I think it's a blown head gasket. As I've had the radiator flushed and changed the oil and valve cover gasket. Is it a gasket or worse?

 

what car/engine are we talking about here ? a d series is easier to change the HG over a B. is there white smoke coming out of you'r exhaust ,coolant in you'r oil, a white goo around you'r oll fill cap.

 

No none of those car runs decent still. No smoke and minor bogging. It had a oil leak and lately it's been holding oddly. It's just all in my radiator overflow container. It bubbles out of it. It's like a black gunk filled to the brim of the overflow behind the radiator and filled to the brim in the radiator when you open the cap. One week ago I changed the oil twice due to me doing the valve cover gasket. And had the radiator flushed and now it's back again

 

It's a 1999 Honda civic hatchback dx so I think it's the d16y7

 

If there is only a small amount it could be the cooling system gaskets turning into mush. If it's really thick and actually feels like oil then ya it's your head gasket leaking oil into the cooling system.

 

A leaking head gasket or a crack in the head will absolutely cause oil to find its way into your cooling system, or vise a versa...... your head gasket can still be leaking even if you DONT see any smoke from the tail pipe, in that case the coolant or oil just isnt making its way into the combustion chamber or its just leaking so little that you wont see or smell anything.......

now if its an automatic transmission it is very possible that the trans cooler is leaking internally. trans oil lines run in and out of the radiator tank to help regulate transmission temps. if that is the case then the oil you see in your expansion tank and radiator should be red. - and obviously transmission fluid will be low or possibly some coolant in there :/

...doubtful though because you stated that the car boggs a bit....sounds like you need to replace your head gasket my friend....

take the head to a reputable shop and have them inspect it and resurface it if needed....

also do yourself a favor and while you have it apart replace the timing belt, the tensioner, water pump, even the oil pump if it has high milage....also any seals that may be leaking (cam seals or crank/oil pump seal, valve stem seals) now is the time to do so......use some 50/50 green coolant or genuine Honda coolant...whatever comes out, put in - no universal crap and dont mix different coolants...

hope this helps,....good luck bud!

 

oh and stick with genuine OEM parts!! just my 2 cents

 

Ok the tranny was another idea I thought. But beings tho there is no smoke leaving the exhaust can it still be a head gasket? I also had changed the oil twice.. Once before a valve cover job and once after(don't ask) but my moral here is there is no way my oil could be that thick and black and gunky that fast so I'm leaning away from the head gasket sort of. And I used a universal coolant before and after my radiator flush. Could it have been a bad mix and now looks sludgy?

 

i doubt the mix of different coolants caused the sludge....
do you know if any radiator stop leak additives was added to the radiator? there is a slight possibility that this is what your seeing....

it can still be a head gasket if you dont see smoke coming from the exhaust..
when a head gasket blows it doesnt always leak fluids into the combustion chamber....it could be a leak between an oil passage and coolant passage

unless the block and/or the head itself has a crack somewhere allowing the oil and coolant to mix then the only other way oil would get into your radiator would be a leaking head gasket.

 

either block or head has a crack. Most cases a head gasket gone bad.

 

Ok thanks alot. So if its a head gasket is it safe to still drive it around so long as the oil levels are good? The tranny has been shifting bad lately out of nowhere I been checking the oil level for the motor and its still full, when my last oil change is going on 2 weeks ago and I've drained out the radiator overflow 3-4 times. So if it is a faulty head gasket shouldn't I be losing a lot of oil?!

 

I'll be checking the oil level for the tranny tomorrow. Everyone I show the car two either says a blown head, mismatched fluids or the tranny is leaking to the radiator...i have a kid on the way so I need this next repair to be accurate because I feel like I'm playing the wonderful game of chase the leak and with all these repairs adding up I'm questioning if I should have just swapped the motor already instead. And is it necessary to change every seal when doing head? Like the water pump ect. Sorry for all my questions I swear I'm taking advice and learning a lot from you all! So all the help is appreciated the wife hates this site because I'm always like "Honda tech said this..Honda tech thinks it that.." Lmao I have basic mechanic skills just a leak as bad to reach the radiator is over my head

 

Okay. There are only 2 ways you have oil in the reservoir. One if someone physically put it there or it's getting there from the engine. No it's not okay to drive it if the headgasket is blown as the condition could get even worse. And there is no set amount of oil you should be losing. Don't know how the transmission can leak into the radiator unless the rad is broken internally but then the color in the res shouldn't be black.

Have a compression test done to rule out the headgasket.

 

if his compression is ok in all cylinders that doesnt always mean his head gasket is ok.

if your car is an automatic its possible that the oil your seeing in your coolant is from the transmission.

monitor the oil level of the trans and of the engine - this should give you a pretty good idea if its trans oil or engine oil your seeing.

if you trans is shifitng funny or slipping (assuming its an automatic) theres is better chance your seeing transmission oil in your coolant.

if your engine oil level hasnt gone down and you drained a good amount of oil from the expansion tank, that leads me to believe you need a radiator

just monitor the level of the trans and the engine oil - this is the most simple way to confirm

 

Doesn't mean he shouldn't DO a compression test. That's the cheapest thing to do at this point before even replacing a radiator.

 

^ I agree

 

transmission fluid is red, but can look black from mixing with coolant, you need a cooling system pressure test, you can get one on the loan a tool at most auto parts box stores, you install the adapter into the cap, pump up the pressure and watch to see if it drops, if the oil level hasnt dropped,and the transmission is acting bad,i would say the cooler in the radiator, if that transmission is full of coolant you will have worse issues in the future then a head gasket, you will be looking for a new one

 

That's why I didn't suggest a pressure test. You might just force coolant, or MORE coolant, into the transmission (even though I've never heard of this situation in the first place) thus making a bad situation worse.

 

if the cooler is leaking the transmission is already full of coolant, the little bit from the test wont make much difference, I hate those D series autos I finally got rid of a 98 because of one, rest of the car was beat to hell, so it wasn't worth a manual swap, an option here is to disconnect the lines from the tranny, then do a pressure check to see if coolant comes out the fittings, your pressure test isnt going to be any higher then what the cooling system has been producing while the car is running

 

Ok guys as both of your opinions seem to differ..I can post pics of the overflow..and to clear the air it is an automatic..for the amount of overflow that has built up in 2 days time either my tranny fluid motor oil and or radiator fluids should not be at optimal levels...this is why I'm confused...I figured one would start to lean towards empty but their all still full?! And yet the sludge still rises?! How the hell?! So once again..I checked the engine level..good..tranny level..good...radiator..open cap and still to the brim...yet the overflow is now half way filled after I dumped a full amount the other day and a full amount was dumped after my radiator was flushed in which 1 big thing of anti freeze was poured in...some guy at work said maybe my power steering is going in there but I don't think that's possible even tho my power steering doesn't hold fluids to well..idk I'm so confused and don't wanna pay a shop for a head gasket just to pay him twice cause its something else

 

The opinions are NOT differing. You either have a blown headgasket or a busted radiator. it's all about which one you want to troubleshoot first. Stop trying to logic your way out of it.
And the power steering system fluids cannot possibly get into your coolant. Tell your friend to shut up.

 

Do the simple test,get the radiator. Pressure checker,disconnect the tranny cooler lines at the radiator,pressurize it, and see if coolant comes out the cooler fittings

 

Do it.

 

I think its funny how a common sense post like this generates so many replies but if someone has a REAL problem your told to shut the hell up google it ! And oh well if you cant find your answer ........ Its your head gasket i see it everyday

 

I'm not trying to logic my way out of anything. Simply asking noob questions an getting your answers. I don't mean to frustrate anyone I'm just trying to learn and pin point the leak. I've heard everyone's feedback and ill probably just go with the head gasket I guess after I check the pressures. I never thought to try that first. Now what's the going price on this job labor wise. And is everything important to change at the same time? Like the water pump seals and all that? Or can I skip those ?