1987 Accord Blown Head Gasket

[scottmemmer]

Hi, All:

Here are the details of my vehicle:

1987 Accord LE four-door
Carburated Engine
227,000 miles on original engine

I love this car and am trying to convince myself to repair it and get it running again. Is it worth it? My mechanic said one of the cylinders is testing weak also, so here is my question:

Can the entire top end of this engine--head, cylinders, pistons and rings--be repaired without removing the engine from the vehicle? If so, would this create an inbalance between the top and bottom? Should I just throw away the engine and find a replacement?

Thank You for reading this post.

[como 2nd gen civic]

did he say if it was a headgasket leak or if it had low compression on one cylinder? if its low compression on a cylinder then it could be several things, top end stuff that you can do with the motor in the car like a valve problem or maybe a headgasket, or it could be stuff in the bottom end of the engine like the piston rings, and to do that you'd pull the engine.
i know an old mechanic who always insisted the on a high mileage engine, if you rebuilt the topend the bottom was sure to fail soon. while this is possible i don't think its a certainty, it kind of depends of the reason for rebuilding the top end and how well the engine was maintained. For example, if you have a cylinder thats low on compression for a top end problem, but the engine has had good maintenance and regular oil changes there a good chance the rings and crankshaft bearings are in pretty good shape, and rebuilding the head would get (and keep) the car back on the road. However if the motor has a bunch of miles and has had the crap beat out of it (long oil change intervals, long term general neglect) then maybe rebuilding the head could cause problems with other internal weak spots in the engine.

another option if you decide to have the engine rebuilt completely is to pull it yourself and have a shop rebuild it for you, saving some bucks of the low skill labor.

is, is it worth it? well its generally cheaper (but not always) to fix a car than to buy a new one, so if you really like the car, get it fixed!

PS most people i know would consider top end work stuff like cam,valves and headgaskets while pistons, rings, crankshafts and bearings the bottom end.

[scottmemmer]

Como, thanks for chiming in. These are all very good questions.

The car has been very well maintained and serviced, even babied, certainly not abused. I bought it from a friend who takes really good car of his cars, when the car had 166,000. I ran it out to 227,000 before the head gasket blew. Of course there is no way of knowing, but I suspect fixing the top end would solve the problem and get the car back on the road, at least for a few years.

I have the cash to pay for repair. How much would it cost to hire a reputable shop to rebuild this end, bottom and top? Or is there a reputable provider here in SoCal who sells rebuilds Honda engines with good quality and backs up their work with a decent warranty? Does anyone know a ballpark figure for a full rebuild and replace?

I know this car well, inside and out, and it is strong in every other way. I had the A/C fixed last summer, and that's great. The tranny is solid. So I am not opposed to pay for a rebuild, IF I know it's done right.

Thanks Very Much, SM.

[2oodoor]

This engine can be rebuilt in the car if the cylinders don't need more than just a good honeing before rings are put in.
Ive seen these "A" series engines have well over 200k miles on them and when the head is pulled off to service the gasket, the cylinders are still showing hone marks from the factory.
The bottom ends are tough.

Resealing is needed at about this mileage. Dist. o ring, oil filter base adapter, oil pump seals are commonly brittle and get cracks. They are all round o ring style rubber seals, but not circle shaped except the dist. o ring.

Normally there will be two cylinders not reading up to par if the HG is blown, but not always.
A lot of times it is poorly seating valves. Valve lash adjustment and seafoaming sometimes cures that.

[lostforawhile]

We have some good engine guys here who rebuild the top end,I would put up a post and make an offer,I would trust people here more then most mechanics,im sure someone could use the cash