1995 Del Sol VTEC Engine problems
09-26-2006, 03:41 PM
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1995 Del Sol VTEC Engine problems
I bought my 1995 Del Sol from my younger brother, who hadn't taken very good care of it, maintenance-wise, but it had super low mileage, and ran okay.
It's had on-again, off-again problems with the oil light flickering on for a few seconds at a time, always solved by an oil change. It seems to eat up oil, but no smoking, and no leaking. This problem started after I (while nearly half asleep) mistakenly poured coolant into the oil reservoir (I had been awake for more than 36 hours, and just wasn't paying attention, the car had been overheating a lot -- a problem inherited from my brother's ownership of the car -- and well, I have no really good excuse, it was just dumb). Anyway, I had the engine looked at for the overheating problem, which was a loose radiator hose, and had the whole thing flushed and put back together. But since then, the oil light would flicker on for a few seconds here and there, mostly while in first gear, or while braking.
Two days ago, it began making a knocking sound, not too loud, but noticeable. It would disappear at certain gear/rpm combinations. Then yesterday it made a really loud knocking noise, again disappearing at certain rpms (worst right around 3k). I checked the oil, which seemed low, and filled it up, because the oil light had flickered on. I drove it a little further, the knocking became louder, and the car lost power and died (on the freeway of course, in rush-hour traffic).
I had it towed to the Honda dealership next to my work, since they've worked on the car a couple times for tune-ups and what not. They've looked at it and quoted me an insane price for repairing it (overhaul, if possible, at $1500-$4000, or replace the B16A3 engine with a used 150,000 miles B16A3 for $4055). I know these are the highest prices I could possibly be quoted for this car, given that it's the dealership.
I don't know a good Honda mechanic in Seattle, so I'm not sure where to start looking for another quote. The dealership is telling me the B16A3 engine is going to cost $2250, which is insane, and not at all what I've seen online, but again, I may not be looking at the right stuff. That just seems incredibly high for a non-warrantied engine, with more miles on it than my car has on it now.
My guess is that it's a spun bearing, or a thrown rod, since the car did not overheat at all, and that this is probably a problem that began when the engine was torn down and flushed a couple years ago, or perhaps it started before I bought the car when it was overheating while my brother owned it.
So, opinions on where to go, what to do? My strong feeling is that I should cut my losses with this car, as it's not in great shape any more, and sell it to someone who wants to use it to customize or fix it up. What's a reasonable price to sell it for, with a non-running engine? (I should know exactly what's wrong with it Friday, since they're going to tear down the lower half where the noise is coming from). It has a couple problems, the passenger side window switch works only once in a great while, there's some cosmetic damage on the outside (city car), and the trunk at one time had standing water (again, inherited from my brother) so it has a musty smell in there, that would probably be alleviated by replacing some of the carpeting. However, it's got a nice Kenwood stereo with a 6-disc CD-changer mounted behind the driver's seat, Infiniti speakers in all four spots, the AC works just fine, it's a manual transmission, and so forth. So, it's not a terrible car, but I'm ready to move up to something bigger, like one with a back seat.
Thanks.
Sean
It's had on-again, off-again problems with the oil light flickering on for a few seconds at a time, always solved by an oil change. It seems to eat up oil, but no smoking, and no leaking. This problem started after I (while nearly half asleep) mistakenly poured coolant into the oil reservoir (I had been awake for more than 36 hours, and just wasn't paying attention, the car had been overheating a lot -- a problem inherited from my brother's ownership of the car -- and well, I have no really good excuse, it was just dumb). Anyway, I had the engine looked at for the overheating problem, which was a loose radiator hose, and had the whole thing flushed and put back together. But since then, the oil light would flicker on for a few seconds here and there, mostly while in first gear, or while braking.
Two days ago, it began making a knocking sound, not too loud, but noticeable. It would disappear at certain gear/rpm combinations. Then yesterday it made a really loud knocking noise, again disappearing at certain rpms (worst right around 3k). I checked the oil, which seemed low, and filled it up, because the oil light had flickered on. I drove it a little further, the knocking became louder, and the car lost power and died (on the freeway of course, in rush-hour traffic).
I had it towed to the Honda dealership next to my work, since they've worked on the car a couple times for tune-ups and what not. They've looked at it and quoted me an insane price for repairing it (overhaul, if possible, at $1500-$4000, or replace the B16A3 engine with a used 150,000 miles B16A3 for $4055). I know these are the highest prices I could possibly be quoted for this car, given that it's the dealership.
I don't know a good Honda mechanic in Seattle, so I'm not sure where to start looking for another quote. The dealership is telling me the B16A3 engine is going to cost $2250, which is insane, and not at all what I've seen online, but again, I may not be looking at the right stuff. That just seems incredibly high for a non-warrantied engine, with more miles on it than my car has on it now.
My guess is that it's a spun bearing, or a thrown rod, since the car did not overheat at all, and that this is probably a problem that began when the engine was torn down and flushed a couple years ago, or perhaps it started before I bought the car when it was overheating while my brother owned it.
So, opinions on where to go, what to do? My strong feeling is that I should cut my losses with this car, as it's not in great shape any more, and sell it to someone who wants to use it to customize or fix it up. What's a reasonable price to sell it for, with a non-running engine? (I should know exactly what's wrong with it Friday, since they're going to tear down the lower half where the noise is coming from). It has a couple problems, the passenger side window switch works only once in a great while, there's some cosmetic damage on the outside (city car), and the trunk at one time had standing water (again, inherited from my brother) so it has a musty smell in there, that would probably be alleviated by replacing some of the carpeting. However, it's got a nice Kenwood stereo with a 6-disc CD-changer mounted behind the driver's seat, Infiniti speakers in all four spots, the AC works just fine, it's a manual transmission, and so forth. So, it's not a terrible car, but I'm ready to move up to something bigger, like one with a back seat.
Thanks.
Sean
09-26-2006, 04:25 PM
#2
Honda-Tech Member
it is a super rare car..
to a normal person, its a crappy 11 year old honda that smells like crap, doesn't run, and looks like someone abused it for its entire life.... and you'd be lucky to get a grand for it.
then there are the del sol nuts who see it as a huge opportunity...and would simply swap the head onto a new block..and go about their business.
the stereo stuff means nothing though, check ebay...stereos age quickly.
good luck either way.
to a normal person, its a crappy 11 year old honda that smells like crap, doesn't run, and looks like someone abused it for its entire life.... and you'd be lucky to get a grand for it.
then there are the del sol nuts who see it as a huge opportunity...and would simply swap the head onto a new block..and go about their business.
the stereo stuff means nothing though, check ebay...stereos age quickly.
good luck either way.
09-26-2006, 05:46 PM
#3
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Re: (instrument)
95 is in the meat of the Del Sol's popularity (I think they peaked in 94?). Sales plummeted in 96 with the redesign, and with the 97 production year cut short due to even worse sales, it makes 97 the rarest of them all.
If the car was running well you'd get a fair amount for it, as instrument points out there are some nuts out there who'll give you top dollar for a DSV, but nobody's going to go crazy over it in it's current non-running state.
If you want to get the most money for it, you need to tear it apart and sell it off piece by piece on eBay. A car is almost always worth less than the sum of it's parts.
If the car was running well you'd get a fair amount for it, as instrument points out there are some nuts out there who'll give you top dollar for a DSV, but nobody's going to go crazy over it in it's current non-running state.
If you want to get the most money for it, you need to tear it apart and sell it off piece by piece on eBay. A car is almost always worth less than the sum of it's parts.
09-28-2006, 11:37 AM
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Re: (MonkeyBoy668)
Wish I had the space or time to tear it down. It has newish brakes, the guts and electrics on the car are in top shape, and like I said, it's got fairly low miles on it.
Looks like I'll just be listing it for a low price & OBO and see what I get.
Luckily, I managed to find another car for cheap from a coworker who happens to collect Saabs.
Looks like I'll just be listing it for a low price & OBO and see what I get.
Luckily, I managed to find another car for cheap from a coworker who happens to collect Saabs.
09-28-2006, 12:51 PM
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Re: (MonkeyBoy668)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MonkeyBoy668 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">95 is in the meat of the Del Sol's popularity (I think they peaked in 94?). Sales plummeted in 96 with the redesign, and with the 97 production year cut short due to even worse sales, it makes 97 the rarest of them all.
If the car was running well you'd get a fair amount for it, as instrument points out there are some nuts out there who'll give you top dollar for a DSV, but nobody's going to go crazy over it in it's current non-running state.
If you want to get the most money for it, you need to tear it apart and sell it off piece by piece on eBay. A car is almost always worth less than the sum of it's parts.</TD></TR></TABLE>
since when they changed the design? the del sol from 93-97 look the same to me. the only difference i know that changed was they went to obd2 ecu and motor (96-97 models).
to the op, a b16 del sol is rare especially a 95 since there wasn't that many, atleast around where i stay. i say keep it and fix it up.
If the car was running well you'd get a fair amount for it, as instrument points out there are some nuts out there who'll give you top dollar for a DSV, but nobody's going to go crazy over it in it's current non-running state.
If you want to get the most money for it, you need to tear it apart and sell it off piece by piece on eBay. A car is almost always worth less than the sum of it's parts.</TD></TR></TABLE>
since when they changed the design? the del sol from 93-97 look the same to me. the only difference i know that changed was they went to obd2 ecu and motor (96-97 models).
to the op, a b16 del sol is rare especially a 95 since there wasn't that many, atleast around where i stay. i say keep it and fix it up.
09-28-2006, 01:51 PM
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The '93-'95 had/have the teg style front bumper clip with the inboard aux lights. The '96-'97 have the 'cleaner' civic style front end with just the traditional headlight/turn signal cluster. In the interior, the '96-'97 have a monotone black paneling as opposed to the two-tone of previous. The seats also lost the exterior colored/coloured piping for a black accent. There are a few other little items too like color options too.
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09-28-2006, 01:57 PM
#8
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Re: (BiffStroganoffsky)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BiffStroganoffsky »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The '93-'95 had/have the teg style front bumper clip with the inboard aux lights. The '96-'97 have the 'cleaner' civic style front end with just the traditional headlight/turn signal cluster. In the interior, the '96-'97 have a monotone black paneling as opposed to the two-tone of previous. The seats also lost the exterior colored/coloured piping for a black accent. There are a few other little items too like color options too.</TD></TR></TABLE>
hmm...i never really paid attention to that, good to know.
hmm...i never really paid attention to that, good to know.
09-28-2006, 02:35 PM
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Re: 1995 Del Sol VTEC Engine problems (seanglenn)
I'm sorry man, depressing story. You unfortunately won't get too much for it, might be worthwhile to pay someone to figure out exactly what's wrong, like it was said before, the b16 head in working condition will be worth something to somebody.
That might be your best bet of making back some of your money and getting rid of it easily, just pull out the engine and sell whatever VTEC parts that you can, the radiator, tranny and head should get you some cash. The shell is a pretty nice find for someone who was planning to do a b18 swap or SOHC turbo or something like that, the brakes, sway bars, and factory a/c make it a ideal candidate for most people being a VTEC. That being said, you have to get lucky and find someone looking for that, so how much you get out of it will probably depend on how patient you can be.
That might be your best bet of making back some of your money and getting rid of it easily, just pull out the engine and sell whatever VTEC parts that you can, the radiator, tranny and head should get you some cash. The shell is a pretty nice find for someone who was planning to do a b18 swap or SOHC turbo or something like that, the brakes, sway bars, and factory a/c make it a ideal candidate for most people being a VTEC. That being said, you have to get lucky and find someone looking for that, so how much you get out of it will probably depend on how patient you can be.
09-29-2006, 07:57 AM
#11
Re: 1995 Del Sol VTEC Engine problems (seanglenn)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by seanglenn »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">This problem started after I (while nearly half asleep) mistakenly poured coolant into the oil reservoir (I had been awake for more than 36 hours, and just wasn't paying attention, the car had been overheating a lot -- a problem inherited from my brother's ownership of the car -- and well, I have no really good excuse, it was just dumb).
So, opinions on where to go, what to do? My strong feeling is that I should cut my losses with this car, as it's not in great shape any more, and sell it to someone who wants to use it to customize or fix it up. What's a reasonable price to sell it for, with a non-running engine? (I should know exactly what's wrong with it Friday, since they're going to tear down the lower half where the noise is coming from). It has a couple problems, the passenger side window switch works only once in a great while, there's some cosmetic damage on the outside (city car), and the trunk at one time had standing water (again, inherited from my brother) so it has a musty smell in there, that would probably be alleviated by replacing some of the carpeting. However, it's got a nice Kenwood stereo with a 6-disc CD-changer mounted behind the driver's seat, Infiniti speakers in all four spots, the AC works just fine, it's a manual transmission, and so forth. So, it's not a terrible car, but I'm ready to move up to something bigger, like one with a back seat.
Thanks.
Sean</TD></TR></TABLE>
So you poured coolant into the head from the oil cap?
it sounded as if maybe your oil sending unit might've been going bad... but in any case, for about 1k you could replace that motor with a normal B16A and sell the sol for a lil more. average pricing for the VTEC model in running condition is anywhere from 3000-8000... w/ bad engine 2000-3000. good luck
So, opinions on where to go, what to do? My strong feeling is that I should cut my losses with this car, as it's not in great shape any more, and sell it to someone who wants to use it to customize or fix it up. What's a reasonable price to sell it for, with a non-running engine? (I should know exactly what's wrong with it Friday, since they're going to tear down the lower half where the noise is coming from). It has a couple problems, the passenger side window switch works only once in a great while, there's some cosmetic damage on the outside (city car), and the trunk at one time had standing water (again, inherited from my brother) so it has a musty smell in there, that would probably be alleviated by replacing some of the carpeting. However, it's got a nice Kenwood stereo with a 6-disc CD-changer mounted behind the driver's seat, Infiniti speakers in all four spots, the AC works just fine, it's a manual transmission, and so forth. So, it's not a terrible car, but I'm ready to move up to something bigger, like one with a back seat.
Thanks.
Sean</TD></TR></TABLE>
So you poured coolant into the head from the oil cap?
it sounded as if maybe your oil sending unit might've been going bad... but in any case, for about 1k you could replace that motor with a normal B16A and sell the sol for a lil more. average pricing for the VTEC model in running condition is anywhere from 3000-8000... w/ bad engine 2000-3000. good luck
09-29-2006, 08:06 AM
#13
Re: (instrument)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by instrument »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i thought the newer del sols didn't have the secondary lights..you know..the little round ones....they just have the one piece headlights...</TD></TR></TABLE>
1 pc lights were not in the usa
1 pc lights were not in the usa
09-29-2006, 10:04 AM
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Re: (instrument)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by instrument »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i thought the newer del sols didn't have the secondary lights..you know..the little round ones....they just have the one piece headlights...</TD></TR></TABLE>
They don't, you are correct that 96-97 only have the headlights, not the auxillary lights(the ones that look like flashlights). But they aren't "once piece", the headlight and side marker are two seperate pieces of plastic, only in japan and europe they are actually molded together, so that's what people refer to when they say "one piece" headlight.
They don't, you are correct that 96-97 only have the headlights, not the auxillary lights(the ones that look like flashlights). But they aren't "once piece", the headlight and side marker are two seperate pieces of plastic, only in japan and europe they are actually molded together, so that's what people refer to when they say "one piece" headlight.
07-07-2010, 12:29 PM
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Re: 1995 Del Sol VTEC Engine problems
hey I know this is a lil off topic but if my 94 del slo is leaking coolant from under the driver side of the motor then whats wrong? water pump im thinking, how hard is that to replace?
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