Just did a head gasket job on the civic because my buddy dropped something in the cylinder while I was changing the timing belt.

Ran to a nearby city on monday night/tuesday to do some work on my brothers motorcycle. On the way back (400+ km after the head gasket/timing belt/what have you job), I heard noise from the engine. Pulled over, was coming from the valvetrain. Pulled the oil fill cap, lots of noise, smoke. Drove to work (I was making the 2 hr drive before I worked at 8), disgusted.

Pulled the VC off after work. Looks like half of the valvetrain, that closest to the timing belt, is destroyed. Lots of burned oil on the parts, metal filings, etc...

It's cheapest/easiest to get a new engine, but I wonder what the hell happened? Some debris eventually plugged a lube port? The car ran like new for 400+ km.

 

You would have to tear it down to find that out.... If I remember right the valve train is lubed through the rocker set, and all that comes apart. Its possible something got stuck up in there, but if it was all clean and good when you took it apart and put it back together, then I dont see what it could have been.
Was the tensioner new or reused? its possible it siezed and pulled too hard on the belt, that would drag the cam down with it and kill the oil film in the journals. There are no bearings in the head to spin... its just the cam riding on the oil film... and the head itself.

 

Tensioner was reused and reinstalled as per the service manual. I put a pin through the holes, installed the belt, loosened the bolt, two crank rotations, then tightened the bolt/pulled the pin in whatever order was listed in the manual.

I'm no stranger to this kind of work, it went together clean. I guess when I yank this engine out I'll have a look at that tensioner.

edit: I have a dim recollection of turning the engine over FOUR times with the tensioner bolt loose. I may not have tightened the bolt after two rotations, since I went past the marks on the crank pulley and wanted to check the timing. I was turning the engine with 5th gear and the brake disc. Couldn't forsee this causing an issue, but would sure like to know if it has...


Modified by eighty6gt at 8:42 AM 5/1/2008