I am sure that most folks here are fed up with my moaning and pondering about the noise my Coupe's engine has been making over the last few months. Now I have something new to ponder - and to be excited about too.
I took the Coupe out yesterday for a quick spin just to listen the engine once more before I took it apart to find the problem. About a mile from home the sound suddenly went from an annoying tin-can rattle to a hellacious BANGBANGBANGBANG, like something big cut loose inside the engine. I coasted to a stop, started it (the new noise still there) and found the engine would die immediately upon putting the car into gear. I think the problem will be much easier to find now. Thank goodness for AAA, hauling my sorry butt home.
ON THE OTHER HAND, just days ago I entered into an agreement with fellow listmember Eddie Lim to buy the recently rebuilt engine out of his Sedan, complete with new clutch and .050-oversized cylinders. We sat a temporary gas tank (a 1 gallon can) in the engine bay as his tank was shot, and took it for a quick test drive. The engine sounded beautiful. Today we got it out of his sedan and into the back of my minivan. Now it sits in wait for a cleanup and a swap into my Coupe.
It isn't exactly kosher as it is a sedan engine, but the darn thing RUNS and now I can take my time poking at the dead one.
Needless to say I will be documenting my experiences with the engine swap and the diagnosis and posting it here and on my website.
Steve
www.honda600coupe.com