tylerjd

I bought a 2000 RL last September with 139k miles on it, unfortunately did not do a ppi and set up an inspection after the fact but before I reached the appointment date i got screwed by a cracked radiator that I guess the previous owner just put a bunch of stop-leak in rather than fix. It caused a really bad overheat and I was hoping to find a used motor with a decent warranty but LKQ never has any and most I find are short warranties or from companies with bad reviews. At this point I’m looking to just get what I can out of it so it’s not a total loss so. It’s silver exterior with black interior, both are in good condition. I’m not sure if anything is in demand and would be worth selling parts for, or if my best bet is just to try to sell the car as a whole.

Any input or advice on selling or even fixing if there’s an economic/safe route would be greatly appreciated

1186KA9

Maybe try and find a JDM engine? Would have to swap some hoses and cables though, If you do part it out, I would like the outer door seal for the driver's door. Part number 72365-SZ3-013, I'll post a pic of the part if you decide that this RL goes to heaven. Also https://car-part.com is a good interchange for trying to find a good engine. If I were you, I'd try and save the car. 139K miles in a good climate is nothing for this car.

tylerjd

yeah I’ve been checking that site and others, seems there’s not a lot of jdm RL motors for that generation compared to a lot of the other Acuras. I’ve spent a lot of time going back and forth on what to do because I do like the car and think it’s worth saving, but at the same time so many scrapyards and parts stores seem to be sending out junk and then making it a hassle to deal with. I’m not sure I can take the risk on that or spending $3-4k to put in a motor, radiator, new seals, etc when it could fail down the road if it was abused or sitting for a long time. Especially considering I’d have to finance some of it. Seems like a waste but it’s tough to risk digging myself into a deeper hole. All this because someone wouldn’t just fix the radiator

all that to say, nothing’s set in stone but I appreciate the input and the seal is yours if she goes to heaven!

1186KA9

Thanks. Also if she does go to the great beyond, I'd appreciate the chance to acquire the bubble seals for the front passenger door if they are not torn. One of mine are torn. Dunno where you are at in the country, but ask the junkyards with potential engines to send a video of the car running with the VIN number in the same shot with no edits. That should somewhat alleviate the chance of obtaining a bad engine. Depending on where you are in the country, I might be willing to help check out/look for an engine.

Calvin Ming

Not sure where you are. I am in MD. Ironically, these motors are pretty reliable and a good motor with no warranty will work fine.
Over heating is the killer because they are all aluminum. That said, I got a JDM motor for 1500$ in my car. I have bought and sold, repaired, and serviced a number of these RL's.
You can get it running and driving for under 3K. If you do your own work. Let us know of any help you need. (I may know of someone who would buy it).

Babafats

Why cant you remove the heads machine them and change the gaskets my 2000 w 245k overheated and i was able to do that repair at the dealer eng was not seized though

kapikap

Are you positive the engine is toast? Water pump,radiator,add fresh fluids all around should be a simple day or 2 at the shop. $1500 out the door,no? You have low mileage on a strong engine. I would not buy a used one, that may need a refresh anyways.

98ej8

I agree with what previous people said, if the car is in good condition I would probably rebuild it. I wanted to rebuild my engine and it's got 300k the timing belt went on it from previous owner. What pushed me to swap was I noticed pitting on the camshafts so I figured could be other stuff internally that would require more work.
I sourced an engine from car-part.com, theyre usually wround $650 for our cars, mine was like 350 because the timing cover and one valve cover were damaged. Usually they write the compression test results in the description.