Hi Group:
The car ----------> 1994 Honda Civic The accident ------> Teenager rear-ends truck, all coolant lost Omission error ----> Engine left idling 15+ minutes while waiting for cop The weather -------> Mid to low thirties (30s), damp, rainy, some wind The question -------> Is this motor damaged? How bad?
TIA for any info provided
Approximately 11/2/03 07:07, Wm.(Bill) Warning uttered for posterity:
Honestly hard to say. It *may* be all right or may have warped a head gasket...or worse. No real way to tell without having a shop check it.
Well, it's impossible to say for sure, but I would be surprised if it was undamaged. Even if the engine as a whole does not heat up that much, there are hot spots (around the spark plugs, exhaust valves, etc.) which will probably reach excessive temperatures.
Well, if the car is covered under collision insurance, then hopefully the insurance company will be picking up the repair bill, but even without any motor damage, it is a close call if the car (a 10 year old model) will be totaled, if the damage reached back to the radiator. The airbags, A/C, unibody, and front bumper/grillwork/hood will add up to at least 2 or 3 grand, which is close to what the car is worth. If the insurance company totals it, then just walk away and let the salvage yard worry about the motor. Most likely, if the motor was running well when it was shut off, any damage would probably be either a blown head gasket and/or a warped cylinder head.
If the car turns out to be otherwise economically repairable, or you do not have collision insurance, or do not wish to submit an insurance claim then I would check the motor's compression for evidence of a blown head gasket, which would be low readings in adjacent cylinders, or evidence of coolant in the oil. The low temps and idling might have saved the motor, but maybe not.
If there is any evidence of a blown head gasket, then make an allowance for these repairs in your decision whether to keep the car or scrap it. The gasket itself isn't that expensive, but unless you are a well equipped and skilled do it yourselfer, shop replacement of the head gasket, along with machining of the head (likely if the gasket blew) will run into the range of several hundred dollars up to a grand or so.
Welcome your son to the joys of car ownership, but to help prevent future incidents I would have him contribute substantially, both financially and timewise, to its repair.
Hey Bruce:
I agree with you 100%. I just needed a second opinion that I could pass along to my wife. I'm thinking that a would like to have a vo-tech school fix it. That would do two (2) good things: Save me some money and keep my teenaged daughter off the roads for awhile(especially in the long snow and ice season in Minnesota).
Bill
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