JacquelynB

I've sworn by Hondas for the entirety of my short life. That said, I don't know much about cars, just know about the unsurpassed reliability of Hondas. I apologize for my ignorance in advance. I've recently bought a Civic from a very deceptive auction company. It was going to be my first Honda that wasn't a complete beater. In the end, they took advantage of a girl who doesn't know much about cars, but it is ultimately my own fault. I've turned to these forums asking for advice on what my next move should do after learning my motor is entirely shot.

Backstory: Picked up car, drove it about a mile. Got it up to about 50mph on the highway when I smelled strong burning and noticed the car was losing speed gradually despite giving it a fair amount of gas. Pulled over and called a tow truck to take it to a shop. They got back to me a few business days later saying the motor was complete junk and said I'd been taken for a ride.

Now, I'm about $2,000(which is already my budget honestly) into my 2003 Civic EX 4-door that has a bad engine. At this point, I can't just cut my losses at $2,000 but I also can't afford to keep a car that's going to cost me $3,500 or so after repairs, I would need to sell it to acquire something more within my budget, which is my plan. I've searched around and found someone willing to swap a new engine for $350 in labor. Now, I've been finding it a task to find a cheap engine for it. Moreover, I don't know exactly what engine I need. I'm finding things like EGR and other terms very foreign to me. The 6th # of my vin is a 2 - I've figured out that has some significance!

I've got a few questions:
1) What is the exact engine I need for my car?
2) Would I be better off putting a different engine in it for resale purposes?
3) What else should I be replacing during this time, assuming all other parts are working?
4) How likely is it that other parts of the car are junk as well? I asked the mechanic and he said it's impossible to know because the motor is junk.
5) If this were you and you had next to no money to your name, how would you proceed?

I would greatly appreciate any response I get. Thanks for your time.

ezone

$2k doesn't buy much car these days unless you find a killer deal. You can always expect a car at that price to need $omething big, and be glad if it doesn't.



Now it doesn't run.....You can't get much money out of a paperweight, and that's all it is if it doesn't run. Maybe 10 cents per pound at the scrapyard?

What would it be worth if it runs and drives? Does it look decent?
KBB.com or Edmunds.com values? Would that justify buying an engine if you can get your money back when you sell it? Maybe it will be worth keeping after you get an engine in it.


You forgot to tell us you live in the USA.

Should be a D17A2, VTEC engine. With EGR.

Engine code is stamped on this square pad here:


You may need to use a wire brush to read it.


No. Replace with the same engine.

Depends on what you can get. Mileage on the new used engine? You won't know any of its history so it may be a crapshoot.

All fluids, that's a given.
Timing belt job, complete.
Maybe the head gasket? That's a risk on this engine.

Talk it over with whomever you have do the work. Any work needing to be done is usually easier while the engine is out of the car.
You got it from an auction. It went to auction for a reason. There is ALWAYS a reason.
Someone needs to figure out what that reason is.

Maybe you already found out.

Your mechanic should be giving the car a thorough inspection so you know what all it needs-- and how soon it may need it. Brakes? Tires? Suspension? Lights/wipers/etc.
Evaluation can't be complete until the car can be driven, so expect more on the list once that happens.


This I cannot answer.
Learn how to DIY? That's partly how I got into this trade. Broke kid, broken car, plenty of time, Dad had a box full of tools and space in the driveway.

JacquelynB

I've gotten some great cars under 2k that have ran for a good amount of miles. I've put 50k on a 91 civic that's going strong and I did nothing but change the oil.



Right, it's really not an option.

KBB says 3.5k. So if I can get it running good for $1,500 I should be able to get my money back and get something more affordable for my current budget.



Yes sir, I live in the US. Are you sure that would be the engine? To complicate matters, the car is sitting 3 hours away from me, so I can't check it readily.


How much do you think a new timing belt would cost? Aside from parts cost, how much for labor considering the engine will be out?

ezone

Lucky.


You might decide it's worth keeping if you get the engine done right and the car doesn't have much wrong.

The next $2k car might turn out to be worse than this one. Or maybe not.. It's a crapshoot.



For a stock 03 EX, that should be a D17A2. Misc mismatched external parts can be swapped over when the new one arrives, all you are really buying is a good block and head.

You need to discuss all this with your installer.

A factory timing belt can be had for $20 plus shipping off the internet. Link: http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...+-+TIMING+BELT

How about the water pump? How about the tensioner pulley and spring?
Head gasket is a problematic area for this engine, and it's a whole lot more work ($$$$) to get it replaced once the engine is installed the car IMO.

What else it may need will depend on how many miles the next engine has, and how long it's been sitting, and how much care you want to go into the job, and how much money you want to spend, and how much risk you are willing to take, balanced against how long you are planning on keeping the car.

You could do all you can to prepare it for the next trouble-free 100,000+ miles, or you can prep it with the absolute bare minimum to make it run and then dump on the next sucker.


HTH

JacquelynB

I seem to have good luck with civics in the 90-98 range. I may get another one of those with lower miles.



Is there any way I could get a different engine and the rest of the components would still work? Reason I ask is, this particular engine seems to have low availability and seems to cost a significant amount more.


Which of these are more or less necessary to do and which are precautionary? I really need to cut cost anywhere I can.

ezone

Trying to cheap out is likely to end up costing you even more.

A non-VTEC 1.7 engine (D17A1) would require a different PCM, and that PCM would need to be programmed (immobilizer) before the engine can run. That would most likely mean a partial computer hot swap then limp it to the dealer (or maybe a tow to the dealer) for programming.

Then you might discover the new computer doesn't like the different gear ratios in the EX transmission (IDK if that will really be an issue, I haven't tried the swap myself).




Your current engine has bearing damage? Was it severely overheated? What actually happened to it?


If it only had bearing damage:
Some might say you can swap your old head to a new block and run it that way, but your head/valvetrain/VTEC system/cam/etc. would need to be completely stripped apart and thoroughly cleaned of all debris from the bottom end damage event.
Not kidding, I have had to do this a few times.
It's a very time consuming task, labor intensive, therefore adds a bunch to the cost of the job.
At least it would get a fresh head gasket this way though LOL


IF the old engine was overheated severely, the cylinder head may not even be salvageable. It may be serious junk, as they told you.




You really need to evaluate your next engine and discuss this with your installer.
Why isn't your installer (shop?) hunting for the correct engine?



Check www.car-part.com

bsmiley

I found you a great car for $2000!

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/4673212674.html

J/K its a scam of some sort...

ezone

Low low price..... Check

For sale in Norfolk, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New York..... Check

Yeppers, that's a SCAM