MrMug3n

Head gasket?

2004 Civic EX w/ 150k overheating while stopped at lights or stop signs.

Replaced -
radiator fan and motor
coolant temp sensor
thermostat
water pump
fan switch relay
low temp fan switch
then coolant again and again.

I have seen no leaks as I park in the same two spots (work and home) This morning i checked the coolant and again it was low. but this time when I removed the radiator cap it hissed as if it was pressurized???

Any head gasket DIY? I will not attempt but I would like to read up.

Freshes1

Hey I had this same issue and it was the water pump piping that runs along the back under the intake manifold. You couldnt see it from the top or the bottom it was just an akward place where it rusted out. Mine my had 250k and the head gasket went cause i stopped caring about the coolant ha. So i swaped a motor with 76k in and it wasnt till the old one was out that I saw it. sorry for the novel just seems very similar to my problem.

MrMug3n

I could pull the motor and check. Its weird i can smell the coolant after I drive but there is never any spots on my driveway =/ did yours leak? mine is just dissapearing lol

kiwisallday

Have you checked your spark plugs to see if you're burning coolant, if you are then one of your plugs should be cleaner then the others.

Freshes1

No it never seemed to leak it would just all disapear and I would have alittle along the back of my block. you could honestly just reach over the piping to see if it is rusted, mine was rusted out about an inch long and I could see where it just let it all run out.

EM2abe

have you read all the other posts about overheating issues?

MrMug3n

Will do, i was planing on pulling them anyway,,,

Abe yes this has been an issue over a few months. I have looked into most of the write-ups. my fan wasnt turning on at first but after replacing relay and fan switch its working fine.

oddly, i did throw a code for high voltage for a temp sensor i think??? any ideas?

It Wasn't Me

If your coolant is disappearing and there are no external leaks, it can only be going one place.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

Jupiter?

Yeah, I think its burning as well.

It Wasn't Me

It's the most-probable scenario, unfortunately.


Burning, not the interplanetary travel.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

Wait... interplanetary travel isn't the most-probable?

It Wasn't Me

Only on Looney Tunes, my friend.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

So you're saying its still possible. Good to know.

si90rex

Replace the radiator cap... my car is doing the same thing, i replaced the water pump and timing belt 2 months ago. ever since i noticed the car would start to over heat, i would check the level and it would be low. add some and it would be fine for 2-3weeks, then do it again. so i replaced the thermo and cap. next time its low look to see if there is coolant in the battery tray, or on the fan. your loosing coolant as the pressure builds while you drive, the cap can't handle the pressure so it seeps out. when the motors off no pressure so no leaks. fill the coolant and leave the cap off start the car and see if the coolant bubbles rapidly if it does you have a head gasket issue.

It Wasn't Me

Is it safe to assume that he would have noticed this while he was changing the radiator fan, etc? In general, people thoroughly visually inspect their engine bay for signs of a coolant leak (fresh/wet or white/dry residual spots) rather than only looking under the car.


I've seen the traditional "combustion leak test" methods fail to indicate that the head gasket was bad when in fact it was. Just sayin'

Of course it's going to bubble if there is air trapped in the cooling system. It's not due to insufficient burping, so ...

si90rex

no it's not safe to say...he said himself there's no coolant on the ground. most people either dont think to look for those signs or need a second pear of eyes. Im not saying he's an idiot, i just see people say "ya i checked" when they over looked it. the wet spots would look just like you ran through a puddle and if let sit the coolant will dry up.

again if he does have the tools to test for a head gasket the next best thing is white smoke, wet plugs, or bubbling coolant and mixed coolant/oil. yes bubbling will happen if there's air trapped but is should just bubble slowly and eventually stop. the air that is trapped could also give that pressurized should he was talking about. RAPID bubbling is do to the combustion gases and yes its not 100%, but its a good way to check.
this is just my two pennies, 10dollar cap, vs. head gasket?

It Wasn't Me

Pear of eyes, hm? Okay then!

It's not a wild goose hunt, looking for spilled coolant. You also instructed him to look for coolant in the most-obvious of places. You're not saying he's an idiot - you're just implying that he didn't bother looking or otherwise can't tell the difference between water which has splashed up from the roadway and coolant, colored and odorous, which has managed to leak from the system. Maybe I'm just misunderstand what you're saying.

Doesn't*

I'd love nothing more than for the OP to return and honestly say that a new radiator cap has fixed his overheating issues. I'm skeptical, but let's wait and see.

White smoke? Indeed, a solid indicator. But it isn't happening.
Bubbling? Usually caused by a bad gasket allowing air into the system.
Mixed oil/coolant? Rarely seems to happen with these Civics. I haven't seen one person on here who's had oil and coolant mix together, even though their head gasket was bad.

si90rex

ya ya i know not the greatest writer today... i ve been writing a 10 page paper all day can't wait to see all the mistakes.lol

Anyways... most obvious for you and me, may not be for him. He asked about head gasket diy so im implying he doesn't know too much about the subject or what to look for. You implying it the head gasket no question asked.

we have a shop here in my town that declares head gasket with any coolant issues because there's moisture in the exhaust!:s i still dont understand how there in business. A buddy of mine got quoted 2300 bucks from there and he came to me for a second opinion, I change the thermo and it was fine. other time a guys car overheated only on the highway another quote and i change the cap...bam! never another problem.

in this case IF (and i will be happy to admit if im wrong) he has a blown gasket more than anything it would be smoking if hes losing coolant as often as he says. right? since you said this isn't happening.....then it has to go somewhere. so i say the cap. My question for the OP is how many miles from work- home?

si90rex

also if he added coolant and missed the hole it would run onto and down the fan. it's easy to mistake that coolant for coolant leaking out later. overheating happens at the wrong time especially if your in a hurry you dont have time to wipe down the fan or any other spilled coolant.

It Wasn't Me

I hope it's not for English! LOL!

I also assumed that if it were leaking because of a bad radiator cap that he would notice fresh coolant somewhere in the engine bay or on the ground. Since he's not, I also assumed that the exhaust isn't forcing the coolant into and out of the overflow reservoir, leading me to believe that the coolant is being vaporized but not enough to cause plumes of "white smoke." It does happen.


Sounds typical of auto shops, unfortunately. I sincerely hope you're right, and that I jumped the gun assuming that it is the head gasket. I'll gladly apologize if I'm wrong.


How much and how often is he losing coolant? The OP hasn't said. The amount may be just small and infrequent enough that it will not cause the exhaust to noticeably smoke. (as noted above)




Now you're just grasping at straws, my friend.



EDIT: Have you noticed how many times this thread has been viewed compared to the others in this particular forum? I might have to start charging admission to this show. Ha!

MrMug3n

My apologies..I was unaware this tread was booming. I forgot to subscride lol

The cap is new. Sry I could have save you guys time with that answer lol also no signs of leaks anywhere. I just did a 5lug swap and copliance bushings so I spent a bit of time under the car. I will check the battery tray but the fan area and enginbay has been clean although it is a very small amount disappearing every 10 days or so deff no white smoke. it does bubble a bit but i wouldnt use the term rapidly. All of the plugs look decent and identical across all four.

MrMug3n

Funny lol I live about 15min south of Jupiter Fla. Threw me off a bit

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

lol, that's ironic!

si90rex

i would let the car idle for awhile to see if the bubbling stops, so air isn't trapped in the system. or i would buy a leak down or use a compression tester and unscrew the one way valve and charge each cylinder to see if its bubbling with the car off. Since the cap is new, i was wrong with my diagnosis.

Lambo123

Are you using aftermarket silicone hoses? If so replace them with rubber hoses immediately.