Rep Power: 0

First things first, yes the motor in my 02 civic EX is the D17a2, notoriously bad for power adding and the source of countless meaningless threads, but for the life of me, I can't find anywhere where my question has been answered. The Civic in question is seventh gen, 2002 Honda Civic EX, auto trans, nothing added past replacement pads and new spark plugs. The motor has 270000 miles on it and hasn't had too many serious mechanical issues. (only with the brake system, master cylinder specifically). My question is if I rebuild this d17a2 as is, only replacing seals, rings and gaskets, can I get another 300,000 out of this motor or do I need to look into a different car altogether? and again just to reiterate, I don't want to add any power to this thing, I only want it to last another 5-10 years.

 
Rep Power: 229

If there is no major cylinder damage, which there shouldn't be, then yes.

While you're in there make sure the head is true and there is no corrosion from bad coolant. Make sure to check the bore, sometimes oversized rings are needed. Same with the main and rod bearings

People rebuild 1965 blocks all the time, why couldn't you?

 
Rep Power: 0

Just to be clear, a better idea to tear down and measure before buying a kit? also, would you recommend any kit over another? trying to keep the project as cost efficient as possible of course. and I appreciate this input more than you know!!

 
Rep Power: 119

Hondas engine builders did a fantastic job putting the right size bearings where needed.

Huge fan of pulling the pistons out and replacing the oil control rings. Once you unbolt the connecting rods to take the pistons out, you will be able to tell if there is significant bearing wear and damage to the crankshaft.

If the crank is still mirror smooth you could consider just replacing any bearing that shows a wear through bigger than a dime.

Iron piston sleeves hold up extremely well and even when coolant system goes to hell, by the very nature of the design the last bit of coolant will still be surrounding those walls.

Congrats on the long life you have gotten out of it so far.

 
Rep Power: 229

Yes, obviously you want to do this once, and forget about it. So you'll need to measure the bore and measure the bearings. You may find that one of the two are perfect, so you can leave them. Check youtube for clips explaining what tools you need.

Buy only Honda genuine parts, this isn't something you want to cross your fingers with.

*A big tip and something that I missed and lead to me rebuilding the engine twice, was the piston ring clock order.*

You'll also need to deglaze the combustion chambers to seat the new rings.

Also remember to lube not only the combustion chambers and bearings, but the inside of the front main seal, rear main, cam seal, and valve seals.

Make sure to keep the valves in the same ports they came from. Each should perfectly fit where it came from but may be a bit off if you swap them around.