holmesnmanny

So my civic that I had in immaculate running order just developed this leak. I didn't know about it til after I bought it in late 05 and the previous owner had traded it in a couple months before that. I think he traded it in deliberately just before the 10 year extended warranty was up. My car was perfect at 171k when it developed the crack. I am actually going to try something I thought of. I'm going to pull the alternator, which is where it has atleast one leak, Hopefully it's the only leak but it looks like there may be more since there's coolant underneath and towards the back but could just be this leak(hopefully), and pressurize it with a coolant pressure kit. Then I'm going to see if it's only cracked at that spot behind the alternator which is where I know it's leaking from. Then I'm going to clean it up real good after draining the coolant and hit it with a layer of FlexSeal. This stuff seems to work good if you let it cure a bit. It's supposed to be good for both hot and cold temperatures. Then I'm going to let it sit for a bit and hit it with another layer and maybe even up to 4 layers after letting it sit for an hour or so afterwards. Then I'm going to let it cure for atleast 24 hours. Then I'm going to pressurize it again and see if it holds. The cooling system is usually only pressurized to about 15lbs or so so hopefully this will work. My goal isn't to find a permanent solution. I'm just curious if this can be a temporary fix. I am planning on having the block replaced. The service manual and what I've found has them pulling the engine from underneath. It does look like a tight fit for pulling from up top. Anyone ever pulled an engine on this and done it from the top ? If so, I will probably just pull it myself but my personal mechanic that I use for things I need a shop press or a lift for will do it for $1000. If this works I'm going to run it hard and see if it's holding up under high heat.

holmesnmanny

Obviously I tried to get Honda to cover it but they said no.

dpetro1

is your VIN within the range of the service bulletin? i would check to make sure its the block, could be a coolant hose that has cracked and just needs to be replaced?

av911

Doesn't matter, it's out of warranty...10 years from purchase date.

holmesnmanny

It's coming from behind the alternator. I actually haven't gotten around to trying to the temp fix. I think when I take in the car to have the engine replaced I'll just have em test it before they start work just to be sure. It'll save me the hassle of buying the tools to test it.

97emsedan

Better off just getting the long block replaced.the R18 engine block had casting defects in the water jackets around the rear if the block and near the alternator bracket gussets.

you should be able to source out a new(ish) R18 long block block ( fully assembled lower end without the head ) for much less than $1000.00. Or you can just have the whole power plant replaced.

BryanM.

iTrader: (1)

You can get an R18 short block from Majestic Honda for about $1100

https://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com...Y.+%281.8L%29#

holmesnmanny

The problem is that they don't have a shipping option when I put the block in the cart. I actually live next to South Bay Honda, which is where Honda Parts Cheap is located so I'm going to be talking to them to see how to go about ordering it and possibly just doing a local pickup option.

holmesnmanny

I went ahead and threw some rtv on the crack that I have which is the one in the front behind the alternator and I can confirm that this fix works. The crack actually goes slightly to the left and to the right and on the right just behind the lip/ridge of that part of the block I didn't originally put enough rtv so I am going to have to just touch up that part just a little but the crack otherwise everywhere else where it's leaking has completely stopped.

I didn't actually think it was going to work so I probably could have done a better job at cleaning it up but I was pulling my alternator and had some access to try it so I basically hit it with some brake cleaner and used a shop towel and a flat head screwdriver to clean it off a bit then hit it again with some brake cleaner and then added a layer of rtv. Then I let it dry/cure for about a couple hours and drove it and like I said it's only leaking a little where I didn't apply as much rtv.

Now there are four spots where it cracks. Mine just happens to be the most common and the easiest to access, but the other spot on the front where it leaks you will need to pull the water pipe and the catalytic converter to really get enough room to do an rtv patch there if it's leaking. I'm thinking about just being proactive and doing the job there even with it not leaking there.

On the back there are the two spots, one is behind the oil separator plate and the other is on the other side. Mine is not leaking there but for sure the fix should work on the other side and for the oil separator, after pulling the plate and cleaning it up real good, I think a nice layer of rtv and letting that cure for atleast 4 hours, maybe even 24 hours since you don't want to risk any rtv possibly dislodging and going down whatever path it takes should work as well.

I think the key is that the pressure is only around 14 psi and the crack itself, being a hairline crack doesn't allow a lot of pressure to push out of that crack. That's what helps the rtv hold I think. Also, rtv can expand so that helps too.

I'm enclosing the tsb itself again