Replacing Piston Rings

Technical Topics specific to the Hatchback body - NOT where you post pics/build specs of your car.
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Replacing Piston Rings

By Crabloc93
- Fri Jul 24, 2015 12:56 am #354922 I plan on doing mini-me swap soon, while I have the head off I wanna replace the piston rings due to the fact I'm getting a lot of burn by. What piston rings should I get if I don't get the block honed? Is honing really necessary when it comes to this process? If so I think I might go with the idea of rebuilding my old block its a JDM d15 I'm sure. I heard these stock is a better approach then a d15b7/z6 mini me swap?
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By EconoBox
- Fri Jul 24, 2015 4:35 pm #354929 Honestly the JDM D15b VTEC engine is one of the best SOHCs out and I would rebuild it in a heart beat over doing a mini-me swap < worst idea ever SOHCs are so cheap I don't know why people ever came up with this idea.

Without going into the whole long winded post I was going to make explaining your options here I'll just make it simple. When it comes to SOHCs don't rebuild them go online to somewhere reputable like Hmotorsonline and buy a replacement engine. It usually cost more to rebuild a SOHC correctly than replace it. The only reason in my opinion to rebuild a SOHC is if you are upgrading internal parts for performance reasons.

Also you can only determine if the engine needs honed once the head has been pulled off. On a high mileage old SOHC I'll safely guess that, yes, you will need honed. At this point you'd be pulling the block and disassembling everything because everything has to be completely cleaned after honing to avoid shavings getting into any important parts of your motor.
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By Crabloc93
- Fri Jul 24, 2015 6:22 pm #354932 Its a non VTEC d15b with 170k, what had happened when I took it off it had a rod knock, caused to crankshaft to lock up whenever the roms dropped low. I was told I might have just to replace the bearings, but I figured since I'll have it apart I'll just rebuild it. I just bought the d15b7 in my car now off CL never again..Wish I just bought it from there. What about the z6 head on the JDM d15 or is that not the best idea either?
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By Crabloc93
- Fri Jul 24, 2015 6:24 pm #354933 I wanted to rebuild for better performance potentially boost in the future, all I know the JDM d15 pulled way better than the b7
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By EconoBox
- Fri Jul 24, 2015 7:05 pm #354934 That non-VTEC JDM D15b is essentially the same thing as the D15b7 you have now. (See D series wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_D_engine#D15B)

I can't tell you what will have to be replaced or done machine work wise without the engine being torn down and inspected but I'll guess that the JDM motor isn't worth rebuilding at this point and probably needs a crankshaft, bearings, and more depending on how long it was run knocking.

The B7 you have now would be the better of the two to rebuild if it has no noises and only an oil consumption/blow by issue. The mini-me makes power I just don't get it since it is only a few $s more to find a VTEC engine complete.

If you want to go boost the rebuild gets much more expensive and involved as the horsepower goals go up.
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By Crabloc93
- Fri Aug 14, 2015 3:24 am #355323 I already have the JDM d15b torn apart, ready to get hot tanked, I'm getting my block line honed, and bored, also getting crankshaft polished, I also got a z6 head with new valves reason why I'm doing the mini me. I'm in search of a good piston/rid combo for better performance, for all motor..
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By iLLson
- Fri Aug 14, 2015 3:24 pm #355329
Crabloc93 wrote:I already have the JDM d15b torn apart, ready to get hot tanked, I'm getting my block line honed, and bored, also getting crankshaft polished, I also got a z6 head with new valves reason why I'm doing the mini me. I'm in search of a good piston/rid combo for better performance, for all motor..


Crabloc93 wrote:I wanted to rebuild for better performance potentially boost in the future, all I know the JDM d15 pulled way better than the b7


decide on what you want.
then we can help you

what is your budget?
power goals?
is it a daily driver?

i agree with the above.
sohc motors are cheap

youll spend more money rebuilding than getting another motor.

i know you already have the block and head...but if i were in your position, i would sell it off and buy a lower mile, healthier motor from a shop (warranty), and just do a full tune up.
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By EconoBox
- Fri Aug 14, 2015 8:59 pm #355332 I know we don't have you budget or power goals listed yet so I'm assuming you just want a fun street car so here's my opinion.

I'm going to say this and I know it will make me sound like an ass so you've been warned...

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY BUILDING AN N/A SOHC MINI ME (***disclaimer: unless you need it for some obscure racing class)

That being said if you decide you want to go that route I would be more than happy to give advice on how to properly build it along with any parts recommendations.

Back when I first got into Honda's my very first car was an EG. The d16z6 was the budget swap for every high school sophomore and I managed to get one and spend all my hard earned money from my summer job building it just to get spanked by every Eclipse GS-T and Mustang at the street races (until I sprayed it :thumb: they never knew what hit them)

I've fully built a D16Z6 (ported/polished head, port matched skunk2 manifold, skunk2 valvetrain, ZEX Stage 2 camshaft, eagle rods, cp pistons (12.5:1), lightweight flywheel, Hondata s300... etc) It isn't worth the investment for what you get back out of it. If money is a concern buy another a stock SOHC VTEC swap with low miles from a shop with a good reputation.

To properly build an engine you'll spend more than it cost to buy a B swap. A good starting point would be a 99-00 B20B with a B16 trans with LSD. You'll have way more fun and the engine will never have been cracked open so you'll enjoy all the OEM Honda reliability with much shorter gearing than any SOHC out there and a whole low more torque.

Its just my opinion and you can take it for what its worth but my Z6 was putting down just under 170hp and yes it was quick but with the thousands I spent on parts to build it I loved every DOHC swap ten times more.
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By Crabloc93
- Sat Aug 15, 2015 1:24 am #355334 I just wanted a daily driver with decent hp for a sohc. Seemed like the mini me swap was a easier approach for some more power. Most likely I will just reuse my rods, I can also get those cleaned up at work as well. The only things I gotta buy new from what I can see is bearings, pistons, water pump, timing belt & tensioner..all the machine work I'll have done will be at no charge.. Eventually I wanna go bseries, but now I don't have the funds for that right now. I'm learning more everyday, as for compression I'm clueless on that subject, I just know low compressions good for boost, high is good for all motor.
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Re: Replacing Piston Rings

By iLLson
- Mon Aug 17, 2015 3:03 pm #355353 if you eventually plan to go b, dont waste your money or time on the d

i dont think i ever met anyone that did a mini-me and said that they were really satisfied.
the outcome after spending money and putting in the time is not worth it
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Re: Replacing Piston Rings

By teal_dx
- Mon Aug 17, 2015 4:26 pm #355354 I'll give the Mini-me some love. Back in 2002, when I did my mini-me, I wasn't as mechanically inclined as I am now. I searched around and found a good deal on a 1999 y8 head and intake mani ($200), plus a P28 ($100) and then went with ARP head studs because they were re-usable (still using them on my boosted z6 today) for $120.

I was doing the timing belt/water pump anyways, so swapping out the head wasn't too much more work.
So for $420, I replaced my noisy old d15b7 head with a younger y8 head + better intake, added vtec and some decent HP.

If you don't have the mechanical skills, tools, or space to do an entire engine swap, and it's time to catch up on maintenance/replace a tired head, then a mini-me is great for a daily driver.

If you're looking for more than a little extra power for passing, then I agree 100% save your $ for DOHC or turbo SOHC.
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Re: Replacing Piston Rings

By Crabloc93
- Thu Aug 27, 2015 5:09 am #355504 I already have the z6 head(rebuilt), p28 ecu, and a newer ex tranny, so I figured why not go with the bottom end rebuild is since I have the resources at my work. I appreciate the feedback but I'm going through with it, I won't have money for a bseries for awhile.. Just want something better than a d15b7 lol. What are good pistons for all motor build besides OEM or safety??(my work uses safety pistons on almost every motor we build)
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Re: Replacing Piston Rings

By teal_dx
- Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:11 pm #355511 The 2001 Civic GX pistons will give you a decent bump in compression, probably somewhere around 11:1 or just under, depending on the rest of the components.

Here's some other OEM pistons:
Image

P29 and P27 are also popular choices for a high compression D. I think they'll give you a higher CR than the GX pistons, which is something to think twice about on a street car using pump gas.

You should be clear on any of these with the OEM cam/valvetrain, but of course, do your research before buying a set.
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