ncnative

1994 Civic DX, 90k miles, no a/c.
The water in my Civic's radiator has been disappearing, about 1 qt. every 150 miles. The car runs fine, no leaks that I can see, no white smoke, no milky oil, coolant looks clean. The car's temp will run up close to the H then drops back to about half way, it continues this fluctuation, never quite running hot, when I check the coolant level it is about 1 qt. low (after about 150 miles). My mechanic said he thinks it is the head gasket or a cracked head, he arrived at this opinion due to the fact that once the car is up to operating temperature there is some bubbling in the overflow resevoir. Anyone have ideas about other checks/tests, symptoms, that will show exactaly what the problem is. If it is the gasket I will repair it, however if it is a cracked head ???? What would be the sympoms of a warped head??? I do not want to pull the head unless absolutely necessary. Also, how complicated is replacing the head gasket as a do-it-yourself project. What manual would you recomend to guide me in this repair?
One last qestion, could someone who has replaced their head gasket please give me a list of what I should buy for this job, I would like to get most, if not all the stuff at one time to keep from making 20 trips to the parts house. Thanks for any help!!

DelSolDon

one simple check is to check for bubbles (from water) on your oil dipstick, also if there is oil settled in the bottom of your coolant overflow tank. what motor do you have? i replaced the head gasket on my b16a2 w/o any problems, just take your time and make sure you don't misplace anything and label your connections if you have short term memory-lol. i went ahead and used ARP head studs instead of oem head bolts, just helps to line up the head better and provides stronger holding force. i also changed my intake gasket to a hondata, replaced exhaust gasket, and had my head planed down flat (some people will tell you not to plane it because there is a good chance if your head is warped, your block is warped too), just up to you. you will need assembly lube for the cam when you reinstall it and threadlocker for your head studs/bolts. by the way, do not reuse your old head bolts. i also cleaned the carbon deposits off the top of my pistons, you will want to change oil and coolant after this. also a good time to at least think about changing your timing belt, you will have to take it off anyway. can't think of anything else right now, good luck

civicboisi

could it just be ur thermostat?

SirRevvs

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civicboisi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">could it just be ur thermostat?</TD></TR></TABLE>

or maybe you have a clogged radiator and the extra coolant is bubbling out of your resevoir? That's what happened to me.

ncnative

How do I find out which engine I have? Which repair manual do you recomend as a guide? Where is the best (and cheapest) place to get Honda parts online?

ncnative

Thanks, SirRevvs I will have that checked 1st