FML!! The a3 may have kicked the bucket

[AUTiger]

Driving to work this morning and a nasty noise started coming from the valvecover and the timing chain side, I did a no-no and tried to drive a few miles to pull over and I had my laptop started datalogging, knocking was through the roof. As I would drive though the noise would sound like it would cut out for a second and come back when I would put it in neutral, I got 2 miles down the road to my pull over destination and it cut off on me and wouldn't crank over even when I put it in limp mode.

So either the tensioner went or the chain. It is being towed to a shop right now to see if just the tensioner went and if I have bent valves.

[makavelibranded]

How many miles and whats been done to it for power gainers?

[EP3Casas]

thats not good. that tick that cut out was a valve getting bent.

[AUTiger]

103k miles
Injen CAI
PRC intake manifold
K24a1 head
07si valvetrain
Skunk2 stage II cams
07si upper chain guide
Chunky modified tensioner
KRRH
06-type-s midpipe->stock axelback
K-Pro

Dynoed 180hp 140tq, now it's putting out 0hp and 0tq

I found a k24a1 for 750 with 47k miles and free delivery to the shop.

[makavelibranded]

Well thats pretty lame were you harsh on the motor at all? thats a good price on the k24.

[AUTiger]

that's the sad thing, after I got tuned last year. I never beat on it, haha. Reason being, I was afraid something bad would happen. It hasn't actually hit the rev limit of 7.5K more than a dozen times since the tune. I did have oil pressure issues during tuning when vtec was set low, but on the dyno 4.5k looked good and no issues, I did bump it down to 4.3k this morning and it crossed vtec maybe once, but after that I was just driving part throttle, in fact it started making the noise while I was at a stoplight.

[AUTiger]

k24a1 here I come. I heard back from the mechanic. At the very least, 3 bent intake valves, maybe 4. Cam sprockets may be damaged and TCT and chain are no longer good. No telling if Chunky's modded TCT helped the motor last this long or not. I would completely blame my cams, but since this motor had oil pressure issues with low vtec points I am concerned that maybe that had something to do with the TCT failing.

[REBUILT CIVIC]

were did u find the k24? was it a private buy from someone or from a website? either way great find

[AUTiger]

local salvage yard, I need to call first thing in the morning. They messed up on their website and didn't post the mileage so that dropped the price, the guy said he wouldn't adjust it in the system because it would go way up.

[VIZHUNZ02SI]

tct most likely went, same thing happened to me in 05. just cruise on the turn pike then bam, lost power, tried to to crank it and it struggled to crank. towed it home. took off the vc noticed all the cam cap were loose. did some research. tct failing=tc slack= no power to valve train=fukd timing=pwned by a $50 part

[AUTiger]

i even had a chunky modded tct. Last year I had the shop run an oil pressure test, it was fine in the block, but some issues with the head, so there was something screwed up somewhere. I was way overdue for the oil filter, it was stuck the last two times I tried to swap it out and I was picking up a tool this weekend. I'm thinking gunk build up cut the oil supply to the tct and that bitch failed. My fault, but I am done modding now. I will run a k24a1 with my bolt-ons and k-pro and call it forever. Only upgrades after that will be looks and suspension. MAYBE JRSC years down the road, no turbo for sure and stock cams.

[sleepy ep3]

I have a k20a3 head I could sell you. It only has one bent valve and one broken exhaust roller. Lol.

[AUTiger]

I have a spare a3 head too with no bent valves, but my rocker arms are all dismantled and the head is stripped for the exhaust manifold bolts. I am just lacking the a3 cams and I will not put the cams in since I don't want to swap valvesprings again. With all the little parts and time I would probably spend just as much as the motor and labor for an in car headswap can't be much better than just a motor swap.

[jgn6848]

same thing happend to my a3, the tct failed and chain went lose... next thing u know i bent most of the intake side valves. There was no compression in all cylinders. I think a3's tct are the weak point especially with aggressive cams. Use the hybrid racing tct and run any cams u want.

http://www.hybrid-racing.com/store/hybrid-racing-timing-chain-tensioner-for-k-series-engines.html

its expensive but u will have peace of mind.

[AUTiger]

well I'm highly torn. I'm waiting to hear back about the labor costs for a motor swap. My fiance and future mother in-law say part it out and get a new or slightly used car. My dad says if it's $2,000-2,500 for motor and labor then it's a one-time cost as opposed to 3-5 years of monthly payments of $250-350. An i/h/e tuned k24a1 should have no problems reaching 150K miles or more which is 100k miles more than the motor currently has, it took me 8 years to put that amount of miles on the a3.

I really haven't been in any other car over the last 8 years that really made me want it, at least one that I would be able to afford looking at right now. No Genesis Coupe, no mazdaspeed, no wrx, no camero, no mustang gt. I would be stuck in something non-sporty and boring. I love the EP too much to part it out and scrap the shell.

[makavelibranded]

Imo parents have no say in shit, your a grown man so ignore her mom. Explain to the wife that 2.5k is nothing compaired to switching cars for thousands more then just that swap, 300 monthly adds up fast,.. also on top of that many many of my friends got tired of there car, or something broke and swapped to different cars that allllll ended up costing thousands more, and got bored fast cause they were crap cars.

[AUTiger]

that's my feeling^^^ I talked with her and the other option is that I keep the EP, with a blown motor and swap myself when I have the money and tools, I'll drive her auto scion tc and we get her a crossover suv since she was thinking about getting a new car in the next year or two anyways. This way she wins and I get to keep the ep and build it to the car I have always wanted and instead of paying on possibly two cars in the next year or two. But it will kill me to stare at the EP for over a year and not be able to drive it. I'll be thinking it over long and hard this weekend.

[chizz]

damn good price on the k24

[EP3Casas]

well I'm highly torn. I'm waiting to hear back about the labor costs for a motor swap. My fiance and future mother in-law say part it out and get a new or slightly used car. My dad says if it's $2,000-2,500 for motor and labor then it's a one-time cost as opposed to 3-5 years of monthly payments of $250-350. An i/h/e tuned k24a1 should have no problems reaching 150K miles or more which is 100k miles more than the motor currently has, it took me 8 years to put that amount of miles on the a3.

I really haven't been in any other car over the last 8 years that really made me want it, at least one that I would be able to afford looking at right now. No Genesis Coupe, no mazdaspeed, no wrx, no camero, no mustang gt. I would be stuck in something non-sporty and boring. I love the EP too much to part it out and scrap the shell.

they are retarded. get the swap done and be happy.

[AUTiger]

HA HA, I WIN!!! The shop came back with a lower estimate for the labor. First time they said 1307.09, this time they came back with 955.67 and that included resurfacing my flywheel if it is needed or sub 900 without it. But I will most likely be putting in a fresh exedy oe clutch which would require resurfacing my flywheel, unless he can give me a good deal on his CC stage 4 that he originally bought for his k24a2 type-s that he never used and I can find a cheap a2 flywheel to get resurfaced. While they have the car I am going to try and get my brakes and tires replaced as well. Which will probably raise the total costs for parts and labor into the $2500 range. Which is double what the parts will probably cost me, but I can't install tires, nor do I have the ability to swap the motor. And my brakes need replacing bad and I would rather not drive it another mile until they get replaced since the warning indicator has already been going off for a week and half screeching while driving around.

I ordered the crv passenger side bracket a few minutes ago, I will be purchasing the motor in the morning and come friday when my paycheck clears I will be getting oil, tranny fluid, and coolant and possibly a new clutch. I just don't know how I feel about driving around on a stage 4 clutch with just a bolt-on k24a1. But if I ever get around to a headswap or supercharge the k24 I will need that clutch.