J.Nguyen

My name is Jonathon and I live in Texas and only 18yrs old And I Just have bought myself an Acura RL that has problems but I bought the car for about 900$ but I considered it a little project to get it up and running. The original owner said the motor needs to be replaced for some odd reason it was blowned. I researched online and i can found an engine for about 200$ (not including the engine yet). I'm just curious....did i make the right choice to buy this car and replace the motor. I get paid 3k every month and I don't have any living exspenses so its mostly "Fun" money. Also my Sister's husband also mentioned that the engine has to be "dropped" down instead lifted up, is that true? thank you for reading this post and i hope i can get this RL up and running

99blackhatch

what is wrong with the engine exactly that it needs to be replaced? Hopefully with all the "fun money" you can get it fixed and up and running soon.

J.Nguyen

well i tried starting it myself and it knocks real hard and the rpm is real low- so i turn it off quickly noticing that there is gas dripping under the engine afterwards - feels like only the right side of the pistons are working (newbie) and the left side is where the knocking is coming from and where the gas leaks under

MyNameIsEarl

Well, first things first. Hi and welcome to the best part of Acurazine.

I'm sorry you got the RL in such bad shape, most RL owners take wonderful care of their cars. It's kinda like that commercial with the guy and the baby, and afterwards we find out that the baby is representative of the car, yeah kinda like that. But, there is almost a solution to any problem you may have on this forum, so you definitely have that going for you.

It's tricky to know if you made a good investment or not because you do not know how extensive the damage is yet. I would hold off even starting/running it to avoid further damage. As far as the body looks, and I haven't seen the interior yet, it seems you got a good deal. Now, it's probably going to cost about all of one month's worth of your paycheck to get yourself a new set of rims and a new front bumper molding.

And as far as drop down or lift out, and I am no auto professional, but it would seem to reason that it would lift out. Because if you had to drop it down, wouldn't you have to remove the front differential, axel, wishbones, etc.? It would appear that logic would dictate that to avoid all that it would be lift out. But, hey, I'm just speculating here!

Pro-Pilot

Earl I hate that commercial.....

Also, can I get in on some of this "fun money" too? lol

J.Nguyen

the interior is in extremely perfect condition except for the driver seat that shows wear and tear from coming in and out of the vehicle. there's no stains on the carpet, all the other leather seats looks well taken care of. ill be uploading a photo of the interior when i can later on in the day. i actually just got paid today, so im in a little of a good side.

MyNameIsEarl

You know what you need to to? RETROFIT HEADLIGHTS!

99blackhatch

Give it time youngin'...

That seat won't be the only thing showing wear and tear from "coming" in the vehicle...






get it. chick magnet car

Whitey_1997TL

As far as removing the motor from the car, you lift it out, and its probably easier to lift out everything as an assembly than the alternative. If you do swap motors out make sure you DO remove everything that the manual tells you to, I learned the hard way that not removing the Y-pipe makes the job harder and tears $300 a piece motor mounts apart.
Hope this helps.

ValdezQ26

wow, this is not a project i myself would have embarked on. it could go either way, but i figure u may have been better off spending a few thousand more dollars and got one in better condition with maybe a little higher milage. u will probably end up spending the money anyway if u complete this project. good luck tho, bro!

J.Nguyen

Sorry for bringing back the grave post but i finnaly ordered a motor and i currently almost done preparing the old motor be removed, but my main problem is that the bolts on the catalyc converter with the springs on it is being a real pain the a**. I'm trying real hard to take them out (and yes ive followed the manual and i gotten to this point) but they wont but. i accidentally warped one bolt so i rather not risk the others. I sprayed some "bolt breaker" stuff on it for about 6 hours and it still wouldn't budge at all. now i can't do anything now im stuck here. Its the bolt with the spring on the other end is the one being a pain in the butt.

Whitey_1997TL

Snap them off or cut them if you have to, they're replaceable. The nuts are welded on. Once you get the y-pipe out you can grind the nuts off.

J.Nguyen

I'll cut then after I get off work tomorrow and I got a deal for a motor and tranny together for 800$ - what's y'all's opinion of that price? They said it's 35-65k miles in it. And also, another problem :/ I'm trying to unscrew the bolts at the end of the Y pipes at connected to the engine itself using extensions trying to take them off but ARG!!! It's tough!!! I wouldn't be able to cut them since they are in tight spaces also.

The picture below is my progress ( I know you can't see much but I'm using a crappy camera) the wiring harness, fuse box, ax compressor, & power steering pump.

Whitey_1997TL

Yeah, its a pain. Don't cut the bolts that connect the y-pipe to the manifolds. Try pb blaster.

J.Nguyen

Just making sure I got the right motor

http://bit.ly/19m1lGQ

Did I get the right motor? Is there a difference between JDM and US motors?

Someone told me that the jdm has more sensors that is needed compare to the us