dschmootz

Hi All,

I just bought a 96 'lude Si with 34,000 original miles. Good exterior and interior. Paid $5000 for it, because of oil leak and oil burn. Bad news, though. Honda says bad rings, oil pan gasket, oil pump gasket because it sat for so long. Opinions, please.
1. Is it worth investing $2500 plus?
2. Buy rebuilt engine? If so, where?
3. Sell?

Thanks in advance!
Best Regards,
Don

preludeguy_92

With 34,000miles it would be strange for a honda engine to have bad rings. How much oil is it burning? Also i would take it to an independent shop to get a second opinion. Dealerships are known for ripping people off, and giving false info. to rack up your bill.

92SleeperH23

Yeah, bad rings cannot go bad because of sitting, only because of wear, and usually they live pretty long lives...I could see maybe the gaskets going bad, maybe, depending on what type of gasket they are, but doubtful, since If they can live longer than 34,000 miles under extreme conditions they'd be just fine in a controlled environment.

[edit: in regards to dealerships ripping people off, Gillman Honda of San Antonio tried to charge me $1600 parts and labor "to replace my a/c compressor, which was the location of my leak" when in reality it was a $2.00 R-12 to R-134a retrofit schreader valve adapter that was causing the leak. So yeah]

Prudz_lude

iTrader: (1)

im still a newb so correct me if im wrong, you wouldnt be able to tell if the rings were fried unless you cracked the engine open right? so how would honda know the rings are fried?

s13_240sx_92

Are you really that sure that it has 34k? you can swap clusters even though it is digital.

in general its the valve seals that go bad before rings that cause oil burn. anyway good luck.

PrecisionH23a

Go ahead and buy a h22a longblock for $1350 and have it swapped in.

vinuneuro

Do a compression test and find out for sure. It can burn oil due to bad valve seals..valve seals can go bad from sitting.

Prudz_lude

iTrader: (1)

can someone please answer my question above???

mgags7

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Prudz_lude &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">im still a newb so correct me if im wrong, you wouldnt be able to tell if the rings were fried unless you cracked the engine open right? so how would honda know the rings are fried?</TD></TR></TABLE>

They either assumed that the rings were bad or did a leakdown compression test and got bad numbers....

No you can't be sure they're bad without either doing a leakdown test....

In extreme cases you would be able to see "fried" rings when you open the engine, but a leakdown test is a better indicator. Please refrain from calling them "fried", that is just Fast and Furious talk.....

Prudz_lude

iTrader: (1)

hahahahaha ^ honestly that is just ridiculous, i cant say rings are fried. That is what they are. I dont think its newb at all. all that makes it newb is the fact that people think back to fast and the furious and pick out quotes or words used in that movie so they can be more JDM and less FAST AND FURIOUS!!! hahaha im just kidding

Not trying to insult you or anything i just think saying they are fried is acceptable, maybe toasted

mgags7

The point I was making is that they don't "fry"

The manner in which they lose their quality of seal is more related to wear than burn. Let me see if I can find some documentation of that for you.

M@

Well how bad does it burn oil? Spy hunter bad or only after idleing.

Prudz_lude

iTrader: (1)

well i know a guy who destroyed his block through a turbo. the turbo lasted all of an hour because the wastegate hose shot of or something like that. when the block was pulled apart they were fried. black and gone i understand what your saying though

mgags7

Blown to peices maybe? By detonaton?

They're metal, they don't exactly burn too easily....

Prudz_lude

iTrader: (1)

well they were black from what i saw, it was detonation haha

mgags7

lol we jacked the **** out of this thread.....

soooo......

dschmootz

Hey All,

Thanks VERY much for the opinions. And VERY funny remark about "jackin the **** outta this thread...". LOL. Anyway, it burns a quart every 100 miles. The dealership said they ran a Test, so I'm assuming it was the leak test. It needs a oil pump, oil pan gaskets, for sure. My best guess is that the mileage is true, by the look of the engine and the way it drives...very smooth and "tight". Is there any way I can "see" or "feel" if the mileage were higher(like if they did switch the cluster out)?
I did talk to an Independent, and he expressed doubts about the rings. He said they might not be seated and told me to run it up to 5000 RPM in first gear, then let the engine "brake it". He had me do this 5 times. He said it would force the rings to seat. I will let you know. There was and is no blue smoke, but the back end has a greasy film on it since I bought it. The mechanic thinks it might be from the leaks coming from the engine...we will see, huh? PrecisionH23a, any suggestions whee to get an engine at that price? I live in good old Chicago.

Best Regards,
Don

dschmootz

Sorry. It burns or LEAKS a quart every 100 miles. It does leak a lot, so hopefully you all are right along with the independent mechanic!

Best Regards, Don