[QUOTE=Lsos,Sep 3 2009, 12:57 AM] Is one misfire every few days really a warning of impending complete annihilation of the engine? Especially with so many other variables? (I just moved to Europe from the USA, every fluid I use in the car is different that what I

 

^I don't think he is asking anyone to guess. He merely made a thread about what happened. He doesn't seem to know too much about this stuff so give the guy a break - he has a 2-3 thousand dollar engine to replace (assuming he could do the work himself).

Everyone take a step back, and let the guy do his thing.

I wanted to add that, I couldn't tell exactly what type of spark plugs those are but a lot of those multi-pronged plugs have been used by people and the electrodes will break off like that because they suck.

When buying a car, the plugs should be one of the first things you look at as they will tell you how the engine is running.

 

Until you take the engine apart you can guess as much as you want... My engine just went pop and it turned out to be a screwed cam bearing that seized the intake cam, sheered the timing chain sprocket bolt which led to some piston on valve...

HONESTLY... just buy a new engine, my mechanic attempted a head swap etc which worked, but then issues with bottom end happened... so i cut my losses and just went with a new engine!! Saves time and hassle...

Sorry to hear about the news, I know how you feel... it's shit!

 

spark plugs dont do that by them selves and pulling a plug a long time ago would not have given him any warning. that plug was a base ngk plug anyway.

 

Misfiring on WOT like you described is concerning. A number of years ago, I didn't pay close enough attention to those same symptoms and shot a spark plug out of my head. Luckily it was only the head that was damaged and I bought a used one off a member for ~$400.

If these cars aren't running smoothly, IMHO, it's a cause for concern.

 

He came in and asked "why did this happen". When he didn't get the answer he wanted he complained about it.

I think my response was fairly restrained given my normal temperament and the fact i've been sick all week

 

I didn't mean to sound like I'm complaining, I was simply trying to ask for a better explanation. In what is supposed to be an engine of the year in one of the most reliable sports cars made by one of the most reliable car companies, built to celebrate 50 years of reliable engineering (or something), a believer in Honda technology and a mechanical engineer himself (me) needs a good explanation for why it just self-destructed on me...in the worst possible moment of my life, at that.

And I think I'm getting it. If I didn't believe or understand something, I said so, and I said why. Which resulted in some proper responses...so I'm getting some good insight and information, which I appreciate. Didn't mean to upset anyone....

 

the thing is.. noone can tell you what caused the valve to fail, only that it did.. you have to do the work for the rest

 

WOOT time for some built internals YAAAAY.. either way don't go stock.
now the question you need to be asking yourself is...
12:1 or 9:1
But in all seriousness as bad as it may sound retainers don't last for ever and its ironically funny how such a small, cheap part can destroy your entire motor...
really sorry to hear bout this but i can tell you that no dealership would even bother lifting you valve cover let alone check your head out... stealerships are out there to make money, not help you... sad but true i have seen some seriously crooked stuff go down in dealerships... So when you hear someone bragging about how they get there car serviced at dealers, take into account what i just mentioned...
Also i would recommend finding an experienced shop with knowledgeable techs. Most guys in these performance shop usually started at dealerships and moved on up. But always be wary man there is just so much negligence out there you can never be to careful with stuff like this...

 

So I ordered a new engine and it finally got here, although 2 months later. Yeah, it was a bit expensive, but at least it was next day shipping so I guess it's not too bad....

Anyway, mechanic started working on the thing. We'll hopefully take the old engine apart soon, and try to figure out why it failed. I'll be pissed if it's simple fatigue failure or some crap like that...

Looks like the engine coughed half a piston out through the intake manifold...