I just got a 1995 Honda Civic EX coupe with around 177,000 miles on it. It's been kept in very good condition overall.

When I first saw the car, I noticed the exhaust was white sort of like water vapor. It was cold and drizzly so I just assumed it was because of the weather. Eventually the water vapor white exhaust went away. Today, in the rear view mirror, I noticed a white smoke when the engine is under a load (uphill, moderate acceleration). It seems to go away under normal driving though. I do notice the smell of something burning and coming out the exhaust but I can't tell if it's coolant or oil.

Let me also say that I don't know much about cars. I can follow instructions and I spend time learning, but I'm not an expert. Today I changed the spark plugs. I noticed dark colors around the spark plug threading. I used my borescope and discovered some wetness around the cylinder walls. Note: the pictures were taken after I ran the engine for about 15 seconds, otherwise it's a cold engine.

Here's all the pics: https://www.flickr.com/gp/55859246@N00/5bNDuq

• So, is this an oil leak in the cylinders from bad rings?
• How bad is the engine doing?
• Should I get new rings on the cylinders?
• Could it be a gasket failure of some kind?
• I was going to replace the oil with Mobil1 full synthetic, "high mileage" blend.
• Should I get a new motor?
  • If so, where does one buy a "new" motor or a lightly used one?

Thanks for your advice.

 

Approval bump

 

Valve cover gasket set (specifically the rubber O-Rings for the spark plug ports) is my first suspect.

 

Compression testing the motor will give you an idea of motor health.
Oil consumption over time will also give you an idea of motor health.

The two above will give you a much better idea of motor health especially compared to borescope pictures which gives very little information overall.

 

If there's oil in there wouldn't it affect the compression #'s, by showing they look good?

 

Yes, that is where the oil consumption comes in.

Currently, 15 seconds of running, the "moisture" could be gas, condensation or oil. Also, the honing grooves are supposed to capture tiny amounts of oil on the wall which should provide a "wet sheen" look which is normal.

From what I witnessed, if the rings are pushing oil into the cylinder(s) you see it in the P2W area. Can be confirmed by using a pneumatic valve holder to pressurize the cylinder and push all "moisture" past the rings, then compression test. The P2W area goes from dry to oil filled in the few short dry cranking of compression testing when it's bad.

#4 of the motor in my wife's old car is like that. Consumption is over the 1L per 1500 Kilometers Honda has set for spec on the motor. I go through roughly 5 liters of oil every 5000 kilometers on that motor.

 

If it's making smoke, but not a terrible amount of it, should I get an engine swap done? Obviously it's a lot of $$$ but I just learned about re-manufactured engines and it's nice to be able to get a zero-time engine to have it last another 400,000 miles, with proper care!

 

coolant smells sweet when burning. oil smells pretty bad. edit: complete the ignition tune up. oem honda cap and rotor, NGK wires.

 

Also, if you've only run the engine for 15 seconds a shot, how do you know it's smoke and not steam?

Water condenses in the exhaust and it takes 15-20 minutes on a cold winters day for the exhaust to heat up and burn off all the water.
It's not until this point you can have high confidence in the "smoke" coming out and the smell of it, unless it's REAL bad.
In that case the steam isn't going to affect the smell and type of smoke, however you are saying it is smoking only a little.

I'd do as eghatch is suggesting of finishing the tune up, and I'd drive it awhile and monitor oil consumption.
That with a proper compression test will give you a much better idea of where the motor sits.
Also, cleaning all the oil and dirt off the engine will help you isolate oil leaks so you can see what seals are faulty and need attention.
If it's not dripping oil, it won't be the major portion of consumption and if consumption is high, then you basically have confirmed the engine is worn and tired and needs major work or swap.