i have a b16a and im havin trouble, my compression is 120 120 90 and 120 and i dont think that is good considering its supposed to be at 185 or more.... so i suspect my piston rings are fried or somethin and i am wonderin what would be cheaper. have the engine replaced or rebuilt??? any help please?

 

Put a teaspoon of oil down every spark plug hole. If the comp #'s rise, then it's ur rings. Do a leakdown test anyway, it'll show you what the problem is...

 

if u really like ur motor get it rebuilt, but with hondas it is usully cheap to get another motor so i would say swap motors and rebuild ur old motor as a backup

 

whats a leakdown test?

 

You basically pump compressed air into your cylinder to see how much percentage of air is lost due to bad seals.

 

I say build it...buying a used one may not always guarantee good results.

 

Also try a different gauge. It pretty unusal to have low numbers across the board. Yours are pretty consistant excluding cyl 3. Try dropping some oil and see what happens. Does it seem to lack power? Drive fine?

 

I'd rebuild the motor and do some little upgrades to it while being rebuilt. Also follow Tippyman's advice.

 

rebuild it. get aftermarket high compression pistons rods etc. have some fun with it!

 

i'm replacing my motor now and going to rebuild the motor and boost it. but my gf wants to drive it for the winter so it needs a motor.