About 5 years ago I bought a 1991 Civic Hatchback DX from the original owner. It was in beautiful shape. Garage kept and the only interior wear was on the driver seat. The interior and exterior was near perfect. I bought it at 117K and was very happy as it was everything I wanted except automatic (I wanted manual). One thing I did find out after having it a while is that it was burning oil. I think the original owner may have blown a head gasket, had it repaired and then sold it right afterwards. It still drove very nice. Now 5 years later I'm approaching 180K. At the most recent visit to the shop I was informed a couple cylinders were only at 60% compression and that a valve and ring job were needed. The issue here is that it's going to cost $2500 (probably could find it a bit cheaper else where but I'm sure it'll still be over $1000). The car still drives fine. I put some STP engine treatment in it (the really thick stuff) to temporarily help.

I live in California so every 2 years this car must pass a smog test. I took it to the station right after I left the shop and luckily it did pass. However, as those rings wear down, I'm sure it probably will not pass smog in the future (and that basically means it must be fixed in order for it to stay on the road). So as my car approaches 180K I wonder is it time for us to part ways? I know I also have the option of swapping the engine. It may even be cheaper than the valve and ring job. I've spoken to some friends about this and it sounds like a lot can go wrong here if not done correctly. I've tested the waters in the private party market and people do want this car. Should I just let it go now before things get worse or is it worth fixing her?

 

Are you sure that the engine needs both a ring and valve job? Was a leak down test done to make this conclusion?

 

b16 motor swap would be less than that and a hell of a lot faster.

 

As you can probably tell I'm no mechanic. Is the leak test the same as checking the compression? If so, that's how they came up with 60% on 2 of the pistons/cylinders. I go to a well known Honda shop in the city where I live who has a very good reputation of being honest (although they are expensive). A friend of mine said they're just trying to sell me something I don't need but I'd like to believe that's not the case. It definitely is burning oil as I've had to replace it from time to time and you can smell it when revving the engine while it's idling.

 

A compression test shows whether or not the cylinders are loosing pressure somewhere. By comparing compression measurements done with and without addition of oil to the cylinder (wet versus dry tests), one can also determine whether cylinder pressure is lost due to worn piston rings.

https://www.hondacivicforum.com/foru...ad.php?t=40559

On the other hand, a Leak Down test is used to determine whether cylinder compression is lost from the valves or head gasket.

http://www.geocities.com/dsmgrrrl/FAQs/leakdown.htm

Ask your mechanic whether these tests were done to know precisely where cylinder compression is lost. In summary, you want to know why the mechanic believes that both the piston rings and valves are bad in the engine. With this detailed knowledge, call other reputable shops to get estimates for the repair work. If repair costs are uniformly too expensive, consider replacing the engine, as mentioned by Baker.