Hello - I'm a new member to the forum and my first time posting.

I have a 1990 Civic Sedan with 270k miles. And I've lost compression on cylinder #2.
I had this head re-worrked not too long ago, due to losing compression in cylinder #1. At the time I had hoped for not much ring blow by, but as it turned out it does burn oil and smokes a bit too much.
It ran great, so I just kept driving it and making sure the oil level was maintained.
However, now that I have a compression issue with cylinder #2, and obviously worn piston rings, and a tired clutch, I'm looking for a replacement motor for sale.

I've had the car for 20 years, and recently had the AC compressor and alternator replaced, brakes,etc so I hate to have all that maintenance investment end up in a junk yard prematurely.
It's not a pretty car, (paint in faded, clear coat is peeling badly, etc) but it is my daily driver.

I'm in the Atlanta Georgia area.
And I Thank You in advance for any suggestions or reliable sources for a replacement or rebuilt engine.

 

Todd, have you looked at the Pull-A-Part inventory? There are several Pull-A-Part locations in the metro-Atlanta area. Any D16 or D15 long block from a 1988 - 2000 Honda Civic will work in your car, though it would be beneficial to buy a non-VTEC engine.

You could also try Nad Auto, Best Japanese, or Jarco - these are Japanese engine importers in the metro area...or at least they were 15 years ago...not sure if these places still exist, or if they ever get D-series engines any more.

My last choice would be FB Marketplace or CraigsList - you are rolling the dice on condition of the engine. If you buy one this way, do a thorough inspection. I would want to do a compression and/or leak down test and pull the valve cover and oil pan before I spent any serious $ on an engine from these sites that I wasn't planning to tear down immediately.

 

Dax - Thanks for the reply.
I have not looked into Pull a Part for 2 primary reasons, I'd be very surprised if they had any vehicles this old on their lot, and even if they did, I don't have the tools nor a cherry picker to pull a motor.
Also, I'd hate to go through all that, only to end up with a bad engine.
I did call Jarco today, and spoke with a very nice guy, who advised that they don't do hondas, nor anything this old. He "wished me luck", which was basically his nice way of saying that I wont find what I'm looking for...at least not very easy.

What I need to locate is someone that has a known good, or better yet a rebuilt motor, possibly in a project car that hasn't been completed, or was involved in an accident where the car was totaled beyond repair but the motor is still solid etc.

My mechanic did advise today that he pulled the head, and it is a bad valve on cylinder 2.
The car isn't worth much. And unfortunately I don't have the space nor the time to part it out.

So for now I guess I'll just park the car, and wait until I find this needle in a haystack engine.

 

pull a part has the hoists, but you would have to bring your own tools. Looks like pull-a-part has several 88-00 Civics which you could pull the engine from.

Sorry to hear Jarco doesn't have any more Honda engines. Like I said, it's been a loooooong time since I used them.

What is your budget?

 

Yeah depending on your budget, you could always do an engine swap. If you don't want to do an entire engine, just get a valve job done on yours and new piston rings. Is your car LX, DX, or EX?

 

Just depends how much your willing to pay for shipping. Plenty of stock engines out in CA.

 

atlanta is about 15 hours away from me
if you were closer id help you out
for a stock ef civic with the d15b2 motor
the piston rings and head gasket combo

cost just about 40 bucks
so its worth saving
you just need to find a person that knows how to do the work and get your engine back to 100 percent

dont junk it its always worth saving ^_-

 

I agree, I'd save all the EFs if I could.

 

So this is only my experience, but I was able to solve heavy oil consumption on my D16A6 by re-ringing the pistons and having the head rebuilt at a local machine shop. (The head was only a requirement because it had terrible carbon build up from all the burnt oil)

It was involved but not terribly so, I don't have a lift or engine crane so I opted to keep the engine in the car, even so it wasn't too bad.

I did that at around 250K on the motor and it ran great until I swapped it out. I don't know what your bores look like, so this may not even be an option, but may be worth exploring if the engine is in good shape besides the compression.

 

I just pulled the oil pan off of an 88 hatch from a pull a part yard in Jonesboro yesterday 12/12/21. I was pleasantly surprised to see Engine and transmission still on the car. D15B2 with an auto transmission. Valve cover was off and rocker arms damaged/missing but other than that looks pretty solid head and block. I agree there aren’t many out there anymore but you could still find some if you keep looking.

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback and advice.
I'm having the head looked at again by the same guy who rebuilt it about 10k miles ago.

Sadly I'm not mechanically talented enough to tackle anything of this level, nor do I have the facilities, or the tools.
Currently the car sits at a shop, where I know the owner pretty well. He hasn't rebuilt motors for a very long time, as other maintenance service activity provides him with better business and.margin.
I did convince him to swap the motor, if/when I locate a replacement. Or I can get the bottom end rebuilt.

And to that point...
It'd be probably be better to have the short block redone, since I'll have a rebuilt head again.
The challenge is finding someone that can and will do that work, without breaking the bank.
Unfortunately the car is only worth so much, and the parts and labor here will far exceed the value of the car.
For me personally, I dont have a problem putting a "fair" amount of money in it, especially since I will then know what I have, and will probably run another 200k plus.

Whats good for me here, is that I'm not pressed for time, as I have a few other vehicles.
But for some unknown reason, this Civic is my favorite....even though my friends and family dont understand why I just dont have a salvage yard come and pick it up, which is what they'd prefer too

 

you should be able to find a machine shop to bore (if required), hone, deck, and clean the block and inspect/polish the crank journals for about $300. If they had to bore, you'll need new pistons and rings - about another $100. If hone only, just a set of rings. New bearings are about $100 and plan for another $100 for gaskets, seals, and other random things. If you are replacing the oil pump, add another $150. The rest of the assembly is fairly simple, but if you can't handle it, that will cost you too.

 

Thanks DaX.

Sadly, of the machine shops I've talked to thus far, they are all quoting me around 2 grand...or more.
I get it...things cost more than you'd like to think. But for petes sake, this is a 1.5L 4 cylinder.

I did find a place in Texas priced at 1000 bucks, but I'd have to drop off and pick up only.
So its not conducive geographically.
And they are backed up at least a month or two minimum.

I'll keep looking and calling around.

The one question that I do have still for now....
Are there any engines from other Honda models that will fit...without any modifications ?
Or do I have to stick with a D15B2 engine from an 88 thru 91 Civic ?
I ask because engine model options would provide for a wider net, and I would adjust my searching accordingly.
And...an engine from a different model may have better horsepower. ?

Regardless...I just don't have the lingo or the vocabulary for the various phrases I see on some of the webposts, such as "Swap this or JDM that".
So I am definitely in unfamiliar waters here.

Thanks.

 

They are probably quoting you $2k because they are assuming you're going to drop off a long-block. If it were just the bare block and head, it'd be around $3-400. This was a few years ago for me but I used Harold's Automotive Machine Shop out of Richmond, TX. Of course you're probably paying someone to strip down the block if you say you're not so mechanically inclined... too bad you're not around my area of Texas I'd give you a hand.

Keep in mind, if you do get a used engine block/head/engine, you might be inheriting another set of issues. These D's ain't spring chickens anymore.