Another I want to make my Honda a 3cyl thread, but with a twist!

[arcosine]

You could just unplug the injector to get a feel.

[ShadeTreeMech]

So you are running the cylinder without air going in or out? That would be like adding a shock absorber to the crank. And you will lose more than 25% of your power because the other 3 cylinders will be pushing this unused cylinder around. You'd be better off removing the piston completely rather than leaving it as is. And the oil burning issue will not go away. There is something leaking oil, and it was going into a cylinder and being burned off. If it is leaking into the burnt cylinder, that could be a major problem...

Have you ever heard an old Harley engine and seen it shake? They are designed as a 3 cylinder engine with one cylinder removed. There is indeed a reason old Harleys leave oil everywhere.

[arcosine]

Originally Posted by ShadeTreeMech

So you are running the cylinder without air going in or out? That would be like adding a shock absorber to the crank. And you will lose more than 25% of your power because the other 3 cylinders will be pushing this unused cylinder around. You'd be better off removing the piston completely rather than leaving it as is. And the oil burning issue will not go away. There is something leaking oil, and it was going into a cylinder and being burned off. If it is leaking into the burnt cylinder, that could be a major problem...

Have you ever heard an old Harley engine and seen it shake? They are designed as a 3 cylinder engine with one cylinder removed. There is indeed a reason old Harleys leave oil everywhere.

Your logic is just plain wrong. The old Harleys leaked oil because that's how the chain was oiled. Air compressed in a cylinder is not a shock, but a spring. The honda is an old beater, just do it.

[JRMichler]

Originally Posted by arcosine

Air compressed in a cylinder is not a shock, but a spring. The honda is an old beater, just do it.

This.

And a missing piston will create a horrendous unbalance.

[Frank Lee]

Yes, try it, and tell us how it goes.

[YukonCornelius]

I could not flip the rocker arms to accomplish my goal so the head is coming off. I will post pics. I believe there will be an incredible amount of deposits on some of the valves in cylinder 2 from all the oil burning. On any other car I would just replace the motor. They are cheap and easy to swap out. But doing that would defeat the purpose of this car. I've kept it so long to see how far it can go. Most of the car is original.

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Love the new avatar. A little ball joint play there?

Yes, and right after a state inspection where I asked them to check the front end closely (because of the mileage).

Originally Posted by euromodder

Crankcase pressure is not going to be 100 psi, is it ?


PS :
VW regard 1L / 1.06 quart per 2000 km (1242 mls) as normal ... on a 1L engine !

I don't have 100 psi after this valve issue, more like 0. Also, that immediate 1000 miles to a quart began 150,000 miles ago. The car is up to burning a quart every 400 miles or so. I almost need to leave a quart with a pin hole hooked up to it like an I.V.

Originally Posted by arcosine

You could just unplug the injector to get a feel.

I lost the cylinder while driving. Over the years I've driven about 30 miles with it missing a cylinder for various reasons, I could live with it. It idles and runs pretty well on 3.

Originally Posted by ShadeTreeMech

So you are running the cylinder without air going in or out? That would be like adding a shock absorber to the crank. And you will lose more than 25% of your power because the other 3 cylinders will be pushing this unused cylinder around. You'd be better off removing the piston completely rather than leaving it as is. And the oil burning issue will not go away. There is something leaking oil, and it was going into a cylinder and being burned off. If it is leaking into the burnt cylinder, that could be a major problem...

Have you ever heard an old Harley engine and seen it shake? They are designed as a 3 cylinder engine with one cylinder removed. There is indeed a reason old Harleys leave oil everywhere.

Air would go into the cylinder past the bad valve and out past the open exhaust valves.

Normally you would be correct about loosing over 25% of my power. That cylinder doesn't make power equal to the others so my total loss would be less than normal. What that number is would require some dyno testing.

There is no chance I developed a oil leak at the same time and into the same cylinder as the deep gouge caused by the bad spark plug dropping a piece into the engine. I've had this head off before, I've seen the damage. I have to pull the spark plug out of that cylinder every other oil change and put it on a wire wheel to remove the giant hunk of rock hard deposit that has formed. The other 3 plugs always look normal. I'm sure each cylinder is burning some oil but the majority gets burnt in 1 place.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by Lbar

Avatar changed to my favorite picture of the car in question.

Nobody would loan you a pickle fork?

[elhigh]

Air compressed is indeed a spring...but this cylinder with the bad valve is more like a shock. It'll absorb a lot of energy as the compressed air leaks through the gap.

If you feel okay driving it, that's your call. But it'll be a complete pig to drive. My Expo crapped a valve and it went from halfway lively microvan to dispassionate shambling zombie, complete with fog effects.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Seems like turning it into a 3-banger while keeping the dead cylinder still there wouldn't be really so effective. I'd also be quite concerned about the oil pressure. If you could remove the rod and piston from the dead cylinder and close the hole from the crankcase to the cylinder in a way that wouldn't have any clearance issue with the crankshaft it might work as you may be wanting to. If you do so, should also disable the valves from the dead cylinder.

[YukonCornelius]

I took the head off today, fun fun. Pics on next post.