fcuked

I have a friend who has a '91 si hatch that's been sitting in his driveway for a while because of a blow headgasket, the car was his beater, but since he doesn't use it he said he will almost let it go for dirt cheap.

Now i've done swaps, etc before and last night i purposly took my old d series motor apart to see how it easy it was, anyway pulling the tranny/im/tb/header/entire head off took just a bit over an hour and a half. So it's def easy. How about putting the stuff back, i mean how easy will it be for me to do the headgasket on a '91 civic. What do i need to know as far as putting the head back on?

vtecb20coupe

it shouldn't take that long. all you really have to do it retorque the head bolts to oem specs.

-Trinitron-

You should make sure that you remove the head bolts in order, and keep them in order once removed. (put the bolts in the same holes you removed them from) If down time is not an issue, you should take the head to a machine shop and have them check to see if it is warped. If so they should machine it, if not...YAY! Then replace the head and torque the head bolts in order. There are 2 stages to tightening head bolts. buy a manual and follow the specs exactly and you should be fine.

BauleyCivic

Dont take the intake manifold off and it will be much easier.

I have done two head gaskets on my car...

1. Unplug everything from IM
2. Unbolt header
3. Take off valve cover
4. Unbolt timing belt cover and slip timing belt off
5. Remove head bolts in order and whala ur done

BeerMan

If you can do a swap, you can change a head gasket. Doesn't take very long, especially with an extra set of hands.

Atlas

if you do it by yourself and its your first time, it could take a while. My friend did one on his B16 and it took him a while..

dsadas89das78934

if me and a friend can rebuild an entire motor with it still in the car and have in running in 7 hours in the parking lot of an apartment complex, you can easily replace the head gasket... just have a friend help you, an extra set of hands come in 'handy' when it comes time to either lift the head off, or put it on

owen_the_soyboy

its super easy on a sohc motor. the headbolts are accessible after just removing the valvecover! I swapped a sohc headgasket, by myself in under 3 hours at a snails pace.

on a dohc vtec motor, the headbolts are under the cam caps, and its very time consuming removing them and re-torquing them alll as well.

the redsquare forecast

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by owen_the_soyboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">its super easy on a sohc motor. the headbolts are accessible after just removing the valvecover!</TD></TR></TABLE>

This makes it extremely easy. Shouldn't take long either. Like said above, just make sure the head bolts are torqued back down correctly. I would reccomend new head bolts though. I never reuse OEM head bolts.

TABIAS

i've been reading this post and have gotten planty of important info, because im doing a head swap tomorrow, and i was wondering if i could re-use my old 97 d16y8 head gasket on my new z6 head? Or should I replace, and get a new OEM head gasket... also, if i should use my old, will this bump up the compression? (because the y8 is thicker??....right?) if not what should i use to do so? thanks alot guys

EvilPinkEye

man, the first time I did the head on my car it took me half the day, but now( second time that is) got it down to an hour or so on and off
not that hard, take it from me, did searches and read up and finally jumped, get a book and u should be staight.
while ur at it get a friend, so that it doesnt seem like all work.

BauleyCivic

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by preacherboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i've been reading this post and have gotten planty of important info, because im doing a head swap tomorrow, and i was wondering if i could re-use my old 97 d16y8 head gasket on my new z6 head? Or should I replace, and get a new OEM head gasket... also, if i should use my old, will this bump up the compression? (because the y8 is thicker??....right?) if not what should i use to do so? thanks alot guys</TD></TR></TABLE>

<FONT SIZE="5">NEVER</FONT> re-use head gaskets. Always get a new OEM one. And Z6 and Y8 gaskets are the same...Y8 is cheaper for some reason...so make sure u get a new OEM y8 gasket from the dealer.

And how exactly do you plan to wire your Z6 head up to your OBD2 car?

TABIAS

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BauleyCivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

And how exactly do you plan to wire your Z6 head up to your OBD2 car?</TD></TR></TABLE>


I got a z6 dizzy and ill swap the y8 internals into that, and im runnin a p28 w/ obd1 harness

TABIAS

edit: if i have the obd1 conversion i should not have to swap the internals on the dizzy... right???

BauleyCivic

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by preacherboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I got a z6 dizzy and ill swap the y8 internals into that, and im runnin a p28 w/ obd1 harness </TD></TR></TABLE>

holler

TABIAS

also, when doing my swap from y8 to z6 will i have to get a new timing belt? the one on my y8 has less than 55XXX miles on it...??

sshaikh01

[QUOTE=BauleyCivic]

<FONT SIZE="5">NEVER</FONT> re-use head gaskets. Always get a new OEM one. And Z6 and Y8 gaskets are the same...QUOTE]

its funny i see people all the time selling their used head gaskets, and people buy them too

gloryhog

I think the y8 head gasket is a little thinner, thats what I run on my sohc zc vtec, it plus milling the head raised the compression just a hair. retorque your head bolts in this order

8 4 2 6 10

9 5 1 3 7
tighten to 27 ft/lbs. first then start over and go to 53 ft/lbs , I always go back after about 50 miles and retorque to 53ft/lbs.

SOHC_MShue

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BauleyCivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

<FONT SIZE="5">NEVER</FONT> re-use head gaskets. Always get a new OEM one. And Z6 and Y8 gaskets are the same...Y8 is cheaper for some reason...so make sure u get a new OEM y8 gasket from the dealer.

And how exactly do you plan to wire your Z6 head up to your OBD2 car?</TD></TR></TABLE>

actually the y8 headgasket is thinner and yields a higher compression. Anyone else got any input on wiring up the dizzy for this head swap? I'm helping out preacherboy with this on saturday. We have a y8 dizzy and a z6 dizzy so tell us what were gonna have to do. Do we still need to swap the y8 internals if were already running an obd1 ecu??

Evs-One

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BauleyCivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

<FONT SIZE="5">NEVER</FONT> re-use head gaskets. Always get a new OEM one. And Z6 and Y8 gaskets are the same...Y8 is cheaper for some reason...so make sure u get a new OEM y8 gasket from the dealer.

And how exactly do you plan to wire your Z6 head up to your OBD2 car?</TD></TR></TABLE>

come on Dustin.....you can't be serious.

Why does everyone thing that re using a perfectly good head gasket is a bad idea??? These people obviously haven't had that much experience, they just regurgitate Honda-Tech BS and people buy into it.

I have re used head gaskets probably 5 or 6 times and have had ZERO problems. If you re use it, make sure it was not blown, that you clean it off very well, use carb cleaner to get it bone dry, and then spray generously some copper gasket spray and you're good to go.


And Y8 head gaskets are NOT thinner. I have purchased probably 4 Y8 head gaskets from Honda, mainly because they are cheaper, and they were the same 3 layer gasket. One was made in Canada and one in USA

SOHC_MShue

so why do they produce a higher compression ratio than the z6 head gaskets?

BauleyCivic

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SOHC_MShue &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so why do they produce a higher compression ratio than the z6 head gaskets? </TD></TR></TABLE>

They DONT! They are the same just a different composite of metal!

SOHC_MShue

appartantely i've been hearing the wrong info then

Evs-One

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SOHC_MShue &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so why do they produce a higher compression ratio than the z6 head gaskets? </TD></TR></TABLE>

SUPPOSEDLY there is a 2 layer Y8 head gasket,.....which I have yet to sen

owen_the_soyboy

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Emerika &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have re used head gaskets probably 5 or 6 times and have had ZERO problems. If you re use it, make sure it was not blown, that you clean it off very well, use carb cleaner to get it bone dry, and then spray generously some copper gasket spray and you're good to go. </TD></TR></TABLE> Wow, I learn something new everyday, no doubt! I will try to reuse one if I get the chance on a beat motor. But I think the misinformation is easily traced... lots of used Hondas have had their headgaskets replaced at one time by a mechanic that used a FelPro gsket, inferior to an OEM HOnda metal gasket, the FelPro gaskets are a fabric-type of compressed fiber gasket that tear off and leave layers of material on the hgead and block once you remove a head, so there is NO way you could reuse one of the FelPro headgaskets and have a good seal. So I think the common saying of "never reuse a headgasket" has come from people generalizxing and including OEM Honda parts in the statement on headgaskets... also most performance guys still believe a used headgasket has NO place in a high compression, high revving, high dollar VTEC motor... I kinda agree... but on a beater... I'd try to reuse an OEM one if mine ever had them instead of these FelPro craptastic parts