90 Prelude Lossing compression in Cyld 1

[gregjss]

I just had my car in to see about a miss I am having. They came back with the comprssion being 40 when normal is 150. I'm not going to pay $2000 for a car with 160,0000 on it.

Question is how long do you think it will be able to drive it like this? Will only be using it in town.

[sofast]

Originally Posted by gregjss

I just had my car in to see about a miss I am having. They came back with the comprssion being 40 when normal is 150. I'm not going to pay $2000 for a car with 160,0000 on it.

Question is how long do you think it will be able to drive it like this? Will only be using it in town.

Does this miss happen from the time you turn the key on till you turn the key off? Or does it happen now and then? If it happens now and then chance are its not low compression. Tell us about it

If it is low compression Its hard tellin how long it will last. My winter ride is a civic with 245k on the odo and has low compression on all cylinders. Blows a lil smoke and I have to add oil once a month but Its been this way for a year now.

[gregjss]

From beginning to end. It is the car my son has been driving. And he goes to college five hours away. So he drove back from school and everywhere around town since but he is not crazy about taking it when he goes back in a week.

I think it is more noticeable now because of the MN winter. It has been burning oil at the rate of a quart every 750 for at least the past 14 months. However. it now sounds like it runs with higher rpms. He also said the mileage is down from the summer(more than I would normally expect). Originally what he described sounded like he had a gas line freeze going on. I do notice that once it gets above 30 mph it runs much better.

The question I pose is would you drive it 300 miles one way highway?

[sofast]

With 40lbs of compression in that cylinder it should run like crap constantly. It shouldnt smooth off at 30 mph with 40lbs of comp. But then again you have oil consumption. Are you sure it is oil consumption or does it leak oil? Or both? Do you leak any antifreeze anround the Cylinder head? What does the oil look like? Is it milky brown looking? You could have a bad head gasket. You can burn oil, antifreeze or both and loose compression. When it leaks it can be internal or external. Give me the answers to this and I will help you out bud.

I wouldnt recommend driving it that distance in the cold. Just to play it safe

[car_boy_16]

What you need to do is get a leakdown test done on it - that shows WHERE the leak is from....Weather be from the piston rings or piston top, valves, head gasket... After that test, you will know exactly where the problem is....
As a ghetto half-assed leakdown test, you can test the bad cylinder with a simple compression gauge, as if youre simply getting the comp tested...first make a baseline comp test just by turning the car over regularly as you would with the comp testing...Then after you have the baseline, pour a bit of oil in the cylinder through the spark plug hole, just enough to seap around the piston rings. Then retest the compression, if the compression rises you know it's your piston ring ring area that's bad - probabably a ring land that busted or something like that....I suppose either way, with just one cylinder being bad, that you shouldnt drive it anywhere far away, especially if its cold where you live...

[car_boy_16]

Well...on the other hand - if it's just a slight miss, I bet you could get away with it....I mean my mom drove our old 87 hyundai excel that ran on 3 cylinders because the #2 cylinder had a big hole in the piston top....she drove it like that for 3 years lol....So that tells you that every situation is unique, you might want to explore the drivability of the lude before you condem it...

[sofast]

Oil in the cylinder. Its an ancient backyard mechanics trick and works swell. I have had to do this a few times.

[gregjss]

Information:

It leaks not a drop of oil.

The coolant is green as can be!

The Oil is brown as can be.

OIl Consumption YEP! A quart every 750-1000 miles. Has burned oil since Oct. of 2003

Correct runs like crap till you get it around 30 mph Turning the condensor on (when defrosting) makes things interesting. However it has never stalled once.

My son intends in take it back to college. 300 miles away in Iowa mostly 4 lane roads. Says it is the lesser off all evils...he does not want my truck.

Climate here: Minnesota

We won't be fixing the car. Guess says it will end up being sold to a parts yard. Interior is near mint. New tires on the back. New alternator. Body has rust in the normal places on the back quarter panels.....doors are solid. Engine and the like....??!!?!?? She does have 160,000 on her. All I asked for was two years out of it and that comes up in June.

All I am asking for is to last to then.

Keep the answers coming please.

[hontoy]

Originally Posted by gregjss

I just had my car in to see about a miss I am having. They came back with the comprssion being 40 when normal is 150. I'm not going to pay $2000 for a car with 160,0000 on it.

Question is how long do you think it will be able to drive it like this? Will only be using it in town.

$2000 FOR WHAT?

[gregjss]

2000 to redo the head and cylinders

[sofast]

Originally Posted by gregjss

2000 to redo the head and cylinders

Well I would have to say its gotta be bad compression since it doesnt sound like a head gasket. I was trying to figure out the least expensive fix for you. Sorry I couldnt help. before you take it to the salvage yard let me know. I may purchase some parts or the vehicle. I can give you a few more dollars than a salvage yard

[car_boy_16]

2000??? OMFG, no way man...Get a JDM b20a and drop that in there - dont waste 2000 on a potentially shitty reuild - after all it is a b21a1, and most machanics will mess up the cylinder sleeves when they attempt to hone it - it takes a very special type of honing machine and a unique honing procedure.

[sofast]

$2000 I can believe it. Im sure they farm the work out to a machine shop. That is whay it cost that much. B20a is a great idea. I live close enough. You buy the motor and pay me and I will drop it in for you. I just bought (B20a) and dropped mine in and runs strong.

[gregjss]

The 2000 figure is from a shop that I took it to for a second opinion. They are high anyways. My normal place said you might want to consider getting rid of it. That opinion was rendered without doing diagnostics. My son was/is planning on getting a newer car anyways in early summer so either way this car was going. We just wanted to get to May 10th with the thing. Also.....besides the engine issue there are other things that will need to be taken care of if this was a long term vehicle. In Minnesota it now has the offical designation of "Winter Beater"!

I suppose we get back to my original question....in everybodies opinion will it last till May? It has to get three 570 round trips and then it was going to be put out to stud.








PS sofast.......If he follows through on taking the car to school, it will be only 73 miles north of you.

[car_boy_16]

I wish I could tell you how long it will last...Only you can estimate that right now.
Where in MN are you? Im in Duluth.