Something is wrong with my engine now at 240K miles, and I am not sure what is wrong. I have a few ideas and will make a second post about my plans and concerns. I would like to get your opinions and how to best proceed to fix this.

My car stumbles a lot when driving and is progressively getting worse.

My accord will smoke occasionally when I start it up when it is cold in the morning. Very white smoke, see picture. I am getting terrible gas mileage in town (~15mpg). The highway is still ~30 mpg. I periodically get a code 43, and that is the only code I get. The EGR ports are clean. Timing is dead on using the timing light. Fuel pressure was in spec, but I plan on retesting it, because its been a while.

I did a compression test with the results below. The first number is on a dry cylinder, then the number in parenthesis is with a couple of mL of oil added to the cylinder. I added a pic of the plugs and they all have a nice black soot on them. You can't see it on #3 and #4 due to the white buildup on them (what is that BTW?). #4 plug looks terrible, and what do you think is causing this?

#1: 191 (210)
#2: 193 (205)
#3: 190 (210)
#4: 190 (205)

 

I think this is at least a head gasket problem, which I can repair. I would get the valve guides replaced by a machine shop. I don't want to have to rebuild the whole bottom end by replacing the rings, bearings, cylinders honed/bored, crankshaft machined, etc... because that will get expensive.

What concerns me is the black soot on the plugs, I am also losing oil. There is no oil in the coolant or vice versa. No oil on the ground either. Is this the valve stem seals leaking, the head gasket, or is there something up with my rings?

I know that I need to do a leak down test. I tried last weekend with a homemade tester at 100 psi, and got 100% leakdown (cylinders not holding any pressure). I wouldn't expect this result with the high compression. Do you have to hold the crank when doing this?

The other option is buy and install a used low mileage engine. I don't have a cherry picker, so has anyone done this with the car on jack-stands from underneath using jacks?

 

your nu,mber 4 plug looks nasty. As far as I remember you compression in each cyl should be 180 MAX from what all data states. So seems like each cyl is on the high side. I'm not sure what would cause that. Something has to be burning off to obviously make the white smoke. Do you have any mods or just stock?

 

Plugs #1 and #2 seem to have Dry sooty carbon deposits which means that you have a rich fue mixture or a getting pretty weak ignition problem which would cause your car misfireing, hesitation and sometimes hard starting.

Plug #3 you can put in my car cause she's lookin pretty good. But replace when you do the others.

Plug#4 Is a wasted plug thats giving you the problems. Ash deposits-looks like it might be pre igniting , maybe caused by over advanced timeing,or an intake manifold vacume leak.

I shall look into it more for just like your doing mister moderator...let me know if you find out more from the other smokeing problem..which I think is being caused by those plugs and their symptoms..

Angelo...
Veterens Day 11th of November...

 

It is all stock.

The specs show 178 for 200 rpm at wide open throttle. I don't know what rpm my starter turns the engine.

You are right. #4 looks awful and my jaw hit my chest when I saw this.

I took pics of my plugs in March of 08, because #3 and #4 had a white buildup on them. #4 did not look anything like this. I attached that pic as well.

 

wow you where quick with that 2nd post didn't even know it was there ill now..lol

yeah that was my next question about oil loss...so that’s where the white smoke is coming from. I would assume it's head gasket or vale seals over the rings. For the most part if it was the rings I would think you wouldn’t get that type of pressure in the cyls that you are...but I'm not all that sure.
As for the removal harbor freight sells pretty cheap engine hoist. Iv seen them go for like 120bucks at my local store. I donno about removing it from the bottom never hear/seen it done so I have no clue

hummm...smells like a h22 swap 2 me

 

It would be cool to do a H22 swap, but I am going to keep it all stock. Less headaches that way.

One other item to mention is that plug 4 is more erosion of the side arm than crap built up on it. Whatever is on the side arm is pretty solid. I am not sure what it is indicating. Can fuel pressure that is marginally low give me this?

My idle is pretty stable, but I will spray some TB cleaner around the intake gaskets and vacuum hoses to find an intake leak.

 

Bad injector making #4 run a bit lean (hotter)? Run some cleaner through the gas tank can't hurt. Maybe code 43 can pop up from that?

I can't see the pictures yet (firewalls I guess).

Next time you get the white smoke, smell it. Sweet antifreeze smell? Normally an antifreeze leak will make one (or more) sparkplugs nice shiny clean. Probably not for you becuase it's not a big leak only a little at startup.

 

If smoking clears up and is not noticeable while driving, stem seals are indicated. Another indicator is white puff-puff-puff smoke after an extended hot idle, followed by temporary smoke under hard acceleration.

Those compressions are good and similar to what I got for a 90 Accord w/ 270K miles. But I never had any problem w/ stem seals.

good luck