If you would like to get to what I am asking specifically, just read the bold text.

I have an opportunity to trade my 94 civic ex coupe for a 98 Civic HX (not running).

The HX has two things that are keeping me from making the trade. The first is that it is the CVT automatic model, and the second is that it has something wrong with the head that has caused the engine to snap 2 camshafts.

The issue with the head is really strange. I have never heard of a honda engine snapping a stock camshaft without some other change being to blame - especially the location that it did on this car. Originally my brother thought that the timing belt had snapped, because the failure occurred in much the same way as you would expect from a failed belt. However, when he bought a replacement timing belt and had it ready to install, it was discovered that his timing belt was fine, and in fact was in great condition. With the valve cover off, it was clear that the camshaft had cleanly snapped. It snapped between 2 cylinders.

After replacing the camshaft, he drove the car without issues for about a week, then after startup, and before getting out of his driveway, it failed again with the exact same issue.

I would like to purchase a whole new head for the car and get it up and running immediately if I make the trade, but I have been unable to find a d16y5 head anywhere (except a few places that want insane prices for it).

Do any of you all know an alternate solution to finding a d16y5 head that will get this car on the road again? Keep in mind that in the near future, the CVT auto will have to stay, which means that I can't perform a typical mini me head swap because my current ECU is needed for proper operation of this particular transmission.

Future plans include an auto-to-manual swap and an LS or B20 engine, but I need the car on the road sooner than I am going to be able to piece the parts together for those things.

Any help with this situation would be greatly appreciated.

PS: I wrote this post while at work in between doing my duties, so if something needs more explanation, or if something doesn't make sense, just let me know and I will clarify myself or my situation better when I have time.

 

I have a question. What if you do the swap and the issue has nothing to do with the head? I think you need to identify what is causing camshafts to snap first.

 

You have a good point, but the trade is between my brother and I, so I am mainly attempting to repair the car first before doing the trade. I will further inspect the engine, but I want the head or another option to be available before I pull the motor apart any further than it already is.

In the end, if there are other problems, I have more options if it turns out to be an issue with the bottom end. If somehow the issue stems from the CVT transmission (something I would have to work hard to determine), I will then continue my search for auto-to-manual parts and prolong the process of making the trade.

 

how does the head look? cam journals scored? I'm kinda thinking there's some oil starvation going on in the head.

 

In all honesty, I am going by the word of 2 of my brothers 1 is mechanically inclined and has been involved with all of the work on the car, and the other is the owner who knows nothing. From what I understand, the journals looked fine, which is what led him to believe that it was a random failure. He replaced the camshaft with confidence that it would be fine, but the problem occurred again. At that point he (the "mechanic") called me to research and determine if this is a failure that has happened to other HX owners, or if it is something more problematic with this particular car.

 

I've been reading up on this and this seems to happen with older cars or aftermarket cams. No one really identified the source other than to speculate that bolts may be getting over-tightened or defective cams.

 

First cam could have just been randomly failed, second one might have gotten dropped or banged around before it got installed and had a hairline crack, but 2 cams in a week is kinda of suspicious and indicative of some other underlying problem

 

I agree. That is why I decided to replace the head rather than attempt to determine what might be the cause (if it is a failure caused by a warped or otherwise damaged portion of the valve train).

I planned to purchase the head, remove the current head and inspect it fully, then check to make sure that nothing is damaged on the bottom end, then install the new head using all the accessories from the current head (if they aren't included with the purchased head).

I am not ruling out purchasing an entire y5 if the price is right just so I can get this thing up and running asap. I don't have any interest in wasting much time or money chasing down the source of the problem should a full head swap not do the trick.

 

So does anyone have any suggestions as to what to inspect to determine what might have caused oil starvation?

I can physically inspect the head and the block once I get my hands on the car. Should I consider replacing the oil pump as well?

At this point I am not even sure if the deal is going to go through. I was also originally going to swap a b-series in, but the details on that are looking sketchy too.

 

Oil passages going to head would be my first guess


Depends, if it looks like the pump failed then yes, if it looks like an oil passage got plugged up with sludge or debris than maybe not.