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EP3 high mileage k20s? Ok or stay away?

C

cjohnson

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8
Evening all.

I know this may be a difficult question to answer as it all depends on how the car has been maintained etc as to what condition the engine is in.. but, I'm in the market for an ep3, most seem to be around the 90-100k miles mark in my budget.

I have a friend telling me to 100% stay away from the k series with that kind of mileage, as he knows of a couple that have failed around that figure..?

I've never really heard of amy major engine issues from civics at all but then again I'm new to them..

I'm used to higher mileage diesels, I just sold my bmw e46 330d with 157k miles and drove like brand new!

Any help much appreciated!

Cheers.
 
Your mates talking crap! The K lump is good for a stupid amount of miles. If they've gone pop it's from being treated like dogs. If you oil starve them then they will fail. But keep it topped up with water and oil and treat it to a service every 12 months and they'll go on for a hell of a lot more than 100k.
 
As above, talking pish!

The only thing that is adviseable to get checked around that mileage is the timing chain. Mines on 110k, gets tracked and driven fairly hard. Just keep an eye on the fluid levels and they will go on for a long time!

I've seen plenty that are around the 160k mark.
 
I sometimes think that my ep3 is aging now being an 80'000 miler. Then i think back to reading bike mag articles about Honda's own CBR1100RR blackbird. They were regarded as being mile eaters and stories weren't uncommon of them passing 150'000 miles and going strong.

Wheres the comparison? Well that's a 1.1L motorcycle engine engineered to produce 145+hp so in my view its under more stress than our 2.0 civic engines. Remarkable really and some good reassurance!
 
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My Milano was traded in with 133000 miles on it. Loved to have its face kicked in. As above take care of them and they will be golden.
 
cjohnson said:
Cheers for the replies! I've just put a deposit on one with 116k miles! So fingers crossed it's ok! Seems spot on to me.

Check out this item I found on eBay: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=231566237093&alt=web

What do you guys think to it?

Cheers.
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Looks like a good car for the price with the mods it has on it. Interior looks clean and the paintwork doesn't look 50 shades of... but bodywork can be misleading from pics.
I'd also make sure that the owner has kept a record and invoices for servicing and parts.
 
I sold my ep3 with 105k miles. Oil was always changed and toped up. Had timing chain etc done just for peice of mind.

I still to this day think the guy that got it, got a bargain.

K20 engine is probably one of the only engines i wouldn't hestitate buying with high miles.
 
And the Japanese know how to build dam good engines. :) Only complaint I would have about my CTR is the emission sensors on it, not the K20 engine. :) Like howie said you need to check the oil on a regular basis. I check mine every week. Sometimes everyday.
 
A friend of mines got a 51 plate with well over 150k on the clock and he rags it pretty much everywhere but it's still going strong!!!
 
My 06 Premier Edition has 132,000 on the clock and hasn't skipped a beat yet. As people have said ensure you get one that has been regularly serviced with oil changes and you won't go far wrong.
 
Sorry I've not replied to this. I bought the car anyway, 55 plate premier on 116k miles. I would absolutely love to say the car is faultless but tbh it isn't!

Nothing too major, but does have its niggles. I've had to have the timing chain done already. The EML came on a few days after buying with code p0371 cam shaft position sensor, which indicates slack chain or timing out etc. Had the valve clearances checked at the same time and oil and filter. At least I know it's done now though and the engine sounds sweet as a nut.

I've got a front suspension knock which I cannot find for the life of me! When I bought the car I thought drop links straight away, easy fix, but there's no play in them, or any other ball joints etc so I'm at a loss as to what it is! It's in for MOT tomorrow though so hopefully he will find the offending item!

Aside from this though I'm loving the car! So much fun to drive! :)
 
Good. And you have to remember it is on 116K miles so those are minor/annoying issues. Glad you got them sorted. Mine was on 39K and had an issue with emission sensors. Though low miles still a 9 year old car. :) Yet it still brings a smile t my face when I drive it.
Enjoy your purchase :)
 
i have a couple off mates that come by my place for service with ep3's and k20 swapped cars. Some off them have miles in the 160k - 165k miles and still going strong :cool:
Offcourse some oil needs to be added ones in a while but thats with every car that has higher milage.
I actually owned a k20a2 engine that had 190K miles on her it was in my first eg kswap it did drink some extra oil but was still going strong after all those miles.
Eventually i did swap the engine with a low 40k miles engine but it was still going strong the day i pulled the engine :D
I actually have anoter ek k20a2 build in the procces that also have 140k miles on her and im going to turbo it without any worries :cool:
K lumps are amazing and very strong engines.
So the talk about K's beeing weak and cant go on for high miles is straight out bullshit :rolleyes:
Thats my experience
Cheers mate :smt047
 
I have one on 94k which is solid and bought one on 115k that feels the same! Oil as people have said is a must. I really think some of these cars will have some high Milages in the years to come with no problems ! (Even with modifications )
 
My 06 Highest regarded Edition possesses 132, 000 within the time clock along with has never overlooked some sort of conquer nevertheless. As folks have got mentioned make sure you get one that is routinely serviced along with oil improvements and also you would not get much wrong.
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The only thing that kills these engines is low oil and over revving both of which can happen quite easily. As long as you watch your gear changes when on the limit and keep an eye on the oil its bombproof. The failure rate due to manufacturing defects is tiny. In fact when one failed in an FN2 a few years ago for no reason it was big news on the forums.
 
stayfreejc said:
The only thing that kills these engines is low oil and over revving both of which can happen quite easily. As long as you watch your gear changes when on the limit and keep an eye on the oil its bombproof. The failure rate due to manufacturing defects is tiny. In fact when one failed in an FN2 a few years ago for no reason it was big news on the forums.
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Aren't most of the timing chain issues due to low oil levels also (causing the tensioner to fail over time)?
 
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