YZF
07-01-2009, 01:01 PM
My daily driver, a 1995 Civic, had very low compression (only 115lbs on all 4 cylinders). It used quite a bit of oil (about a quart every 400 miles) and it didnt help that the valve guide seals were bad.
I ordered in a few parts and one Saturday morning I decided to get the damn motor out and rebuild it.
I drove the car to the shop, popped the hood, and went to McDonalds for some breakfast. Get back to the shop and started tearing apart the car.
A little more than an hour goes by and the motor is out and hanging on the picker. Popped off the head (on the picker, screw an engine stand :)), off came the oil pan, shot the pistons out, slapped on the new rings, honed the block (with the crank still assembled lol), got the bottom end thrown back together with new rod bearings and such and moved onto the head. Disassembled the head by hand. Whats this spring compressor you're supposed to use? Ah, fawk it.
Got all the valves out, such cute little things they were, and cleaned them all up. They were covered with an assload of build up, mostly on the intake valves, from the valve guide seals that had been leaking. Got the head put back together by hand and slapped it on the block.
I decided it would be easier to put the motor and tranny in together so I yanked the tranny out of the car and slapped it on the motor. Dropped the combo back in the car, hooked it up, made sure timing was close, hit the key and she fired right up first time. Took about 3 or 4 seconds to build compression/let the rings seat but it fired up and idled like a champ.
I had never done any engine work like this before. All together it took about 8 hours said and done, thats with a 45 minute lunch break and I had to make a trip to oriellys for a piston ring compressor.
It has since then (a hair over 2 weeks ago, possibly about 1800 miles) not used one drop of oil and has more noticable/smoother power throughout the gears. Not that its a race car or anything, but I noticed an improvement for sure.
It was definitely worth the time and 168 dollars I had in parts to rebuild the motor.
I just wish it were that easy on the Maro :(
Later.
I ordered in a few parts and one Saturday morning I decided to get the damn motor out and rebuild it.
I drove the car to the shop, popped the hood, and went to McDonalds for some breakfast. Get back to the shop and started tearing apart the car.
A little more than an hour goes by and the motor is out and hanging on the picker. Popped off the head (on the picker, screw an engine stand :)), off came the oil pan, shot the pistons out, slapped on the new rings, honed the block (with the crank still assembled lol), got the bottom end thrown back together with new rod bearings and such and moved onto the head. Disassembled the head by hand. Whats this spring compressor you're supposed to use? Ah, fawk it.
Got all the valves out, such cute little things they were, and cleaned them all up. They were covered with an assload of build up, mostly on the intake valves, from the valve guide seals that had been leaking. Got the head put back together by hand and slapped it on the block.
I decided it would be easier to put the motor and tranny in together so I yanked the tranny out of the car and slapped it on the motor. Dropped the combo back in the car, hooked it up, made sure timing was close, hit the key and she fired right up first time. Took about 3 or 4 seconds to build compression/let the rings seat but it fired up and idled like a champ.
I had never done any engine work like this before. All together it took about 8 hours said and done, thats with a 45 minute lunch break and I had to make a trip to oriellys for a piston ring compressor.
It has since then (a hair over 2 weeks ago, possibly about 1800 miles) not used one drop of oil and has more noticable/smoother power throughout the gears. Not that its a race car or anything, but I noticed an improvement for sure.
It was definitely worth the time and 168 dollars I had in parts to rebuild the motor.
I just wish it were that easy on the Maro :(
Later.