So my car is inching towards 124K miles and i was wondering what i should do. Should i rebuild the motor or just stick to basic preventive maintenance? (Timing belt, water pump, valve seals/adjustment) I'm the 3rd owner of the car and its supposedly been babied and well taken care of. But when i drive it, it feels a little "tired" but that could be my imagination. I went from owning an s2k to the R so maybe i'm just not use to the way the car feels yet. I got an estimate for the rebuild and it's pretty expensive so thats why i'm having second thoughts. I was wondering if that money could be better spent on other parts like brake pads, smsp header or even cams. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

 

how about do a compression and leak down test to see if its healthy..if its healthy then mod it! if its not then rebuild it! i don't see any reason for a rebuild if the motor is healthy

 

Yeah BlueR also suggested that and you guys are right, i'll run those tests first and see whats up with the motor. Most likely the motor is nice and healthy and i'm just being paranoid.

 

x2

mileage is somewhat irrelevant.

how much oil you're burning and compression numbers tell the story

a quart every 500 miles and 150psi mean rebuild

a quart every 1500 miles and 200psi mean keep driving

 

do a compression test, leak down test, if the result is good then..
just do valve adjustment and etc.

 

Preventative maintenance is never a bad idea. Losing a timing belt can be a pretty expensive event.

 

I just checked my oil level and i'm down a quart and a half after only less than 500 miles since last oil change. That doesn't sound good to me, especially since i haven't been driving it hard at all. I'm taking it to the shop this tuesday so hopefully i'll get more answers then. I'll post up my results.

 

what's the shop suppose to do?

change your pcv, it could be clogged

do your compression test and a leak down

if the numbers are off you have to rebuild or do a jdm itr engine swap

 

Rings are worn out. A known issue with your mileage.

Who is quoting you how much for a rebuild? Just curious.

If you don't have to do an overbore, then the parts price for a ring job is almost nothing.

 

I called a few shops and i've narrowed it down to RS Machines. I'm taking it there this tuesday to do a compression and leak down test first and then we'll see if it needs a rebuild. PM me if you want to know what i was quoted. I also called Valley Engine & Machine but they were quoting me a lot for the rebuild. I also tried inlinefour but i'm not sure of their quality of work.

So you think if its worn rings that it'd be affordable? Cause i was quoted $700-800 just for changing timing belt and water pump. I would think removing the head and pistons to change rings would cost around $1200 or more. And at that point i might as well pay a few hundred dollars extra and get the whole motor rebuilt.

 

you should just post prices in the thread so we can ballpark you on them, pm'ing people with them is senseless

that's on the high side for a timing belt change. i do them frequently for half that and it takes literally 2-3hrs

rs might be an alright place to rebuild your engine but remember. a brand damn new engine from acura is about $4000

a jdm engine is 2500

rebuilds have a lot of potential places for problems

top end is one place. lost motion assemblies should be changed. they always get overlooked. guides usually do, they also get overlooked.

 

Yeah i'm worried about rebuilds too. I've read a few horror stories on here and thats another reason why i've been hesitant to go that route. A few people have recommended RS Machines so i'm hoping all those issues you mentioned get taken care of properly. As for quotes, i guess its not a big deal to disclose it so here it is:

RS Machine $2115 - Bore/hone/deck (going os jdm itr pistons), rebuild head, complete oem gasket, balanced, micropolish crank, assembly and reinstall into car. This doesn't include timing belt or water/oil pump so i think it'll be around $2400.

A used jdm engine is a good option but its also a bit sketchy to me. I won't know for sure how many miles are on that engine and how well its been treated. I'd hate to buy it and then run into the same issues.

 

A timing belt is the best $30 you can spend on your car. Cheap insurance. If you pop a timing belt at high RPM = new motor.

 

if they will pull your motor and rebuild what needs to be rebuilt, then check clearances for $2400 that's not bad

you might need new lost motion assemblies in the head as well. that's one of the wear items that often gets overlooked.

jdm engines do have problems just like anything else. the two big ones are

1. unknown mileage
2. 10 year old + gaskets

 

Or you could order a new oem ITR usdm block from Acura for around $2500. I just did. PM bobo racing for more info tell him Doug from NC sent ya. Please keep in mind labor for install and misc gaskets and parts but plus side is brand new oem block with no miles..

 

already went over this a few posts up

that's also just the bottom end

 

Just giving my opinion on the situation assuming it's just the rings that are worn. But I agree with ya, inspect the head for wear it is very common to over look lma and guides. Good info!

 

Man I will do your timing belt and water pump for half the cost lol.

 

Jdm itr pistons in O/S don't exist anymore. I've checked everywhere. Just a heads up.

P30 pistons are an option but the piston skirts aren't coated. You could use usdm O/S pistons and deck the head and block a bit more, use a thinner head gasket, or flat faced vavles for a bump in compression.

 

I got lucky and picked up a brand new set from a member on itrca.com for $150 So i dropped the car off today at the shop and decided to go with a rebuild for peace of mind. When Dave (owner of RS) and i looked at the engine today we saw a lot of oil underneath the dizzy and near the vtec solenoid. After seeing that and the fact that i'm losing a lot of oil after 500 miles i decided to go for it. I should get the car back this friday, can't wait.