BlackLX4

Hey, new guy here. I have a couple of questions about my wife's car, one of which I will post in a separate thread.

1998 Accord LX, 4-door, 2.3L VTEC/4AT. The engine has started to stumble a little when coming to a stop, and the front corner of the head gasket area looks a little wet. I ran the engine pretty high a few times yesterday, but I didn't get anywhere near redlining it or overheating it. And the level in the reservoir is suddenly nearly an inch above the max line, which hasn't happened before. I wiped up the wet area with a rag and it smells more like engine oil than antifreeze. I really hope it's just some residual oil from a recently fixed leak (VTEC solenoid and distributor O-rings were leaky) and that the head gasket didn't take a crap AGAIN. I don't see how it could have, personally. I cleaned the cap and rotor contacts and the engine seems a little better. I sprayed brake cleaner on the wet areas to clean them up, and I drove the car about 15 miles and they still seem okay. For now, anyway. Any pointers are appreciated.

poorman212

Solve the p0420 codes first.

Verify the HG is sealing - many ways of doing this.

BlackLX4

Hey Poorman. Lol What are some ways of verifying the head gasket is sealing?

Update: just went out and checked up on things, and the reservoir was completely EMPTY. I fear the worst...

BlackLX4

Update: did a bunch of tests on the cooling system in class today. It passed pressure and chemical tests, I bled and refilled the system (I topped off the radiator and refilled the reservoir last night and it has remained full since then), and checked the spark plugs and they looked normal. The exhaust and the oil both look and smell normal. So it was probably just a huge air pocket that hadn't come out since I had the system open a couple of weeks ago.

But now there's a bit of rough running on warm start-ups. Hoping it's just the old plugs and that replacing them will solve it. Could it be a fuel pressure problem?

I have a few pics of the oil seepage I'd like to upload, but I can't get them to upload. They're all within size limits...

poorman212

I think on here you have to get past the "5 post" thing before pic's/attachments will work properly.

You've got a 0420 code...so chasing a bunch of other things might not be the best thing.....could all be related.

Yes, rule out normal wear/maintenance items (plugs, cap, rotor, test wires, ect) if you are not sure if they are due.

BlackLX4

Got new plugs that should be showing up tomorrow. Tested the wires and they're good, but I'm still going to replace them with Denso wires, hopefully in a few weeks. I'll be changing out the cap and rotor around that time also. They're all about a year/year and a half old.