to replace or not to replace

well that is the question. i have been looking into replacing the engine in my 88 accord lx 4 door with 196000 miles. however im not sure if it is necessary. im pretty sure i have a blown head gasket (gunky oil spewing out from around the head and blue smoke from the tail pipe). as well as problems with the idle or lack there of. it seems you must keep constant pressure on the gas pedle in order for it to continue running. other than that it seems to run smooth and it accelerates good with good throdle response. what do you guys think.

how difficult is it for a beginner to replace a head gasket and rebuild a carb.

thanks

I would get a new engine. IMO

that's a lot of money , i would get another engine if i can find one !

MIKE

keep in mind a head gasket set on ebay runs around 70 bucks shipped. 6 0dollars to rebuild the carb. a new engine would be anywhere from 350-900. plus i could spend that money on performance upgrades. i know it sounds like i have already made my decision but i haven't. im really looking for imput.

you are right meohmy01 if he does the job by himself which is not easy !

MIKE

well i posted another queston focusing more on the head gasket and shepard doesn't seem to think thats what it is. however....... no one has come up with any ideas about the idle problem. if i didn't have to replace the head gasket that would be great but i just can't find anything wrong with it that but i have never worked on a carb car before (my other car is a 94 accord lx coupe with h22a)

I'm having the same problems that you are experiencing apart from the idle and the blue smoke. I have an oil at the headgasket area very close to the exhaust manifold. I must admit, I don't know if it's the headgasket or if it's coming from the camshaft seal.

If you have leaking headgasket at 200K, you're better off installing a new engine. First off, you simply cannot just slap in another headgasket. You need to resurface the head, change valve stem seals and all the seals in the head. You can tack on an extra $200 to your repair bill just for work on the cylinder head. Labor to replace the headgasket will be around $500-$1000 depending on where you have it replaced. It's cheaper in the longrun if you buy a used low mileage engine. Most of the imported used engines from Japan have around 40-60K miles. They'll be ready to install and about the only thing you would change is the water pump and install new belts. A used engines would cost about $400-$700 with about $500 in installation. You should also consider changing the engine mounts.

While you're at it, you could replace the axles or any front suspension bushings. This should be too much extra since they'll be taking about the front suspension.

Claude

well i do all the work on my cars myelf. and im not sure about you but the amount of work your talking is worth more than this car. which is worth 1500 at most. to me its not worth it unless i make it a show car. but i have a different car for that this is just a beater. if i find a motor for under 350 shipped ill do it but unless something like that comes along i give up and will just drive it untill it doesn't run. but thanks for the advice.