I bought a used 93 civic with a b16a3 (94-95 del sol vtec) in it. It was dirt cheap so if the motor is bunk I guess I can just pull it and sell the motor for parts. However, I wanna see what's wrong with it and get it to run. It's using a P28 ecu, but I havent' checked if it's chipped or not. I'm not sure what tranny it's using because I don't see a the vin number. It's also using a del sol vtec wiring harness. All the main sensors are connected. I did a valve adjustment, changed the cap/rotor, spark plugs, and it has a new timing belt. I don't think the h20 pump was changed. The motor has about 65k miles on it.

I got the car to start, but it ticks/knocks VERY loud. Sounds almost like a bent valve. I started it before doing a valve adjustment and while doing the valve adjustment, none of the valves were all that loose.

It's also open header because there is a 2-3 inch gap between the header and the straight piping back (no cat). There is also no o2 sensor. It is throwing 3 ecu codes. 21, 22, and 41 which are the VTEC Solenoid Valve, the VTEC Oil Pressure Switch, and the o2 sensor. Car is also idling pretty high, probably around 2000-3000 (no tach, CX model).

I did a compression test and it got these numbers: 210, 205, 210, 205... Compression seems good.

Also, after I start the motor for like 1 minute, and take off the spark plug wires, smoke comes out of the spark plug holes. Seems normal until I take the whole valve cover off and I see a BUNCH of smoke come out. Not THAT much, but doesn't seem normal. There is new oil and it's not leaking anything either...

Can someone help me out? If it helps, I'll record the sound tomorrow in the morning and post the wav file. I really want to drive it at least to the muffler shop to get a cat put on and close the open header. Think I'll be ok just driving it about 5-10 miles? I'm getting an o2 sensor soon, but none of that really explains the loud ticking/knocking.

 

I did some research on a bunch of forums and it seems I may have a bad rod bearing? That would create a loud knocking sound even at idle right? I read I can just drain the oil and look for metal pieces in the oil right?

Also, when I pull the head, other than the smoke, I notice the head is pretty clean (meaning, it doesn't seem to have a lot of oil in it)... Could my oil pump be failing? Could I have a plug somewhere? Would that cause the extreme smoke coming from the head when I pull the valve cover? The oil pan shows plenty of oil. However, my dash shows the oil light when the motor is on.

If I had a bad rod bearing, I would still get good compression numbers right? A bent valve would show in the compression numbers, but a bad rod bearing wouldn't I think, making me believe the head is fine.

Can I drive it around with a bad rod bearing? I plan on getting a b20 very soon (2 weeks) anyway. If something does happen, the most that would go is the short block right? It wouldn't damage the head right?

Crappy sound recording of my motor.

Anyone have any clue?

 

are sure that isnt a lawnmower?

 

there definately sounds like some sort of internal problems with a motor sounding like that! I assume your valve timing and ignition timing are properly set right? If they are then the only thing i could think would be the rod bearings or crankshaft possibly... just slap the b20 on there

 

Sounds like it could be the rod bearing, which causes the dreaded rod knock noise. If your dash shows the oil light, it's too late. Lack of oil is one of the things that could cause a spun bearing. Put oil in it, but I wouldn't drive it. You could end up causing more damage.

 

Well at this point i dont think it would really matter... the b16 block is hardly worth rebuilding when a b20 block can be had for $500... my only concern would be not doing any damage to the head or valvetrain..

 

Thats the point. If that rod bearing decides to completely let go, that rod can now move farther than before, which could cause it to hit the valves/head. Happened to my roommate. The IN stamp on the piston left an impression in the head. Not to mention the fact that the money spent to make that b20 block reliable above 7500 rpm is much more than $500 or the cost of another b16 block.

 

point taken.....