Thread: pretty sure i need a new engine-now with pics

added pictures

Looks alot like an overheat to me.

If you end up just swapping it for another engine, I'd disassemble and inspect that block to see what exactly happened, and what was good and what wasn't. That is assuming you've got the time for that. I'm the guy who's more interested in specifics, and as such I completely tear down every engine that I own. But thats just me.

If the motor was that hot the head is warped...guaranteed. check compression on the motor and go from there.

im still trying to get the rest of the plastic out of hole #1 and #2 so i still cant get those 2 plugs out, when i pull the engine to swap it im going to put it on a stand and take it apart, since ive never seen the inside of an sr20 id get to learn some, and since there was so much freeze damage to the oranges down here it looks like i might have 2 weeks off so i might have time to take the engine apart

Man really sorry to hear your misfortune. When you first posted that block of text i said "hell no!" and close the thread, now I understand it was from your phone so sorry for doubting your grammar skills.

At any rate let us know what you have planned for a replacement motor, sounds like that one took a really harsh beating that day. Weird as hell your temp gauge never moved. Maybe time for an aftermarket gauge setup to go with the new motor (Or new gauge cluster/temp sensor).

Dudeman

I'm just getting a stock sr20de for now since its a dd and I got a really good deal on one, eventually my 1.6L will probably get a sr20ve with a p11 lsd trans but not till this time next year, I need to do something to alert me sooner to a problem, I was having alot of problems with my 1.6L overheating during the summer (one time the ecu shut it down and went in safemode while driving down i95, 2500rpm max), i wonder if the sr20de's ecu does that, well it didn't this time.

My dad thinks the oil caught fire in the engine, is that even possible? (does synthetic burn)

Really sounds like your temp sensor took a crap.

Yes, all oil burns but I don't think it caught fire in the motor. All that "burned on oil" was from years and years of not so frequent oil changes, you should have seen my first motor's head when I bought my car...sludge.

when i replaced the valve cover gasket a few months ago everything was clean and a nice golden color under the valve cover, all of that black and dark color was from whatever happened to the engine

Man, this was hard to read... my gf's B14 SE-R just did the exact same thing 2 days ago....
she noticed the guage creeping up, and pulled off the fwy just as it lost power and started spewing white smoke.
got it home and i took a look; radiator neck melted (plastic!!!)
tried to pull of a plug wire- of course, melted to the head... awesome

we're in the same boat...
she also said as it lost power, that she heard an electrical type crackling noise...?
maybe coolant entering the combustion chamber from the warping head and shorting?