Tim1959

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I have seen this problem before. You are barking up the wrong tree! :-)
All the indicators point to a blown head gasket and/or warped cyl head.
You must replace the cyl head gasket (with OEM parts) and have a machine shop shave the cyl head.
Pay attention to the flatness spec. in the Factory Service Manual.

letank

Headgasket in progress: Head removed, still flat, waiting for parts

Tim1959

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Been there done this! This is a blown head gasket & warped cyl head (must be shaved). Use only OEM parts. My $0.02

Tim1959

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You must very carefully inspect the flatness of the cyl head. .002" MAX warpage says Honda. They are DEAD SERIOUS!

letank

Right on, it was less than .002", the most gap was at the center. An emission code came back after 10 miles... it was cleared, but has not returned in 120miles. Passed the CA smog test.

Gabeefs

this might be long but I'm trying to avoid changing my water pump because of the excessive amount of work that goes into it lmao.
My 02 civic lx with 174k miles is overheating and I'm almost positive the engine isnt getting any water.
Symptoms:
I do have a crack in the top of my radiator that sometimes was spraying coolant but I don't think its enough to keep the engine from getting any
My heat did not work at all when I was driving
My temp gauge stays all the way down (ie doesnt work) even tho my engine is hot to the touch and I changed my thermostat
My reservoir has not drained at all even with the steady leak Ive neglected in the radiator
Oil is still dark, doesnt look like its been mixed with coolant
When I changed my thermostat no coolant came out of my engine
Tried burping hoses but still seemed like none was coming from the engine

I don't want to change the water pump if I dont have to cause thats a lot of work lk, probably gonna change the radiator first but would really like a second opinion or third n fourth. Lmk if u need more info too
Thanks in advance

letank

then change the radiator... start with the easy stuff first.

The fact that your cooling system cannot be pressurized , you will have overheating symptoms... same when your radiator cap fails to hold pressure. The heater core is a bit higher, you will not have heat.

A $130ish radiator is cheaper than a blown headgasket or a dead engine!

jayschankman

Cuts right to the chase. Everyone, myself included never wants to think it could be the most expensive repair, we waste time throwing the cheap parts at it first. Auto Zone, or their competitors will loan you the block tester for free. After checking coolant level and fans, burping, replacing the cap and thermostat, I'd not waste any more time and test for emissions in your cooling system.

Jtjimenez

if it overheats while you stop and cools down while your driving, its most likely gonna be the fans not Turning on. It seems to be a main issue with this vehicle, as I have had it for 10+ years and constantly overheats for many reasons.
Wouldnt recommend drving it while it overheats, but Try turning on the a/c and see if the fans turn on. If they do check your coolant and coolant sensors since they tend to not turn the fans on if they cant read coolant levels (especially if your low on coolant). If all else fails, try fan relays. Just try not to drive if it over heats.

Danteska

What good options are there for the cylinder head bolts if I can't afford the OEM ones? They're 18 EUR a piece in my country, so that's 180 for 10, which is over $200 in USD.

https://i.imgur.com/VFNOYze.png

I see these on rockauto.com. Was thinking of buying the Fel-pro ones.

Any recommendations? The head will be resurfaced and I bought an OEM head gasket.

Prune

My 01 Civic EX with 1.7 is using coolant. Seen it puddled under the radiator.
As soon as FedEx delivers the new $50 radiator, I will clean the bugs out of the condenser and in goes the new radiator.
Has already had head gasket and timing belt/water pump 30,000 miles ago.
Fans and thermostat work as needed.
It don't have to lose much coolant to want to heat.
Especially with the air on full.

Prune

If I run into a 4 cylinder with the head gasket leaking, I am going to try this.
The Honda's use a steel shim head gasket.
I will take each head bolt out, one at a time, and put an additional steel machinists washer under the current one.
I want near a 1/4" of washers under the bolt.
I then torque that bolt and move to the next one until all have additional washers under them and are torqued.
Start in the center and work your way out.
Take it for a drive and see how it acts.

I found on mine, the head was almost loose after being machined, fixed with new bolts and FelPro gaskets.
But after taking a few thousandths off the head, I found the new bolts bottomed in the block and were not fully tightening.
Yes, they were tapped and cleaned properly and were probably Chineseum bolts.
There was not sufficient clamping force on the head due to the bolts bottoming.
One could, cut 1/4" off each head bolt with the chop saw.
Or I found the machine washer trick.
I am sure people will have a COW over this trick.
But this is what I found and the trick to fix it.
If it does what I think, you can solve a head gasket issue in about an hour.
I also retorque the head whenever I have the valve cover off, just to be sure.

Prune

I done the head gasket on my 1.7 about 40,000 miles ago and used a Felpro gasket.
When done, I started it and the temp gauge came up to half and had never raised in all these miles.
I had the lower radiator clamp rust away and the coolant got low.
I replaced the radiator, clamp and thermostat with all fans working and now it wants to use some water and heat.
I can accept the fact the head gasket is bad.
I am leaning at going back to the Multi Layer Steel gasket that Honda runs from the factory.
I will also make sure the block and head are perfectly smooth and not warped.
Should the MLS gasket be the only option?
Have also been running green antifreeze and will go back to the blue Honda, to be sure.
I am getting ready to get to work and want to do it right, the second time.