hey all:
I own a 91 Teg GS automatic with the B18 engine. It only has 96K miles on it but it is using oil 1 qt per 1000 miles and has i believe piston slap and valvetrain noise when cold. My guess is that it hasnt been driven enough and the rings are shot. It drives great, except a little vibration at idle. It will blow out oil smoke briefly when you rev it up after idling for over a few minutes (vlave stem seals?).

Would I be OK to just change the pistons and rings? If so, then which are the best brand of parts to use? Should I go with higher compression, moly rings etc? Should I send the head out for a 3 angle valve job?

Whats the difference between the B18A1 and B18B1 etc?

This seems like my friends 86 honda civic a few years ago we just pulled the head and swapped the rings and rod bearings, no prob. I hear some hondas have defective oil rings.

My background is in mustangs and camaros, i have built engines and transmissions so dont be afraid to get too technical. I bought the acura because its a better engineered car and it will last my wife a long time.

any technical advice on what i should do will be well recieved. thanks

 

in addition to new pistons & rings, i'd suggest honing the cylinder walls to ensure a good seal.

higher cr will mean you have to use premium gas, so that's upto you. you can use pistons from a b16a motor (found in the 99+ civic si's) to raise cr.

as for your head, your better off searching classified sites for a complete new b18b topend than rebuilding your current one. many people junk these heads in favor of a vtec conversion. you can probably find a 96+ b18b topend with low miles for around $150 - $200. try www.thepartstrader.com.

 

will i have to get the pistons/rods balanced? or just have them pressed on the rods and go? Should I get the rings and pistons from honda?

 

blah...dont bother to rebuild. Swap a b16a, you will gain 30 hp for the same general price range as a rebuild.


[Modified by brinks, 8:44 PM 1/20/2002]

 

whats a b16A? I was trying to spend as little as possible, its just my wifes commuter car. I hear the B18B head is better than the B18A1 head? is this right? the car is an automatic and never sees over 6500 rpm