What usually causes a blown head gasket? I ask because my engine is stock and I think I blew one. Im getting steam from my tailpipe. The engine is a b18a1 in a 91 integra. The person that had it before me had the head milled. I was wondering if he put that head back on without compensating for the timing, could the compression be so high as to lift the head, crack it, or blow the gasket? Its weird because the car doesnt skip, idles and doesnt get hot at all. Once the car warms up is when it steams, but it only steams when you give it gas or rev at 3000rpm or so. at idle, there is no steaming. Also my radiator coolant levels are normal and none seems to be disappearing anywhere. Any Ideas?

Thanks for the help

MantisX

 

The tailpipe you are seeing condensation.... Which is normal.... Have you done a compression test across the board?

 

ive blown one from bad radiator/ over heated.. haha not funny at the time.. does it smoke at all?.. does the exhaust stink at all. something like coolant?..

 

If you blew a head gasket, your temp is gonna rise, which in your case it doesnt.

 

Hello all and thanks for the replies so far. No, theres no smoke at all, just that annoying steam. It cant be regular condensation because it doesnt go away. One thing I do get when I go to the back of the car is a strong gas smell. I dont know if thats normal or not but it smells stronger than normal I would say. Is there anything other than a gasket that would cause coolant to leak where it shouldnt? Or anything else that would create steam? As for the compression test, im taking it to the shop Monday to make sure. Its very nice to hear that it may not be a gasket, but something has to be causing that steam. Also, there is an oil leak somewhere around my timing gear casing. I think it may be the cam seals.

Thanks

MantisX

 

possibly you could be running very rich. Which would basically be dumping unused gas out your exhaust i believe

 

if theres tons of white smoke, overheats and it smells like coolant then you may have blew a headgasket. Also you can pull your valve cover off, if its all milky, then the headgasket is gone. However, your car doesnt sound like its a headgasket

 

Hello all. I started my car up yesterday and just let it run for about 45 minutes to an hour to see if it would overheat or even skip a beat. It didnt so im starting to lean towards an O2 sensor or catalytic converter letting through too much gas.

Can someone explain what a gas cloud may look like? Does it resemble steam at all?

As for the oil leak under the hood, I removed the front mount and found that it wasnt coming from the head gasket at all. Its coming from somewhere slightly higher. Im suspecting the valve cover gasket. What else on the cam gear side of the engine could leak oil high on the engine?

Thanks for all the help so far, nothing couldve sparked off my will to find this problem like this site. I really appreciate it.

MantisX

 

the oil leak you are describing may be a cam seal. Simple to replace, and commonly go bad on integras.

Check your oil. If coolant has made its way into the oil, it will look like chocolate milk. The compression test will also help determine exactly what the problem is.

 

Sounds like your exhaust cam seal. It's an easy fix.