles, and the 90-93
axles fit on all the 4G hubs?

Q-2.) Which clutch, preassure plate, and flywheel do I need? 90-91?

Q-3.) Does Quaife make a limited slip that would fit the ZC tranny? Are
the diffs in the ZC the same as in the other 4G's?

Answers​

A-1) A better choice of axle would be two 88-91 Civic/CRX DX/Si right
hand axles with 90-93 Integra inner joints. If you have a CRX HF or
Civic Standard model a custom job is called for. OR you can use 88-91 DXSi knuckles and hubs and make your life simpler.

A-2) The clutch should match the year of the transmission you have, 88
if it is an 88 and your choice of 89 or 90-91 if the transmission is
89 or later.

A-3) Yes they do, I have one, it is not available through Autotech
though.
If the tranny is an 89 or later you may use a 90 91 clutch, pressure
plate and flywheel.

------------

transmission gearing​

ZC: Si:

1st: 3.250........ 3.250
2nd: 1.944........ 1.894
3rd: 1.346........ 1.259
4th: 1.033........ .937
5th: .878........ .771
final 3.888........ 4.250

 

[kaminam]

wow nice thread very helpful thnx

but i got a question... i have a civic 95 OBD1 D16A9 and i need information about the distributor ... which could i use since its obd1?

and my ECU is P29. is it a good ECU or can i use another OBD1 ECU with better set up ?

 

[jlicrx]

wow nice thread very helpful thnx

but i got a question... i have a civic 95 OBD1 D16A9 and i need information about the distributor ... which could i use since its obd1?

and my ECU is P29. is it a good ECU or can i use another OBD1 ECU with better set up ?

the OBD1 DOHC ZC distributor is TD43U - the P29 ECU is the best one to use

 

[SterioFreak]

P29->Pistons
P28->ECU

 

[panda]

well the more info we can get on the dohc zc obd0 or obd1 it would make it a better thread. so if anyone has some real facts about the motors i would just put then in the list of things. mods/parts pretty much anything dealing with them.. so when someone asks a question they could just look in this thread and get the info instead of making a thread asking questions.

 

[jlicrx]

noticed that you have oil pan listed as 88-89 Integra - the Integra pan will only work if you also use the Integra oil pump pickup - the 88-91 CRX/Civic Si D16A6 oil pan works without changing the pickup - the ZC pan is slightly deeper than the D16A6 and requires 1/2 quart more oil

 

[panda]

so what your saying is the a1 pan is shallow so use the a1 oil pick up.. but the a6 will work with the zc oil pick up because of the depth of the pan?

 

[jlicrx]

so what your saying is the a1 pan is shallow so use the a1 oil pick up.. but the a6 will work with the zc oil pick up because of the depth of the pan?

no, not the depth - the difference is in how far thr pickup projects from the oil pump in toward the middle of the engine - the attached picture shows where the Si or ZC pickup bolts to the girdle - the D16A1 Integra pickup bolts to the other set of holes that are to the left of the Si/ZC in the picture - this is to locate the pickup in the right spot in the pan

 

[panda]

i got cha.. lol. thanks for clearing that up..

 

[JDMEF7]

Here Panda, this might help.
I put it up in the ZCR a while back.

1st Gen ZC
Identified by:
External coil, small dizzy, dual butterfly TB, cam cover bolts on top, brown/gold cam cover. Large cam pullys.
+3cc PG6B pistons, non-pent roof combustion chamber.
As a ZC it appeared in JDM AV integra Si and JDM E-AT civic/crx Si. Commonly produced at the time but now over 20 years old and getting harder to find.
D-series version D16a1 86-87

2nd Gen ZC (rarest)
Identified by:
Internal coil, large dizzy, single butterfly TB mounted on slight angle forward, bolts on top of cam cover, black cam cover, large cam pullies.
+7cc PM7 pistons, 43cc Pent roof combustion chamber.
As a ZC appeared in JDM facelift AV bodied integra Si did not appear in civic or CRX, rarest ZC only produced for less than one year.
D-series version D16a1 88 - 89 (somtimes +7cc P29 pistons)

3rd Gen ZC
Identified by:
Internal coil, large dizzy, single butterfly TB. Black cam cover. Cam cover bolts on the sides. Small cam pullies. Inlet Manifold stamped PM7.
+7cc PM7 pistons, 43cc Pent roof combustion chamber.
As a ZC appeared in JDM EF3 civic and EF7 crx, did not appear in an integra body. Most commonly produced ZC, manufactured in Japan from end of 87 through to early '91
D-series version D16a8/9 (euro civic Si) (somtimes +7cc P29 pistons)

4th Gen ZC
Identified by:
Internal coil. OBD1 efi system (grey plug). No cam angle sensor on exhaust cam, now located in Dizzy. Rubber plug where cam angle sensor would mount. Black cam cover. No PGM-EFi plate on the inlet manifold, replaced with three ribs instead. P29 stamped on inlet manifold. MAP sensor on TB.
+7cc PM7 pistons, pent roof combustion chamber.
As a ZC only appeared in EG5 civic bodies, no integra or CRX received this engine. Reasonably common produced from 92 to 94. (20th Anniversary edition & japanese car of the year)
D-series version D16a8/9 (Euro & Australia civic Si & NZ civic Gti) (somtimes +7cc P29 pistons)

 

[inh]

https://www.levascrespo.com/productos/

 

[FD-JDM-Si]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for this useful info's. I have 5 speed MT, 94 civic Si with the engine D16A9. I really wonder how to choose clutch kit for my civic. Should i choose it according to my model year for 94 civic, (example:the range of 90-00 civic all models) or to my enigne code (for any D16A9)? According to info's above the engine is 4th gen. I think I should choose it for 90-91 model year of the civic.:roll:

 

[panda]

thanks, imma do alot more research and put more into it like compression ratio's from the different pistons and what kind of cams are the best to use with the zc

 

[panda]

i redid the wright up so it would be easier to find what you need. any more info would be helpful so if you have something that i missed then let me know.. im still finding other modifications but just let me know what ya got.

 

[jmr90si]

sure you already have this but,http://thezcr.com/html/zcbook.php here it is anyway. The torque spec are in there somewhere. I needed them for my build. Maybe add them here for anyone else searching. Also what is that black mystery box next to oil filter, can we get a part number for it? Thanks hope this helps.

 

[panda]

Please help,

A friend of mine, just put a dohc zc engine on his crx, but we didn´t know how to wire the sensor that is on the exhaust cam , next to the dizzy.

Please help, the CRX is wired as an Si.

it sounds like your dealing with a obd0 Cylinder Position Sensor. you have to run 2 wires from the obd0 ecu to that sensor, i'll find the zc swap thing and post it.

...For DOHC engines such as the ZC

-Connect the C1 wire to the blue/green wire on the Cylinder Position Sensor (a sensor on the exhaust cam of the ZC).
-Connect the C2 wire to the blue/yellow wire on the CPS.

which gen is mine if it has a silver/chrome head?

you have to look at certian things on the engine like if it has a cam position sensor then it's not a obd1, placement of certian other things about it will tell you what it is. if you have a picture im sure either myself or someone else can identify your motor lol.

 

[greasemonkey89]

awesome now if only the dohc zc engines were cheap and easier to find i would have gone this route a long time ago and experimented more on this platform. very nice sticky of info you collected panda.

 

[panda]

sorry noobish question: is there a difference between a zc throttle body and this z6 one ( i dont noe what the z6 comes of off)??

the zc tb is 55mm the z6 tb is about the same size.. it comes off of a d16z6 92-95 civic i think.

 

[Bray]

Hey,
Very useful thread :biggrin:

Originally I thought I had a D16A8 and that ZC was just a term that covered some of the D's (wikipedia), though i misread it and that ZC's a similar to some D engine's.

Anyhow I was wondering if its uncommon for a 1989 CRX (ED9) to have a 3rd gen ZC engine? I've read that CRX Si have them.