Local guy is selling a CX shell, all it's missing is an engine and tranny. Since this is going to be my commuter car, I am looking into dropping the VX engine into it. I've found some at local yards, but I read in another post that the wiring harnesses are different because of the O2 sensor for the original VX.

Should I scrap the idea of the VX engine and just get the CX?
If I went with the VX, would I need the wiring harness from the VX donor car as well, or is there a way to hack the stock CX harness so it will work with the VX ECU?

 

call rywire and go with the vx

 

It all depends on cost versus ease. I've never done an engine install before, so the replacement CX motor wins there. I found a "local" yard with a CX engine and tranny for $950 (only 55k on it, but no alternator, starter, etc) and another has an engine for $400 (minus distributor and likely no alternator, starter, etc) and another has a tranny for $350. I haven't been able to find a VX wiring harness, nor have I found any information about wiring up the VX to a CX engine harness. So far the D15B8 is winning the argument.

 

I'm no expert or "guru" here, but why go the VX route? When they were available, the Civic VX had one of the WORST reps for being a pointless car. That is, not a huge savings in fuel, but a very poor drive as Civics go. The VX into a CX shell would be somewhat similar to installing a VTEC engine in a non-VTEC shell as the VX is somewhat of a VTEC engine...sort of early I-VTEC?
If you want fuel economy, stick with the CX/DX engine (you don't say what year CX, and after '95 the CX was just a stripped DX). I had a '92 CX and my Honda mechanic said the CX's engine had some design flaw (I never got him pinned down on this point) that made them less long-lived than the '92 DX engine. I went with a non-VTEC Integra engine in mine after it seemed to start drinking oil in large amounts and the fuel economy stayed the same or improved somewhat (tho I did have it modded with a CAI and a header/free-flow cat-back exhaust).