Problem with the civic
 

Symptoms:

1. little bit of blue smoke out of the muffler
2. noticeable burning of oil
3. faint smell of burning oil from engine bay

What should i do doctor?

how's your coolant level?

valves me thinx..(the passing thru to exhaust)
rings might be worn..

and probably a leak up front as well..valve cover maybe??
any noticable leaks under the hood??
if yes, simple green it down and start watching it to see where they're originating from..

coolant level is good!
i can't find any leaks...but i guess it wont hurt to try again

how can i check to see if it is or isnt the valves/rings???

compression test wet and dry

ok lets say that it is the rings that are gone...
what kind of damage could this cause if it isn't treated right away?

head, pistons, eventually it can wear the arms due to excessive float

ok i ran a compression test to check everything out
normal reading (as listed by honda) = 199

=-=-=-=-=
First Test
-=-=-=--=-

Cylinder
#1 Min = 120 , Max = 180
#2 Min = 115 , Max = 165
#3 Min = 110 , Max = 170
#4 Min = 120 , Max = 175

So, i realized that my numbers were too low, so i ran a wet test (using oil)

-=-=-=-=-=
Wet Test
=-=-=-=-=-

Cylinder
#1 Min = 120 , Max = 200
#2 Min = 125 , Max = 210
#3 Min = 125 , Max = 210
#4 Min = 120 , Max = 210

So, by my understanding this clearly shows that the piston rings are worn, and need to be replaced

any thoughts on this, could there be anything else causing some of this problem, and would this explain the odour from under the hood ???

any help would be appreciated

also, i had low compression readings on all of the first cranks
doesn't this also show that the piston rings are worn?

U're supposed crank it for a bit longer to allow pressure to build. Really only #2 dry looks to be worn, but it's not outrageous... I've seen cars run with 150 psi :shrugs: 120 psi and your motor is pretty much dead.

i cranked it over 7 times for each cylinder
i just posted the first reading and last reading to give an idea as to the condition of the engine

all i'm really worried about is the damage that could be caused if the rings are not repaired promptly

they aren't worn too badly, because i'm not getting considerable oil loss, but how much longer will i have till they get worse?

so your saying after 7 cranks you got the numbers in the max column..?? then you have no real worries yet... yes 2 is a little low time for thicker oil :p

why get your piston rings done in the first place ??? I had the same problem with my car and it was going to cost about $400
so I just dropped in a new engine that cost me $500
way better deal civic engines are so cheap they're practically disposable so don't waste your time trying to fix it

the engine isn't a disposable engine...it ain't worth $500
and i really don't feel like going back to turtle speeds!

i'm trying to save myself alot of money down the road...when the engine goes to **** and i'm gonna have to fork out alot more then the $400 you said it was gonna cost you...

capisce?

BlackCiv: you said it was gonna cost you $400...what shop gave you that estimate?


also, still wondering about the damage caused by worn rings!

if your car is burning oil... i know mine is because there is always less oil in there when i drain it then when i change oil... but should i be able to see this blue smoke from inside the car?? cause i can't... nor has anyone else told me about it?? and there is no "leaking" oil anyways on the motor either?? but if an engine is burning oil will there be blue smoke?? even if its a slight amount of burnage?

do you notice an odour of burning oil from under the hood...
take a sniff!
i have minor blue smoke coming out of the muffler (as stated by my friends), because i guess my rings aren't that worn

i ran a compression test in order to determine my problem...
you should do the same, unless the engine isn't worth keeping...

check your compression...if it is lower then spec then put a little bit of oil in each cylinder and run the tests again...
if your compression results shoot up to spec then your piston rings are worn, if the results remain low, then there is a leak at the valves or head gasket!


Still looking for damage caused to engine by driving with worn rings!

ya thats what i've heard... its an old motor ... 280 000 kms... and is driven hard... the tranny has already been changed... i'm actually shocked it still run to be honest though.... and as smoothly as it does... but also that motor isn't worth keeping... i know i could get a new motor for $500 so i'm not terribly conserned really

can the cylinders be scoured (damaged) because of the worn piston rings?