Haven't been on in a while, but this makes for a good time to start up again....

Last night I was on the highway, probably pushing the car a little harder than I should have been, when the motor gave out. I turned it over again on the shoulder, but it had a really bad mechanical rattle under the valve cover.

I got it towed to my buddy's shop last night and he listened to it this morning. He said it sounds like the motor may be shot, but he said he'll crack it open taday and let me know for sure.

So basically, I might be looking for a new motor asap. I'm hoping to get some advice and suggestions regarding a few things.

It's a 96 Civic Si, D16y8. It had ~251,000 km before last night. I'm concidering several options, and was hoping to get some good advice and suggestions.

1. Keep it simple. Get another D16y8 and drop it in. It's cheap, and requires the least amount of work. And for a student with a $20,000+ a year tuition, this sounds like a good idea. I'm guessing it'll be around $400-$500 for the motor. (CAN funds)

2. Improve a little? Get a JDM D15 and drop that in. I know that they are just a little bit more expensive, around $500-$600. Question is, is it worth it? Are they that much better than the D16y8? What are the advantages of dropping in a D15 over the D16y8? And if I do go with a D15, are the parts interchangeable? (ie, can I walk intomy local parts shopand tell them I'm looking for parts for a D16y8 and use those same parts on the D15?)

3. Put in a D16z6? Differences between the two in power are almost non existent. And I know that the D16z6 is stronger in general than the D16y8, especially if I decide to boost (but not likely). Cost is the same as the y8, but I'd have to get the OBD1 comp for it too. Any reason why I would concider the z6?

4. Step it up a notch. Put in a B18. This would be FUN, but I know it's not as simple as dropping it in. I'll need the tranny and a few parts to make it work. This may end up costing me 2-3 times as much as just dropping in a y8, z6, or D15.... This would be more of a personal endulgnace than anything else. Any advice on this? Suggestions?

Thanks for the help.

Curlybandit

 

find out what broke and replace. if it's coming from the valve cover - a new head is around 100 tops

 

Turns out engine was toast. I just bought a '95 JDM D15B. It's going into my '96 tomorrow.

 

How do you know the engine was toast? Mine was "toast" because I threw a rod and spun a piston into the head........how was yours toast? Could have been a bent valve or something.........let me guess, the mech who said it is toast is the one doing the swap?

 

The mechanic who checked out the car and is doing the swap is one of my best friends. He's been my mechanic for as long as I've known him. If he, as well as any of the other guys at his shop say the motor was toast, then the motor was toast.

 

yeah...I also saw a guy whos cousin sold him a negative ammortization mortgage....

 

You mean there's no such thing?!?! Damn.... Been had again...

I can appreciate the skepticism. I would be skeptical too, but this is a really good friend of mine, and I trust him. He's helped me through many a disasterous situation, and if not for him, I'd be a hell of a lot more broke. Besides, I didn't buy the motor off him. He's just helping me pull the old one and drop the new one.

I did speak to him briefly yesterday, and he said something about the bottom end and crank bearings or something... I think he said something about rods too.... I don't know.... He's the expert so I don't usually ask too many questions. If you guys really want to know, I'll get more details tomorrow when I see him and we strip the old y8. If you want an idea of what it's doing, imagine shaking a can full of marbles. That's what it sounds like.....

Note to self. Be nicer to the new one....[sm=headbang.gif]

Besides the skepticism, any opinions on the D15B?

 

well...sounds like spun rod bearings:-D Well than a d15b is what I would have done...or I woulda found a used block for 200-300 and did that...but since you're not doing hte work yourself a d15b might actually be cheaper for you laborwise. And I'm only sceptical because in my trade friends and relatives are the worst people to do business with because you trust them by default.

 

+1 about business with friends...

 

Haha.

I threw some rod bearings in my '97 Civic.

So I'm running a D16Y8 too.
Well I was...

Now I have to rebuild my engine due to a hxc rod knock.