vancoland

Car is a 2000 SI, and is very clean. Not very mechanic savvy and any help is very much appreciated.

So basically compression came up 0 on cylinder 3 and my mechanic has told me that it's a dead engine. Car has about 182k miles on it. Just changed the timing belt/water pump.

What are my options? I'm currently looking at junkyards for a swap but I really like my engine/car. I would rather keep my engine as the worth of the car would be more, but if it's cost effective to do a swap, then I am willing. I'm really trying to gauge the cost of things so if anyone can provide estimates, that would be great!

What would the cost of a rebuild be? What about swaps?
Cost of a b16a engine? cost of a b16a2 engine from a junkyard?

Any recommendations you can provide?

Thanks

Ryank327

Depends in if there is damage in the cylinder or not. Can pretty much guarantee a straight swap will be cheaper. Best thing to do is start caling local machine shops amd asking for quotes for an oem rebuild.

Mfoehrkolb

Before you do anything... If you are getting 0 compression... Check your valves for that corresponding cylinder. Even with a block toasted, it should give you some type of compression.

vancoland

Thanks. Forgot to add that my mechanic did troubleshoot the cylinder/valves and his diagnostic was that the engine is done. He worked on my car before and came very well recommended (20+ years ASE), so I'm tending to trust his judgement.

My engine was burning about a quart of oil every 1k, so I did see signs that this was coming. Yes...my fault.

Is my only option a complete swap or can I do a partial swap if I choose to go that route?

I'm in Seattle, WA, so does anyone recommend a good machine shop for a rebuild?

Trying to weigh my options... Thanks.

Mfoehrkolb

--- Buying a new swap will probably be your cheapest bet. If you find a used swap here in Northeast, a jdm b16 from the marketplace will sell for about 700-1100 just for the complete longblock.

As for you though, i suggest doing a compression test yourself. If that reads all good, post the numbers, and then do a leakdown test to test the head's healthiness.

Also, just because the car was burning oil doesn't mean anything. That could be a simple and cheap fix like valve seals. All depends on when it burned the oil and when it smoked. Only after sitting at idle, only on acceleration, only on compression deceleration, and any other possible choice of options that yield different replacement parts for when a vehicle smokes.

purgat0ry

iTrader: (3)

"The block is dead" is a VERY vague statement.

As another poster mentioned, you should have SOME compression even with a broken / cracked block.

5$ says, one of your valves is open.

Former User

Do a cylinder leak down test to find out where compression is lost.

Schister66

First, you need to assess the damage to the current engine. It could be something relatively minor or you could have a cracked sleeve...we wont know until you do some testing or open it up. A simple rebuild on your B16 should be around $6-700 (replacing gaskets, rings, bearings, water pump, oil pump, t-belt) but it can be done for less.

If for whatever reason the B16 is no longer usable, you could find an LS block (either in good shape or build one) and build an LS/VTEC using your current B16 head. I've found working LS shortblocks for <$200. Just add $150 for the LS/VTEC kit and you're on your way

DCRB

thissssss.

em1type-r

would be in your best interest to find out exactly went wrong with the engine other than just "the engine is dead". i have 99 si myself and i burnt 2 exhaust valves on cylinder 3 right around 180k miles and resulted in the same compression readings. If its as simple as replacing a valve(s) and lapping them could be a good idea. But the real question is what do you want for the furture of the car. With those cars you have so many options as far as swaps or "builds". But with anything other than a 1.6L DOHC Vtec you need tuning of the ecu for different displacement

kwong2001

DG Machine in Auburn. They did the work on my B18C and did a real good job.

vancoland

Thanks for the response everybody.

The compression numbers from my mechanic were 180-200 on cylinders 1, 2, and 4, 0 on 3.

He told me that the leak down test was not necessary as he poured oil down cylinder 3 and it was not able to hold compression. The valves are worn and he suspects that the rings are shot. The block is fine.

I was also quoted about $2300 for a complete engine for a swap alone. Given that, I would rather have it rebuilt. Anyone have good estimates on how much a tear down and rebuild would be for a machine shop? My mech is quoting me about 1k for the swap labor.

Former User

You need to do a cylinder leak down test as his oil test is not very informative.

nealnanoHX

Yeah 0 on the compression is always a valve issue, pretty rare that 0 compression is from rings or the piston especially on a stock motor. Kind of hard to melt the piston or break ringlands on a stock motor with no boost or spray. I hope you did not mess up the timing when you did the timing belt you can bend a valve doing that. Pull the head and have it checked and replace any bad valves. It could also be a stuck or burnt valve. Easiest way to know hat is going on is to pull the head and check it all out. But it sounds like you just need to pull the motor and rebuild it or time for a GSR, B20 Vtec or ITR swap.

Former User

An obvious overstatement.

em1type-r

Putting oil down the cylinder and redoing the compression test only tests the sealing condition of the rings. If the compression rises with oil in the cylinder then the rings are bad. If the compression does not change with oil in the cylinder then the loss of compression is NOT from the block....

em1type-r

You need to bring cylinder #3 to TDC of the compression stroke and fill the cylinder with compressed air and check for air leaking either from the throttle body, exhaust pipe, radiator cap, or oil fill cap. And where the air is leaking from will tell you exaclty where the fault is

98.4DR.EK.D16

if its truely dead you might as well get the whole swap. if not maybe you can just swap the block but id get rid of the whole thing. first rip it out and have a machine shop tell you if its truely done for

nealnanoHX

Did you read it all after I did the editing? Even with bad rings you should get something even if it is like 30 50 80 psi if the valves are sealing and the rings are bad. A burnt, bent or stuck valve will always read 0 psi since it is letting all the pressure out of the cylinder.

em1type-r

Agreed....

purgat0ry

iTrader: (3)

A terribly thrown rod could in theory cause 0 pressure as well.

jbpnoman

...and would be easily noticed when trying to crank the car for the compression test.

vancoland

Honestly, I would love to keep the same engine, as the value of the car will be worth more (mainly to myself though).

I did ask about if there was any damage to the head, and if my mech will do a leakdown test, and he said that it wasn't necessary as his diagnosis was that cylinder 3 was dead, and that the valves and rings were done, and that's what was causing my car to suck so much oil. He did say that he checked the valve clearance and there shouldn't have been an issue with that. My timing belt/water pump was changed by him about 2 months ago and it ran really smooth until this misfire issue.

Do you guys think I should take it to another mechanic to have it re-assessed? Other than another compression test and leakdown test, what should I ask them to test for?

I called a recommended machine guy, and he quoted me $2500 for a rebuild without knowing any other damages other than bad valves. That's far from the estimates given at HT, but I'll be fine with it if it comes out like a new engine.

RT_NEWYORK

a swap would be cheaper if you could install it yourself, he said hes not that savvy.

Former User

Just do a cylinder leak down test yourself. It's not that hard.

Those that tell you that the leak down test is unnecessary don't recognize that loss of cylinder compression can have more than one cause. Do this well established diagnostic test so that you don't have to guess and so that you know what the problem is before you take the engine apart.