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Thread: Should I rebuild the engine in my CRX?

  1. #11
    Senior Member Dangermouse's Avatar
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    If you are chasing tin-worm on your car, and the 100k mile is solid, it's a no-brainer just to buy it as the DD.

    To restore your current CRX is only a viable option if you do the labor yourself and that probably means weeks and weeks of work, if not months and months. That would give you time to source the specific engine you want.

    I can understand wanting to keep and restore it, as it has sentimental value, but in the meantime you have to get to work, if only to pay for the restoration and/or engine swap.
    Dermot
    VIN 2743, B/A, Frame 2227, engine 2320

    I don't always drive cars, but when I do, I prefer DeLoreans

    http://www.will-to-live.org

    No-one is to stone anyone, even, and I want to make this absolutely clear, even if they do say "carburetor"

  2. #12
    Stupid Newbie DaraSue's Avatar
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    Well, the bad news is, even with synthetic 10W40 it still didn't pass. The good news is, I've finally hit the magic 30 years where I qualify for vintage plates so it turns out I don't actually have to get it smogged anymore. Officially it's not supposed to be used as a daily driver but from what I'm hearing they don't go out of their way to enforce it and the D pretty much is my daily driver during the summer anyway so I don't feel as under the gun to make a decision in the next 3 days, at least.

    I messaged the guy with the two CRXs on KSL. The white one was the one I was originally looking at, but the red one looks to be a DX so if it's in better shape than mine the parts should be compatible. Haven't heard back yet but now as long as I don't blow a gasket in the next year I'll have some time to audition potential replacements and/or look for a new engine.

    I guess I could try and ~let it gooooo ~ already because it's old and tired and it's served me well for the last 20 years so maybe it really is ready for a rest but getting rid of things that are salvageable (or even things that aren't) is... really not my strong suit, alas.
    Last edited by DaraSue; 06-13-2017 at 01:33 PM.

  3. #13
    Senior Member
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    Let go your feelings you must .....or.....
    You could always erect a plinth in the back yard and mount it as a display...then you're not just packratting...its art
    Rob Depew
    Tacoma, Wa
    '81 DeLorean 4877 Grey, Auto, 4 wheels
    The Ressurection of 4877......
    Website
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  4. #14
    Senior Member mr_maxime's Avatar
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    Ill second the JDM swap. Put a K20 in it.

  5. #15
    LS1 DMC Nicholas R's Avatar
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    This is a lot to bite off if youre not sure what you're doing. Have you ever done any major maintenance on this car? Head gasket? Timing belt? Main seal? Etc. To jump right into an engine rebuild or engine swap is a pretty big leap. Just be sure to plan everything out before starting in, otherwise you can end up with a half finished car without an engine.

  6. #16
    Stupid Newbie DaraSue's Avatar
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    Honestly I've never even changed the oil on this car myself. Realistically I'd probably be paying somebody else to either overhaul the existing engine or put a crate engine in. I emailed that Osaka JDM place to see if they ever get the gen I motors in.

    I'm taking it to a classic car specialist on Wed to see if they think it's as bad as my regular mechanic says. It's not horrifically smoking or anything so it's still driveable. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for another CRX with less than 200K on it just it case (That guy with the two for sale sold the white one and then I never heard back when I tried to go see the red one, bummer). Starting to grudgingly accept that I might have to go to a gen II just because they have more parts availability. Justin from Wells Auto also recommended redpepperracing.com which is more gen I -centric so I'll poke around there and see if anybody has any ideas, too. Knock on wood, the D's been behaving itself lately and it's registered and insured as a daily driver so I can at least drive it to work til the snow starts falling...
    Last edited by DaraSue; 06-19-2017 at 03:48 PM.

  7. #17
    LS1 DMC Nicholas R's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DaraSue View Post
    Honestly I've never even changed the oil on this car myself.
    You should definitely not attempt this.

    Find someone to diagnose the issues and quote the cost of repairs, then decide if it's worth it to you.

  8. #18
    Stupid Newbie DaraSue's Avatar
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    Yeah, doing it myself isn't really my first choice. I've got quite a bit more money than time, patience or mechanical skills. Not necessarily opposed to spending a bunch to keep the car I want, except that I'd be worried about wrecking it and not being able to get decent reimbursement from the insurance (although I still drive the D, so...)

    Found another potential replacement CRX but once again not hearing back from the seller. Do these people want to sell their cars or not? Maybe I need to make a bigger point of stating where I live so they don't see my out of state # and think I'm some scammer...

  9. #19
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Jul 2015

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    Maybe you have to know the secret password before they will get back to you?
    Rob Depew
    Tacoma, Wa
    '81 DeLorean 4877 Grey, Auto, 4 wheels
    The Ressurection of 4877......
    Website
    YouTube
    My Patreon

  10. #20
    Stupid Newbie DaraSue's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lwanmtr View Post
    Maybe you have to know the secret password before they will get back to you?
    Finally heard back from the guy today but he's selling it to a coworker. There was another one I was considering but it's rusted all to crap, needs brakes and has only driven 500 miles in the last couple years so it would probably defeat the purpose of buying something to drive while my other one's in the shop. There's one that actually looks decent, a gen 2 with a newer engine, but it's 2 hours away. Ugh, this is why I hate car shopping.

    I took mine in for a 2nd opinion from a classic car specialist today and unfortunately it was as bad or worse than my other mechanic thought. One cylinder wasn't putting out any compression at all and the other three weren't so hot either. On the bright side he thought the transmission noise was just something in the clutch (something... ring? I think it started with a T) so maybe that's still solid. He thought he might have a line on a junkyard engine with less than 40K on it so we'll see what happens.

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