I've embarked into new automotive territory.
I find myself in a strange land of spark plugs, aluminum blocks, automatic transmissions, air conditioning and front wheel drive... I've entered... the Honda zone

This all started a few years back. When rebuilding my SD and in stalling the 4 speed and all that jazz I talked about here.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/276987-installing-new-engine-manual-transmission-my-sd.html

Prolog:

My step sister started having some cooling problems with her car. A 2000 Honda Civic EX coupe. I ran every test I could think of (pressure test cooling system, compression test engine, engine leak down test. ect) to find why it would be loosing water. When that failed I gave her some water, told her to check her fluids and sent her on her way. About a year later she calls me complaining about her cooling system again and how the car was running hot. Once a again no problems could be found. She was upset and talking of a new car. Having just spent a lot of time and energy on the SD I thought. "hmm a second car I could commute to work in, with AC might be nice." Jokingly lowballed her and told her, I'll give you 1500 for the civic. She was not amused. I flushed her cooling system installed a trans cooler. gave her more water and sent her on her way again. A year goes by, another summer, and another flush of the cooling system and search for the mystery leak, nothing. She was due for a timing belt, and I wasn't going to do that for her, so we sent her to a shop and had them do the belt. After the belt she was happy cause the car was running cooler. Talking to my dad, we agreed that maybe there was an issue with the water pump and having the timing belt done, the new water pump must have solved it. Summer comes this year and yet another call about the cooling system... DAMN IT, where is this LEAK! Another flush and send her off with a jug of water.

Act 1:

This brings us to 2 weeks ago. Call from sister "My car overheated and there coolant and black plastic on the ground" hmmm, "Whats your plan?" Sister, "take it to dad's mechanic and have him look at it." me, "call me and tells me what he finds."

Mechanic found that the water pump had died. He said it looks like it had been leaking for a long time. Looks like the pump stopped that overheated the engine which then over pressurized the cooling system and blew the bottom tank off the radiator. Now, this is dad's mechanic, not the fellow who did the timing belt. My dad and the mechanic have a talk and figure that considering the cars history, who ever did the timing belt didn't notice the leaking pump and didn't change it when they did the belt.

Car is now dead. My sister asks me if I want the car, she happy to see it go as my step mom just gave my sister her daily driver, an 06 Acura TSX. Told her I'd give her 500 for the car now that the engine is done. She reluctantly agrees.

Did some research on the car and found a replacement engine is San Jose for $1000. Made a plan with my dad to barrow his truck to get the engine and then the car back to my house. Looks like I paid 1500 for the car after all Got up early that weekend and drove to San Jose, picked up the engine.

Here you can see the engine in the truck and the car that donated the engine.



Picked the engine up from a place called American Imports. Looked like they specialized in Mercedes dismantling as their "show room" type area was filled with MB parts. The guy who owned the place seemed nice and was pretty fair on the price. Other dismantlers quoted me 1k for the engine plust a 200 core, for engines with over 100k miles. This place was 800 +100 core +tax, under 1k out the door. And only 90k on the engine. Seem fair enough to me I suppose. I had thought an engine for a Honda would be cheaper, but it is what it is.

Left San Jose, and dove 4 hours to my dads. My best friend still live up near my dad, so the next morning my friend and I when to repo the car from the mechanics shop. This is the only picuter of the car I've taken so far.



After repoing the car, my dad repoed his truck. That threw a wrench into my plans, I was no longer coming home with the car. Made arrangements with my friend to do the engine swap at his house in 2 weeks. We then loaded the new engine into my Toyota Tercel and I hauled it back to my house.

Side note: to get the engine to my dads in an F450 cost me $160 for fuel, to get it home in a Tercel (approximately 1/3 the distance traveled by the F450) cost me less the 20 suppose I should have taken the Tercel to start with. Oh well.



Yesterday I got the engine on the stand with the help of iwrock.
Today I got her washed.







As for the name of this thread, fugued since it was my sisters car, and its the girliest car in existence, outside of maybe a VW beetle, its the sissy mobile

__________________