Well...the story started a few days ago when I found my coolant overflow bottle full. The inevitable head lifting had begun. I dumped it back into the radiator, but it kept filling to the top. I checked it again at the gas station the other night, and the coolant bottle was empty...and oil was covering the block.

Tonight, I took the head off the car. As I was loosening the head bolts, coolant was seeping from the crack between the head and block. The pictures speak for themselves.

Head and turbo all layed out on the floor:


What spilled onto the garage floor:
















Check that out! The factory cross-hatching is still there after 180,000 miles!!!


ARP headstuds and new Y8 gasket are going in on Thursday for round 2. Hopefully that will solve the problem, as I had re-used head bolts when doing my mini me...and never retorqued them after the inital install

I did have one question though...how do you all get the bad coolant out of the water jackets around the cylinders?

 

holy **** good luck for ya...

wish i could answer your 1 question but i'm a newbie ****

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BauleyCivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I did have one question though...how do you all get the bad coolant out of the water jackets around the cylinders?</TD></TR></TABLE>

a straw get suckin' bitch!

glad to see nothing too major.

 

that sucks. id get the head plained to be on the safe side. also use a shop vac, or a hose and just suck the water out. and let it sit and dry.

good luck with the rebuild. you should slap some Vitara pistons in their while your at it.

 

make sure you plane the head

beat me too it^

 

there is a drain plug on the front of the block, i think it drains the water jacket.

-Dustin

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by krustindumm &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">there is a drain plug on the front of the block, i think it drains the water jacket.

-Dustin</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yep. Pull it before the head, and the coolant won't spill into the cylinders or crankcase. A shop-vac will be the best method now.

 

I always just bring the engine to TDC and let most of it poor over the side then use my air compressor and a big rag to blow the cylinders out (if the water plug is pulled all the water will just flow over out the cylinders and out the water drain hole)..also make sure to spary a good amount of WD40 or another lite lube to stop rust or build up.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Snail Tuning &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you should slap some Vitara pistons in their while your at it. </TD></TR></TABLE>

why? so he can be slower than before?

 

also get some rtv and run a thin thin coat over the gasket , zexman does this with great success

 

i had no success with the rtv or copper spray. This time i'm going with no spray or anything. Changine headgaskets is fun isn't it bauley? I've been getting used to it on my motor

 

try a cometic then.....

 

A lil bit off topic, but a few years back i had an eg lx with a d15 and i could see oil residue near the alternator, like it spilled then it burnt, could it have been head lifting?The engine was running great.

 

heres a solution, switch to b-series

 

nevar!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mase &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">heres a solution, switch to b-series </TD></TR></TABLE>

naw i want to make real power.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mase &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">heres a solution, switch to b-series </TD></TR></TABLE>

Why? So I have to pay $80 to replace my head gasket instead of $35? No thanks

 

I hope your pistons are okay, they look NASTY!

Good luck

REMEMBER:

-get head resurfaced and checked for leaks (I'm sure that it could use new guides/seals/etc.)
-use the supplied ARP moly lube, torque to 65 ft./lbs. in 3 stages
-retorque after 500 miles
-USE COPPER SPRAY! 3-4 coats, working GREAT for me.

That's all I can think of right now.

 

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

Why? So I have to pay $80 to replace my head gasket instead of $35? No thanks </TD></TR></TABLE>


since when do bseries pop headgaskets?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mase &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
since when do bseries pop headgaskets? </TD></TR></TABLE>

They don't. Good head bolts are part of the $3500 price tag for a used motor.

 

good luck i just knew it was the headgasket

 

Thats a pretty big mess you got there Bauley. Have you really been boosted now (before the mess)? Haven't really ventured into the eg/civic forum after my hatch got stolen.

 

i was told to never replain a aluminum head, if the head is warped, the machine shop will have it bolted down and headed up so it will become unwarpped again. is this right? wont replainin change comp ratio?

 

Question for the thread starter

How much coolant were you losing? Did you have to re-fill the over flow tank every day or so? Was the car smoking white at WOT? and did you ever notice the car over heating?

I want to make sure I look out for this, I never re TQ'ed my head studs (ARP). Endyn (whom built it last summer) said it wasn't necessary.

 

basically the biggest sign that you have blown a head gasket is if your overflow tank mysteriously becomes full. The last two times mines blown I noticed the tank levels start to rise about a weak before it really let loose and started overheating. I never really noticed any white smoke or milky mixtures though.