moddage

okay.. i posted on hondaaccordforum.com but figured i might as well post here too to cover more bases.


i have a 2002 LX with the F23A1 in it 96000 original miles.. and it recently has developed a dead cylinder.

cylinder number 2 is dead.. upon doing a compression test on all 4 cylinders by cranking the engine. the results are as follows. cylinders 1,3, and 4 all peak at 180PSI and cylinder 2 peaked at 45ish i poured a small amount of engine oil (10W-30) down the plug hole for cylinder 2 and tested again.. peaked at 60 PSI.


so i fired the car up on 1,3 and 4 and left the compression tester hooked up to #2 50-60PSI at idle and at 3000rpm 120PSI


upon rolling the engine by hand.. i get 30PSI in cylinders 3 and 4, 27ish in cylinder 1, and 0 in cylinder 2.


i also hooked up a vacuum gauge inline with the PCV system and at idle it fluctuates rapidly between -17 and -20 inches of mercury.

i have pulled the valve cover and inspected all mechanical valve train components, they have not loosened since i adjusted the valves less than 3k miles ago and i know for a fact they were all within Honda spec, more towards the lower range of the spectrum but still within the range.

i used high quality feeler gauges so i know they're accurate...


anyway, my findings so far (no compression in #2 and fluctuating vacuum at idle) is leaning towards burnt/leaking valves


also, the car does consume oil. but i'm fairly sure the oil consumption is related to the valve cover based PCV system like the preludes have and are known for (heard from a few prelude owners that a catch can is a nice addition) and worn out valve stem seals.

so the reason for my post is.. one, does anyone else have any other theories, ideas, suggestions, whatever for things i can look for/test before pulling the head off.. as well as input on what you think the problem is (valves or rings) i can't see rings going bad in one cylinder after 96000 miles ... maybe a head gasket ?

and after i pull the head.. i'm most likely looking at either rebuilding mine, or buying a reman. so on that note.. the head swap part of this post leads me to the question.. what cylinder heads are compatible with the F23A1 (direct bolt on) that would give me a performance boost.. if any even exist.. i heard the acura CL got a ported head on the F23A1 engines.. is this accurate? if so, would i see any gain in performance by swapping to a CL head?


i've already made up my mind.. if the head is good and it is rings.. i'm going to consider pulling the engine and have it bored/honed .030" out and put 30 over pistons in it (i'm assuming JE would be recommended?)

if i discover the head is the culprit.. while it's apart i'm also going to check cylinder diameters and if they are still in the right tolerances i may lightly hone them and re-ring all 4 cylinders while it's apart..

which brings me to the question, can i hone them with the block still in the car by pulling the pan, taking all 4 pistons/rod assemblies out and leaving the crank in.. then meticulously clean and flush out the entire bottom end area with oil/compressed air so there's no remnants of metal particles.. or would i be forced to pull the block out..

while we're on this subject, what are the odds that this engine needs re-ringed at 96k miles? the odds of just ONE cylinder needing it ?



thanks in advance, and for your time reading/replying to this,

~Moddage

cavemanscb7

Ok well imo, it sounds like you have a bad piston ring land, i mean if its a head gasket you would shoot water out the cylinder or you would have water in your oil....Is your car smoking at all? i would say its bad rings or cracked piston ring land, and to answer your other question you will need to pull the motor to get the block and honed and machined

cavemanscb7

are you throwing any codes

moddage

so the verdict is in...

cylinder number 2 exhaust valve on the passenger side of the cylinder has a chip in it.

no evidence of it touching a piston, pistons all look fine, and so do cylinder walls.


time to rebuild the head.

mattfranklin

I know this is an old thread, but I'm curious, did it take care of the oil consumption? I have very similar symptoms.