AzAssassin

I have a 2001 CR-V LX (base model) that I've owned for about 11 months that apparently has a "dead cylinder". The vehicle currently starts up and runs, but it usually struggles to start, the compression is noticeably weak, and it feels like it's about to stall most of the time; particularly, as I take off from a full stop. The 'Check Engine' light has been lit up for a few weeks (which I figured/assumed had to do with it being overdue for an oil change - foolish and irresponsible, I know); but, last weekend, as I got ready to head to work, I noticed that the light was now flashing. Which, it turns out, is a really bad sign. Well, on my way to work, I stopped at a gas station, and when I went to leave the gas station, I could tell that something was seriously wrong. My vehicle struggled to accelerate and the engine was stuttering and causing the whole vehicle to vibrate/shake. Unfortunately, I still had to drive the rest of the way to my work and back home afterward, which was about 90 miles total, from where I was at the time, and I work nights, so could not get it checked out until the next morning.

So, I went to AutoZone the following morning and they pulled the codes and it showed codes P0301, P0302, P0304, P0300 and P1399 (all being Misfire codes). I drove the vehicle very little over the next couple days and was able to get an appointment at an auto repair shop two days later and that's when the bad news came. They did a diagnosis and told me that my CR-V has a dead cylinder and that the engine needs to be rebuilt, and that it would cost around $2,500. Well, a.) I don't have $2,500 and, b.) I only paid $2,200 for the vehicle less than a year ago, so it would not seem to be practical to spend $2,500 to repair a $2,200 vehicle, which now has more mileage on it than it did when I bought it.

So, my questions are these: Is there a realistic way to just fix the problem with the one dead cylinder, that's considerably cheaper than a full engine rebuild? Is there anything that can be done to help make the vehicle able to be driven around town for a while? Is there some sort of engine additive, or minor work that could be done, that might be able to help with the weak compression issue and help the engine to continue to run for a few months? Or, will driving the vehicle as-is, with the dead cylinder, likely cause more damage to the vehicle's engine and/or be unsafe to drive like this?

Also, if the engine does need a full rebuild (or any significant repair that would cost even $500 or more), what might I be able to sell this CR-V for, as-is, with the dead cylinder? It has around 185,000 miles on it and it was my reliable daily driver for the past months, up until the dead cylinder that came about just over a week ago.

If anyone has any helpful information, advice or suggestions about this situation, I would genuinely appreciate some helpful replies.

shipo

Good condition and relatively low mileage B20Z engines for your CR-V are reasonably plentiful in junk yards all over the country, you should be able to buy one for somewhere around $600. If you can do the swap yourself then you're good to go, if you cannot, budget maybe $1,000 for the engine swap.

doh13

Seems odd to have one "dead" cylinder but a misfire code could be a bad coil pack or plug , in reality you may just need a new coil pack or spark plug for that cylinder which is simple to replace on your own with little mechanical skills. and much much cheaper than a rebuild (40-60 bucks US for a new coil pack) or get one from a junkyard even cheaper. I would try that first and then if possible you could try a "piston soak" with seafoam (especially if you are burning oil) you can look up my other post about oil burning and how i did the piston soak its possible if there really is low compression that your rings could be sticking but the crv has a lot of miles and could be worn out.. if you are not burning oil and get regular oil changes then your pistons "should" still be fine.

ThisIsMatt

Given that you haven't had the vehicle very long you probably don't really know the service history, so it very well could have a dead cylinder if it wasn't well cared for, but let's take a look at things here...

You have "a dead cylinder", but you have 3 cylinder-specific misfire codes (p0301/2/4). If all the misfires are caused by lack of compression, then you may have 3 dead cylinders!! The key question is did the shop you brought the vehicle to actually check compression in each cylinder? I would ask that, and ask what compression values they found. You can easily find online what they should be. I don't know your level of automotive knowledge, but your post is well written and that leads me to believe you can easily work the Google machine, which means you can find the info you need to learn, and likely figure out how to apply it to your situation.

Here are my thoughts...you could have a dead cylinder, but it sounds more likely that you have an issue affecting multiple cylinders. What kinds of things affect all the cylinders? A higher-mileage, poorly cared for engine will almost certainly have worn-out secondary ignition parts (plugs, wires, cap, rotor), and if they have been changed they've likely been changed with cheap replacements. These Honda engines are notoriously picky about their secondary ignition parts, generally only running well with NGK plugs and wires (they're less picky about the cap and rotor...most brands work there). Worn out, arcing wires often cause a stuttering, choppy acceleration under load, so this is something you can check. One easy test that works when wires are really shot is at night, when it's dark out, pop your hood with the engine running and mist water from a spray bottle over the spark plug wires. If there are micro-cracks and breaks in your insulation, you'll see sparks arcing through the mist of water. It's actually really cool looking! If you see that, go on Ebay and get some NGK wires post-haste. Might as well get some copper NGK plugs too, and a cap and rotor. They usually all come in a set for like 65 bucks.

My other thought (the more serious one) is that your valves are either out of adjustment or burned. First gen CR-V's are notorious for burning exhaust valves if they go too long between adjustments, and this could in fact affect multiple cylinders because all 4 cylinders have valves, and unless there's already been a replacement, all your valves have the same mileage on them.

In short my suggestions are, 1) ask your shop about the compression test they ran and the results. Verify results with some Google searching. 2) If the shop didn't run a compression test, or the values actually point to "good", get yourself a quality set of plugs, wires, cap and rotor. 3) If that doesn't fix it, or if compression values are poor on multiple cylinders, look to a valve issue. I think at worst this condition may cost you a head, or a head rebuild. I don't truly believe the bottom end of the engine needs to come apart or be replaced. Good luck!

Punkaddic

Start by doing a compression test. every cylinder should be within 10% of each other. Youtube that sh*t if you don't know how to do, its really simple and easy. Missfires can be caused by low compression, lack of fuel or spark problem. Maybe it's your fuel pump that is dying but who knows. You need to find more details about whats going on really.

Steve Wiemken

I also have a crv with a dead cylinder, changed plugs, coils and injectors. The number one cylinder isn't getting any fuel from the injector, no matter which injector I put there. What do I need to check next?

ThisIsMatt

Sounds like there's an electrical problem. If the #1 injector works in any other location, and no other injector works in the #1 location, you're either not getting power at the #1 injector connector or the ground from that connector isn't actually finding a ground.