ok so im 17 and im looking into buying my first honda. its a 1997 sedan with an engine from a 93 integra ls with 30,000. and the car has 171k. the seller is saying that it doesnt run because it is misfiring because it needs a new rotor in the distributor cap which is an easy fix. just wondering what would be the easiest ways to get more power. thanks for your help!

 

If it was such an easy fix why didn't he do it? As for more power? The standard answers will follow. I/H/E, boost or swap in a bigger engine. Stay away from Ebay "performance" chips.

 

so would it be better to just drive the car with the engine as it is and just build a different motor to swap in? or could i like raise the compression with high comp pistons? and performance cam and stuff like that?

 

All-Motor builds=expensive.

 

30,000? i dont beleive that for a second, unless he means rebuilt and even if so what did he replace when it was torn apart. If your going to buy it pick up a new rotor and install it before you buy it to see if that fixes the problem, better to spend 10 bucks then it is to get screwed out of thosands.

 

so wut would be the best route for me to take?

 

i do plan to buy a new rotor to bring with me and install before i buy the car

 

make sure it runs decent before u buy it. if u arent experienced in building a motor, imo get it back to good running condition, then start your build after you are familiar with it

 

You asked for options. I'm not about to tell you what to do with your car. Even if you don't have it yet. How deep are your pockets? What do you know about boosting an engine? You ever rebuilt an engine before? How much more power do you want to make? How do you define "easy"?

 

im not experienced with turbo. and right now im in the auto classes my high school offers so i would have access to the shop and help from my instructor and in the fall im attending uti for automotive. when i said easy i basically meant i dont want som crazy car for a drag strip. just a daily driver with some extra kick. i believe the 93 integra engine starts at 140hp so i was thinking maybe to try for 180-200?

 

x2 get it running like it should then worry about being quick

 

i dont trust that seller... make him fix it before purchase and if you have the luxury, bring a experience mechanic when you go check out the car.... if he gives you the ok get it.......


as for power....you have an LS motor already, thats a good start. you can either boost it or do a v-tec head....since you only want to make 180-200 hp....i personally would do v-tec head/ basic bolt on and lastly a good tune......but thats just me.... im not really a boost kind of guy =p.....

 

Yeah 180-200 isn't unrealistic at all for an n/a build on an ls. All ^ those suggestions are good.

It seems kinda sketch though that he won't fix something so simple before trying to sell it. That's like saying oh it runs like a champ except the fuel pump doesn't work.

 

if the car is in good running condition, id just drive it like that and save money while doing research on building motors......

when you finally have enough money like say 1300 atleast (which is a rough guesstimate from the top of my head), you have two options.....build another motor, or build the one you have.

either way you choose, LS motor in a civic is illegal(here in california) so there is no reason for keeping it as a spare motor for smog or ref purposes... unless you want to keep it for emergencies or something thats cool

now if you have a spare car to drive. id say build the motor you have already....


as for cams/high compression, you are only looking to make 180-200 hp.....with that goal in mind, i don't "think" you will need super high compression or cams to make that number.....but if you have money for cams and so forth, why not?

 

Def make the guy fix the cap n rotor it will take him 10 min at most to do it. If he says he wont then i would skip it because its likely hes with holding information from you. Many things can make a car sound like its misfireing.. easy fix is cap and rotor.. but worst case scenaro would be bad rings...

 

As your first car, consider getting something that RUNS WELL even if it is stock. you can always swap in another motor later. you dont wanna have your car be down or break on you. keep looking for those DEALS on cars!

P.S. civic Sedans are the best lol. got mine 3 yrs ago when i was 16.

 

Before you give the guy any of your money, ask him questions about the car. The rotor is a very easy fix like grumblemarc had said. Don`t be afraid to ask him question`s about the car. You want to make sure the car your getting is not a lemon.

 

Well its not my first car. I have an 01 taurus which I hate with everything inside of me. This would be my first honda and i've been trying to find one for cheap for a while now and everytime I do it doesnt work out

 

How much does he want for it? If I were you, I would pass on the car. First, you really don't know how many real miles that engine has. Anyone can say it has 30k miles, but there is no way to check. Also, at 170k+ miles, the car is just going to have stuff breaking, needing fix. You are going to spend alot of money fixing broken stuff.

If you really want the car, I would say at least fix the issue with misfiring and do a compression check on the engine.

 

They're asking $1200. And its a girl. Idk wut that has to do with it but everyone keeps saying he so just clarifying

 

 

Someone mentioned the lemon situation...have you gotten a carfax on this yet? It's a couple of bucks but might make the decision alot easier, granted problems with hondas are rarely reported because most of us fix almost everything ourselves but if it had any major issues might pop up.

 

Might be cheaper/better just to buy a good shell and drop an Si/GSR motor in instead. I've seen 99-00 Civic Si shells go for 1k+

 

thats pretty cheap for a sedan model.. anything wrong with the car? you have any pictures? If I were you I would just replace the motor for something stock like a GSR or Type R motor instead of building it since its your first car you dont want the headaches..

If you know for sure the engine doesnt run then check for other problems such as rust, bad wheel bearings, any damaged parts that may need replacing, inner/outer tie rods etc...

 

I would advise against a LS/V setup. Those are not noob friendly, and if not done right they can and will blow up on you.

Just stick to the basics like how everybody else has said, intake/header/exhaust. They won't net you much, but those are easy to install and don't require a lot of work.

All motor builds get very expensive very fast. High comp pistons and cams are pretty expensive as is, not to include all the motor work and prep you're gonna have to do.