Is there a way to tell FOR SURE if you have a spun bearing or not? This is on an H22 VTec...

 

Drain oil and check for metal shavings.

EDIT: Well, if you want to know for sure, you will have to tear the engine apart.

 

Assuming you have a knock, the backyard way of checking is take a really long screwdriver, put the handle to your ear, plug your other ear and hold the tip all over the engine and isolate what part of the engine its coming from, have fun

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by H22Luda720 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Assuming you have a knock, the backyard way of checking is take a really long screwdriver, put the handle to your ear, plug your other ear and hold the tip all over the engine and isolate what part of the engine its coming from, have fun </TD></TR></TABLE>

Hes right find where the noise is coming from if its bottom end knock then drain the oil and check for metal shavings. My pan had a magnet in it though so even if there arnt shavings its best to take the pan off and check for play between the rods and the crank.

 

So if there's no shavings then could it have been just low on oil? Also if there isn't shavings, and I remove the oil pan to check for play, will the play be noticeable? Or will it be hard to tell? Is there supposed to be any play at all (prolly not).

Let me explain a little more...my cousin bought an h22 for his accord. He swapped it in and everything was koo, and then for some reason his vtec wasn't kicking it any more, and when it was supposed, the check engine light came on instead. Him and his "buddy" were looking at it and his "buddy" decided to hook up a "vtec switch". So basically he would flip the switch to turn on vtec. I guess the "vtec switch" was probably hooked up directly in between the power wire from the vtec solenoid. I was gonna buy it off him 'cuz he only wants $400 for it, but I don't want a blown motor. The knock noise isn't very loud, and sounds normal (like a gsr's sound..).

Would it be a NOTICEABLY LOUD knock? Will a compression test yield anything? Could he actually have damaged anything internally with the "vtec switch"? I can't remember if he said it smokes or not...

BTW: motor is a JDM '95 obd1 engine. All stock with some bolt ons (actually only 3, AEM V2 CAI, Eagle(??) fuel rail, RC 440 injectors, yea, dont know why he got the 440's on a stock motor). I think other than that, it's all stock. Internally it's all stock for sure 100%.

THANKS FOR ALL THE INFO THUS FAR

 

bump

 

its not going to smoke. if you have a spun bearing you will have metal shavings. when we say metal shavings we dont mean big *** shaving of metal. you cant even tell really. to check and see you can drain the oil. when its done run your finger through it and it you see like a cloud separate then there are shaving in it. you should also have a knock. it may not be loud but i will eventually. if your ans is yes to both of these then i would recommend getting some thick oil like lucas oil treatment. my **** is knocking as we speak. im building my all motor bottom end though so hopefully it will last.

 

What if I run a magnet through the oil?

 

ive never tried it but theoretically it should work but these are small small so i dunno

 

the bearings are a lead copper alloy and shoudl shave away at a higher rate than the aluminum block, steel crank, steel rod, or steel main cap.

Ive got an H23a1 that I am in the process of tearing down for a complete turbo rebuild, and Ive found 2 spun bearings, one in the connecting rod big end on the piston closest to the timing belt (#1 i think) and the #3 crank bearing. I havent gotten a Mic on the surfaces yet but from the looks it isnt too bad and I think ill be able to save the block and crank.

Anyone with opinions/odds about the chances of the block and or crank still being viable?

 

Check for any cracks on the block, and mic that crank and check it out. If you end up having to have it machined, I'd just get another one. My old crank from h23 could have been machined but would have been so weak it wasn't worth it. There's an oil supply that shoots oil to the crank and keeps oil pressure up, my car used to leak oil and was ran dry two or three times and this part went dry, vibrated and cracked, thus my main journals on my crank are basically riveted out.









Knowing it was already doomed, I just drove the **** out of it when the knock started for another 2 and a half months. Never did blow up either, it was disassembled and I got another h23 in it's place.

 

i will buy the motor for 400 even if it does have a spun bearing