Just a quick update.

I'm trying a MMO soak this next weekend but I feel I'm just postponing the inevitable, removing the head and popping out the pistons to clean the ring grooves and install new rings. I just think I might screw it up with the timing belt. Although, the other night when I changed out the oil, which was thin as hell and stuuuuunk of gasoline, I noticed the timing belt is not looking in the best condition. The timing belt cover is broken and left the belt open to the elements so I'll probably need to go ahead and replace the belt as well. Sigh.......

 

Oil and seafoam will seep down the cylinder wall through the gaps in the rings. If the cylinders were completely dry, you can try a cap of MMO in each cylinder and do a wet compression test.

If you still have low compression, try the MMO soak. It can't hurt and won't hit your wallet. If the compression remains low after the MMO soak, pull off the valve cover and get the crank to TDC and verify the cam is also at TDC. It is possible the timing belt jumped especially with all 4 cylinders having low compression.

If you get to the point where you are considering new rings (essentially a DIY engine rebuild), you should look at the cost of a used engine on car-part.com. It may be quicker and cheaper than new rings. If the cylinders were damaged, new rings also won't help.

 

Yes, I'll see how it goes with the MMO soak. I will also double check the timing as you mention. I was looking at car-part.com the other day looking to see if any yards near me have any CB7s for some trim pieces and such and I noticed one listed an engine about an hour and half from me. Lists the engine for $600 with 116,547 miles so will definitely keep that option in mind also.

 

Been a while but I haven't worked on it. Yesterday, I went ahead and threw some replacement parts in it that I had already purchased. I replaced the ECM computer and installed 4 new injectors that I purchased from a link on Youtube after watching the video. Car still will not run. Cranks but that's it.

I threw the cable back in the connector under the dash to check for stored codes, but with the cable in place, the check engine light never flashes. Stays on solid no matter I wait 10 seconds or 3 minutes. At one point, I was messing with the cheap Dual single-din radio in the car and surprised that it worked over Bluetooth with my phone. The dash trim is a bit loose though and I can move the stereo in/out from the dash like almost an inch. After this, I put a charger on the battery and when I went to crank it again, the car lost all power. No power to dash, no sound from dash when key is put into that first click, no lower corner light on the door. I went around and pulled the #1 7.5amp reset fuse under the hood fuse box and after about 8 minutes or so, the light on the door came back on. Now when I go to try and crank it, it immediately kills power. No fuses are blown, just like someone disconnects the battery while I'm trying to crank it. I went ahead and pulled out the radio fuse in case there is a wire back there causing the power issues and left it. I'll look at it again later this week when I'm off work.

That's the update for now. Thanks.

The car has 260K miles in case I forgot to post that somewhere.

 

Sitrep fellers....I haven't worked on this thing much lately except this last few days. I did a compression test on the cylinders again after soaking with some MMO again. Damn. Still low pretty much across the board.

I took the fuel rail and injectors off the intake and put my scope camera down the injector holes. Holy crap, there is so much sludge on the back of those valves. I then propped the throttle body open and threw the camera down its throat and I found a lake of dark murky liquid in the bottom of the intake tubes. It seems that every time I have tried to fire it up with some starting fluid it pretty much for some reason just didn't even make it to the cylinders. What the hell? I know the valves open because I can see the cam working with the valve cover off while turning the crank with my ratchet. Why would there still be all that fluid still be in the bottom of the intake tubes just before the injector holes? Each time I have done the compression tests, I have propped open the throttle body as I was advised to do so during compression testing. Is this mean that when the pistons move down, they aren't creating vacuum to suck air/gas into the cylinders? That sounds like the piston rings are really really stuck to the pistons and not having any sealing effect right? The thing is, every time I have soaked the cylinders with MMO or B-12, or Seafoam, the liquid takes a day or two to fully leak down past the rings.....If that is the case, then I have no choice but to remove the head and pop the pistons out from underneath to replace the rings right? Either that, or just replace the engine altogether with a different used engine. Clearly the 12 years sitting in the barn, did a number on the piston rings.

When I saw all that fluid in the intake tubes and how nasty and full of crud/sludge the intake ports are, I decided to pull the intake manifold. I have already gave it a really good clean and will give it a second clean tomorrow. Not sure if I should go ahead and drill the EGR ports while its out of the car or just block off the EGR valve with a plate. I'd rather just eliminate the EGR valve instead of dealing with drilling/replacing the EGR ports.

I have a Fel-Pro gasket kit coming but I also managed to tear several of the old *** hoses in the process of removing them. They are all petrified so will need to be replaced along with the torn gaskets and completely flat o-rings that I found on the various valves on the intake. Sigh.....

 

Plugging the EGR portts will cause a slight stumble around 1800 rpm if memory serves, so I'd recommend cleaning them. As for repairing vs replacing the engine, that is a tough call. I'd probably price a used accord engine to get an idea of the cost to just swap the engine then make the call on how to proceed.