Im really pissed off about this. I let someone help me with a build after tellling him i dont want peoples hands on my builds...

I let him put the head on and i came in to do the tq specs.
after I tq's it down i noticed that the headgasket was upside down.
the little tab is on the tranny side not the timing cover side. MFSOB

I know with B series you have to have it the right side up. I dont know if it matters with H series. can anyone shed some light?

Do i have to take it back apart and flip it?
Or can i run it. I thought that all the holes lined up on H series with the headgasket either way, as long as the oil hole lines up...

TIA

 

flipping a headgasket doesn't seem good.

what motor closed or open deck
I would assume you definitely wouldn't want to do this to an open deck gasket. not sure if it matters for the closed decks.

i forget what side the tab goes on but if you look at the tab it has a number on it. if the number is on top you are fine, if the number is on the bottom you are upside down.

 

Right.

H23A1 closed bottom. H22a4 head.

I have another h23a1 block and A4 head in the shop. im looking at it right side up and up side down. I can see one difference other then where the Rivits (which all clear) are at.
Tiny difference, and that seems to depend on the gasket.
Some gaskets block off the two water ports (on block) near the Sensors (on head), and some are open on both ends.

I cut some old gaskets in half and they are the exact same in all ways other then said water holes, but that varys to brand of gasket.

 

You should be using a H22a1/H23a1 headgasket. Look at the picture in the helms for correct orientation.

 

Just talked to Honda. there is a different part number for the open deck (Obd2) and closed deck (obd1) gaskets. But im still not buying it.
The heads of both are the same... both stamped with P13, so how could a gasket make a difference to the head?
Now to the block sure, i could see why they would make a differenet gasket. but im looking at them and i cant see hwere the difference is at.

why do sublet dealers list the gaskets to fit all 92-01 vtec motors?

 

I have a h22A jdm block and on my cometic gasket i put it upside down first. i couldnt tell a difference only what u said about one or two coolant holes that were slightly blocked. then i noticed the "UP" stamp on the cometic gasket so im guessing it def matters. i would make sure its the right side up. no point in risking it only to have to tear down the entire thing again, and possibly over heat the motor.

 

all the gaskets i have seen didnt say up!

But I have head that oem and comtic gaskets do. I should not have gotten a 17$
e-***-gay gasket, thats my error. kinda feel stupid about it. i deal with a lot of parts and many times the sublet sellers are aelling oem parts with their own packaging, i assumed it was the same case with the ebay 17$ gasket. but its not. Oh well, she comes off today and a oem gasket will be here in the morning.
I assume the blocking part of the gasket is only on one side of the block in relation to helping the sensors that are on the same side but on the head.
thanks for the help guys.

 

i let some idiot help me with my motor...i thought he knew his stuff (the guy has a honda tattoo). Didnt know he put the headgasket on upside down and soon as i fired the motor all the oil shot out from inbetween the block and head in the corner where the distrubitor is

i really think you should flip it around but i heard soon as you torque it down the gasket is bad

 

cometic say theirs can be torqued down 4-5 times...i also thought head gaskets were shot once clamped once...

 

This is right out of the 1997 Prelude Technical Information Guide.
To improve sealing between the cylinder head and cylinder block a new gasket has been developed. The change in design is to provide an anti-crush feature to the gasket so that sealing is maintained.
If the gasket is used for the 1996 Prelude is used instead of the gasket for a 1997 Prelude mistakenly, the sealing performance of the cylinder will be decreased. The correct cylinder head gasket must be used for each model year.

 

in short on my jdm h22 and OEM gasket the tab IS supposed to be on the tranny side. A shop installed it wrong and I had them take the head back off and put on correct(numbers facing up and tab on tranny side) and they confirmed that the gasket is fine until it has gone through a heat cycle.

 

how certain are you on this? because that's what mine is. From what I've read, It's supposed to be on the distributor side ( the tab). The problem is, i can read the P5M tab on the timing belt side

 

trans side and distributor side is the same thing....

the tab goes on the front passenger side of the block.
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Gm 54-degree v6 engine history