Blown Head Gasket

Before I would throw in the chips on the engine you have, ask yourself what the engine was like prior to this? Did it use oil? Did it loose or consume any coolant? If the answer is generally "no", don't give up on it. Why was the radiator cap off?

I would pull off the valve cover and the head. I would take it in and have the head checked for warpage and cracks. If it passes or has to be planed, a new head gasket and you can be on the road again.

Obviously there are some other things to look at and be careful not to mess up when taking it apart but you get the point. Much, much cheaper to find out if this one is salvagable.

we were able to save head, and pressure tested it at the machine shop. now i will be putting the head back on and changing seals. one question , do you have a reference to diagrams of this engine or info to where to find specifications with brief descriptions of what needs to be replaced when putting the head back on?

ty.

Obviously you need a new nead gasket. I strongly suggest a new intake and possibly a new exhaust manifold gasket. Many people recommend and Honda does too that you replace the bolts for the head. Get a new valve cover gasket and the seals for the plug holes.

the car takes forever to put warm air out of the heater.Coolant can be in tip top shape,does not matter.And also has a problem with coolant ,every now and then the radiator is just empty,as if spaceships in the night removed it.then you wont have that problem,just long enough to forget you had it,then POW,its gone again.Im not making this up.And i have had 2 Accords,4 civics in my lifetime.this is the first Post 2000 model.Never came across this.I think blown head gasket,fill res. and it wont move..too wierd.

You need to have the system pressure tested to see where the coolant is going. Also, filling the reservoir does not fill your radiator. You need to remove the radiator cap and fill it directly. Fill it and leave the cap off, start the car with the heat on, let it idle till it reaches operating temp, then raise the rpm to 2500 rpm and hold it for about 5 seconds (do this till you no longer see bubbles at the radiator, check to be sure you have heat at idle, then replace cap. That procedure will burp the air out of the system. If do that and still have coolant loss issues then you need to have the system pressure tested for leaks.

Thanks,im actuall burping the car right now,to eliminate that gremlin.And yes,i typically add to radiator,unless im driving it.

Good answer Johnnyt73

here is some more information on the subject

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-heater-not-working

please let us know what you find

Thanks for all the input.I liked the "air lock" idea from the beginning,but continued staring under the hood for hours.I tried using a spillproof funnel,got lots of bubbles,but had an overheat,and took a step back.I threw in the towel,convinced it was my heater core being plugged.The shop i use,stood the car up" practically on its back bumper,and ran it.Car is in a state of warmth it has never known.This approach made sense,I just never saw it comin.i.e.,the approach.

That is some good info my man, nice work JohnnyT73, it will help many, thanks for getting back to us, thanks for using 2CarPros.com I will update this article to include this info.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-heater-not-working


Thanks again, Ken

Excited to think it may help someone avoid uneeded downtime..GO BLUE!

I'm running a b16a type r engine in my 95 civic eg at the moment, the past 2 weeks its been over heating so I've been avoiding driving it since flushing and replacing the coolant in the radiator, the fan is working but not to its best capacity, the thermostat is opening a little late but its all working none the less. I have done some research online and the symptoms my car is showing is pointing to a blown head gasket (coolant dissappearing with no leaks, tiny amount of oil in the coolant, loss of power while driving, over heating then cooling again within minutes, tiny puff of white smoke occasionally coming out my exhaust) I was just wondering if there was a difference in symptoms between a blown head gasket and a cracked head? As obviously there is a major price difference in repairing either one of them.

You really cant tell the difference you just have to remove the head and have it pressure tested for cracks and checked for being warped.They have a chemical head gasket tester they rent at auto zone they can tell you if you have exhaust gases in your coolant.

Thanks heaps, I'm actually based in western Australia so might just have to call around local mechanics for pressure testing

most work shops can do the head check, with the head off take it to a automotive machinist, or your local repco can send it to one of there accredited shops in your town.

If problem had been ongoing for some time, check the cylinder block surface. This engine is known to have damaged block face when head gaskets goes bad.

Brought car to shop. Was overheating slighty , leaking coolant intermittently for 3months. We kept topping it off. Prior to that had heater issues for a year where it would heat sometimes, and blow cold air at others. Shop said waterpump was leaking, radiator was leaking, and they replaced. Replaced timing belt because it was old. Day after out of the shop, car overheats into the red zone, and we pull over and leaking coolant all over the ground. Opened the radiator and it was almost full, the overflow still had some fluid. We alsofound that the fan and the coolant overflow tank were jiggling and loose, never being reattached to the front of the car with, coolant all over the road, When we checked, both the radiator and the overflow were full.

Took it back to the shop and they said the head gasket had blown. whose fault is this?????Did the shop do something, did it just magically wear out the next day? Very upset with shop.

Your first sentence says it all. The previous overheating is what did the damage to the head gasket. On these aluminum heads it only take seconds at the right temp to do serious damage.

Thank you for your answer. If you have a moment to answer two more? Would a shop check for head gasket problems when replacing a radiator and water pump? Couldn't the damage have occured when the engine went into the red zone? There was not a problem in the oil visually or any exhaust smoke to indicate damage previously to our taking it in to the shop. Thank you.

Head gasket problems are not easy to spot until they get real bad. Sometimes the only way to find them is continuous driving to look for a pattern in the way the temp acts. You always have to suspect it after an overheat but it's not easy to confirm.

I see. The diagnosis was made using a very nifty tool that was put in the opening of the radiator filled with a liquid that changed color to indicate the blown gasket. I was hoping that would be part of standard procedure to rule out head gasket problems after all the other work had been done. Either way, its blown and I am just trying to determine when and why. thank you for your help!

That's a common chemical test for combustion gases in the cooling system. As I stated before, unless the head gasket failure is pretty bad, that test us usually inconclusive.

thank you very much for your time.

You're welcome

Engine Cooling problem
1990 Honda Civic 4 cyl Four Wheel Drive 139,oo miles

car is over heating thermistat was checked and is opening closing correctly. I have checked under vehicle for water but have found none however I am loosing water some where because I have to add it when it over heats. I notice little amounts of water in tail pipe and white smoke.

[quote:b41dcf5699="deebre"]Engine Cooling problem
1990 Honda Civic 4 cyl Four Wheel Drive 139,oo miles

car is over heating thermistat was checked and is opening closing correctly. I have checked under vehicle for water but have found none however I am loosing water some where because I have to add it when it over heats. I notice little amounts of water in tail pipe and white smoke.[/quote:b41dcf5699]

That indicates a failed headgasket. check oil look milky?

Engine Performance problem
1993 Honda Civic 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 264000 miles

1st of all thank you for reading my Question.You guys are wonderful your service is gr8t and im gr8tful.If i have blown gasket,does there have to be milky whie fluid or not.My car has been doing weird things such as idling up and down in park and jumping when stopped.i took it to a mechanic and he replaced a hose next to the engine that coolant goes through.He didnt rip me off cause i checked the hose as well.the problem persisted a few days later and i want to get down to the bottom of this.thank you guys so much

Get it block and pressure tested to find out if its a blown headgasket

1997 Honda Civic 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Manual 244000 miles

Have blown head gasket which has been confirmed by two repair shops, suggest gasket replace with valve job if necessary, or used motor replacement (dealers idea, 3000.00). Have taken very good care of the car it has stopped only once since I bought it new. Everything has been replaced over the last two years except the carpet, air compresspor and the rear struts. Everything else is new. 3000.00 is more than I want to spend for sure, have done a head job many years ago as a kid, 73 dodge challenger, 360 with a thermoquad etc. No problem with buring oil. All miles are basically highway miles, car hits a 100 mph with no problem or strain, is steady and runs smooth even now but I wouldn't dare. I want to drive the car another 100000. Suggestions

Was head gasket failure confirmed with a compression test?

If so, then you will have to replace the head gasket and check the head for warpage.

Head gaskets generally will fail because of an overheating event, or a headbolt is broken.

Use car repair link in this thread or get a Haynes manual for your Honda and review the procedures to see if you want to take on the job yourself and have the tools.

You could replace the engine with a used one, buy a reman'd head or just replace the headgasket.

I would think that just having the headgasket replaced should cost around $1000, unless there is a problem with head (warped, cracked).

Also shop around, you may find a shop that repairs only Honda's. There is a local shop where I live that deals only with Honda's.

Engine Mechanical problem
1994 Honda Civic 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Manual 190000 miles

My car is smoking (grey smoke) and when it idles sounds like it wants to cut off. Also when I drive over 45, I hear rattling in the engine. Someone said this sounds like a blown head gasket. Can you tell me if this sounds right and give me an estimate on a repair cost?

Thank you!

Hi angeleyes63,

When head gaskets goes bad, the engine would overheat and coolant would be pushed out to the reservoir leaving the radiator empty.

Do you have the above symptoms?

Grey smoke indicae oil is being burnt in the cylinders or getting to the exhaust. That is due to bad valve seals and/or piston rings.

The nosie could be engine lubrication related rather than coolant. Did you check the oil level?

Thanks for the response!

My car did not overheat.

I had put three quarts of oil in the car the night before it started smoking and there was a tiny bit showing on the dip stick, so I wasn't completely out. It wasn't time for an oil change yet, by the recommended mileage.

After topping up the oil, did the noise go away?

No. This was the next day I heard the noise. It wasn't a loud 'knocking' or anything. It sounded like a rattling sound.

Thanks!

Without understanding the nature and source of the noise, it is not possible to provide any suggestions. You would have to try to locate the source of the noise and continue from there.

Engine Mechanical problem
1994 Honda Civic 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 160000 miles

I recently changed the head gasket on my 1994 Honda civic, 1.5L, 16 valve engine. Last spring the head gasket blew at the #3 cylinder and I recognized the issue right away and shut off the engine. I took it to a garage and had good compression on all cylinders, except of course the #3 cyclinder. I recently chaged the head gasket and followed my Hayes Repair Manual and everything for the project ran basically smoothly. I started the engine for the first time today and on the cold start I was very pleased as it ran good and I figured with a little adjustment with the trottle body I was in good shape. As the engine started to get warmer, more and more white smoke stated coming from the exhaust. By the time it reached normal operating temperature it was smoking pretty good. I know it was water as it disipated fast and was pure white with a smell of unburnt gases. Now the only problem I can think is that the gasket did not seat properly around the fire ring. We had a little problem with the guide sleaves on the block sticking and it made the head difficult to sit on the block properly at first. We then took out the sleaves and cleaned them with some 220 grit sand paper. This made them sit better in the block and the head, but we still had to take a block of wood and a rubber mallet to get the head to seat on the block properly. We checked all around the two surfaces and they seemed to be properly aligned sitting flush. We then torqued the bolts the the specified 49ft/lbs in stages and continues with the repair. Everything else in the repair ran perfect and I figured I was good, till she started buring antifreeze again. I let the engine cool down again today and tourques the bolts agian to make sure they are coorect and they were right were they should be. My biggest question is if there would be any vacume, or coolent lines that may be switched or in the wrong place, that would cause this problem? Is there a ggod chance I need to take the head off again and replace the head gasket again? Should I replace the head bolt this time as maybe the present ones are streched?

I hate to say it, but something went wrong. In addition to replacing the gasket, did you have the block and head checked for warpage? If the head was warped, it could cause it. Also, as far as the cooling lines, there isn't anything you could have done wrong to cause coolant to get into the combustion chamber.

Check engine compression again before removing the head. Determine if it is the same one again, #3. If it is, chances are the head is warped or cracked.

One last thing, the guide sleves... They shouldn't have required you to hammar them on. If you cleaned them up, they should have slipped right into place.

Let me know what you find with the compression, and yes replace the head bolts.

Joe

Actually I took the head into my local shop. They stripped it down and I had them put new seals in it that came with my fel-pro kit. They vacume tested it and passed. It turned out to be warped by a couple of thow, so they planned it for me . There must have been something wrong with the installation of the head. I will replace the guides when I put the head back on. I take it I will need a new 200 dollar gasket, thats awsome.

Wow! Is that what the gasket cost? I do recommend checking the compression again before removing it. Make sure the problem isn't in the same place.

Let me know what you find.