Identity mark on block of 1.6 l engine in 1990 Civic Si.

Hello,

I'm told that the identity mark on the block of the

1.6 l engine in a 1990 Civic Si is next to the transmission. That leaves a wide scope around the perimeter of connecting face; and there are several accessories, tubes and cables to obstruct the view. Can someone explain the location of the mark more specifically please.

Thanks, ... Peter E.

Reply to
petereasthope
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A 90 Civic Si should have a D16A6 engine. Look just below and to the left of the exhaust manifold (or headers) for the engine code, right next to where the transmission bolts to the engine.

A couple of pics of the area in question - both of these have headers installed, so if you have a stock exhaust manifold the heat shield may be obscuring the area:

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Reply to
Dave Garrett

Yes, it is "D16A6

3851177". Likely the number below the type is the engine block serial number.

Definitely the photos helped. The primary difficulty is to recognize the location when the markings are invisible under oil and dust and the area is dark. The rectangular marking surface is immediately left of the exhaust manifold and 20-30 cm down. The heat shield isn't a significant obstruction. I used a mirror to reflect enough sunlight in to read.

Thanks, ... Peter E.

Reply to
petereasthope

Yes, the 7-digit number is the serial number. IIRC it's just a sequential number, and I believe the first engine in the series that was manufactured would have had a serial of 1000001 (as opposed to 0000001).

Reply to
Dave Garrett

OK, thanks. I wonder whether the engine or one similar is still in production. A brother remarked that these Civics were unusually durable and some of the engines were or are still running at 500,000 km. This one is ~220,000 km.

Thanks again, ... Peter E.

Reply to
petereasthope

Honda hasn't manufactured D-series engines in over ten years. The D16A6 was in production from 1988-91.

A good quick reference for basic information on Honda's various engine families is the Wikipedia page:

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Given proper maintenance over its lifetime (which is frequently an issue with vehicles you're not the original owner of), there's no reason you can't get very high mileage out of a D-series engine. The combination of a 4-cylinder Honda engine and a manual transmission during the 80s and

90s was a combination that was tough to beat for long-term reliability. I had an 1990 CRX Si with the same engine as your Civic, and when I sold it the engine was still running fine at roughly 120,000 miles/200,000 km. That's really not a high mileage for these engines; I've seen plenty of them with over 250,000 miles/400,000 km still going strong.

As has been frequently observed when talking about high-mileage cars, if a car is reasonably modern (for the sake of discussion let's say post-

1980), it's usually not engine problems that cause people to get rid of it when it reaches a certain age so much as it is the accumulation of a bunch of smaller stuff that wears out or breaks down. Taken separately, something like a door lock actuator that fails, faded/torn upholstery, a leaking A/C compressor, or a worn-out power steering pump isn't that big of a deal, but if you don't fix little things when they first crop up, eventually enough of them collectively become a bigger issue and lead people to decide that it's time for a new car.
Reply to
Dave Garrett

The Accords of that vintage were great, too. Here's the For Sale sheet I put on mine a couple of years ago (hey, it survived my son bringing it to college...more or less):

1991 Honda Accord ~239,600 miles, $400 Runs great! (The engine is far outlasting the car.) 32mpg highway, ~25 around town, even now Original owner (in November 1990 it looked better!) Probably has a year or two left in it for someone willing to work on it here and there (I'm gettin' too old fer this...stuff) Comes with an uninstalled Alpine stereo (I *think* it works but have not tested it) with iPod cable and CD changer Faithful oil changes since new (all 31 of them) Last 12 months: Windshield, ball joints, manifold, starter

Significant problems you can't see (anyone can see the rust!):

- Power steering inoperative (needs HP hose, pump, belt)

- Will need a left CV joint in ~5-10K miles (noisy turns)

- Small coolant leak (don't know where--put in coolant every few weeks until you find and fix it)

- No A/C (refrigerant not available, parts missing)

Smaller problems (probably a partial list):

- Cruise control usually inoperative (most often when you want it most!)

- Heater cannot be adjusted (choices are "heat on" and "heat off")

- Bad cooling fans (though one decided to start working again on its own!)

- Broken driver's side interior door handle mount

- Intermittent passenger side power shoulder belt (I think Honda will actually fix this free...if you can get it to fail at a dealer)

- External rear door handles do not return by themselves

- Worn-out 3rd gear synchro (not apparent until transmission is fully warmed up)

- Leaking front main seal (just put oil in it every few weeks until it gets to 270K and you do the timing belt...which was last done with water pump at 180K, on schedule)

It sold in only a week or so!

Dave Garrett wrote:

Reply to
JRE

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