i just got a 88 civic dx from a guy and it was smoking he said it needed a head gasket so i put one on it and its still smokes? it runs just fine and dont start to smoke until after it warms up. it has a hole in the radiator right in the middle were the guys kid hit a whight bench and it ran a hole about an inch or a little bigger stright in it could that do it? it not leaking from it because the guy stuffed it with paper and tape could it be blocked off and makeing it smoke?

 

I would fix the radiator and then drive it..

When a headgasket blows,or if you remove the head
without draining the coolant,

Antifreeze makes its way into the exhaust
and can take quite a while to burn off..

As long as it is not overheating,consuming oil or anti-freeze,
It should stop smoking usually after 30-50 miles..

 

thanks i plan to change it this weekend. i will try it

 

what if it starts to use water could it have a bad head?

 

If its loosing coolant and theres no external leak, you could have a warped head, cracked head, or bad water jackets in the head, you may need a new one

OR you just installed the HG incorrectly, but if it was correct then you most likely need a head