Hi- my son purchased a 08 civic with 102k miles last yr $ 6500. Still owes thousands on it- that is a wash at this point. After 20K miles he put on it in the last year, it overheated and started leaking coolant. Confirmed by 2 mechanics and at Honda dealership now: cracked block. Out of the warranty period but was Lucky (ha) Honda will put in new engine block, with cylinder machined (?) cost about 4K total. 12 month warranty. They said it IS possible the cylinder head is ruined from overheating- but rare, and can't tell until they are into repair ( labor at this point alone 1K) and if this is the case, thousands more which we can't afford.

Second option: Was just quoted from another mechanic $3560 total for putting in a 2011 Civic used engine. 6 month part warranty.

KKB PPV on this car in good condition $3583-5608. Seems like for $3500-4K for repairs it would be hard to find comparable value to purchase another at this price.

Question: Does one option sound more reasonable than the other? Would a 2011 engine fit ok into a 2008 civic? Anything that I should be considering?

Thank you-

 

Make it easy on yourself, toss the engine in the trash and buy a used motor from a bone yard. Check car-part.com for engines in your area; a used engine should cost a fraction of the cost of a new one.

 

or better yet just call H motors online and avoid the hassle of having a truck, b.s. and a silly boneyard. What you think you saved in money, you actually lost in time.

You're a parent with other things to do than to play mechanic on an unknown block from some boneyard

 

Since you didn't mention what the trim level is on the car, I am not sure whether you need an R18 or K20 engine. This information would help to understand how the pricing you have quoted lines up. I am aware of some factory issues with engine blocks during the early years of the 2006-2011 body style R18 equipped cars.

Steve at "H" Motorsonline is an excellent source for quality replacement engines. If you can find a shop to install the engine, I agree with TheShodan on where to get the parts you need.

Lastly, remind your son that paying attention to the temperature gauge is really important. Ignoring it costs a LOT of money.

 

H Motorsonline may well be a great source for engines, but I have to disagree when it comes to avoiding bone yard motors, I've helped folks put in dozens of motors and never once did the motor need to be replaced again.

 

JRCivc1 the care is a EX 2 dr civic coup. Thank you for everyones input. I will also contact H motors online.

 

I'm sure you have. But you have to look at the situation from the OP's perspective, and not what you would do in the same situation, given that your resources and availability may be different from others. You may be luckier in finding engines of either the R18 or the K20 in your area, but that's not the case in the more populated areas of the country. My point is, we don't know the OP's mechanical inclinations, so we can't assume for the OP that they have the same resolve or resources. It's a matter of perspective is all .

The OP is more than likely not going to have the time and resources to go out and hope that they can find an engine, remove it, retrieve it back to another shop location, and STILL find it's worth the effort to do so when the final bill has been presented. This individual isn't doing any of the required installation work. This is a parent who is looking for reasonable alternatives, in which they don't use their trunk as a cargo bay to get a few blokes to carry their engine for them.


Look via Wikipedia if needed to see what engine code you actually have, and not just year and trim level of your Civic. That will truly help yourself and any other engine seller the best options available

 

The OP was asking for advice, I gave mine; like it or don't. No need to slam me for offering what I consider to be good solid advice.

 

Thank you for everyones input. I am a mom- learning more about engines then I ever wanted to know! My older son and a mechanic who knows some about cars, has probably sourced a 2011 engine with 49K from a local yard who has been in business for many years. Did give the seller the VIN #. They warranty it for 6 months, and ship or bring directly to the shop. I guess they put it through some tests first. We have found a mechanic to swap the engines if a go. So waiting right now....

Still cheaper then having Friendly Honda putting in a new Block. Sucks still since my son who is on permanent SSDI saved for a long time for this car, purchased it last year, and still owes thousands on it. Thermometer only went up once- and cracked block.

 

I'm not slamming or shaming you. I'm looking at someone who isn't taking different perspectives into account. Like being a parent who doesn't have the kind of time and effort to perform what your advice proposes.

You gotta slow down and not think that everyone is a 21yr old kid with nothing but time on his hands... That's all.

 

He will never make that mistake again... Best of luck to you and your son on some good fortune, miss.

 

I would turn some of those comments back on you, you need to slow down and not think all advice which is contrary to yours is bad advice. FWIW, I never assumed the owner of the car was a 21 year old kid with nothing but time on his hands; hell, I'm well into my 60s, work more than full-time, and would still opt for a bone yard motor and a DIY job if the engine in one of my cars went tango uniform.

 

My God, man.. What is this? I'm Rubber, you're glue, whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you?. Are we back on the school playground in 1967 now? Stop this childish nonsense and just accept the fact that you made some presumptions in that you believed that the OP had the same mechanical inclination and ability as yourself as a DIYer, that again, had nothing but time on their hands to even go to a boneyard to search for another engine. When answering this you had full constructive knowledge that she didn't even know the engine code of her son's engine, much less know what to look for and retrieve it herself in some god-forsaken boneyard.

If that's what you would do in this situation, fantastic. Please understand; Your advice was never un-sound, it was simply mis-applied to her situation. It's ok to make an error. We all do it from time-to-time. As a veteran of this craft yourself, I don't have to tell you to "Learn from it and move forward", Just give a bit more reflection of learning what's between the lines of a situation when you answer a question regarding advice next time. That is all I'm suggesting.

Peace and good fortune to you.

 

Okay, I agree with you, this is becoming really annoying. For your information, I made no such assumptions; the assumptions I "DID" make were A) a reasonably priced and reliable engine could be sourced from a bone yard, and B) a local shop could install said motor for a hell of a lot less than the local Honda dealer. I honestly do not understand why you took issue with my first post on the subject.

 

You're right. This is annoying. But only because it is just a surprise that a man of your experience and maturity can't seem to understand that your advice is based upon assumptions that weren't unreasonable, just impractical for THIS particular person & situation.

Let's start with A)... Ready?
- You're assuming that this person's local "boneyard" has 1) a surplus of Honda R and K-series engines that are available just for the asking, and 2) those very engines even if found to be reasonably priced AND reliable, she has the means to pick it up from said boneyard, which is difficult enough to do in person, much less sight-unseen when you have to work all day in an unrelated field. You don't know the OP's area, its population and whether or not this utopian "boneyard" possesses ANY engines, much less a reliable engine, which you never know until you put it in later and drive for months thereafter. What may be available in Southern New Hampshire, is not representative everywhere else. And its extremely naive to think that it is. Do you also believe that these same engines have the same availability in San Diego California, or near Naples, Florida? Of course not.

In addition, as a DIYer, you know and assume the risks of having a "boneyard" engine, because you have inherent knowledge and experience that there is no way that the OP can possess. If that were the case, she would never have asked her question here on this forum. Think about it, just for a moment...Say you find a good engine at your local "boneyard"..You already know the indicators of what makes an engine more likely to be usable or not, even when those indicators have to be found on site before purchasing. Your assumption is based again, upon this person's mechanical inclination and ability to spot-check possible issues on an engine that she may have to pull herself, or have the staff remove. And once it's off the lot, the dice has been rolled. No startup-warranty, no in-depth diagnostics; nothing. As a DIYer, I make lemonade out of lemons. This person just has a glass of unknown fruit.

Now, going with B).
-There was never any mention of any suggestion that a dealership perform the installation. (Read my words carefully, my friend). This as about finding a better, safer, and more reliable source of engines than what you proposed; not going through any dealership to provide the engine nor perform the install. My argument simply stayed within the lane of reasonable solutions for finding and installing a better source of engine , not suggesting that a stealership would perform the installation. I'm not some keyboard warrior, or some kid who just wants to complain or argue for the sake of it. But c'mon, sir... If you're going to give advice, then represent the community in a responsible manner. Not just blabber out your info like an 18 year old, then walk away. That's not at all helpful to anyone. smh.

So, I'll let you have the last word, and we can agree to disagree. But I won't let someone simply get away with a simple, "I said what I said, deal with it.", when their argument is full of holes. What makes this more embarrassing is that as a fellow DIYer, I have to catch these air-***** of information for you to make the OP a more informed person. With your experience and knowledge, you should damn well know better than to just throw that info out there and not back it up with any supporting information or even give a lead for her to follow. If you know of a Utopian boneyard in her specific location, then be helpful and link the location in your response.



You're better than that..c'mon now


*Drops Mic to walk away in disgust*

 

You win, your superior morality takes the cake, I'll quit the field now.

 

Hopefully the OP becomes the winner.

 

A few years ago I took my 2007 Civic to my trusted mechanic for a new starter. While working on the car, it was noted that I had a cracked block (approximately 110,000 miles). My mechanic told me to contact Honda as this was a known problem. Stopped at my local Honda dealer and told them about the cracked block. Service manager at first just wanted it towed to them so they could inspect and quote a price. I told him I knew it was a known problem with this car/engine. He put my VIN # in the computer and after a moment said he would be right back. Came back and said yes it was a covered repair. Had it towed and although the starter replacement cost about $150 more than my own mechanic's charge, the engine replacement was free. Still driving it with 190,000 miles. Has some other isuues now but that is for a different thread. I would press the Honda dealer about this "known" problem/defect before forking out a few thousand dollars.

 

"A few years ago", your car's engine was still covered by Honda (10 years from the car's initial purchase date). 2006-2008 are out of the question. Chances of Honda covering the costs are nil.

 

I just ended up with this issue also, but can’t afford a motor at this time. I ended up using this product and the leak has stopped for over a week now. In no way do I consider this a long term fix, but hopefully it holds out until I get enough for a replacement motor.

Sodium Silicate Solution, 30oz....