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Hey im new to the the forums here, but im in the process of acquiring a 1997 Honda Civic DX sedan with a Automatic trans from a friend for 400 bucks. My goal is make it into something fast but i don't have much money for mods to do all at once. Im planning on building over a period time. My goal eventually is to do a b18 or b20 swap but for now im looking for the cheapest engine mod i can do to gain a bit more power (The d16 in it has 183,000 miles and makes like 100 something hp from the factory). Im thinking do a intake and exhaust at first then once i get another 1000 or so bucks ill swap the engine. My budget for the stock d16 to mod is like 150-200 dollars. What do you guys recommend to gain some power over stock with simple bolt ons i can do the first or 2nd day of ownership? First im definitively doing an intake (which i can make by myself with a pipe and a cone filter) and then cut out the resonator to make the stock exhaust flow better (I would cut the catalytic converter but illinois requires a obd2 smog check). The first thing i will for sure do is do a tune up, change the timing belt, and fix one of the fenders due to a side impact that happened a long time ago.

Future mods will be listed below.

B20B LS/TEC build
-stock b20b bottom end
-B18 head
-tune (someone told me about a local tuning shop who does dyno tunes cheap)
ill list more once i get the car

 
Rep Power: 103

IMO just drive it. you aren't really picking a great starting point given your quest for speed. also with $400 you won't even notice a difference in power. use it for tune up, maintenance, etc

had you found a 1995 instead, then you would not have to take emissions.

 
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the car is 400 dollars, i got an extra 150 to burn for a tuneup. Ill do a swap and i can get by i think as long as there is no check engine light on. the testing station near me only does obd checks

 
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I do need to do a automatic to manual swap on it cause the transmisssion works but it shifts late. That and im driving the car from ohio to my house in the northwest suburbs 325 miles as its at my friends house in ohio

 
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maybe if you sell the automatic trans, you can cover the cost of a manual trans, the pedal assembly, and the clutch? the car would seem a lot quicker with a manual. IDK what odd parts you'd need though. neutral safety switch, ecu, gauge cluster, things like that. it would be the best "seat of the pants" improvement in speed

i'm chicagoland too i work/live in forest park and sleep in darien. i've bought 4 or 5 civics for 2-400. 1997 you are allowed two not ready monitors so you could be ok. i'm well versed in the emissions here. i bought a 1992 rustang when they changed the law, and i've been smiling ever since.

 
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1000 for a swap? not sure it would be that cheap

 
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Rep Power: 211

Try an ATF drain and fill with Valvoline Maxlife (full synthetic)..it's compatible. I've used it on a 6th and 7th gen civic's..works fine.

As far as a tune-up there is no need to do so as long as there is good quality spark. Save your money for something else. Bolt-ons don't do ***** for a 1.6L and even with a manual transmission the car is still slow as a constipated turd. Sack-it-up with a B20 at some point in the future.

 
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Im a little skeptical about doing a drain and fill because its a 21 year old trans and if the fluid has never been changed you risk destroying the trans. If the fluid still had a hint of red and no black then i would change it. One time i put some lucas transmission stop slip into a 1996 honda accord with a slipping transmission which had black fluid. After putting it in, the stop slip didnt work as well as id hope and then once it wore off it started slipping worse and worse. And thats the plan, i wanna try a b20 swap one day when i get money. But first ill do a manual swap just because of my last experience with honda automatic transmissions which is the failure of the trans in the 1996 honda accord with 240,000 miles. Ive seen other accords with more miles then that and have automatic transmissions and theirs still go on and on. Maybe its due to the fact it havent had a tranny fluid change in forever

 
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I just read the reviews, they say its the best synthetic atf on the market. Im definitely doin a drain and fill and maybe itll speed up the shifts

 
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Make sure you get the correct weight ATF for your car. Walmart sells it too.
Many people prefer to do a 3x3 atf drain and fill: https://www.google.com/search?q=3x3+...nt=firefox-b-1

 
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Huh?
Yes, a 3x3 helps remove old fluid because there is not a separate differential drain bolt on these cars. So, doing a 3x3 drains (not flushes) out more of the old fluid from the differential than a single drain and fill.

A 3x3 can be done in one day or over the course of weeks or months...whichever the owner prefers.

 
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Bull. Butter.
If it still works right you won't hurt it with fresh fluid.
OTOH previous neglect may have shortened its lifespan, regardless what you do to it.
Still, fresh fluid service cannot hurt it.


But if it already doesn't work right, guess what....
Just how late does it shift anyway? Is it actually normal for that car, you're just not used to it?
That's exactly why you believe what you wrote above.

FACT: It was already shot. It was already way too late to start trying to take care of it.
You can't blame that on lucas or new fluid.
Again. Bull.
Drain and fill is the only method Honda approves. Do it as many times as you want.

Never use chemicals or a machine to flush. Those can cause real problems.

 
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