I just picked up a 94 Accord LX with what the owner describes as a random overheating problem. I went through the motions inspecting the coolant, inspecting the oil, looking at how it idled and whatnot and everything checked out. I brought the problem up to my friend who has had experience with this particular model and said that it was common for the F series heads to crack and vent exhaust gas into the cooling system.

Is this true? If it is, how serious is it and how much attention should I dedicate to it ? Would it be like any other BHG issue where it'll progressively get worse and give me warning that it's ready to go out or will it fail catastrophically. Reason is that I picked this car up specifically to get me through 2-3 weeks while I rebuild a crashed S2000 and so I have transportation to go drop in an H22 into my other prelude. The last thing I need is a 3rd car on jack stands.

thanks in advance

 

I've never heard of the F22B2 head cracking and venting EG before.

When was the water pump last changed or the Thermostat. Could be some other underlying problem. What is the condition of the radiator?

 

The entire cooling system was replaced in an attempt to fix this problem.

Radiator, rad cap, thermostat, hoses, were replaced less than a year ago. Coolant was flushed, but I'll flush it again tomorrow just to be sure.

The water pump was changed 35k ago along with the timing belt according to the previous owner (im awaiting his records and receipts). The coolant is a clear hulk-green as it should be which is what worries me. It hasn't overheated on me yet but I'd like to find the problem and fix it before it manifests itself. thanks for the reply

 

Does the rad fan cycle on and off with the engine temps?

 

haven't had it up to temp yet, but i'll report back with the findings tomorrow. I was thinking (before my friend mentioned a cracked head) that it'd have to do with air pockets in the coolant or the thermostat wasn't opening. I'll check the fans too if it overheats on me these next few days.

 

The fans do operate normally, when it reaches temperature. I haven't bled the coolant yet completely because I wanted to see it overheat first to make sure I'm not adding to the problem first.

I am fairly confident that my friend was correct in his diagnosis of the problem. With the car idling in park there is gurgling in the reservoir (due to air/exhaust venting into the reservoir) and after shutting the car down, I took out the resorvoir bottle to smell the coolant. The coolant smelled of fuel which indicates that there is exhaust gases working their way into the cooling system. FML
Oh well my non-beater car is to arrive at the end of next week so this car only needs to stay running 10-15 more trips before it undergoes surgery. It'll be fun tearing apart a SOHC and doing everything against what the book says . I'm not resurfacing the block and new head when I throw on a new headgasket. 65$ per surface + cost of the headgasket will come out to more than a F22 from a wrecker ! I'll take my chances

 

You should do a coolant system pressure test. That way you will know exactly where the exhaust/cumbustion is coming in from. Might save you a few dollars in the long run. New intake vs a new head or maybe even just a head gasket..... Pressure test it before you take it apart.

 

The head may very well be ok. Its possible it just needs a head gasket. More than likely you will be fine just throwing a gasket in it without resurfacing. Ive done this a few times and always had good luck, except once when the head ended up being severely warped(from over heating).

A blown head gasket will often allow cylinder pressure into the cooling system, making your coolant bubble and gurgle. Which will also mix oil and fuel into your coolant(perhaps why its smelling like gas).

 

I'm aware of the possibilities as mentioned in the first post as well as the dice I'm rolling for my recourse of action. As stated, coolant is clear and green prestone while oil is not milky and appeared rich and oily. perhaps before i take the head off i'll drop the oil pan and take a look.

I don't think i'll be doing a pressure test since most shops charge 1hour shop rate which equates to the cost of the gasket and the cylinder head lol. Maybe i'll just say to hell with it and do a 5spd conversion and drop in my N/A h22 setup since i have 90% of all the parts