Is the motor burnt up or piston cracked? I have a 94 honda civic ex with 1.6L 4cyl. All of a sudden it lost all power, started missing out horribly and then died and smelt like oil burning???

Asked by Jordan Dec 03, 2014 at 10:22 PM about the 1994 Honda Civic EX

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

6 Answers

62,795

From the limited information that you have supplied I would think that the motor is fried. What were the symptoms before it went up in smoke?

Best Answer Mark helpful
23,610

You have to do a simple process of testing. Inspect your plugs. Inspect fluids. Describe noise you heard. See if you lost spark or fuel, compression, for that cylinder. Report findings. No evidence yet of any internal damage. You could have gasket trouble. Inspect your timing belt.

There were no symptoms. I was driving home from work and thought I smelt like oil on the motor or something and then it missed out really bad, lost all power and died. Only had the car for 2 days and don't know a whole lot about it. Just bought it as a little work car

23,610

You may need to inspect every system that can contribute to engine dying and poor run and poor idle quality. You may need to check maintenance records and catch-up. There can be aftermarket parts that cause new trouble, so put it back the way honda had it and follow their guidelines, they are right, and they tell you when to expect replacement of many items. Using their parts is always best. Finding out what has been done to it and what has been neglected can be very helpful.

23,610

A smell and a misfire before the engine dies can be expected at your mileage perhaps, but I still have not heard evidence of anything "fried" or "cracked" or "burnt up " It may just need a complete tune-up after the indicated tests are run. With subsystem inspections and some maintenance, adjustments, and some areas cleaned out.

Your Answer:

Civic

Looking for a Used Civic in your area?

CarGurus has 30,713 nationwide Civic listings starting at $1,074.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

1994 Honda Civic

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    ColdinMA
    Reputation
    2,370
  • #2
    Guru9CNGV
    Reputation
    2,110
  • #3
    GuruDMD1V
    Reputation
    2,090
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Honda Accord
1,507 Great Deals out of 30,068 listings starting at $450
Used Toyota Corolla
1,494 Great Deals out of 23,852 listings starting at $950
Used Toyota Camry
1,994 Great Deals out of 33,873 listings starting at $300
Used Honda Civic Coupe
156 Great Deals out of 1,884 listings starting at $750
Used Hyundai Elantra
900 Great Deals out of 26,922 listings starting at $1,650
Used Nissan Altima
1,316 Great Deals out of 37,747 listings starting at $752
Used Ford Mustang
920 Great Deals out of 22,586 listings starting at $1,000
Used BMW 3 Series
1,096 Great Deals out of 12,839 listings starting at $879
Used Toyota Tacoma
2,000 Great Deals out of 33,854 listings starting at $2,200

Used Cars for Sale

2024 Honda Civic For Sale
42 Great Deals out of 13,945 listings starting at $23,114
2023 Honda Civic For Sale
76 Great Deals out of 870 listings starting at $20,775
2022 Honda Civic For Sale
155 Great Deals out of 2,155 listings starting at $17,771
2021 Honda Civic For Sale
186 Great Deals out of 2,484 listings starting at $13,500
2020 Honda Civic For Sale
129 Great Deals out of 2,197 listings starting at $11,994

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.