First, I am a complete noob when it comes to replacing an engine so a little patience and sympathy would be appreciated.
In July my Son's 1995 Civic LX burned the # 3 valve on it. The mechanic put a new head gasket, new exhaust valve,plugs, timing belt, intake and exhaust valves seals,distributor, rotor, coolant and oil. At the time he worked on all of this he showed me that that the cylinder wall was scratched. I asked he he could bore it and put new rings on it and he said no. It was his recommendation that I live with it and put a heavier weight oil in it to slow down the oil leak. He suggested 40w racing oil This whole repair cost $ 1,350. The work came with 90 day 4k miles warranty.
Sure enough.....the same valve burned again at the beginning of November. He looked at it and the cylinder wall looks worse. He is recommending putting another engine at this point to the tune of $ 1,800. I am not willing to dump another $ 1,800 after 1,300 for a 3,000 car. My son is going to be on Christmas break and we talked about doing an engine swap. The engine swap is not for more power or performance. This is a swap to get the car running again plain and simple. It is my understanding that there is a market for the used engines from Japan. We live in Atlanta and there is a company National Auto Distributors ( http://www.nadauto.com )and they quoted me a used long block engine for $ 500. This seem very reasonable. Especially since I don't have to pay shipping costs and such. If anyone has experience with them please let me know your experience.
Enough with background info........Here are my questions:
1. Is there a good manual or website with step by step instructions on how to do the swap ?
2. What challenges can I anticipate in doing the swap ?
3. What questions should I ask in purchasing the engine?
4. I am a little confused about the A/C. Will I have to remove the compressor and lose the freon ?
Thankfully, we have a nice garage with plenty of room to move around. We have the jacks, jack stands, compressor impact tools and sockets. I guess we will need to rent an engine hoist. Are we going to need any special tools ?
Suggestions and recommendations are appreciated !
Thanks,
In July my Son's 1995 Civic LX burned the # 3 valve on it. The mechanic put a new head gasket, new exhaust valve,plugs, timing belt, intake and exhaust valves seals,distributor, rotor, coolant and oil. At the time he worked on all of this he showed me that that the cylinder wall was scratched. I asked he he could bore it and put new rings on it and he said no. It was his recommendation that I live with it and put a heavier weight oil in it to slow down the oil leak. He suggested 40w racing oil This whole repair cost $ 1,350. The work came with 90 day 4k miles warranty.
Sure enough.....the same valve burned again at the beginning of November. He looked at it and the cylinder wall looks worse. He is recommending putting another engine at this point to the tune of $ 1,800. I am not willing to dump another $ 1,800 after 1,300 for a 3,000 car. My son is going to be on Christmas break and we talked about doing an engine swap. The engine swap is not for more power or performance. This is a swap to get the car running again plain and simple. It is my understanding that there is a market for the used engines from Japan. We live in Atlanta and there is a company National Auto Distributors ( http://www.nadauto.com )and they quoted me a used long block engine for $ 500. This seem very reasonable. Especially since I don't have to pay shipping costs and such. If anyone has experience with them please let me know your experience.
Enough with background info........Here are my questions:
1. Is there a good manual or website with step by step instructions on how to do the swap ?
2. What challenges can I anticipate in doing the swap ?
3. What questions should I ask in purchasing the engine?
4. I am a little confused about the A/C. Will I have to remove the compressor and lose the freon ?
Thankfully, we have a nice garage with plenty of room to move around. We have the jacks, jack stands, compressor impact tools and sockets. I guess we will need to rent an engine hoist. Are we going to need any special tools ?
Suggestions and recommendations are appreciated !
Thanks,