The Honda Civic EX made its debut in 1992 as a sedan. In 1993, an EX coupe was offered. The Civic EX sports the high-performance VTEC engine. VTEC is short for "Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control System," which originally started as a fuel-economy enhancement program in 1984. VTEC uses multiple cam lobes and rocker arms to provide excellent low rpm and high rpm power. Knowing your engine size and type is important when you are looking for parts or replacement engines. VTEC comes in single- and dual-overhead cam models. The Civic EX uses the single-overhead-cam engine.
Park your Honda Civic on a level surface and set the parking brake.
Move to the engine compartment and raise the hood.
Look for a small, square pad cast into the engine block, near the exhaust manifold where the transmission bolts to the engine. It will have two series of numbers stamped in it. The top group of numbers has five digits. This is the engine number.
Write down the engine number determined in Step 3 for future reference. "D16Z6" designates a 1.6-liter VTEC installed on 1992-1995 model years; "D16Y8" indicates the engine was built for 1996 to 2000 models and "D17A1" is found on newer Honda Civics built since 2001.
