i just finished getting my D16 back together.

it was a 14b turbo on a stock d16z6, self tuned making about 200hp on 7lbs of boost.

the valve seals in the head went bad, and i wanted to go back to N/A, so i started looking for a new head.
a friend got me a free D16A6 head that was in decent shape.
i wanted to run a high compression, ITB'd singlecam, and most people just drop in d16a1 pistons to bump the compression, but taking apart the bottom end was out of the question from time constraints (and this is my daily driver) so i did some research, and found out that if i could cut the head by 100/1000 it will bump my compression to the levels i wanted.

so i took it to engine lab and had them do their magic to it, all new valve seals, 3 angle valve job, milled it down 100/1000, etc.

installation took a lot longer than expected. because the A6 cam sits higher than the Z6, i needed to use the A6 belt, but because the head was cut so far, the A6 belt was too long. and the Z6 belt was still to short.
i tried grinding out some of the meat of the inside of the tensioner to compensate, but it did not go far enough.
so we grabbed a tensioner off a B20, which is about 4mm larger in diameter, it has more "meat" on the inside to grind out, so i did just that, but the mounting tabs on the tensioner did not line up with the block.

so i installed it twisted 90 degrees, so insted of going up to increase tension, it now goes forward. as an added bonus the tabs wedged between the webbing on the block, so it functions just like a stock tensioner, just sideways.
this ended up being a perfect solution, making the A6 belt fit nicely.

the intake manifold also did not fit on the head now, because underneith the mounting holes on the manifold, there was too much aluminum, and it hit the block , so i had to grind out some metal on the intake manifold for clearance.

the rest of the install went relatively smooth, and i made sure to double check piston-valve clearance by hand cranking the motor a few times around.

but then it wouldnt start!

it would turn over but not fire.
so we systematically checked the problems,
have ignition
have fuel
have compression
ignition timing is good
valve timing is good
the problem ended up being too much crank fuel, so i reburned the ECU chip, dropped it down to a more reasonable level and it started right up.

after some initial tuning to make sure it was not detonating i took it out for a test drive, and it feels about stock right now, but its running very rich at the moment, once i dial it back im sure it will make a decent amount more power.


now i just need to play with tuning and work on getting my old Turbo-itb manifold reconverted back into just a normal ITB manifold

 

good luck with the project man keep us updated!! we'll keep in contact..

 

was able to bump the power up a bit with some ignition table changes, was also able to get a solid consistent 750 RPM idle by adjusting fuel.

i think my ECT is reading incorrectly, so im going to adjust the ignition and fuel compensation, i might also increase post fuel a small bit to make up for it.

 

You deserve a pat on the back for not giving up easily!

Would you post some pics of your tensioner solution?
Thanks.-Bob

 

yea, ill take some pics after the rain dies down.
and tuning is going well.

drive to work, adjust ignition timing, go to lunch, adjust ignition timing, get back from lunch, adjust fuel curve, go home, adjust cam timing.
repeat

 

lol!! ^^ Thats how you get it right lol...