Anyway to check if a motor is strong or not while inspecting a vehicle?

[jdmEG5]

Hey Guys,

I was just wondering ; Is there any way to check a motor if its still strong or not? (while inspecting a vehicle?)

Also, how to check a car with a converted motor eg. EG with b18 - how to check if the motor is properly secured etc? just wanna know if the motor swap was a home job or professionally done? any way to check incase the owner is bullshitting?? - Excluding paper works such as receipts?


(sorry if i dont make sense, i dont really know how to put it together.. lol)

thanks

[mocchi]

Hey Guys,

I was just wondering ; Is there any way to check a motor if its still strong or not? (while inspecting a vehicle?)

Also, how to check a car with a converted motor eg. EG with b18 - how to check if the motor is properly secured etc? just wanna know if the motor swap was a home job or professionally done? any way to check incase the owner is bullshitting?? - Excluding paper works?


(sorry if i dont make sense, i dont really know how to put it together.. lol)

thanks

some home jobs do professional work, some professionals do home job work. how you gonna know which is which?
either i dont think it matters if its been done good.
look for oil leaks, check coolant if its been topped up? no coolant top up usually means owner doesnt care that much.

check out the wiring on ecu and try to trace back. see if any wires been properly soldered & protected by shrink wrap.

open up fuse cover see if its neat or rats nest, thats an indication?

[1590cc]

Do a compression test on the motor

[jdmEG5]

some home jobs do professional work, some professionals do home job work. how you gonna know which is which?
either i dont think it matters if its been done good.
look for oil leaks, check coolant if its been topped up? no coolant top up usually means owner doesnt care that much.

check out the wiring on ecu and try to trace back. see if any wires been properly soldered & protected by shrink wrap.

open up fuse cover see if its neat or rats nest, thats an indication?


Ah thanks for the reply dude.. How about the motor its self? Other than compression test, is there anyway to know if the rings are gone etc etc?

[EK1 Civic]

smoke from the exhaust will let you know if rings are ****ed. Very noticable.

[jdmEG5]

smoke from the exhaust will let you know if rings are ****ed. Very noticable.

Black smoke yeah?

But cant smokes also indicate that the motor is running rich?

[trism]

black smoke is rich, white/blue smoke is oil

[jdmEG5]

Does rich mean the rings are gone? I assume not?

[Troy]

No, that's too much fuel = rich. White/Blue is oil which means the rings are not properly sealing

[jdmEG5]

No, that's too much fuel = rich. White/Blue is oil which means the rings are not properly sealing

ah so i should look out for white/blue smoke?

thanks Troy.

Also ; cant black smoke also means there are sludge in the motor?

[mugen_ctr]

As said, do the general inspection, comp test, and leak down test, leak down test should tell u enough info about how well the rings are

And the number one test, the driving test, check for any signs or gearbox problems as well as other usual stuff goin on.

Unless they done the swap em selfs, they must provide u the recite, a simple "i lost the recite" isnt good enough, for every engine swap/build, u want assurance from who done the work, an also that way u can back track it as well, should any problems occur later down the track, if they say they got it done at a workshop but cant provide proof of it, walk away...

And most important, rego the engine to the car!!!

[dougie_504]

ah so i should look out for white/blue smoke?

thanks Troy.

Also ; cant black smoke also means there are sludge in the motor?


Yes, look for white/blue smoke, especially after the engine has been warmed up and driven for a good ten mins (white smoke on cold start could just be condensation in exhaust).
Black smoke usually just means it needs a bit of a tune, using too much petrol.

Also check the synchros of the GBox, changing gears at high RPM. If you're buying a car you need to know if it's healthy - don't by shy about it.

And if you can get a leak-down test it's a good idea - if the seller is serious about selling the car then they shouldn't complain if you arrange it.

[amant02]

I would recommend taking the car to a mechanic, like dougie_504 said if the seller is serious he wouldnt care. You pay 50-130 bucks and the mechanic will put the car on hoists and check for usual wear and tear and any problems. I would recommend JEM Workshop, thats where i got the cars i considered buying before i bought mine, they do all the checks and give you a pretty good comprehensive report on the car. And if anything fails within 6 months that mechanic is liable for all labor costs.

[steeeven]

In qld we also have racq checks as well they go over the whole car, and give you a report of the car. I'm assuming in nsw it would be nrma/rta people?

[Mikecivic78]

ah so i should look out for white/blue smoke?

thanks Troy.

Also ; cant black smoke also means there are sludge in the motor?

My B16a doesn't emit any smoke whatsoever, even when I hit 8200. No smoke = clean motor.

[jdmEG5]

thanks for the replies guys! Will definitely look up onto your replies!!

and thanks to Dougie for the information!

cheers!

[_bORdO_]

this is not related to how healthy the engine is but i would slam the breaks while driving & check if ABS is working fine.

[dougie_504]

this is not related to how healthy the engine is but i would slam the breaks while driving & check if ABS is working fine.

Good point. You can get online checklists that help you to inspect a car if you're not too mechanically minded EG. drive and pullover, get on the road and see if anything is leaking down etc.

Most of these will tell you to perform an 'emergency stop' which is literally slamming on the brakes at 40km/h. Keep an eye out for abnormalities like the car pulling aggressively to one side for no clear reason, make sure the brake system can hold the pressure etc.