A crapshoot - The $100 Honda F4i engine from Craig's List

[butcher bergs]

About a month ago I stumbled across an F4i engine for sale on Craig's List and decided to purchase it once a price was agreed upon.....$100. I figured even if the thing is complete junk, there had to be something of some kind of value or spare parts I can use from it...like a clutch basket because my current one is showing its age from being hammered on.

I wish I saved them but the CL pics showed an F4i engine, lightly covered in snow, stator cover missing, intake open to the sky and generally looking pretty much in a hurtin' state of being. However once I saw it in person it wasn't as bad as in the pics.....but that's still not saying much.

At first I hated the fact that the seller told be he turned the motor over by hand fearing that the piston rings may have become galled from sitting outside for an indeterminate amount of time at which point cylinder wall damage very well may have occurred. I won't know until I open it up and yes, I still do hate it but it is what it is.

As the disassembly begins I will post pics of the progress. If this thing turns out to be salvageable I have all the parts needed in order to complete the unit which will serve as a spare engine. Just looking at the unit on the bench it will need a clutch cover (cracked from being dropped), oil pan (cracked from being dropped), stator cover (missing), water pump (missing) and either another throttle body assy (which I have) or an intense cleaning of the current one (not likely).

This thread will be dedicated to the veritable crapshoot I took on the purchase of this engine and the surprises that are bound to appear.

You can laugh once you see the pics. This thing is ugly!

[Degsy]

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Cross my palm with $5g's and I'll make it a full on superbike motor for ya ;-)

[butcher bergs]

Oh is that all?

[butcher bergs]

Well here it is in all its glory. Took the clutch cover off and poked around for a bit today. Everything looks to be okay so far. No metal bits or anything super crazy going on by the looks of things. Just ugly as sin at the moment.

[13]

[darkduc7]

bah, degrease it, and send it!

haha, doesnt look toooo bad...fun project, good luck

[butcher bergs]

bah, degrease it, and send it!

haha, doesnt look toooo bad...fun project, good luck

I wish it was a plug-n-play type thing. It's either going to be a really good deal for an engine that needs a refresh or an okay deal on a clutch basket assembly and some metric bolts.

[gamorg02]

kinda interested in this.

[rbrais]

Just soak it in WD-40. It'll be fine!

[G21forme]

I wish it was a plug-n-play type thing. It's either going to be a really good deal for an engine that needs a refresh or an okay deal on a clutch basket assembly and some metric bolts.

Scrap aluminum for beer money

[Eddie]

Just soak it in WD-40. It'll be fine!

Beat me to it.


On a serious note, I wish I was as mechanically savvy as Paul.

[butcher bergs]

Scrap aluminum for beer money

I do have that other set of cases from an F4 that I won't be using.....

[butcher bergs]

Beat me to it.


On a serious note, I wish I was as mechanically savvy as Paul.

Thanks man. It's really nothing until you've installed 4 pistons backwards and only come to that realization once everything is together and looking ready to be hung in the frame.

[slammp]

Not sure from that picture of the clutch basket but I would NOT recommend using Hood chocolate milk as a lubricant.

[butcher bergs]

Not sure from that picture of the clutch basket but I would NOT recommend using Hood chocolate milk as a lubricant.

I'm using that for coolant. That DQ Blizzard is going in the crankcase.

[slammp]

On a serious note I am constantly impressed by your willingness to get into the granular on these engines and completely tear them down. I like to tinker but you go well beyond that.

[butcher bergs]

It's something I've done all my life...even as a kid...tearing into things, that is.

If I had a TV commercial it would go something like:

"I take things apart. I put them together."




Thanks for the kind words.

[DucDave]

It's something I've done all my life...even as a kid...tearing into things, that is.

If I had a TV commercial it would go something like:

"I take things apart. I put them together."




Thanks for the kind words.

I'm good at the first part...
...its the putting it back together that always baffles me.

That, and I seem to be missing the 'clean it' gene. If that had been my motor I'd have paid you to take it away!

Hats off to ya...

[rice_rocket]

Where I'm just... pow pow pow pow.. and if things don't go together, pow pow pow make it fit!!

[Qfactor]

It's a honda motor.

throw gas and starter fluid in there and fire it up... it'll run at least another 400 meters...

Q

[Kitt]

...I'll shop for a golf cart roller...

[dhuze]

It's something I've done all my life...even as a kid...tearing into things, that is.

If I had a TV commercial it would go something like:

"I take things apart. I put them together."




Thanks for the kind words.

I am the same way. I figure if it's broken and I can't fix it, it is still broken. Even am amazed at somt of the things I fix just by tearing them apart and looking at them.
When I was about 10 I had a wind up alarm clock I took apart all the time. I used to take a few pieces off and put it back a couple times, then I take a few more off and put that back until I couldn't remember where all the gears went. Thats when it started. After thet I tore apart everything I could find.

[butcher bergs]

Okay so, I got 'er opened up a bit over the weekend. I don't have the pics with me right now but all in all it doesn't appear to be that bad......well, not bad for an engine that was sitting in a snowpile (and who knows where else prior to that) just a few months ago.

Cam lobes and buckets looked good and in all actuality the entire top end looked to be in good working order.

I flipped the mill over and had a peek from the bottom and saw that there was zero oxidation of the internal parts. It's clear that the gearbox is munched, though I'm not sure exactly which gear(s) just yet as I only removed the oil pan and valve cover. Definitely saw some hammered gear dogs.

I will get pics up soon but, other than a few oxidized valves and the torn up gearbox, nothing appeared to be completely out of order.

At this point the rebuild is a go.


On a side note: This is the first engine I've opened up that stinks of musty dirt floor basement.

[butcher bergs]

Pics