MrToasty

LSVTEC Turbo 81.5mm bore (81.5mm cometic head gasket) @16psi

-Engine burns 1 qt per 300 miles but only smokes on full throttle. Also oil leak at vtec solenoid.

-Coolant depletes slowly.

-Engine runs around 190-200 degrees with a 180 degree thermostat, even here in the 32 degree Ohio climate.

My head gasket was installed upside down. (very easy to do on an lsvtec)

Could the oil burning, coolant loss burning and hotter engine temps be because of the upside down gasket?

0Golden Eagle

so your saying the gasket is upside down still?

projectTeG

from what i gather if its upside down then it will leak alot

b20vtech

Why did u use a GSR/B16 headgasket on a LSvtec conversion? I mean i know it works but the chance of putting on the headgasket correctly has a higher percentage with the LS head gasket. my .02

DonF

It is upside down in the pic.

Combustion Contraption

I dont get it. Is this thread title a statement or a question? You seem to already know its been installed upside down. And its not any easier to do on an LS/VTEC than any other motor. Simply place the portion of the gasket with UP, facing UP.

0Golden Eagle

because thats the right gasket to use i just do not sagest cometic gaskets only oem honda

b20vtech

so the real benifit from using the Vtec gasket is to avoid the rivets?

0Golden Eagle

that and the ls gasket almost completely blocks off one of the coolant ports at least with the vtec gasket your not blocking off anything the head has or needs your only partially blocking some oil return holes on the block that the head does not have anyway over 10 years of using the vtec gaskets with not one problem

MrToasty

The purpose of this post is because i'm pretty sure the gasket is upside down but compression and leakdown came out great! I'm burning alot of oil and i was wondering if for some reason the gasket being up side down could contribute to me burning 1 qt every 500 miles or so.

I've checked everything else; rings, valve seals, pcv valve routing and pcv valve itself.

So, i ask again... could the gasket being upside down contribute to oil and coolant burning?

-Mike

Combustion Contraption

Yes, and the gasket is upside down in the damn pic, as DonF pointed out.

DonF

If the gasket was upside down, i am not sure I want to ask these questions. What was the ring end-gap? Out of-round of the cylinders? Piston to wall? Rem and angle of the hone cross-hatch? The answer to those questions will help to answer your orig. questions.

0Golden Eagle

MrToasty

Are you all freaking kidding me?

Okay, let me lay this out in layman's terms. Answer the following:

If a head gasket is installed upside down, this would cause the engine to have these sort of symptoms... (put your damn answer here)

KillaSIPP

Its gettn kinda hot in here :0

MrToasty

I really don't understand what is so complex here.

DonF

In layman's terms. The answer to your first post, would depend on the answers to my last post. Bad hone, cylinders out of round, wrong end-gaps, head gsk. on wrong, would cause ALL of your problems. That is my damn answer. Sounds like improper assembly, find a shop.

h22ej8

Nothing, except the fact you apparently failed English.

A question should look as followed (if I've read your STATEMENT correctly).

Will an upside down head gasket, cause my car to burn oil, lose coolant, and run hot?

If that is what your STATEMENT is trying to say, then, the answer is YES; it will.

paton5g

I'm going to say that gasket could absolutely contribute to your problems, but like DonF said, it may not be 100% of your problems. Installing a head gasket upside down is a serious and silly mistake, which would lead most people to believe there have been other mistakes made on this build.

I suggest replacing the gasket, right side up and see if that solves your issues.

MrToasty

1st) The bottom end was built by a reputable shop
2nd) the head has never been touched, other than milling the mating surface
3rd) I assembled the head to the block. The picture that was taking MAY have been just a quick... throw the gasket on the block and snap a picture, scenario. I might have taken the gasket back off and installed it properly. I'm not 100% sure.

This is why I was simply asking if all the problems i'm having with this engine COULD be narrowed down to a reversed head gasket.

Thanks.

MrToasty

I just wanted your opinion so that I can get some more information before I spend the time and 90 bucks for a new gasket just to put it back together and find out that, "No, the headgasket being upside down would NOT contribute to oil-burning".

hondachris1994

If u put the headgasket on backwards u would know cause when u start it oil will spew out of the backside of the block. I know cause ive done it before. Also the headgasket has a UP logo on it.

MrToasty

Is there something wrong with you? Look at my original post. It says, "Could the oil burning, coolant loss and hotter engine temps be because of the upside down gasket? "

Sounds like a question to me. Feel free not to post on my thread again.

MrToasty

That's interested, because i do seem to get quite a bit of seepage under the dizzy, where the head and block meet (dizzy o-ring is fine). Here's another question though: If oil is burning (getting into the combustion chambers) why is the compress and leak down good (combustion chamber gases leaking out)? What i mean is; why would oil go in, but gases not go out?

hondachris1994

If ur getting oil in the combustion chamber there is no way u passed a leak down, u possibly could have broken rings. Im just telling u by expierence if u had the headgasket on backwards u would definately know about it, theres a oil galley way that isnt covered all the way when u put the headgasket on backwards and it pisses rt out the backside of the block once u start the car