i just bought a 96 accord lx with 170,000 miles and no rust, off my neighbor for only $800. it was running hot so he took it to a reputible shop and they think it has a bad headgasket because deposits from the exhaust are in the coolant. now i know people say when you get a bad headgasket with a sohc civic engine to replace the engine. if not then your headgasket will keep going bad after the first initial replacement. im using this car as a winter car so i need it to be reliable. do you guys think i should just replace the engine or fix the headgasket? any input would be cool, thank.

 

Most ppls first mistake is puttin money and keep puttin money into an engine that is tired. Honda engines are very good if they are maintained. You never know about a used car. For the price you would spend on fixing an engine and all the little problems that come with it you could have a new engine no prob. For 500 you can get an F22 with less then 50K!!! I would just get a new engine. its worth it.

THATS MY OPINION THOUGH..

 

Hell yeah especially if you say the car is in good condition no rust and you payed $800! I wish I had a neigbor with an accord.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jwicecold &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Most ppls first mistake is puttin money and keep puttin money into an engine that is tired. Honda engines are very good if they are maintained. You never know about a used car. For the price you would spend on fixing an engine and all the little problems that come with it you could have a new engine no prob. For 500 you can get an F22 with less then 50K!!! I would just get a new engine. its worth it.

THATS MY OPINION THOUGH..</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not really necessary with an F22, they're pretty tough motors and can withstand overheating up to a point.

Go ahead and have the maintenance done on the car and probably be best to just do a huge overhaul on it (timing belt, water pump, etc) and it will be running in tip top shape.

 

^^x2

FYI $500 may sound good for a low mileage engine but you will still have to replace all of the tune-up type stuff. Including the T-belts and water pump. Most junkyards or JDM engine rippers do not replace that kind of stuff before they ship them out. Always better to be safe then sorry!

You have to remember that these $500 engines are not New they are low mileage. Even that you can never be sure of. There are some shady people out there in the recycled engine business. Buyer beware!

 

?????? I am not understanding your initial post. You heard that you should replace the motor before replacing the head gasket. Take it from someone that has been selling Honda's for almost 20 years. Replace the headgasket and enjoy your car. These honda's stand up really well even after the HG has blown. buying the whole motor would be a waste of money. Plus as GhoustAccord has mentioned, you will probably be replacing all sorts of other items besides the motor.

 

If you replace the head gasket, get a straight edge, get the service manual, and check the head and block and make sure everything is within tolerances. If it is, and you replace the head gasket you shouldn't have any more problems. If the head it warped or something, and you replace the head gasket, it's likely that you will continue to have problems.

Also, if you do replace it, make sure when you remove the head, you follow the instructions and unbolt it how it says in the manual, that will make sure you don't warp anything. If you are careful, the engine should last a long time.