i overheated my 94 civic and it sputtered and died before I could escape a red light at an intersection. A few minutes later a big cloud of white steam came out of the tailpipe and when it cooled a bit the radiator seemed empty. I tried to fill it with water to try to help cool what was left of the engine. cranks but smells of gas and does not start. I suspect it had a slow coolant leak for a few months that finally got it. What do I do?

 

Start with a compression test. Driving overheated until it will go no more usually totals the engine.

 

so pull the plugs, stick the gauge into each cylinder 1 by 1 and then crank the engine for a few seconds for each cylinder? does that sound right? what do I hope for and what will make me cry...?

 

Right, remove all 4 spark plugs, and unplug the wires from the harness to the distributor (to prevent damage to the ignition coil from firing with no plug connected). You want to see 100 psi or more on every cylinder. Even one dead cylinder makes the Civic engine very hard to start.

 

ok thanks - I towed it home then to a shop so they could tell me what happened but they have been so busy it's been there for a week. I wish I had it here so I could at least test compression. but it sounds like I should start looking for another car or something. at least another engine. are there some mechanics that will put in an engine for you if you buy it at a junkyard? How do I make sure I buy the right engine too so that it matches up with the electronics and everything? 94 civic hatch automatic...thanks again. Also: would switching it to a manual be a pain if I go new engine? Could I put a 1.5L in there instead to save on gas? (maybe save the engine cost over time!)

 

can i still check compression if the head is cracked?

 

If you knew that the head was cracked, why would you bother?