New grl to group from Oregon

Dora LeeDora Lee Band Wagon
in New User Introductions
Hey all- Been in love with my car for the 5 years that I've owned it. Its an '88 RT4WD. So stoked to have found the forum. Hoping to end my isolation as a freak about this car! Might have some stupid questions since it just turned up with some engine trouble and no mechanic here thinks its worth a rebuild/replace. It runs now with a new headgasket but block is warped and won't carry me for long this way. Car is extra-extra clean with 160K. Just want to keep it stock and looking for options. Any ideas? Thanks for being here.
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Comments

  • jpciiijpciii familEE
    Welcome!

    Don't sweat the motor problem. People swap motors in civics all the freaking time... I know high school kids who can do it in a weekend. If you wanted to drive it to Georgia, I bet bam-bam would do it for beer... :lol:
  • evol911evol911 familEE
    Welcome! Replacing the motor is a snap! And I'm willing to bet you could find a spare D16A6 around PDX for a couple of hundred dollars, replace some gaskets and such, have someone install it and you should be good for another 100k miles.
  • Eagle BeagleEagle Beagle familEE
    Any ideas?
    post sum pictures...
    ?
    :mrgreen:
  • bam-bambam-bam Council Member
    jpciii wrote:
    Welcome!

    Don't sweat the motor problem. People swap motors in civics all the freaking time... I know high school kids who can do it in a weekend. If you wanted to drive it to Georgia, I bet bam-bam would do it for beer... :lol:
    QFT
  • Dora LeeDora Lee Band Wagon
    evol911 wrote:
    Welcome! Replacing the motor is a snap! And I'm willing to bet you could find a spare D16A6 around PDX for a couple of hundred dollars, replace some gaskets and such, have someone install it and you should be good for another 100k miles.


    Thanks, I'm told the D16A6 won't go in unless it comes from a RT4wd. I found one locally with a 70,000 mile warranty but it's $1900!! Which is $200 more than I paid for the car. Will any D16A6 go in? If so, I'll just try to buy a parts car. The 2wd's are around here relatively frequently. Pics to come.
  • ragenasianragenasian Moderator
    Dora Lee wrote:
    Thanks, I'm told the D16A6 won't go in unless it comes from a RT4wd. I found one locally with a 70,000 mile warranty but it's $1900!! Which is $200 more than I paid for the car. Will any D16A6 go in? If so, I'll just try to buy a parts car. The 2wd's are around here relatively frequently. Pics to come.

    Get a d16a6 from any civic/crx slap it on your RT tranny and have fun.

    By the way welcome to the forums!
  • jpciiijpciii familEE
    ragenasian wrote:
    Get a d16a6 from any civic/crx slap it on your RT tranny and have fun.

    By the way welcome to the forums!

    wait, don't you need the rt4wd oil pan?
  • progressprogress Wagonist
    jpciii wrote:
    ragenasian wrote:
    Get a d16a6 from any civic/crx slap it on your RT tranny and have fun.

    By the way welcome to the forums!

    wait, don't you need the rt4wd oil pan?

    I think she's already got an rt4wd so she already has the right oil pan, ya?Just has to swap the oil pan and the tranny from from her old engine to the "new" one.
  • HaydzHaydz Moderator
    And don't pay anything more than a couple hundred bucks for a used D16A6... 1900 is INSANE.
  • skribbles40skribbles40 Wagonist
    Haydz wrote:
    And don't pay anything more than a couple hundred bucks for a used D16A6... 1900 is INSANE.

    x5 on that one!
    $1900 for a D series warrenty or not is way to much :!:
  • progressprogress Wagonist
    skribbles40 wrote:
    Haydz wrote:
    And don't pay anything more than a couple hundred bucks for a used D16A6... 1900 is INSANE.

    x5 on that one!
    $1900 for a D series warrenty or not is way to much :!:


    For that price, the rest of the car better come with the engine!!!
  • Dora LeeDora Lee Band Wagon
    Yeah $1900 seemed like way too much. I just can't seem to find any others for less (or at all). I'm told the compatibility issue is with the transfer case on the 2wd vs 4wd.
  • yellowmikebikeyellowmikebike Wagonist
    and the transfer case is a tranny issue, not an engine issue. You can find a D16A6 cheap and easy. They were in 89-91 Civic Si, 88-91 CRX Si, 90-91 Civic EX 4-dr, 88-91 RT4wd wagons. I am in Vanc, WA at the Honda dealer Parts dept.. Let me know when you need parts. Call Brian @ AutoAdventure in PDX and see how much they want for one.
  • ALLWHEELDRIVEALLWHEELDRIVE Wagonist
    hello!! im across the bridge from you, in a few weeks maybe a month here i'll probably have a Spare D16a6 block that i could sell to you if you wanted to rebuild it, i can make you a good deal since i have no use for it i'm going D16z6.

    and FYI you can use any D series oil pan except for Y series. you just have to smash it a little bit, but RT oil pan is best
  • HaydzHaydz Moderator
    Dora Lee wrote:
    Yeah $1900 seemed like way too much. I just can't seem to find any others for less (or at all). I'm told the compatibility issue is with the transfer case on the 2wd vs 4wd.

    Whoever told you that is incorrect. The D16A6 from a FWD donor will bolt up fine.
  • ALLWHEELDRIVEALLWHEELDRIVE Wagonist
    yep you just gotta use your oil pan or smash the fwd one
    Haydz wrote:
    Dora Lee wrote:
    Yeah $1900 seemed like way too much. I just can't seem to find any others for less (or at all). I'm told the compatibility issue is with the transfer case on the 2wd vs 4wd.

    Whoever told you that is incorrect. The D16A6 from a FWD donor will bolt up fine.
  • HaydzHaydz Moderator
    Smashing a sump = FAIL.

    Use the original engines sump.
  • ragenasianragenasian Moderator
    She already has the oil pan so she is good to go, now where are the pics? :D
  • teamolsteamols New Wagonist
    ragenasian wrote:
    She already has the oil pan so she is good to go, now where are the pics? :D
    i never have understood your corvette reference. they are the dominant team in lemans racing. go watch them and tell me what u think.race a zo6 lmk how that goes lol.
  • Eagle BeagleEagle Beagle familEE
    in my understanding there are still no pictures...

    or is it my aypatch...
  • DarrenDarren Wagonist
    Eagle Beagle wrote:
    in my understanding there are still no pictures...

    or is it my aypatch...

    definitely no pictures, you can put your patch back on
  • EDwEFprtsEDwEFprts Senior Wagonist
    off topic, but wow, a lot of NW wagons that i never knew about up there ^ .
    too bad the NW wagon meet was so small.
  • Dora LeeDora Lee Band Wagon
    Hi all thanks for all the info! I've been outta commission for awhile. Under piles of work and just bought a house. whew! The pics are still pending, camera is packed. But I just found this on craigslist and am wondering what ya'll think a good offer would be for a parts car... am thinking $1000. but am hoping to get away with less since it doesn't drive.
    http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/1360224424.html
  • JakerJaker familEE
    I think $1,000 is a little high judging from the description in the ad. I don't think $500 is unreasonable.
  • ragenasianragenasian Moderator
    teamols wrote:
    ragenasian wrote:
    She already has the oil pan so she is good to go, now where are the pics? :D
    i never have understood your corvette reference. they are the dominant team in lemans racing. go watch them and tell me what u think.race a zo6 lmk how that goes lol.

    Its a sig nobody really cares.

    Now no more excuses we want some pics :mrgreen:
  • Dora LeeDora Lee Band Wagon
    She wont take 500. She knows what she has i guess. she wants 500 for just the engine. willing to part it out though. what else should i take? she wants 500 for the tranny too. i guess that means she wants over 1000 for a car that cant go? these NW civic people are sharks!
  • Tatty90EE4Tatty90EE4 Wagonist
    Dora Lee wrote:
    She wont take 500. She knows what she has i guess. she wants 500 for just the engine. willing to part it out though. what else should i take? she wants 500 for the tranny too. i guess that means she wants over 1000 for a car that cant go? these NW civic people are sharks!

    i picked up my wagon for $1000 running and driving with 183k, only needed a new clutch. it also had options that a lot of the wagons/wagoneers didn't have... rear speaker pods, A/C, passenger side mirror, deadfoot, and cruise control.

    I think this lady is asking a little too much for a car that can't move because of suspension damage. Were you able to talk her down in price at all?
  • ragenasianragenasian Moderator
    Send the owners a link to the thread maybe then they will be more apt to negotiate. Even here where the wagons are very scarce the prices aren't what they are posting.

    Good luck.
  • judebertjudebert familEE
    I don't know what the market is like up there. Down here in the SE, a $1000 Wagon had better run.

    The longer you wait, the more reasonable the seller will become. Right until she finds a sucker.

    Don't be the sucker.
  • JimStapletonJimStapleton Band Wagon
    I noticed the same posting - Civic Wagon near Portland with suspension damage. If you want, I'll contact the seller and offer $400 - which I'd pay just to have a parts car. My goal in making this offer - when a couple of people provide an offer in the same range, the seller may become aware of reality. This may allow you to buy it for $500.
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