1986 Reliant K

[rippen11]

Well guys. I bought an '86 Reliant K in February of '11, as my first car. I had it for 8 months, and 13,000 miles. It had just hit 147,000 miles when it shut off on me. The car was running rough on 2 cylinders, along with a host of other problems. I had to have the car towed home from across town, and it has sat in the driveway since November. I got a Cavalier as a gift from my grandfather, so the K car got neglected. I'm starting to miss my K car, though, and am coming to respect it more than I did. I'd like to get it back running again. The motor is pretty much toast. Two cylinders aren't firing, I'm assuming from blown rings. It either needs to be rebuilt or replaced. I'm not sure which is cheaper. And I'm strapped for cash, so whatever gets done to this car is being done by me. I'm just wondering if it's even worth it. How rare are the '86 Reliants? Any suggestions?

[MyDodgeDip]

Where are you located?

Not firing on 2 cylinders can commonly be caused by a bad head gasket. Hard to say without a little more diagnosis. If that's the case, it's not terrible expensive to do, just a lot of work.

[rippen11]

Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Other side of the country from most of you folks, it seems.

I honestly don't know. It may be the head gasket, for all I know. I lost the timing belt right after I bought the car, and had to replace that. So I've been partway into the motor. I'm planning on pulling the whole motor out once I get a spot to work on it.

[mrfury68]

These motors were known for head gasket failure. Luckily for us, you didn't have to be an ASE certified mechanic to replace one. Make sure you get a correct diagnosis that it is, in fact, a bad head gasket. A factory service manual is a great tool to have as it explains everything on your K car. If the head gasket is bad & you are going to replace it, it would be a good idea to have the head checked for warpage by a machine shop. It is an added expense but is well worth it to know the head is OK. Also plan on replacing the head bolts. You cannot properly torque used head bolts. You will also need exhaust flange bolts & gasket. Since you are in Winston-Salem NC I'm assuming your K-ride is pretty much rust free so a head gasket job would keep that little 4 banger running for a few more years. Good luck & don't be afraid to ask questions.

[rippen11]

Well, this car has a lot more issues that just the engine not running. It needs ALOT of work just for me to feel safe driving it down the road. If I can get the motor running again, I'm gonna do everything I can to get this car on the road again. Hopefully it won't turn into a massive project that I can't get out of. I know a couple people that can do moderate work on a car. One of them used to own an Aries. Anyways. I'm hoping to get this car back on the road and to some shows.