PoorDad

1998 Civic LX
automatic
153k miles
Timing belt, gears, tensioner, water pump, valve adjustment --- done at 103k
Valves adjusted again at 150k miles

Was driving my wifes 1998 Civic LX (D16Y7 engine) to grocery store. Started making awful grinding sound. I pulled into parking lot intending to shut it down immediately. Didn't get it stopped in time. Something let go behind the timing belt cover.

Engine stopped. Towed it home. Took oil filler cap off valve cover and had wife crank engine. Rocker arms ain't moving. No noises, so I'm assuming whatever damage was done is already been done. I think the water pump bearings took a dump and seized up. Shelled the belt.

I know the first step is to pull the head and timing belt cover. Check for damage. Let's assume it's just got a few bent valves. Let's also assume the pistons and cylinders are fine. No damage to cylinder walls or piston tops.

Whats the best way to approach this?

Rebuilt cylinder head? - risk is it might tighten up the compression and cause the rod bearings or main bearings to go bad. I've seen it happen to older engines with new cylinder heads.

Just replace a few bent valves and valve guides and re-install?

Any recommendations on where to get a stock head? Not interested in the $800 heads they sell at O'reilly or Napa. Not in the budget.

Thanks for any help.

furious94ls

I suggest pulling the Head and seeing what damage has been done, but in all honestly it may be cheaper to find a used engine (D16Y7) and drop it in. Are you doing all the work yourself?

94EG8

Pick up water pump and timing belt, put them and do a compression test, they don't always bend valves.

98LXcivic_kid

hope this doesnt happen to my 98 LX! :O lol mines only got 73k though

PoorDad

I thought it was an interference engine?

If you're positive they don't always bend valves, I will do exactly as you say. Can you give a link or other evidence that I might not have a busted cylinder head?

98civdx

They are interference engines, but, they don't always bend valves. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

The only way I know of doing it, besides pulling the head/taking it apart, is to just grab a belt/pump put it in, cross your fingers and do a compression test.

PoorDad

I took the oil filler cap off the valve cover and had my wife crank it over. The rockers ain't movin' so I know the belts gone. It's also puking anti-freeze on my driveway, so I'm pretty sure the water pump seized and the belt flew off or broke.

Does that mean I got bent or broken valves? I dunno. I was gonna do the obvious and pull the head....

Back to my original question:
Where's a good place to get a stock rebuilt head? Somebody who does good work and won't charge me $1000 for it?

98civdx

It doesn't for sure mean you have bent valves.

You have already been told the ways to find out. Figure out if you actually need a head first, then, if you need one begin the hunt.

For a single head, they don't cost much. Buddy paid $80 for one, and it was fine.... Also, bending valves does not make your head junk. Just the valve(s)

scottjca

Rather than put on a new timing belt and doing a compression test, you could pull the valve cover and see if any of the valves have really large gaps indicating a valve is not seating anymore because the stem is bent. If that looks ok I would then turn the cam by hand and see if they all smoothly go up and down. Might be less work and you don't have to shell out for a timing belt that you might not end up using if you junk the car.

Stupid Civic

I threw my timing belt a few months ago (I actually believed the guy I bought it from when he said he just had the t.b. and water pump changed) and I just took my head to a decent shop and they rebuilt it for $300. Did all the work myself in a weekend and back on the road! Do a compression test, that'll tell you if you got bent valves or not. ALL mine were bent LOL.