1991 Acura Integra engine needs overhaul

bakerrm

New Member
The car is a 1991 Acura Integra B18a 5 speed with 211k miles, new timing belt at 175k, oil and filter changed every 3k since then, with all records kept. The motor is making a very loud knocking noise that does not become any quieter when performing a cylinder drop test.

Starting from left to right, the compression test results are as follows: 195, 70, 190, 160
I pulled the valve cover, and all of the valve train is in order except for needing lash adjustments... no dropped valves, broken followers, etc. The oil is full of bearing material, (copper and lead). The engine is still full of oil and the radiator of water, with neither being contaminated with each other.

So, without having torn into the engine, I'm assuming that it'll need a master overhaul kit with pistons, possibly one cylinder sleeve, the crank and rods machined, oversized bearings, etc.

Basically, I'm asking for advice here... once I pull the motor out and confirm that there is no unrepairable damage to the block, crank, or rods, it'll be the perfect opportunity to do some performance upgrades...

..so, what are some of the most cost effective performance upgrades that I can do with the engine apart?
 

bakerrm

New Member
I'm looking for N/A power without loosing too much fuel mileage... how fast can I reliably turn a stock b18 short block (disregarding valvetrain)? I'm thinking of raising the compression ratio, installing slightly longer duration camshafts, a header and free flow cat... what kind of work or money is it going to take to make the computer work? Is it really even worth it, being OBD 0, unless I'm willing to spend a fortune?
 

dc2GS-R

Super Moderator
I would do a leakdown test before tearing it apart to see where it's losing compression. Your number two cylinders are extremely low so there is a lot of air going somewhere. A leakdown will tell you where it is going, and you can pinpoint what is causing it. With that much compression loss it seems it would be a bent valve or blown headgasket. Bad rings usually wouldn't leak that much pressure under normal circumstances considering the rest of the cylinders appear to be in decent shape. A cracked sleeve would leak that bad but that would usually cause other problems and most of the time catastrophic failure.
 

bakerrm

New Member
I'm looking into doing an engine swap... I've been searching the boards, and I'm under the impression that a B18B using my "A" distributor and sensors will work without a glitch? Also, I've been looking around on HMotorsOnline and am wondering about swapping in a B16A w/tranny... is the loss of low end torque compared to the B18 going to be substantial? How noticeable will the difference in drive-ability be? and how about in all out performance? What kind of gas mileage will the JDM B16a/5spd make in a teg?

The current transmission in the car needs new synchronizers, and possibly a pilot shaft, although it's perfectly driveable with a light foot.

Also, has anyone had any experience with JDM SpeedLab?
 
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