Engine Q?

Acura1212 · #1 07-31-2006, 12:42 AM

Question, I am thinking about swaping my Acura six cylinder engine for a 4cyl.
I know this might be sacrificing some H.power. however I'm mainly interested in longevity, fuel costs and low maintainance. I was also told that Acura legends between the 91s to 95s have been known for blowing head gaskets and being that I'm crazy about this particualr body style, I'm pondering ways to hold it for several yrs. Can any one give me some council on really good 4cyl.engine makes, preferably made by Honda or Toyota that would work really well and that might have fairly good horse power as well as perhaps some really good tips to avoid the head gasket issues aside from typical maintainence and up keep? like particular engine oils or virtually anything else that may really help preserve the engine. last but not least, I am nolonger getting eny heat in my car. it's blowing air, but no heat. Is it as simple as changing the thermostat? this site is gonna hear from me a lot, so stay tuned. Oh, thanks to playstation3 for helping me out on my last Q? Peace!

Greenblurr93 · #2 07-31-2006, 06:58 PM

ok, typical engine maintainence will help you not blow head gaskets. its would be not worth the money it would take to swap a motor versus just taking care of your motor and not beating on it. is your car overheating? is it is it could be the thermostat, if its not it could be the heater core.

hxgaser · #3 08-02-2006, 10:46 AM

I am not say it can't be done, but I never really saw or heard anyone doing that. Honda's are notoriously well built. Like GreenBlurr93 says, just keep up the maintenance and drive nicely.

Regarding the heat, yes it can be the heater core, or just the heater valve.

Acura1212 · #4 08-02-2006, 06:48 PM

Ok, guys heres the latest, my exhaust is releasing a sort of thick white smoke, so I'm leaning more toward the head gasket theory, but then again I'm no expert. Please help me out on this. i could use as much advice as possible, thanks.

big tex84 · #5 08-03-2006, 10:55 AM

have you lost any power? blown headgaskets can cause lost compession , but the white smoke definatly sounds like the head gasket.

Acura1212 · #6 08-03-2006, 09:30 PM

Yes, I've lost some power. I've checked the oil, it doesn't appear that any of the antifreeze has mixed in it. I started the car and ran it again today. The white exhaust is definately there, no doubt about that. Hey can any one tell me if the liquid metallic fix it stuff actually works? Is it permanent as stated? i don't know wether or not to believe it. Will it later clog your engine/radiater? I went on line and checked into some different brands. They vary in prices, some sites appear a bit suspect to me. I learned about the stuff in one posting where some one claimed that it actually works, but I don't know any one who has actually used the stuff. I personally have never even heard of such till I discovered the forum. Some times I wonder if some product claims are posted on these forums by the companies themselves just to boost sales. Let me know, it might be worth a try. If the stuff actually works, it's surely better then spending a couple grand or less to some mechanic who will make fixing your head gasket the last thing on the to do list.

Greenblurr93 · #7 08-04-2006, 09:22 PM

do it right...dont EVER get that crap that is supposed to be a "fix all" it will probably ruin your engine.... spend the extra money and do it right, it will save you SOOO many headaches down the road.

Acura1212 · #8 08-04-2006, 09:43 PM

Thanks every one. I'm gona go for replacing the head gasket. Does any one have any advice on some of the best quality head gaskets to purchase? like what material etc, and if so where I can purchase it and about how much does it go for? thanks again.

Greenblurr93 · #9 08-04-2006, 09:46 PM

i use "Cometic" head gaskets on my built b18c1.....theyve worked well so far

Greenblurr93 · #10 08-04-2006, 09:47 PM

find them on www.tunerschoice.com

Acura1212 · #11 08-08-2006, 07:10 AM

Ok guys, so far so good. I have gotten bid responces from a couple of mechanics regarding either fixing my head gaskets or swaping out my current engine, the next question. How would I be able to tell if my current engine is to damaged to fix the heads? I've read where some engines were basically beyond repairing the heads leaving them to be discarded. Also, My current engine requires premiume fuel, verses swaping an engine that will take regular fuel. Would I run into problems if I swaped my Premium fuel engine for a regular fuel engine, is it possible? If so what other components would I need to change? Thanks

Greenblurr93 · #12 08-08-2006, 03:10 PM

your car doesnt NEED premium...thats just what Honda recommends...youll be fine on middle grade.. and yes the cost of repairing a head sometimes is more than the cost of a replacement engine. and do you know for sure that the head is damaged? or just needs a new gasket?

Acura1212 · #13 08-08-2006, 07:12 PM

I'm not completely certain if it's the head or just the gasket. Is there a way to determine wich it is with out paying some one to take the engine apart? please bare with me. I'm really trying to take my time to understand this particular mechanical function because my experience is very limited. I have owned ten cars, but have never encountered a mechanical problem on this level. I don't wanna invest so much time energy and money and find out that it's not going to work out later, or perhaps worse, get ripped off because of my limited mechanical knowlege.

Greenblurr93 · #14 08-11-2006, 04:05 PM

the only way to truely find out if the head is warped is to take the head off. Which needs to be done anyway to change the gasket. so if you ask the mechanic to check it for you he should do that for no extra charge. if you are changing the gasket by yourself then u need a servive manual to get the diagonal corner to corner measurements.

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