mr phil

Hey all. i'm looking to get a civic hb. but this question pertains to every car i think. a mechanic once told me that if i wanted to know if the engine is good or not, simply start the car, and take off the engine oil cap. if the engine starts choking and stalls, it's not good? and if it still idles normally, then it's good?? can someone clarify this? and why it would/ would not work? thanks!

phil

Archidictus

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mr phil &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hey all. i'm looking to get a civic hb. but this question pertains to every car i think. a mechanic once told me that if i wanted to know if the engine is good or not, simply start the car, and take off the engine oil cap. if the engine starts choking and stalls, it's not good? and if it still idles normally, then it's good?? can someone clarify this? and why it would/ would not work? thanks!

phil</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you take off the engine oil cap and it stalls, yeah, I think that would be a pretty big problem. Then again, just because an engine would continue running after oil cap removal doesn't mean that it's any good. Your best bet is always a visual inspection, a test drive and documented maintainance records .

Our hatchbacks are known for bad distributors, ignition switches, main relays, gauge clusters and axles. I'd take a specific look at those five in particular before making any decisions.

-Mike-

Good ol' Screwtape

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Archidictus &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Then again, just because an engine would continue running after oil cap removal doesn't mean that it's any good.</TD></TR></TABLE>