ofsalesmen

Is low compression necessarily indicative of a bent rod? Could it be an issue with the top end, such as a blown valve?

It seems like it'd be easiest to take off the head and inspect the valvetrain while also measuring TDC/BDC for all cylinders. It would also be relatively easy to remove the oil pan and inspect from the bottom end. At that point, I figure if I don't find something obvious, then I would have a reason to proceed with pulling the engine out of the car and doing a complete teardown.

I have two experienced mechanic friends (one amateur, one professional) who are helping me out. I personally have little knowledge of what it takes to rebuild an engine. If anyone is willing to be a mentor/consultant and answer questions and validate opinions, please let me know. I would tremendously appreciate it.

This will be a very difficult job, but I believe I have the resources to take it on. I really appreciate the support from this community.

Hopefully she's back on the road by May. In the meantime, if you see someone waving in a red E30, that'll be me

wadzii

Hydrolock won't mess up the top end. Use a stick of some sort to measure how far each piston comes up. You can do that through the spark plug hole. If its a simple hydrolock then just sticking another rod in it is pretty easy to do w the motor in the car. Pull the head, drop the pan and you can pull it out. Put a new rod on the piston and reinstall

ofsalesmen

Thanks for the advice man. I'll be in touch about parts. Do you have AP2 rods?

wadzii

I'll have to dig around. I know I had a set a while back. Not sure if they got tossed or not

RedCelica

If not Majestic has the rod priced at $127 a piece

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...N+-+CRANKSHAFT

While you have the head off you'll just want to inspect the cylinder walls on 1 and 3 as well as the pistons and rings.

black_EM1

Sorry to hear about this. I was in the same predicament and ended up getting a new engine, well newer from HMotorsOnline. It came out to around $4k for a documented motor with 42,5xx on it. As you drive an AP2, correct me if I'm wrong but you may be able to order a new shortblock from Honda.

DougEFresh

Short block is available. Ap2 only.

ofsalesmen

Alright, so the car will be towed to my friend's shop on Friday. He's recruiting a tech from Hendricks who has built several Honda motors, including the F-series. They're going to drop the engine/trans and have everything torn down by Saturday night.

At that point, we'll know if there's any scoring on the block or crank, or if any bearings spun. Best case scenario: replace rods/rings/bearings as needed, button everthing back up, and have the car ready by next weekend. Worst case scenario: the block is trashed and I have to source a replacement.

We'll also get the head measured at a machine shop to ensure it hasn't warped. All soft goods and worn items will be replaced with fresh OEM parts. I trust these guys and think they'll be very thorough.

Since everything will be taken apart, I'm considering installing a new clutch if my current one has considerable wear. Any other ideas on things to replace while they're easy to get to?

As a contingency, I'm putting out feelers for used engines in the area. Please let me know if you have any leads within a few hours' driving distance from Raleigh.

Thanks guys!

wadzii

Playing the "well its apart so... may as well" game is fun..

we can get you an RLZ valve job, put some springs and retainers in it. May as well sleeve the block and put some pistons and rods in it.. maybe some big cams and do up an intake manifold .. haha put it back together with 60 more hp

CoolGuy094

Sorry to hear about this man.

LOL @ wadzii, yeah the "might as well do this" game is a very slippery slope.