I was driving home on saturday when my cel and tcs lights came on. When I exited the freeway my care idled very rough, when I accelerated it shuttered the entire car. Got home checked coil packs and plugs all were fine. Took it in to the dealer today and they said that I have no vacum pressure due to a hole in the crank case and a cracked block. They told me the engine had to basicly be re-built with a new block, crank, timing belt, water pump etc... Total cost is estimated at 5000+, this came as quite a shock I keep my care well maintained and I havent even cracked 100K (at 83K). The only major issue I have had was when I got my tranny replaced when it failed. I am totaly shocked the care is only 6yrs old and the dealer is telling me I need a complete engine rebuild. Has anyone experienced a problem like this?

 

would it qualify from warrenty because it happened because of stock parts rite? u should ask the dealer if its covered under warrenty who knows might get lucky and have a brand new engine for free good luck but suxs that it did die.

 

Ah man thats rough. I would think that would be covered under warranty tho.

 

Guys honestly think about it, why would it qualify as a warranty repair if it has 83k on it??? It doesnt matter if its stock parts. Hes past the powertrain part of the warranty. Misfires and detonation are BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i havent heard of a misfire causing it on a NA car but if you had detonation it would. 5k is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY to much to spend. You could pick up a used low milage mtor for under 1k and have it stuck in. Motor failures are Very rare on the the TL

 

I have seen honda motor block being cracked before, but very rare, and is rarely seen on acura as well. 5+ grands is too much. Yeah, get an used engine and have it put in by independent shop.

 

Sounds like the perfect opportunity to do the 3.5 conversion. If you have to replace all those parts anyway, why not replace them with the 3.5 stuff instead of the 3.2?

 

Time for a noob question again.

So from some brief googling, detonation are "equivalent" to knocking/pinging. Is my understanding correct? Also, what are the pre-symptoms/symptoms and are they obvious?

Just want to make sure that if it ever happens to my car(s) I would be able to address the issues before it's too late.

Thanks!

 

Werd in the over year i worked at HC, I only saw one B series motor come back through the warranty channel looking like that. Honda motors rarely fail.

 

please get the F away from the dealer, go to a local junk yard, ebay, car-part and pick yourself up a used motor with low miles for about $800 and have a mechanic shop put that sucker in.

 

Hey ebay always has the motors really cheap as well as junkyards. dont ever pay that stealership any money for a job that could be done under maybe 1k

 

correct me if i'm wrong, but didnt kris' TL-s 6 speed swap come out to about 5k? new motor and a bomb tranny.
either way, a new block shouldnt cost anywhere near 5k, 2k is already pushing it and 3k for labor, psssssha

 

Nah. I think Fsttyms1 spent closer to $7 or $8k? (And thats with him doing all the labor himself.)

Doing a 6 speed swap at a shop will cost tons due to labor costs. Not to mention all the other crap you would need to buy: 6 speed mounts, harnesses, interior peices, clutch, etc.

I haven't even been able to find a low mileage 6 speed transmission for under $2k. Must just be my luck out here in So Cal.

Either way, the cheapest solution is to pick up a used motor; I don't know which model you have, but I would assume that TL-P motor would be slighter cheaper than a TL-S. That way, you can reuse all your old parts.

Although under $1k for low mileage (low mileage = under 50k miles?) seems unlikely to me... but then again, Fsttyms1 is the resident 2nd Gen specialist so he probably knows more about it than I do.

 

Just curioius, did you notice a loud bang, a trail of smoke and oil, or any other signs of a rod thrown through the block? Did the oil pressure light come on? Did they show you the hole or the crack in the block? From your post it sounds like the only symptoms you had were a rough running motor and a few warning lights. When you have a failure like the dealer described, you will usually be afraid to stand near the car while it's running because of all the noise it makes.

While it's impossible to diagnose over the internet it might not be a bad idea to get a second opinion.

 

Hey, it would also be a good time to build yourself a real screamer of a motor. Go for a little more displacement, full radius valve job, deck the head, new cams, lighten and balance the crank, lightweight unobtanium rods.... man, it sounds good just thinking about it.

You could probably do all of that for less than paying stealership prices for labor and a new motor.

And to echo what everyone else is saying, Honda is first and foremost an engine company, they rarely fail.

 

josh you realize that by posting that you just signed your all your freedom away to me. the next time i need help i'm calling u up lol

 

cough-dothe3.5conversion-cough-cough

 

Yea. When it rains it pours but you might as well make it worth your money. I dont know your financial situation but if youre planning on fixing the car cant go wrong with more power for less money, itll also be a fun project...

 

Built bottom end or forged pistons at a minimum. 8.0:1 compression. Stock heads, cams, throttlebody, etc. Big turbo. Retain stock drivability and double the power.

 

If you have the Acura Care extended warranty you'll be fine for dealership engine replacement until 100k, if you have basic 50k warranty your screwed.

 

I would look for a used motor, or sell the car as it is. It's way to expensive for a new one and if you are going to spend the $5k do as the others have mentioned and go big. 3.5

 

sorry to hear about that man, my friend recently picked up an 3.2 L Type S engine off one of the boards for about $1000, had under 80K miles on it. let us kno what u decide to do.

 

I have no idea what you are talking about...

 

did you see the crack in the block? ya might be gettin the run around...i blew a j32 about three weeks ago.. it was boosted at 12 psi. it lifted the front head but didnt crack.. also a honda tech told me that the j series engines are good for around 540ish with stock crank. highly impossible to be cracked but guess anything can happen..