Thanks in advance for reading.

Well… I purchased an EG sedan w/ 160K on it for a decent price… however; it was not taken care of. The coolant is brown with deposits and I think the T-stat is broken, as it always reads cold and there is no heat from the vents. Think the head gasket might be gone... There is white smoke coming out of the valve cover when I open the oil cap. But the engine still runs, so what do I know?

Should I drop a new engine/transmission OR get severe maintenance done? My apartment will not allow vehicle maintenance (I was never good at it anyway) so I have to pay a mechanic.

$2100.00 for a SOHC (VTEC) + Auto Transmission installed (d16zc)
$1300.00 for maintenance (Timing Belt, Water pump, Radiator, T-stat, valve adjustment, trans. Flush, brake flush, etc… I compiled a list of what to do when purchasing a used vehicle) on current engine inside vehicle.

OR both done at $3400.00

I need a RELIABLE vehicle for school. I emphasis reliable, mechanically. The person I bought it from sucks…

If I can get away with $1300, I will. But I not sure to what extent the damage is to. I am willing to dish out another $2100.00 for peace of mind. I CANNOT miss a day of school and I am 70 miles away.

Let me know… Thanks HT.

 

Hows the suspension? hows the trans? if the car wasn't maint....Id look hard at the trans...as fixing that could get super expensive. As long as it shifts ok.....

Id say....$1300

As long as it includes the H.G.

Your basically rebuilding the top end of the motor....you should be fine for a bunch of years after that...just keeping the oil changed and regular maint.

 

$1300 seems high for a t-belt/water pump/radi/t-stat/valve adjust/trans flush....etc...

You should look around....$1000 seems more reasonable.---take it some other places. and start bargaining.

Just for reference...you got like $200 in parts and like 5 hours labor. I did all you listed, (myself though, just paid for parts I purchased) and have $175 involved. I did get a sweet deal on the timing belt/water pump though both OEM for $40 brand new....

Still your paying like 1k in labor.

 

Wow you are investing more than the car is worth.

What did you pay for the car itself?

 

The company is reputable and I was not able to find another mechanic on the same level of competency as they. I have been searching for weeks.

He is checking all my suspension/steering boots, bushings etc… components also. It steers and drives fine… but I cannot get under it. Tools are home 3000 miles away. No jack/jackstand…


don't/didn't we all...

 

Id look around more. dont forget that tuner shops usually do maitanence too. id personally go with the swap and get them to change the timing belt and water pump before they swap it. if theyre trying to charge you 1300 to do the tbelt service while theyre doing the swap then theyre trying to really screw you or theyre a freaking idiot. if they do it while its out it should only take tham an hr or 2 at most.

 

In the end I would say to swap it. instead of just replacing random parts you are getting a whole new setup. but that is just my $.02

 

I swapped an engine for a nearly new JDM one and had a shop install it for about $500. All total about $1,100. Not if the rest of the car was as badly maintained (why did you purchase it?) then you're probably just looking at the start of a whole lot more repairs.

 

Swap it you would have to get he head checked for cracks and being hot it could have burnt a valve, some other small things could have happened just swap and for get about it imo

 

If you think the car is worth it I would just swap it. Smoking, broken t stat, and brown coolant are all things that can be signs of overheating. Which in turn, leads to warped block/head, and damaged internals. That usually means serious problems in the long run..