That's an expensive and labor intense job, you need to find out EXACTLY what the problem is before assuming it and start replacing unnecessary parts
anyway , your car , your choice, your time and money

 

I mean the intake, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, distributor, valve cover, timing cover, and everything else is already off.

 

you still have not stated that crank and cam timing are correct , maybe you did and I missed that, if so I'm sorry for bringing it up

 

yes they are correct

 

If you pull the cylinder head, you will need to get the head perfectly flat before you install a new head gasket. The valves should be inspected. I suspect that the valves got damaged if the previous owner tried to start the car without the key in the crankshaft. That key locks the crank pulley and the timing belt sprocket. If the pistons moved without the valves moving, you could have bent valves as the pistons would hit some of the valves.

I'd suggest doing a compression test on the cylinders to see if you have a compression problem. You can also bring each cylinder to TDC and put some air pressure into each cylinder to see if the valves are holding pressure. There is an ericthecarguy video on youtube about compression and this type of leakdown testing if you have an air compressor.

 

Yeah I might just get a vtec head for real. Thank you for telling me something I didn't know.

 

What is the 3 haze marks going down the cylinder wall?





This is the intake manifold. Aint the green marks where coolant had been leaking past the gasket?

 

Here's an update: I put oil in all the cylinders just so that I can see it physically and know for fact that it was a problem. Fast forward a few days later, cylinder 2 or 3 oil was gone while the other 3 still had their oil in the same spot from what I can remember.

Is there a way to make the rings seal without taking the motor apart? If not then I was just get piston rings and bearings, and replace them while the engine is still in the car. Also what would you do about the cylinder head? I thought about rebuilding but don't want to spend a lot of money on tools and kits for it, if I can get another one somewhere cheaper perhaps. I found a f22b2 motor on Facebook with 100,000 something miles, ran before pulled, and had all the accessories still on the motor just for $175. But I have the problem of trying to get it but with no transportation.

 

You'd have to remove the oil pan and disconnect the piston from the crankshaft. The compression test and leakdown tests would have helped identify bad cylinders and possibly why. You are essentially at a point where you either do a DIY rebuild, or install a replacement engine.

Replacing the engine will be cheaper. Take a look at car-part.com for junkyards by distance from where you live. Look for a low mileage 94/95 LX or DX engine for an identical swap. I'd ask if they do a compression test and a leakdown test to ensure you are getting a good engine. Ask for the cost of delivery as well.

I'd also just swap in a 94 or 95 LX/DX engine and not worry about the EX/Vtec engine unless you want to swap wiring harnesses and the ECU and TCU. I'm not sure it is worth the hassle for 15 hp.

 

I didn't have an air compressor that's why I didn't do the leakdown test. And the compression test I did on like 1 or 2 but the battery kept on dying and i was half asleep because I stayed up working on it so I don't remember over half the stuff I did that night/day. And yeah I don't feel like doing extra work to put vtec in for little gain. I will start adding stuff later to gain hp but I'm more worried about getting it to run first.