BlueMagik

hey there acura gear heads!

So I have Gen 3 (04) TL Auto base @ 74K.

Had flashing engine light so I took it to Acura Dealer.

They said I have no compression in 2nd cyl. and the plug was totally oil fowled.

I live in Indianapolis, IN and I am no master mechanic not to mention a broke college senior =(

So I took the car to my father mechanic and they are saying that this particular Acura Engine is not really fixable and need a new one. Quoted me $5500 for new motor installed w 80k on it. I cant really swing that much and if I did I would most certainly want to know what my best options are

Need help here:
What engine(s) can you put in a 2004 base auto? can I upgrade/easily swap in a 3.5L?

Do I really need a new engine?

can you guys help point me to one I can buy and get shipped here that is Low mileage?!?

what are all of my options here and what kind of money are we talking?

Please help AZINE!

rhafikjaan

If hes charging you $5500 how much is he getting the motor for?

rkan121

I hate cars is you guy for this topic.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

I'd wait for him, but he's probably resting, early in CA.

www.car-parts.com

Anything is fixable, but the cost might be prohibitive if it's rings, piston etc. and you'd need to rely on the mechanics decision as it certainly is difficult to diagnose over the 'net. Any noise when running, in the exhaust or intake? First, I'd pull the valve cover off and take a look. A 3.5 is a no go, but there are quite a few engines listed in IN.(Avon, Brooklyn, Gary) and you can expand the search for a larger area if desired e.g Chicago area, Bionic has a dozen available. If you're not going to do it yourself, some yards do their own installation or have shops that work with them, so when you find an engine, ask them about installation or recommended installation facilities. Might be looking at $2/3k for engine plus installation.

sleepysvt98

Torch that bitch, get your check.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^neg.

bmeyer

iTrader: (3)

It all depends on what is actually wrong with the current motor. If the cylinder walls are trashed, then yes, it's easier to drop in a whole new motor. If it's something like a bad piston/rings/valve then it's definitely fixable and certainly for less than 5 grand. You can get a brand new Type-S engine for that price. By the way, did your dad quote you the $5k? If so, I'd probably put a flaming bag of dog shit on his front step for father's day.

I know you said that you're no master mechanic, but are you handy at all? The best thing to do would be to pull the cylinder head and take a peek for yourself. It just takes a basic tool kit to pull everything off. If nothing else, do you have any friends that can turn a wrench? Swapping a motor really isn't that tough. The TL service manual does a great job of breaking the whole process down step-by-step.

A used 3.2L engine with good mileage should run you in the neighborhood of $1500. Maybe ~$2000 for a 3.5L. For the 3.5L swap, you'll need a new ECU as well as a new chassis wiring harness (which is WAY too much work in my opinion). Also, you'll want to stick with either an 04 or an 05 motor. All of the wiring is the same. Anything 06+ (even the base) will require a new chassis wiring harness.

EDIT: As mentioned above, http://www.car-part.com is probably the best place to search for a motor.

rhafikjaan

I'v seen a 3.2 engine on craigslist...dude says it has 25k on it for $1000..not bad right?

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Craig's List----Need to investigate before shelling out the money. at least with the yards, the engines are guaranteed. If the engine is in the car easy enough to check compression, but if out and starter and components are there, the engine can be spun over.

jwolz

Where in Indy are you located? I'm a technician at a local dealer in town (not Acura though). But I may be of some assistance. I live in Fishers. The next step in the diag process is to do a cylinder leak down test to see where the compression is leaking. There could be many reasons for low compression. There could be a top end problem such as stuck/sticking/bent valves. Or there could be other problems down in the engine such as rings or even a bent rod that is not allowing the piston to reach tdc. And there could still be other reasons for low compression. But what I'm getting at here is that I would want to know what is going on in your engine first before even considering getting a different one.

BlueMagik

gotta link?

BlueMagik

PM'ed you my info! Really hope you can help me out! I am fairly new to Indy and haven't found any acura/honda enthusiasts/mechs/techs around here. Just been Going to Ed Martin Acura on 96th and let me tell you...they are on my shite list.

Indy04TL

BlueMagik, take it to the Penske Honda service center down the street from the Acura dealer you went to. Talk to Service Advisor Ben or Service Manager Jeff. Tell them Jerry sent you. PM me if you need more info. I live in Carmel. They have done all the work on my TL. Good Luck.