junkyard motor

[newaccorddriver]

im not sure if this is in the right topic or not, but im considering rebuilding an engine for my accord and i want minimal downtime so id probably have to yank out a spare motor from the junkyard. what are your thoughs on a motor thats from the junkyard? what kind of things should i look out for when im looking for a motor to yank out? and on a scale of 1-10, how hard is it to actually pull out? pretty much by doing this, it would give me time to put in the B16 intake manifold i have without having to put my car out for a week or so. and id have a somewhat fresh engine to play around with

[3rdgenhatchDX]

the local yard here sells pulled engines for $300, just have a truck handy :)

[newaccorddriver]

the local yard here sells pulled engines for $300, just have a truck handy :)


by pulling it myself itll only cost like $150CDN. it helps to have a truck though, so id probably have to rent or borrow one. what im curious about are the condition of the motor when im pulling it. i dont wanna pull a motor i cant rebuild or something to that extent

[LiTtLe xOx BitT]

Pulling a motor for less down time is a good idea. Just make sure you do a good visual inspection and make sure everything looks good, maybe check the milage and try to get a motor with low milage because it will probably be in better shape. It's hard to say a scale on how hard it is because it all depends on how much mechanical knowledge you have, what you know on how the motor and trans bolts in and if you have all the right tools.

[newaccorddriver]

Pulling a motor for less down time is a good idea. Just make sure you do a good visual inspection and make sure everything looks good, maybe check the milage and try to get a motor with low milage because it will probably be in better shape. It's hard to say a scale on how hard it is because it all depends on how much mechanical knowledge you have, what you know on how the motor and trans bolts in and if you have all the right tools.


ive pulled maybe 3-4 motors out of cars before. none were accords though. ive done my own 5 speed swap so i should know where everything is. what im curious about is asides from looking at the milage a motor has, is there anything else i can do before i start pulling it out? ive pulled a tranny out and about a month later when i tried moving the car i had to pull a second one out due to the first one having plenty of sand within it and ruining it.

[AZmike]

I'd look for a car with obvious body damage, hopefully to the sides or rear. A car with a good body is more likely to have ended up in off the road due to mechanical problems that you may not find until you have the engine apart.

[kaltenacht]

I would agree with AZmike. Looking for a car w/ body damage is a good way to sort out motors. I car with collision damage, is there for obvious reasons... Although this is a good place to start, look at the engine for signs or damage, and overall shape. It would be better, in my mind, to buy a already pulled engine, because those are usually housed in a location away from mother nature. But even if you go with one you pull yourself, you really cant tell until you start taking it a part. For example a engine could look great on the outside, but once taken apart, you could have scratched cylinder walls. The point is be careful.

[LiTtLe xOx BitT]

Yea, look for a car that maybe was totaled in the rear or side because then you know why its there. If you pulled motors and all before then it should be no problem for you.

[SQ is the SQUAD]

if the oil is still there check to see what it looks like, if there is any water in there. if the engine looks rusty it possable its been rain on and water got into the cylenders. also try cranking the motors to see if they spin, you ccan crank by either using a braker bar on the crank pully of bringing a 12v source to jump the starter

[newaccorddriver]

Yea, look for a car that maybe was totaled in the rear or side because then you know why its there. If you pulled motors and all before then it should be no problem for you.


i believe the accord should be easier then most considering im not putting the one in the junkyard back together. so im guessing its the side mount, front mount, rear tranny mount, and dog bone mount, then misc wiring/lines and then outs out? thats all i can really think of, asides from separating it from the transmission(which i could always use another one of)

[newaccorddriver]

I'd look for a car with obvious body damage, hopefully to the sides or rear. A car with a good body is more likely to have ended up in off the road due to mechanical problems that you may not find until you have the engine apart.

ill take this advice into consideration when i decide which one to pull out


thanks for all the input guys:wave:

[newaccorddriver]

if the oil is still there check to see what it looks like, if there is any water in there. if the engine looks rusty it possable its been rain on and water got into the cylenders. also try cranking the motors to see if they spin, you ccan crank by either using a braker bar on the crank pully of bringing a 12v source to jump the starter

they actually drain all the oil out before they put it out for us. i doubt i can get a battery in there and try to crank it over, but i can use a breaker bar to turn it though. should there be much resistance when im cranking the engine?

[halxi]

if you plan to rebuild the motor, just make sure the block isnt cracked, or severly warped and you're alright.

Sure the pistons might be trash, or everything internally for that matter, but if you're replacing it all, who cares?

[newaccorddriver]

if you plan to rebuild the motor, just make sure the block isnt cracked, or severly warped and you're alright.
Sure the pistons might be trash, or everything internally for that matter, but if you're replacing it all, who cares?


pretty much. my motors leaking oil from somewhere and rather then having huge downtimes in the summer when i plan to rebuild, i might as well get a spare. parts shouldnt be too expensive as im just stucking to the typical auto store parts. the only thing im concerned about is the crank condition and such like that. but you do have a point in picking one which isnt warped or cracked though.

[halxi]

on any motor rebuild, i would recomend getting the crank rebalanced and such. No point in rebuilding a motor on the factory crank that has how many miles, and how much crap built up on it?

[newaccorddriver]

on any motor rebuild, i would recomend getting the crank rebalanced and such. No point in rebuilding a motor on the factory crank that has how many miles, and how much crap built up on it?


what kinda places rebalance crankshafts and how much does it normally cost?

[88Accord-DX]

<throw a few things in this thread>

Lowest milage motor is a plus in some cases. Pull the dipstick out, look at the condition of the oil. Look at the condition of the spark plug wires. Pull the spark plugs out & see if you can turn the crankshaft bolt over. You'll be able to see the condition of the cylinder walls after pulling the head. Look for cracks between cylinder walls & around the head bolts. Have the block & head magnifluxed for cracks. Plastigauge the crank & rod journals.

You'll need some precision tools to see what you have after you pull the motor.

[halxi]

any engine shop should, a higher tech mechanic might be able to do it

i think my friend matt got his crank balanced for his old a20 build for $200ish? but im not 100% sure

[88Accord-DX]

Crankshaft balancing is done at a higher end automotive machine shops. There are automotive machinist that specialize in crankshaft balancing. Here it runs about $150 for the crank give or take.

[newaccorddriver]

hmm... what does rebalancing the crank really do? just makes sure that theres no excessive weight thats moving up or down in a particular stroke? if so, how important is it really?

[88Accord-DX]

You also can balance the rods & pistons too. Balancing the crankshaft & lower end basically makes sure that your engine doesn't vibrate at any rpms.

[newaccorddriver]

<throw a few things in this thread>
Lowest milage motor is a plus in some cases. Pull the dipstick out, look at the condition of the oil. Look at the condition of the spark plug wires. Pull the spark plugs out & see if you can turn the crankshaft bolt over. You'll be able to see the condition of the cylinder walls after pulling the head. Look for cracks between cylinder walls & around the head bolts. Have the block & head magnifluxed for cracks. Plastigauge the crank & rod journals.
You'll need some precision tools to see what you have after you pull the motor.


not sure where to get the block magnafluxed, but how much would that normally cost?

as soon as the junked car enters the yard, it goes into their ghetto shop where the gas is emptied into a container for their use and the oil and any fluid for that matter is also emptied to prevent a hazard for our safety.

im not sure if its a good idea to pull out the head on an engine in the junkyard, but i guess i can probably do that easily though.

ive already used stuff like plastigage and own torque wrenches. i guess i should buy a ridge reamer and one of those things to hone a cylinder wall while im at it cause id need those too. so much to plan for before i actually go on and pull out a motor. atleast the more knowledge i walk in with, the less money i waste:)

[newaccorddriver]

You also can balance the rods & pistons too. Balancing the crankshaft & lower end basically makes sure that your engine doesn't vibrate at any rpms.

by vibrate do you mean irregular vibrations? cause my motor at this moment is vibrating, but only when its idling and only when the revs jump up and down. asides from that she revs steady as a rock

[88Accord-DX]

by vibrate do you mean irregular vibrations? cause my motor at this moment is vibrating, but only when its idling and only when the revs jump up and down. asides from that she revs steady as a rock
Irregular vibrations after rebuilding a motor. I need to add, if you want a good balance on the lower end, it includes flywheel, crank, rods & pistons..

As far as your car vibrating, it could be many things which include faulty fuel injectors, faulty coil giving a no spark miss, faulty distributor, bad plug wires, foul out spark plug, broken engine & tranny mounts...