Eh.
So, I did an oil change the other day, and found metal shavings in my oil.
First time finding anything coming out - but, have only owned the car for 25,000km.
Has 225,000km on it total.
Also - this was the first oil change I did with the front end of the car jacked up in the air. And the first time I pulled the drain plug and walked away for 20 minutes letting it drain.
Don't know if it's aluminum or steel yet.
Engine still pulls strong. Could be a piston skirt? How does one check?

SO...
need some advice / thoughts on how to test / check what it could be.
Also - what would be the cheapest replacement / rebuild?
Wouldn't mind making more power, but don't have $1k for a k-pro. (I'm a poor student).
Would a k24a1/4/8 block (9.7:1 compression) with a k20a3 head be a decent choice? A buddy think I should be able to run that by just boosting fuel pressure....

Also, looking for an uber-reliable build. I want to be able to drive this thing across Canada without thinking twice about it dying.

Thanks in advance!
Cheers

 

No noises from the engine? Like a bearing going bad or anything?

Personally if I was going to do a k24 bottom I would find an a2 head. The A3 head is (no offense) worthless. I want full vtec not single economy intake vtec.

To check it you pretty much just got to do a full engine tear down if there is no noises and etc. Or else I would just pull the subframe quick and drop the oil pan and inspect the bottom half. Remove the oil pump and gurdle and look at the connecting rods and etc.

 

Sorry - didn't see that notifications were turned off.
So - no noises.
And I'd love to do an a2 head on a k24 block, BUT, as of right now, don't have the money for the head or a k-pro. Hence thinking about using the a3 with a k24, running it off the stock ECU, just boosting fuel pressure.
And yeah. I'm going to start looking into it once exams are done. Still driving it - just limping it for now - but was thinking about pulling the oil pan / pump, just to check and see what's going on down there.
I take it you do have to pull the subframe to get the pan off? (Haven't looked closely - I know the honda service manual says you have to - but I also know that service manuals always give you the "proper" way of doing things...).
Cheers

 

Yes you do have to pull the subframe for the oil pan. Horrible dumb IMO but I didn't design it.

Also if you don't have kpro no sense of running a k24 bottom on an A3 head and ruining that.

 

Only reason I was thinking about putting in a k24 block was for future upgrades - a kpro, a2 heads (or a2 cams as a vtec killer).
You think a k24 with a3 heads wouldn't run on a stock a3 ecu?

 

drive it till it dies.. keep an eye on oil

 

Very good point, and that's what I'm inclined to do.
I'm planning on doing an oil change in a week or two - just to see what comes out (if anything) and also what kind of material it is (steel vs aluminium). As far as I know, it could be excess flash from the casting that had been in the oil pan since the first day. Who knows?
I'll probably just drive it til it dies and then try to find a k20a2 to drop into it. Keep it simpler.
Cheers