What is wrong with this $800 2002 Civic with 250,000 miles? Is it a melted crank position sensor?

[JSH]

Originally Posted by RustyLugNut

I had a pair of 1992 Geo Metro's my wife would drive around in when she did her Marketing thing. They paid her to drive her Mercedes Sedan, but never checked. She'd drive one Metro into the ground and then I'd give her the other one to abuse while I rebuilt the first one. Both died of body rot at about 300K miles. I still have one engine and 5 speed in the storage. We still have the 87 Mercedes sedan her company paid for.

One weekend, my wife wasn't off at a convention so she decided to help me replace the engine. After draining fluids and disconnecting the transmission, exhaust, intake and the few electrical/fluid connections I went off to get the engine lift. I came back to find the engine missing! I found my wife wandering around with it! I told her to put it down! So she walked over to the work cart and plopped it down. Then she pushed it into the shop. I guess Bally's must have really helped her physical capabilities because she's 100 pounds and change. Then again, when stripped, aluminum block, three-cylinder Metro engines don't weigh much.

There is a difference between what could be done and what is actually done by most people in the real world. What percentage of people in the USA do you think can do an engine swap? Personally I would put it in the single digits. The VAST majority of people have all their car maintenance done by mechanics which charge a hefty. Which is why the vast majority of old cars go to the scrapyard when they develop a major problem. Yes, there are always exceptions to the rule.

[Xist]

I am sure that I could do an engine swap, but I estimate that I would need 1-5 years!

[freebeard]

What percentage of people in the USA do you think can do an engine swap? Personally I would put it in the single digits.

It depends on the engine and the car. Drop an LS1 in a Mini?

https://carbuzz.com › features › crazy-and-unusual-ls-swapped-cars
Crazy And Unusual LS-Swapped Cars | CarBuzz
LS1-Swapped 1977 Austin Mini A stock Mini from 1977 arrived from the factory with around 40 hp and 50 lb-ft of torque. The original Mini is also tiny, and not the obvious candidate for a...

Maybe 0.1%, one in a thousand? R&R a Beetle engine. Your average hippie Compleat Idiot can do that.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/...diotsguide.jpg

[Xist]

I didn't finish reading your comment before I did a search. The guy who did this is a 6'7", so he fits in the Mini about as well as the Corvette engine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3puVMPEvNi0

[JSH]

Originally Posted by freebeard

It depends on the engine and the car....

Something simple like a 2000 Civic. Also something representative of what is on the road today in volume not an ancient air-cooled VW. What percentage of the US population would attempt to pull a Civic engine from their daily driver and replace it with a reman or junkyard engine? I'd say less than 5%.

[Xist]

Maybe a DX, LX, or EX, but car-part doesn't even show an engine for my HX in Arizona. It only shows 2 in all of the U.S., one for $750 in Modesto with 127,000 miles.

I could visit my grandparents' grave.

Is a 2002 Civic closer to a 2000 base Civic, or a 1999 Accord?

Car-part asked if I had EGR. I don't think so, but how can I tell?

Well, according to Darcane, only the 2001-2002 Civics with VTEC and the 2003+ Civics had EGR, which is curious, because I have cleaned out the EGR in my 2000 Civic twice!

Unfortunately, CappAttack's Civic was totaled 3 weeks later, a month and a half after he bought the car!
2002 civic LX coupe: missing electrical connector for EGR valve

I had previously looked on LKQ for a 2002 Civic engine. The cheapest one they have for my car has 158,000 miles and they would charge $1,500 shipped!

I couldn't search for 2000 Civic engines. When I put in 2000 Civic it showed Engine Compartment, but not engines.

LKQ on eBay will ship me a 2002 Civic engine with 80,000 miles for $860.

I forget where I saw $1,300 engine and transmission combinations. I probably searched importers' sites.

Searching eBay just shows engines, not a single transmission when I queried "engine and transmission 2002 Honda Civic LX Coupe 2-Door 1.7L."

Car-part shows a 2001 Civic for $700, but it doesn't give any other information.

It seems that the sedan and coupe engines aren't interchangeable and I see far more sedan engines.

The only engines car-part shows that specify fitment are for sedans.

A & G Auto Wrecking has a 2002 Accord engine with unspecified miles for $400. They say "Hot and ready, free local delivery."

Orozco Auto Parts has a 2000 engine with 70,000 miles for $600.

JG Auto Wrecking has a 1998 engine. It looks like it has 218,000 miles for $300.

I had wanted to stop at 3, but All Japanese Auto Parts LLC has a 1998 engine, which came in running with 176,000 miles for $450.

Ran when parked is better than the alternative!

Perhaps Honda builds better engines than transmissions. I found 40 engines for my Accord, but only 8 transmissions!

Some of those are LKQ.

A&G has a 1998 transmission for $400 and A&S has a 1999 transmission with 165,000 miles for $475.

So, in theory, I could drive a Uhaul down, and have an engine and transmission from different cars delivered for $800.

In theory I could have them deliver to a parking lot 20 miles away, but let's say I drive right there. Uhaul won't give me details without giving my credit card information. I logged in. They should have it on file.

They charge $20 plus 69¢ per mile. It is 187 miles from Uhaul, so it would cost $278 before all taxes and fees.

$1,100 for an engine and transmission that may not be better than mine.

Would any of you guys take the risk?

[freebeard]

What was that line art pic of a Civic's engine plumbing that looked like a subway system map?

I've got a zero-miles boxer four on the bench, and a Lexus electric axle with about the same power. I know which one would go into my Superbeetle more easily.

EMPI or someone should make a free-valve head with an integrated turbo.

edit: Keep the rocker arms and the pneumatic plunger would fit in the old lifter bores. Hmm.....

[Xist]

I need to fix up some odds and ends on my Accord and at least look into replacing the rear main seal.

I also want to repaint the bumpers.

I can't sell a $250 car with ugly bumpers!

I am focusing on the 2002 Civic now, though. I have the timing belt and head gasket kits in the trunk, as well as the wing nut socket. I finally started watching videos. Since I have already replaced two head gaskets and one was on a 2000 Civic, I didn't take notes, but this is a lot of information in one hour!

I remember copying the transcript from some video--I am positive it was Eric the Car Guy, whose video I was watching when I started reviewing this thread.

In sum: I don't know the history of this car. The seller gave me conflicting stories and I know some of it wasn't true. The MVD seemingly put down a mileage that was a few thousand miles high, so I may drive this until the odometer matches the title.

Originally Posted by Xist

[Crazy J] said it had a blown head gasket, but he wouldn't be able to tell if the engine is damaged without removing the head.
The best-case scenario would be that I have a strong engine with a quarter million miles that needs the head gasket and timing belt replaced.
I could do it myself, but I already need to fix 4 cars, a greenhouse, a shed, and plenty of other things. The cheapest JDM engine I could find was $1,000, and $1,380 with a transmission.

Then I went full "If you give a mouse a cookie."

I still need to fix 4 cars, a greenhouse, a shed, and plenty of other things--although one of those cars has been replaced.

Originally Posted by JSH

This is why 20 year old cars go to the scrapyard when they develop problems. Swapping engines takes a lot of time and mechanic rates aren't cheap.

A local shop has a sign saying they don't source engines that are 15+ years old and if you source your own they won't warrantee it.

Reman Transmissions warrantees shipping and labor, but charge 160% more for a car with in the ballpark of 50,000 fewer miles--but you know it has zero miles and is in perfect condition--except I would have been putting it in a car with 230k miles.

Originally Posted by Xist

I didn't want to do this. I really didn't want to do this. I kept telling myself that I would get the parts, gather the tools, and buy a Haynes manual. I would rather flip through dozens of chapters and sections than spend days trying to figure out everything ahead of time.

However, I always need to stop, wash up, and then buy another part or tool, or figure out how to remove something that wasn't described in the FSM or anywhere else I saw.

I just wanted to figure out all of the tools that I needed to gather.

In theory, having already replaced the head gasket in a 2000 Civic, I should have all of the tools that I need for a 2002 Civic head gasket.

I just watch Eric the Car Guy's video and while I was eating lunch I watched his video and mentally listed each step, which, of course, I wouldn't remember.

I thought that, instead of pausing his video hundreds of times and going back, I would start with the transcript.

Yes, the transcript that doesn't have capitalization, punctuation, or any kind of breaks, so I used WPS Office for that, but it is lame, so I copied it into a Gmail draft.

That started suggesting all kinds of corrections, so I copied it to Docs, but that only did so much, so I went back to Gmail, pulled it up on my desktop, and have reviewed it for hours in Word.

The video is an hour long and my transcript is 12 pages.

Huh. I wanted to attach it as a code block so someone could click on it if they wanted to read it, but wouldn't need to scroll through it, and apparently I am limited to 8-page-posts!

Amazing. I tried attaching an .RTF, but apparently that format is too new for Vbulletin. I tried attaching a .TXT, but it was over twice the allowed size!

So, I am only allowed 5 pages?

I feel underwhelmed that the .ZIP of a .TXT is only 65% smaller.

You know how we aren't allowed to quote entire articles?! I just wanted to sum up!

With the Accord oil pan, Camry valve cover gasket, and 2002 Civic head gasket I didn't want detailed instructions, I just wanted torque specs and sequences, but yes, I would rather figure out as much as possible ahead of time so I have as few interruptions to my work as possible.

I searched this hard drive for the file, yes, but I forgot about second computer!

This is the one with the links, but I already have my desktop running, so I think that I will send everything back.

Otherwise, I can just download the script to this computer!

Originally Posted by Xist

I think that I have 29 instructions from the first 5.5 pages, but then he said to rotate the engine to line up the timing marks. Sure, I just put "Remove the axle," but I cannot have two big steps that are actually a bunch more steps, so I found a video on rotating the engine and doing the timing, but I quickly thought "That's it! I need to go to bed!"

Those 29 steps are on my desktop, right?

Right?!

Now I need to look up removing the axle and rotating the engine.

Originally Posted by Xist

I started looking for those instructions I was writing out. I finally decided they weren't on my laptop, so I switched to my desktop.

Right! I wanted to use Word to format the script from Eric's video!

Why?!

I have two copies of that, the RTF, and the TXT, but I absolutely cannot find actual instructions, so I need to start over!

This is the write-up I found: Head Gasket + Timing Belt DIY

Originally Posted by Xist

From the instruction thread: It is easier to remove the intake manifold if you remove the brackets attached to it first. Someone also suggested securing the intake with a bungee cord.

You may want to remove the engine mount after removing the intake. Once again I am doomed!

I believe that Eric disconnected the exhaust, but just pushed it back, still on the studs.

"solution for TDC and top cover - pull the top cover (carefully to not to damage the TDC wires) from the front and lift towards the rear, move it over the engine mounts studs and put your hand in there to disconnect the TDC."

Not Top Dead Center?

He said he needed a crow's foot.

I removed and reinstalled Chorizo's head by myself, but with the angles and everything I had difficulty.

An engine hoist would make short work of it, but would be overkill.

Maybe I put boards between the head and the block so I can remove and reinstall without scratching anything?

I would prefer a solution that didn't risk leaving bits of wood in my engine. Any suggestions?

This doesn't look right. Oh well:

Originally Posted by Xist

2003 Honda Civic Head Gasket and Timing Belt Replacement

All right. That is as far as I got. I am going to turn Eric's script into step-by-step instructions, add these notes, and then compare and contrast with the FSM.

With the magic of my 43" screen I have lots of real estate!

[redpoint5]

Consolidation is the key to simplification.

[Xist]

My girlfriend asked if I wanted her to help with a car, but when she arrived all she wanted to do was cuddle!
My brother asked to go to the store, so we took him, then went to Walmart and Harbor Freight for trim clips, another folding table, and bungee cords, so at least I have those for working on the car.