Unseen Racer

i know some 1 that is selling a b16a2. motor has about 120,xxx miles on it.
he is selling it pretty cheap. the only thing wrong with it is its missing some sensors(but i can use my y8 sensors) and its throwing out black smoke. i searched and i found out it black smoke means to much fuel. also found that it can be cause by a vacuum leak.

my question is, how hard is it to fix this problem?
what is the most common culprit that makes this happen on the b16a2?

cleansi

black smoke is unburned fuel (running rich)

Former User

There are a bunch of causes for an engine running rich, but with the help you have at HT, you should not have a problem fixing it. Assuming that the engine is otherwise in good condition, I think you should buy it if the price is right.

TravisCadello

yea, thats not a engine problem. either a oxygen sensor or something simple that control fuel delivery. not a engine problem.

Unseen Racer

that is some good quality sh*t right there! lol. where do you get these
images from?
and the owner says the engine is good. just smokes black.
but he says he recommends replacing the piston rings.
but i dont know why if black smoke means too much fuel.
and has nothing to do with the piston rings.
cuz if it was the piston rings then it would be blue-ish smoke

Unseen Racer

bump

Former User

Spend more time figuring out whether the piston rings really need to be replaced as this might be a deal breaker for you.

B16AGUY

Is the engine currently in a car or sitting in a garage?
I would suggest doing a compression and leakdown test just to give you piece of mind.

waaBAAH

a couple of things..mostly mind games here and not mechanically related...

-YOU did research on black smoke. (did owner say what black smoke means?)
-YOU know about black smoke due to owner of the motor telling you. (pretty good honest answer from owner)
-owner thinks motor needs rings. (what does he know here that you will find out eventually?) will you find out owner is dumb and thinks smoking (any color) is rings? will you find out it does in fact need rings?

ask him why he thinks it smokes black? see what he says.

a compression test will verify if the motor is solid or not. kind of a pain to do while the motor is outside the car but doable

kyky-pyky

and do you know anything about how much oil it consumes per 1000 miles?

that info would be useful

Unseen Racer

well it may not be a deal breaker because i may upgrade the rods for a turbo set up. but i would like to drive it stock for a while.
is there anyway in finding out if the rings are out? since the engine is not in a car. its on a dolly

no. engine is on a dolly. but a b16a2 for $500 is a steal

Unseen Racer

-yes i did research on what black smoke means. and owner did not say what black smoke means.
-yes. owner told me straight up that its throwing black smoke. and more and more smoke as the RPMs increase.
-owner did mention that it might need new rings and new seals. but im stuck. if the owner does not know what black smoke means and he thinks all smoke is ring related then piston rings may not be needing change.
-how can i do a compression test while the motor is outside?
step by step would be AMAZING

waaBAAH

take off spark plug wire
take out spark plug
hook compression gauge up
turn the crankshaft by hand at least 3 times completly around.
good luck..your arm will get tired.

to make it easier you can take out all four spark plugs.

Unseen Racer

does it matter how fast i crank it?
or just as long as i turn it around?
and what is good compression?
like 150psi?

waaBAAH

125psi is min.
220psi is max.
28psi is the variance between one cylinder to another.

post what you find

Unseen Racer

thanks.
ill post the results as soon as i get them

Unseen Racer

i asked the guy to check the compression of each cylinder and this is what he said.
and i quote
************************************************** ***********************
"does it matter if spark plugs are in other cylinders not being tested? if not i got 70 on all cylinders"

then i said
"no it does not matter if the spark plugs are on/off the other cylinders. you got 70psi across all 4?
thats really really low. did you turn it atleast 3 times?"

then he said
"yeah. i cant get it to go higher. i know thats low. i dont know why. engine was running good before it was pulled"
"only thing wrong was it would throw black smoke when you pushed it hard. like i put in the add you would need rings
and then it would be perfect"
"lmk if your interested and ill cut you a deal"

************************************************** ************************
now, i dont know about your guys but that is SUPER low

Former User

Based on the low compression, it must have been blue smoke when he pushed it hard.

Unseen Racer

yes i thought that. but can it be anything other than piston rings?
bent valves? head bolts not torqued right?
blown head gasket?

Former User

Given the ability of the engine to run prior to removal and the even compression values across all four cylinders (if this information is reliable), then I think worn rings is the most likely scenario. You might ask him whether putting a teaspoon of motor oil into the cylinders during the test increased the compression values.

Unseen Racer

ok. so you want me to ask him to put a teaspoon of oil into the cylinders and do another compression test?

and how long and how much would it cost and take me to replace the worn piston rings?

Unseen Racer

so what would you guys do in my situation?
buy the engine for $500 or move on?
its a complete motor and head except for the distributor and intake mani. but i already have an intake mani from my other b16 head

waaBAAH

what did the wet compression yield for psi (wet compression means what was said with the teaspoon of oil in the spark plug hole)

Unseen Racer

i dont think he has done it yet

Unseen Racer

ok so i asked his
and he said
now is this good or bad?