246k motor, time for major maintenance?
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246k motor, time for major maintenance?
I've got a totally stock 1988 hatch 1.5L 4-speed manual with almost 246k on the motor. It seems to run fine for its age and it gets over 30MPG; it consumes around 1qt per 1000 miles but I've read that this is normal for old engines. On to the possible issues...
Most of the time it feels like it's running good but I'm a little concerned about the idle; I don't have a tach but it feels like it may be idling a little low. Also, when driving it feels like it has turbo lag; it'll be sluggish at first and then pick up after maybe a couple thousand RPMs, if I shift too soon in 1st gear then 2nd gear also has a lag until RPMs pick up but if I run 1st gear out to over 25MPH then 2nd feels fine... exactly like if you shifted too soon on a car with a big turbo.
What I've noticed about the car is that the coolant temp gauge only gets up about 1/4 the gauge and then when going 80MPH it drops very low. I replaced the coolant temp sensor (not the 1-wire sensor), thermostat, and made sure to burp it good. I think there may be a ground problem associated with that because I've also installed a buzzer for the headlights into the two prongs on the fuse box and it randomly works. If I put the ground somewhere else it always works.
When I change the oil it's black as can be, there's no sludge under the oil cap but when I run the engine I can feel air puffing out of the oil filler; not sure if that's acceptable for this car. Also, the coolant is a bit milky-looking and it looks orange-ish after I put the green stuff in. The radiator was supposedly replaced ~20k miles ago. Could oil be mixing in with the coolant but not vice-versa?
Once I get my other car back together I'm considering taking the head off the Civic and replacing the gasket, valves, and valve guides. Whatta you guys think?
Most of the time it feels like it's running good but I'm a little concerned about the idle; I don't have a tach but it feels like it may be idling a little low. Also, when driving it feels like it has turbo lag; it'll be sluggish at first and then pick up after maybe a couple thousand RPMs, if I shift too soon in 1st gear then 2nd gear also has a lag until RPMs pick up but if I run 1st gear out to over 25MPH then 2nd feels fine... exactly like if you shifted too soon on a car with a big turbo.
What I've noticed about the car is that the coolant temp gauge only gets up about 1/4 the gauge and then when going 80MPH it drops very low. I replaced the coolant temp sensor (not the 1-wire sensor), thermostat, and made sure to burp it good. I think there may be a ground problem associated with that because I've also installed a buzzer for the headlights into the two prongs on the fuse box and it randomly works. If I put the ground somewhere else it always works.
When I change the oil it's black as can be, there's no sludge under the oil cap but when I run the engine I can feel air puffing out of the oil filler; not sure if that's acceptable for this car. Also, the coolant is a bit milky-looking and it looks orange-ish after I put the green stuff in. The radiator was supposedly replaced ~20k miles ago. Could oil be mixing in with the coolant but not vice-versa?
Once I get my other car back together I'm considering taking the head off the Civic and replacing the gasket, valves, and valve guides. Whatta you guys think?
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