well i was just wondering could a headgsket leak make vtec not function properly?? Like say not pull as hard anymore??? thanks again guys

 

bump

 

no answer????

 

a headgasket leak can cause reduction in power aka "vtec not pulling"

 

is the gasket leaking oil? there may be to low of oil pressure for vtec to engage.

 

ooh okay thats why its doing that i was wondering. my headgasket is leaking still after i replaced it, but i found out that since we changed it so many times that my head studs are stretched. vtec still engages but not as say "strong" as before.

 

also i have a oil pressure gauge and when its completely warmed up at idle its around 20-25 psi with the oil at full level

 

20-25 i thought it was supposed to be around 60...

 

well it is at 60 when i first start it up but when driving around for a little bit then it goes down there. after the car is completely warmed up that is. So a headgasket leak can make that much of a difference huh?

 

bump

 

good luck on this

 

it should be at around 20psi at idle once its warmed up. then its usually around 55psi or so at 3000rpms then it goes up slow after that. where is it leakin oil from the front pass. side.

 

passenger side yeah

 

no no im sorry its the drivers side

 

anybody else?

 

what is the oil pressure at 3000rpm and lets say 6000rpms when its warm. Also is your oil and coolant mixing

 

after the 1st time of changing the head gasket i would have changed the head bolts to the arp's for piece of mind, just my dumb opinion

 

well at around 3000 rpms it is about 55-65 depending how lon gi drive. I dont really pay attention to 6000 rpms because ill be in vtec.

 

and no the coolant is not mixing. I checked the oil and there is no sign of any coolant in there

 

well ur oil pressure is right where it should be. check your cam seals to see if there leaking instead of your headgasket. are u throwin any codes. also i didnt even think about it but since u did the headgasket did u do a valve adjustment and then recheck the timing and does it idle good

 

yes the oil pressure is there when the oil is full you see. but when it starts going down then the oil pressure drops. I know its leaking from the headgasket. The valve seals and everything is brand new. also the valve guides. Im taking it to the shop so they can fix it but i just wanted to know if a headgasket could cause vtec to not function properly. The car burns most of the oi l because its running rich.

 

Did you get new headbolts, or ARP Studs yet?

I wouldn't bother with anything else until you get new ones..

 

yeah thats what i guessed was the culprit because i did reuse them at least twice lol i know im stupid. So i have a really strong feeling that thats why the headgasket is leaking ya know. And my vtec is not pulling as hard because of that. Any one with another opinion?

 

thanks guys

 

Did you check to make sure your cam gears and crank pulley are in the proper alignment when putting the head back on? One tooth off, and your car will run like you described. But a blown gasket will as well.

I personally don't think it is your head studs. I have a 290K mile engine that runs great. At 250K, I hydro-locked it and had to pull a rod and replace it. When I did, I was broke, so I reused the head bolts, and even the old 250K mile head gasket, and the old oil pan gasket as well.

I guess I am just one lucky SOB, cause it runs perfect, gets 350 miles to the tank --with no a/c usage-- and only uses 1/3 quart of oil every 5K mile oil change. Oh ya, and my 290K mile RS does still have working A/C.

Everyone at the time said I needed a new engine, but being financially challenged, mentally as well, I swapped the bent rod and had it running in 3 days. First time dealing with engine internals, had a blast.

If your car has overheated, the head or block might of warped so it would be impossible for it to get a good seal on the block, just a thought. Good luck to you.