I have a 2005 Honda Civic that won't start after it overheated. I had driven about 33 miles and half way I noticed the temp gage go at half which i though was unusual then it dipped back to normal below half. Then after driving maybe another 15 miles maybe less I saw the heat gage redline and pulled over right away and turned the car off. I did not see any signs of overheating such as steam or water leaking from anywhere. I pulled of the radiator cap and just initial steam and water burst for a couple seconds. The car was still hot. The car does crank but sounds different but will not start. checked all related fuses and they were fine. Not sure if engine is bad or something else. Can anybody help?

Now that the car is cool the radiator is low on water and i check the spark plugs and they were wet with clear drops of liquid. I changed the plugs and cranked it - it sounded better but would not start. I pulled one of the new plugs and it was wet with clear drops of liquid. I could smell gas but I suspect water since I never seen plugs wet like this before. i am going to drain the oil next. Still looking for help!

Drained oil and nothing unusual, however I added oil when I got home since it was low and that may have ruined my chances of seeing anything unusual in it! still looking for help!

 

The headgasket is blown. Continue to drive and over heat it as you are and you will ruin the engine in short time.

 

Thanks ASE/L1 Technician. So do you think the whole engine needs to be rebuilt or just a head gasket? Your answer will help me determine where I take it to be fixed. Thanks

 

Just the head gasket should suffice. Make sure the coolant and oil is not mixed. If it has,then a complete rebuild would be wisest.

ALso, the head on that Civic warps fairly easy after a few overheat events. Be sure to measure the head for warpage,or if you do not know how and/or do not have the tools,send it to a machine shop. Otherwise the hg will not seal properly and continue to leak.

 

Run a compression test just to be sure. Be sure to remove the 15a ecu fuse to disable spark and fuel.