Long distance CA???

[frftw]

Ok so i go to college in vermont and have to start driving home every weekend to connecticut (700 miles round trip). I have an s13 with a ca18det swapped into it and am VERY worried about its reliability on that long of a trip. I am obviosly going to try not to hammer on it and change fluids frequently but i feel like its going to need more to keep going throuh the winter (NOT in the snow though, greyhound bus for those weekends)
I was thinking about replacing the oil pump, head gasket, oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket, already did exhaust gaskets, and maybe an oil cooler for when it starts to get warm again. What else can i do to fight off the cold and keep my 20 year old ca chugging along?

[I LUV MY S13]

Along with proper tune ups thats all you really can do.

[singlecamslam]

Its just like any other engine, its as reliable as your maintanance, has nothing to do with it being a CA. Just maintance and call it a day. Unless there are certain signs that say its about to take a crap.

[g35gabby]

If you are going to all that trouble, why wouldn't it last? So long as it is done right, CAs are stupid strong motors. Anyone who says otherwise is uninformed.

You might look at doing some fresh seals, but the rest sounds pretty darn good.

[Sergio180sx]

DAMN!!! thats a lot of driving!!!!

[ranger240]

off topic-ish but.. what does a vt to ct ticket bus ticket cost?

if in your shoes i'd bus it and treat it like a 5hr study hall... get a ton of school work done and maybe watch a movie or two on your laptop. beats chugging along from burlington (most likely) to ct...

less miles on your car, less worry, more school work done, more time to chill during the week.

cost wise it might seem wasteful spending 70-100/week in bus fares but the margin shrinks when weighing that against gas and wear on the car

anyway, thats the end of my quazi-off topic blab

[frftw]

bus thing makes sense, i will use the bus to cut miles and save my car in the winter, but it arrives and leaves at awkward times in relation to my classes.
The reason im worried is cause im prolly gonna drive it hard from time to time, just dont want to end up on the side of the highway in 10 degree weather with nothing but a winter jacket.

i will defenetly look into seals as well.

[jesse_s13]

super good point
off topic-ish but.. what does a vt to ct ticket bus ticket cost?

if in your shoes i'd bus it and treat it like a 5hr study hall... get a ton of school work done and maybe watch a movie or two on your laptop. beats chugging along from burlington (most likely) to ct...

less miles on your car, less worry, more school work done, more time to chill during the week.

cost wise it might seem wasteful spending 70-100/week in bus fares but the margin shrinks when weighing that against gas and wear on the car

anyway, thats the end of my quazi-off topic blab

[jdm213]

dont forget to change your water pump, and do frequent oil changes when the season changes, and check all your hoses and check the cap and rotor and ignition like sparkplugs, you know all the basic shit that is critical to make a healthy motor

[spooled240]

i would recommend running a slightly thicker oil to help with the worn bearing clearances and older seals which are prone to leaking. Thicker oils don't leak as bad as bad and it's more heat resistant which will keep you from spinning a rod bearing and/or burning oil with worn piston rings, high mileage 10w40 has worked well for my old ka with 150,000 miles..now i run 15w50 for my oil-cooled turbo and the southern california weather and so far it's been running great

I would also make sure the timing belt is up to par

[g35gabby]

dont forget to change your water pump, and do frequent oil changes when the season changes, and check all your hoses and check the cap and rotor and ignition like sparkplugs, you know all the basic shit that is critical to make a healthy motor


CA is COP, no Rotor or cap..........

[fckillerbee]

why don't you just have the motor rebuilt?

[jdm213]

CA is COP, no Rotor or cap..........

oh lol hahaha i guess i didnt read it was a ca :gives:

[frftw]

Soooooo moter blew. wasnt driving hard, heard a little valve noise and b4 i could get it off the highway it just went. timing belt jumped, piston shattered, me no happy
:( ... got a new block couple weeks ago and took it to the machine shop, now i just need money for a new piston and some gaskets so i can throw it back together...

[LB240driftr]

Damn sry 2 hear after reading what everyone was saying...
What did u end up replacing before the motor gave and was there any sign it was coming er did it happen all at once?

[frftw]

I really didnt replace much because of budget issues, just threw in some liquid gasket on valve covers and oil pan, was gonna do the rest as i went. I think it might have been oil pump faliure. anyway, this time its getting pampered with new gaskets, rings, rebuilt pump (cant afford new one), and evetually an oil cooler that i got in a trade :) other than the five second of noise their were no signs. It was running great and staying cool (according to my stock temp gage...) this time im also gonna try to track down water temp, oil temp, and oil preassure gauges, anyone wanna do a trade up?
anyway wish me luck, im gonna need it as my budget is really non existant.

[LB240driftr]

I see man it sux wen their's no warning. It's definately gonna make u feel a lot better when u have ur motor refreshened. Gl for sure. On a side note I'm putting together an sr20 swap in my hatch that's gonna hopefully be a reliable track car that can actually drive to the track lol. Anyways I've heard that unless you are seeing somewhat bigger than stock boost an oil cooler might not be super necessary. I'd focus on ur other cooling systems first like aluminum rad, electric fans, proper shroud w/ clutch fan since ur on a really tight budget like myself..just a tip Ive been hearing

[frftw]

yeah i feel that its not really nececcary but i got one for free from a crappy shop (import cars of stamford, in ct, dont ever go there) so why not. I do ask alot from my car especially in the hot summers, loooove driving fast with the windows down! will be tracking as well, just need a cage, multilink, sticky tires, oh yeah, nd trust in my motor... but that last one shouldnt b a problem!
hopefully be a reliable track car that can actually drive to the track lol
haha i feel that, u have a daily too? neway good luck hope u get there with it its a great feeling to go fast
dont make the same mistake i did and trust ur old motor!!! check ur oil all the time!