Let's play "What's wrong with Nightfall's cars?"

[mtnbkr]

Riley, not a law, just how they are there.  Environmental regulations coupled with Japanese consumerism has them replacing cars very often.

Chris

[Manedwolf]

Hondas are very easy to do engine swaps on, and there's no shortage of JDM (Japan Domestic Market) engines out there. I have no idea about Toyotas.

An Accord can generally have a swap done in a couple hours with a hoist. It's all modular, just amphenol wiring harness connectors and the transmission, no cutting, welding or any of that, just unbolting and bolting. In fact, it's so easy that engine swaps are one of the easiest performance things done to Hondas...even other engines from other Hondas, with mounting adapter kits.

In fact, if you want to, you can even swap in the hotter engine from the Accord LXi of the era (I had one, same as the Prelude engine), the B16 A1 Long Block, and the thing will become a rocket!

Google for "87 Accord engine swap" or "third generation" plus Accord and engine swap to get started.

There's even a forum for that entire generation of the vehicle. http://www.3geez.com/forum/

[mtnbkr]

Maned, I was very close to purchasing an 87 Accord LXi the other day.  It had 202k miles, but was extremely clean (looked better than many cars a quarter it's age), well maintained, etc.  It had a recent inspection and nearly new tires too.  Guy only wanted $1k for it.  Unfortunately, someone beat me to it. 

Chris

[Manedwolf]

Maned, I was very close to purchasing an 87 Accord LXi the other day.  It had 202k miles, but was extremely clean (looked better than many cars a quarter it's age), well maintained, etc.  It had a recent inspection and nearly new tires too.  Guy only wanted $1k for it.  Unfortunately, someone beat me to it. 
Chris

Wow, that was a good deal. Those WILL run forever. The only thing to do is have a mechanic run a check on the vacuum system and look at the lines, and also check the A/C compressor. Those were the only issues with that generation.

There's lots and lots of aftermarket parts for them, too, including a new EL backlit instrument cluster. Lots of fans. People seem to like the quintessential 80's angular nose and popup headlights, one of the last cars to have those.  (incidentially, the headlight popup is servo-driven, not vacuum-driven, so they don't suffer from the early failures a lot of American cars did)

[Tallpine]

Even if it was the crappiest of crappy oil, it's still motor oil.

What if it was transmission fluid ?   

[mtnbkr]

Oh yeah, I forgot, the AC didn't work due to a bad clutch.  Since we're going into cool weather, I wasn't particularly bothered.  The car was going to be for my brother, who's a college student with a less than reliable Civic.  This would've been perfect for him.  Oh well...

Chris

[Thor]

I'll second the engine swap thing. I got rid of a good vehicle back in 78 because the block got cracked. I wound up buying another used vehicle for way more than what a used engine from a junkyard would have cost. I was young then and nobody even recommended obtaining a used engine and swapping them out. Of course, that all depends on what kind of condition the rest of the Toyota is in.

[Brad Johnson]

Even if it was the crappiest of crappy oil, it's still motor oil.

What if it was transmission fluid ?   

Then it wouldn't be motor oil.  I highly doubt that they used tranny fluid.  I know that some of the grease monkeys at these places can be a bit unattentive, but it would take a lot more to make a complete futz like that.

Brad

[Tallpine]

Don't underestimate the stupidity or malevolence of "mechanics"

A friend of ours recently bought a slightly used car from a major rental agency.  The first time she used the windshield washers, the most horrible odor occurred.  Somebody (either at the shop or a recent rental customer) put something (don't want to know what  ) in the washer fluid tank.

[Manedwolf]

Even if it was the crappiest of crappy oil, it's still motor oil.

What if it was transmission fluid ?   

Then it wouldn't be motor oil.  I highly doubt that they used tranny fluid.  I know that some of the grease monkeys at these places can be a bit unattentive, but it would take a lot more to make a complete futz like that.

Brad

You never know. What if they thought the oil dipstick was the tranny fluid dipstick, put a funnel in that and dumped a bottle in?

[Paddy]

The 1995 Miata engine from here http://www.japanengine.com/index.htm was $945 shipped.  It's the only company our mechanic will use.  It was installed in April, the car is a daily driver and so far everything's good.

[jeepmor]

It's the only company our mechanic will use.

Keep that mechanic, they do stuff like that for a reason.

[Nightfall]

What else is wrong?

Honestly, all I remember now of the laundry list I got is that the problems weren't limited to the engine, and the amount to fix it. A new engine was our original plan, but with the rest of the car not in great shape, we've just bumped up our timetable on getting a new one. Especially since the car would have been going to her brother soon anyway. So thanks for the engine ideas and offers guys, but getting (and keeping) the Toyota running looks like a time and money sink not worth it long term. Better spent on something new that will last, we're thinking.

Now the more annoying news for me is that they just looked at my Honda, and were unable to get it to do its jerky stop 'n' go, 80 down to 40 MPH episode on the interstate, or anywhere else at any speed. Naturally it was doing it a day ago. They checked it out and said that everything looked great, but to bring it in as soon as it did it again. Of course, like the previous trips to the mechanic, no doubt it won't replicate for them, no matter how quickly I bring it in. I've already done stuff like fuel filter, etc. Times like these I wish I was a car guy, not a gun guy!

There's even a forum for that entire generation of the vehicle. http://www.3geez.com/forum/

I'm gonna start pouring over this place, maybe somebody else has run into the same problem.

[Nightfall]

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57517

Fuel pump perhaps?

[K Frame]

Back in May I blew the headgasket on my 1997 Subaru.

Actually, given that it's a boxer engine, I blew BOTH head gaskets.

No fault of my own, its generally conceded that most Subarus of that vintage will need new head gaskets right around 120 to 140k.

Cost to do both heads and some other stuff was about $1,100, IIRC.

Given that I intend to drive this car until it turns into a smoking crater in the ground, I'm not worried.

[Parker Dean]

Fuel pump perhaps?

That was my first thought, back when you first posted this up. I've have more than a couple of in-tank pumps do this but I wasn't sure if the car was fuel injected or not. I was going to check into it but got distracted and forgot about it. Then by the time I remembered, the thread had moved on and I figured you had a line on the problem.

[Manedwolf]

Fuel pump perhaps?

That was my first thought, back when you first posted this up. I've have more than a couple of in-tank pumps do this but I wasn't sure if the car was fuel injected or not. I was going to check into it but got distracted and forgot about it. Then by the time I remembered, the thread had moved on and I figured you had a line on the problem.

Depends on the model. Some third-gens were carbureted, some were PGM-FI fuel injection. That was the transition time. There were also several models of fuel-injected engine dependent on trim level, from the standard one to the Long Block shared with the Prelude.

I believe the trim levels were:

DX: carbureted, manual shift, no A/C
LX: fuel-injected, manual or automatic
LXi: fuel injected Prelude engine, manual or automatic, power everything, cruise control, power sunroof, etc

[RocketMan]

Riley, not a law, just how they are there.  Environmental regulations coupled with Japanese consumerism has them replacing cars very often.
Chris

Not to mention that most cannot afford to buy homes at the high prices in Japan, so they often spend that income on their vehicles.
At least that was how it was explained to me by my Japanese friends.

[Manedwolf]

There's several different car cultures in Japan, though. The general society seems to regard older cars as trash, and want the newest and latest. Same with high-profile showoffs with audio/performance cars.

Downhill drifters, though, like some older cars, especialy rear-wheel-drive ones that are easily affordable by young people (and won't kill them financially if they wreck, which they will). The popular manga series "Initial D" hilighted that, since the protagonist's drifting car is an old Toyota AE 86, a white wedge-nose popup-headlights car with RWD made in 1986.

And, just like here, some of the street showoff kids can't afford a new high-end car, so they take the older Civic hatchbacks, kit them out with high-performance parts as they can afford them, give them a shiny new paintjob, and there you go.