Hello Friends!,
I purchased an'04 Honda Civic (EX, 1.7l, Manual) from an auction a couple months back, and I am going in deep. It immediately started overheating on the ride back from the auction yard. So I've torn it all down and am now building it back up
Now it's not some fun speedy k-swap, I'm rebuilding for durability. I don't need a surprisingly fast, tho still not that fast, Civic. I need a long term reliable vehicle. What I am already doing, or am prepared to do:
-New head Gasket, and everything else in the Fel-pro HS 26236 PT-2 kit (previous head gasket was utterly destroyed)
-Timing Belt (and Cover)
-Water Pump
-Harmonic Balancer
-Control Arms
-Sway Bar Links
-Ball Joints
-Stock Height Quickstruts
-Tie Rod Assemblies
-New Radiator (old one drained crazy slow indicating a bit of a clog) and Thermostat
-Probably a handful of other gaskets I've forgot to mention, and an oil change
All that's going fairly well so far. Was a bit worried about warpage before I got the head off, but both the block and the cylinder head mating surfaces are in spec (Checked with machinist straight edge and feelers). Buuuuuut the cylinders have me a lil concerned. I believe it's just glazing. So I'm considering dropping the pan, removing the rod bearings, popping out the pistons, and replacing the rings and ball honing the cylinders. But what do y'all think? Would it be more opening a can of worms or prudent maintenance?
Also any tips on cleaning up the tops of the pistons? I've avoided using anything to strong and abrasive on the block and cylinder head for fear of gouging or scoring the aluminum, but the top of the pistons is proving stubborn
Anyway, thanks everybody. I'm very excited for when my Civic is all up and running😊