Looks like it’s been running rich, which isn’t necessarily bad. The carbon build-up could actually help protect the valves. Better than running lean, for sure. The coating on the metal could also be from running rich or just from oil changes not being done often enough. Either way, it might still be fine. It could be higher mileage, but I don’t see anything too alarming. What’s the wear on the cams like? How’s the compression? If those check out, I wouldn’t stress too much.
If it’s got the original Honda timing belt, it’s probably under 100k. These engines came in pricey cars back then, so chances are the original owner took care of it. But honestly, you could make an engine look like that in just 20k miles if you never changed the oil. It might not have been perfectly maintained, but I’ve seen way worse. I’d be happy with this condition.
@Avi
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Just not enough oil changes. I’ve heard owning a car in Japan is considered a luxury.
Briar said:
@Avi
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Just not enough oil changes. I’ve heard owning a car in Japan is considered a luxury.
It’s had plenty of oil changes—there’s no sludge. You’re overthinking this. My engine had half an inch of tar on everything before I rebuilt it, and now it’s running 15lbs of boost. Just run it, it looks fine.
I’m sure it’s a good engine, but don’t fully trust the 60-70k mile JDM sales pitch. VTEC Academy talked about this—someone in the business of selling these engines basically said they’re supposed to be around that mileage, but people push them way further. You could be looking at an engine that was swapped at 100-120k miles. Still, that’s way better than buying something local with over 200k on it.
@Lane
I agree. It’s probably not as low-mileage as advertised, but aside from the oil stains in the head, it looks solid.
Briar said:
@Lane
I agree. It’s probably not as low-mileage as advertised, but aside from the oil stains in the head, it looks solid.
Since you have the engine out, now’s the time to do some basic maintenance. A valve tool isn’t expensive—swap the valve stem seals, maybe replace the valves, or at least clean up the carbon buildup. Set the valve lash. I did this on my EP3 with 250k miles, and while it didn’t magically add power, the throttle response and acceleration felt smoother. You’re making me want to finally swap mine.
@Lane
Yeah, I was already planning to do valve stem seals, all new seals in general, and a timing belt before dropping it in.
Briar said:
@Lane
Yeah, I was already planning to do valve stem seals, all new seals in general, and a timing belt before dropping it in.
Nice, I’m jealous. Enjoy it.
Ty said:
Looks like an engine to me.
Well yeah, obviously it’s an engine… but it looks pretty worn.
Ty said:
Looks like an engine to me.
Well yeah, obviously it’s an engine… but it looks pretty worn.
It looks used. What were you expecting? It’s not gonna be shiny at 60k miles. The exhaust ports turn black after 5k miles. Also, was it exposed to the elements? Mileage is one thing, but if you’re just worried about dirt, that’s not on the seller. If it was 60k and had just been rebuilt with only one or two starts, it wouldn’t look like this. But this is a used engine, and it looks… used.