If one of the pistons need replacing, can you just replace one or do you have to replace all four?

 

You don't have to replace pistons as a set, unless you find out that you need an overbore.

If you have to pop one out, you might as well pop them all out and change out the rings, bearings, and higher wearing seals.

 

So if the one needs boring, than all four should be replaced? How do you know when you need to replace the bearings? This happened to one of my buddies. One of his piston has chipped ringlands. Could he get away with just replacing the pistons, rings and connecting rods? Thanks.

 

you ALWAYS replace bearings and as far as the cylinders, replace them; is cheap when you compare it to opening up the engine again.

 

If the motor is apart already, you should go ahead and replace all the main bearings, thrust bearings, etc. As far as taking care of the cylinders, I'm assuming you're referring to the cross hatchings on the walls themselves...rule of thumb is: If the hatchings look fine (and I say it very loosely), feels fine (with your finger nails), then you may be able to get away with rehone with a simple hone job. But if you're going to replace the rings on the standard sized pistons, then a rehone is called for. My best advise is to go ahead and get oversized pistons, bore it to the correct size, and regap the piston rings for whatever application you're looking for.

Good luck,
-Jeff C.

 

When you have to remove the pistons/conrods (even if it's just a single piston/conrod assy), you have to remove the crankshaft first.

The crankshaft is where all of the bearings are centralized at, so if you're gonna remove the crankshaft, you might as well replace all the bearings with the appropriately sized bearings (whether they be the same size or bigger or smaller).

But, that's just a minor point, considering the amount of work you have to do just to get the engine out of the car.

And, if just one of the cylinders is out of spec or out of condition and an overbore is necessitated, then you should overbore all of the cylinders .25mm (.010") and use OEM Honda .25mm oversized pistons and .25mm oversized rings. After overboring, finish the cylinder walls with a cross-hatching hone pattern to Honda's specs (60 degree angle with something like a 400 grit stone).

You shouldn't have to replace the conrods unless they are bent or the rod bolt area is compromised.

 

This is just my opinion on this but it's what i would do.... If you are gonna rip the motor part then why not just fully disassemble it, overbore, and go with oversized pistons... That gives you nice clean cylinder walls to work with for your new rings to seat on... As for your original question if you wanted to be cheap you could just hone out the one cylinder and replaces the rings using a std. piston. For knowin if the bearings are bad.... Plastigauge them and check all clearances... If you come up out of spec then replace... Good Luck