92 Civic Head Gasket

I would replace the timing belt and water pump while you are doing this project. You should buy a service manual on the car. About $20 or less on ebay or at an auto parts store. Then pull the head, the book will walk you through that. Take the head to the auto parts shop and have them check for cracks and warpage. If warped they can usually plane it. I would replace the seals on the valve guides as well. Then get the timing covers off, replace the water pump, inspect the tensioner on the timing belt, replace the belt and put it all back together. Time the engine once you get her running again. Just as an after thought, when you look at the plugs and piston heads note if they are oily and if the car burned oil you would be better to stick the money in a different engine. The work I described above should run about $300 if work is done by you and you have the tools to tear it down including a torque wrench.

Good luck!

When you are taking all of the parts off, it would be a good idea to put each set of nuts and bolts and washers in labeled containers that way you know where they go when you start to reassemble everything. Also, you will need to order a new head gasket set. It would also be a good idea to go ahead and replace the thermostat as well. Remember when you are putting the head back on to follow the torque pattern in the repair manual exactly or you could crack the head. Other than that, just be patient and follow what the manual says. If you've never done this before, this is an excellent learning experience.

These learning experiences make you feel like the king of your car. You suddenly feel you can do anything and fix anything to the car AND you can.