turbodailydan

ok so ive just got my freshly built b18c turbo running. taken it for a drive and noticed the headgasket appears to be leaking oil, on the drivers side corner next to the power steering pump..

i heard alot of horror storys regarding cometic head gaskets leaking after i bought it..

the arp head studs have been torqued correctly, although the block/head have not been resurfaced, they have been checked and are flat.

so now i guess i gotta change the head gasket, ive heard the oem honda gaskets are good, are these up to the job of turbo power? if not, what head gasket is recomended?

thanks - dan

TheShodan

iTrader: (14)

OEM gaskets can do turbocharging without a problem. But it may not be the gasket itself, it is more than likely lack of resurfacing the head and decking the block a few thousandths

turbodailydan

yeah i heard metal head gaskets are very sensitive to block/head surface and most people dont recomend fitting without re-surfacing the block and head..

so you say the oem is a tough gasket, good enough for some boost?

am i right in thinking the oem gasket is more likely to seal better as the material has more 'squish' thus sealing will be better after torque down..?

thanks - dan

TheShodan

iTrader: (14)

This isn't really a better-worse thing. Most cometic gaskets work fine, its just that they need a bit of a better prep and seal when torquing down. I personally have used only 1 cometic HG, and I used copper spray to seal it first.

92redhatch

I run a cometic with no issues. You might just need to resurface you head

dart2.2

it could be the cam seal that is leaking and driping down.

TheShodan

iTrader: (14)

^^ very true

turbodailydan

hmm.. il whip the cover off a check 2mrw..

the oil ''looks'' like its coming from the head gasket though, but i will be very happy if it isnt lol

turbodailydan

ok guys little update.

went out to the car this morning, cleaned up the oil with brake cleaner so everything was dry and clean. i then took off the rocker cover and removed the cambelt cover, then replaced the rocker cover, so i can run it up whilst being able to see the cam pulley seals.

ok, so i let it run for 5mins whilst watching for any leaks, nothing.. so i took her out for a drive 2mins up the road where theres an industrial estate, so pulled in there and had another look, there was some wheaping around the exhaust cam seal..

took her for a little drive for around 20mins, pulled up and had another look, the cam seal was the same but there was a little oil around the head/block seal at the corner below the power steering, the oil goes as far as just past the exhaust runner on no.1 exhaust port.

so made my way back home, had another look and there was abit more oil down the front of the block..

so, im abit confused as to where its coming from..

at the moment im thinking, it must be coming from the cam seal..? as if it were the head gasket i would have thought it would be leaking as soon as the engine is at normal running temps and the oil has thinned out.. but there isnt any oil around the headgasket/block until its been driven for 20mins or so.. which makes me think its taking 20mins for the oil to drip down from the cam seal and settle around the block/head..

what do you guys think? just change the exhaust seal and see if it cures the problem...

thanks - dan (sorry for the long *** post )

dart2.2

yup id change the cam seals and call it a day. good luck.

ashb82

i have seen cam seal do this because people dont install them correctly. they will just set the cam in the head with cam gears on the cam then slide the seal towards the lobes. you have to install the with the cam gear off then take a large socket tap the cam seal untill it seats or it will always wear incorrect.

JRSC•GSR•EG

i have a comedic hg too, and mine appears to sweet, i don't know if the studs weren't torqued to spec or if the head had to be resurfaced, it never drips or leaks just looks alittle wet around the hg in some places.

mike93eh2

why would anyone want to buy a more expensive cometic headgasket where they are proven to have problems instead of using a less expensive oem gasket that has zero problems no matter how much power or boost youre pushing....... ???

Garcia-Racing

custom thickness

mike93eh2

and that custom thickness is usually what causes them to leak. maybe for some crazy setups that need it for the piston to valve clearance but with most of these people running them, no. oem will work for almost every setup. if you need to lower your compression then you need to change your pistons or do some headwork.