Honda civic engine parts after 290,000km.

[vtec-e]

I took apart the engine on my civic. Purely to see what condition it was in after my hypermiling (with very hot air going into it...)
It appears my valves were leaking somewhat. They were also glazed a little on the seats and had carbon built up on them. However, the cylinder walls had no wear worth talking about and the hone marks can still be seen. I tried to photograph them as close as possible.
The catalytic converter is also in top condition, apart from the dirt that fell in as i removed the manifold.
If i was keeping the car i would have been due a valve regrind and that would have helped FE to no end i'm sure. Would i be right in saying that the constant light throttle caused the buildup on the valves? If so then i should be mindful of that happening with my yaris. The weekly hot run in it should help keep it in order.
Anyway, i just thought i'd share the pics with you all.

ollie

[RH77]

Nice pix. How hot was your usual intake temp?

Also, did you use any carbon cleaner during the life of the engine (not sure if you have the "Seafoam" brand solvent in Ireland, or something similar)?

Also did you have a PCV catch can in place?

The equivalent of 180K miles is high, but Hondas tend to last a bit longer. It also could be the amount of urban vs. rural mileage.

I haven't been around for a while -- what happened to the car?

RH77

[Wonderboy]

Nice post. I'm actually getting a bit antsy about my civic. It's getting killer MPGs espec. For an EX, but I want to do even better by either getting an Hx (or just an hx engine/trans)or a gen1 insight. My thinking is that my ex is still marketable to ricers at under 200k miles(I've got 193). I should prob just make my own thread about that... Nice post anyway - very interesting to see.

[vtec-e]

Hi RH77.
I didn't use seafoam or anything similar. Which is a pity because i could have done better with the car. I must look up something similar here. All i used were those bottles of cleaner that go in the fuel tank. I would question their effectiveness having seen the engine apart
My intake temps were 140 to 170f, depending on the weather and whether i was driving at night or day. Once it got to 170f i had to dump heat, which was uncomfortable given it was summer at the time!
No PCV catch can either so that may have contributed to carbon build up.
I'm tempted to check out the big end bearings but that will involve going under the car and removing the bellypan etc. which will be hard given my lack of free time. I'm keen to learn their condition as there was a rattle from the engine and i thought it was the pistons but having seen the cylinder walls i'd say the pistons are fine.

ollie

[vtec-e]

I looked up the seafoam to see if anyone here sold it. Didn't find any but i came across this stuff that apparently is quite good: Dipetaine Fuel System Treatment for Petrol & Diesel Engines (Dipetane)
Weird name but should keep my yaris tdi engine clean. Should.....

ollie

[RH77]

I'm not sure of the ingredients in the Dipetaine mix. Other forum members prefer "AutoRX" if it's available there (and if it's OK for Diesels). I just have used Seafoam with good results (and it's at the local parts store), and especially through the brake booster line. At another forum, I found a quote with the ingredients:

50% light hydrocarbon oil (pale oil), 30% petroleum naphtha, (charcoal starter fluid/mineral spirits), 10% isopropyl alcohol, and 10% water.

I suppose one could make their own with similar ingredients -- some agree with using just water through the booster -- Police, taxi, and other fleet mechanics use water, but I worry about getting the right amount).

To really clean out the deposits and carbon, find a product to add to the brake booster line when the engine is running. SF makes a LOT of white smoke, especially in vehicles with significant buildup. So far, I've used it in:

-1993 Chevy Pickup, 5.7L (engine would not crank due to severe overheating, dumped SF into the spark plug holes, let soak, and it started and ran 500 more miles and still today as a farm vehicle).
-1995 Mercury Mystique (Mondeo) 2.0L Zetec
-1998 Integra 1.8L (multiple treatments in brake booster, fuel tank (injectors), and in the crankcase to break up sludge before an oil change)
-2005 Honda Civic 1.7L
-2006 Acura TSX (Euro Accord) 2.4L

All were gasoline engines, so check on compatibility of any product before using in a Diesel application. I'm not necessarily promoting Seafoam or AutoRX -- just what I've experienced and heard.

RH77
-

[vtec-e]

It's interesting that you mention water being one of the ingredients in seafoam. I do remember reading about steam or water injection and it's cleaning properties although I'm not brave enough to try that just yet!
I must also point out that in a diesel engine there is a vacumn pump providing the vacumn to the brakes. This has no connection to the engine intake so would not be any use as an engine cleaner dosing line. Which is a pity really.
However in a gasoline car it would be perfect for long term cleaning and not just in the driveway with the hood up!

ollie

[RH77]

Originally Posted by vtec-e

I must also point out that in a diesel engine there is a vacumn pump providing the vacumn to the brakes.

Good thing I didn't suggest to dump it into the throttle body. I often forget about the vacuum setup on Diesels.

"Clean as you drive" would be a great system -- especially if someone is tailgating A little pump of the agent into the line once a month would keep the neighbors a lot happier than the 4-alarm smoker! I might perform the procedure off-site next time -- That Ford/Mercury really smoked-up the city -- for at least 10 minutes or more.

Well, that may leave a tank additive for the Diesel...

RH77

[evolutionmovement]

Yeah, the Seafoam is great. Definitely makes you look like Spy Hunter (or like a head gasket just blew up bad) for a little while, so stick to unpopulated streets! I used it a few times on my Subaru EJ22 and my quarter-million mile tear down looked amazing, except for the melted $12 exhaust valve (which failed to cause any other damage, but was the reason I swapped the engine out before tearing it down, grrr). Pretty clean, very little wear (though I don't think the latter had anything to do with the Seafoam) despite years of abuse.

[Clev]

I ran some through the tank on the Clunker, but I've been loathe to put in a can through the booster line, since I was told that it was bad for cars with more than 150,000 miles. I'm currently at 303,000. Has anybody here put a can of Seafoam through a car that old?