Hey all... I'm really new at this and all so I hope I'm in the right spot. I have a 97 civic LX, d16y7, A/T, 1.6lt, no real upgrades or anything like that with it. This was supposed to be my daily driver. I've had this car about 8 months and when I got it it ran really good up till about a month ago. Here it is, I really hope I can get some help with this; the car ran fine till I noticed it started showing signs like it wanted to over heat, the cooling fan sensor went out, I changed it. No change with the temp, then I noticed there was a excessive amount of pressure in hoses and it actually cracked the radiator, I changed the RAD and still getting pressure in the cooling system, I removed the Thermostat, it took longer to heat up but still, temp running too high and busted the heater core. I nursed it for a couple days and the noticed that after parking it at the end of the day, it was super hard to start in the morning. I thought my distributor went bad cause it was turning but would start for a while. At that point, I was told that I seem to have a possible head gasket issue. I started noticing that the temp was running high, the pressure hose was really hard and hot while the return hose wasn't nearly as hot and there was a small trace of fluid in the oil but nothing really messy. So, I ordered a engine gasket kit, heater core, RAD, water pump, full timing belt kit, new temp sensor again, new Rad cap. Broke it all down, took the head to a machine shop and got it tested and was told that the head was machined and the compression check was perfect! I built it back up, got the timing perfect and everything back to OEM! The car ran PERFECT for about the first 150miles and then this past weekend the nightmare started ALL over again!!!!!! back pressure in the cooling system, coolant seems to be leaking back into the engine and pistons (cause of why car wouldn't start!) and yes.... it's running to hot and wants to over heat again and i've only driven the car about 187 miles since the rebuild. I also noticed that it felt like it was losing power as the temp rises! I've changed everything but the main block and engine! I'm at a complete lose and seeking direction! Anyone have any ideas???

 

Headgasket again or you have warped mating surfaces. Probably your head.

 

Head gasket or possibly your head bolts are stretched if they were never changed

 

Could also be a warped block mating surface. It might need decked. You're going to have to tear the head off again and measure the mating surface on BOTH the head AND the block. If one or the other is warped, you'll need to have whichever one is warped resurfaced. Also, slow makes a good point with reusing head bolts. It's generally discouraged because they do stretch over time and don't make a good seal.

One method i've found that works well for seeing if a mating surface is warped or not is to get a large flat piece of glass, like from a patio table or something similar. Once you have the head off, flip it upside down so the mating surface is facing upward. Smear a thin coat of clean oil on one side of the glass and set it onto the mating surface, oily side down. If you see large bubbles or spots where the glass isn't contacting the mating surface, it's warped. Same goes for the block.

 

Wow... you really think the head would go bad or warp with less than 200 miles driven...??

 

I think you warped it PRIOR with the constant overheating. But yeah, it can. Read post #4. It reiterates pretty much what i said in post #2.

 

I never thought about the head bolts stretching... =/

 

Headlift on a stock D? Never heard of it.

 

Wow... aside from the other 2 post, I'm actually dreading having to redo this job again It felt like a lot of work put in considering I did it in my garage. now in regards to the mating surfaces, the engine hasn't completely over heated just yet, like I never let the temp get past 3/4 of the way to the H. If I were to reconsider changing the head bolts, would I have to change the head gasket and re machine the head again or could I get away with just replacing the head bolts and using the same head? Also, If the mating surface on the main block its self is in fact warped, would it be worth completely tearing it all out and having the block machined or do you think I'd be better off just putting another used motor...? I just felt I already spent too much money trying to do it right the first time if you know what I mean...? Please let me know what you think cause I was about to take a really big hammer to this car if you know what I mean...

 

[QUOTE=grumblemarc;49115885]Headlift on a stock D? Never heard of it.[/QUOTE

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "headlift".

 

Google it.

 

Got it... Could have just told me though...lol but thanks...

 

So..... of all the parts I through into this engine, I understand that I will have to pretty much redo this head job to now include machining the bottom end and all, I'm just wondering, If I WERE to either redo the job or even swap out the motor with another used motor, how much of everything I installed new can I reuse... besides the water pump, timing belt and stuff like that...? Can I reuse any of these gaskets that had less than 200 miles on them??? I'm just trying to figure out what I'm looking at having to do thats all.

 

only way to get head lift on a D is from boost or nitirous never N/A... you can reuse the thermostat, water pump, oil pump, timing belt , id
ler and tensioner pulley that's about it on the block... the rest needs fresh gaskets...

 

You really don't need to buy any new parts other than a new head gasket and head bolts/studs. Tear that cylinder head off there again and thoroughly check the mating surfaces on both the head AND block. If both are fine, install a new, good head gasket (OEM Honda or Fel-Pro are decent) with brand new shiny head bolts (OEM Honda or ARP studs are good). With less than 200 miles put on it since the last time you did this, all the other stuff should still be fine. Shouldn't run you more than 100 bucks in parts.

Btw, here's an interesting video on how to resurface your cylinder head at home. Not sure how great the results would be, but it's interesting nonetheless. Personally, if it's warped again, I'd just take it to a *reputable* machine shop and have them run it through the machine...

 

That method of resurfacing is absolutely horrible. The head needs to be level and SQUARE. That would make it level, but would not guarantee square.

 

Plus, it seems like you'd get little grooves from the sandpaper grit. Like I said, interesting, but not something I would attempt.