Im having problems with my civic heating up, mechanic said it is the headgasket but I seems kind of spendy to have him do it. any suggestions? diy job easy?

 

How mechanically inclined are you? Done any related work on your car before? The first time I did mine it really wasn't that hard to do. Just follow the procedures in the FAQ's https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/faqs-frequently-asked-tech-questions-1998336/

 

I've changed the starter on my 04 accord, wasn't bad for my first time.I have checked out YouTube videos and it seems very upfront, the only thing that makes me nervous about changing the gasket is messing with the timing belt. I'm not so sure about what to do and not do for that. Also for the torque of the headbolts I'm kinda confused on that.. any info or tips would help.

 

I was concerned about that for the first time too but as long as you don't move the cam and crank out of sync, it's really straight forward. Even if you do it's not that hard to put everything back in time and ensure it'll work properly. When was your belt last changed? It might be a good idea to slap a new one on since you'll be taking it off anyway. A good idea before you start taking anything apart is to put it to TDC and mark the belt with a white sharpie or something the top tooth that lines up with the "UP" marking on the cam and clamp the belt where it meets the timing belt drive pulley. This way when you go to put the belt back on, you'll exactly how it was on before. What's confusing you about the head bolt torque specs? The procedure or that actual torque specs?
This should help.......http://www.civicforums.com/forums/23...t-96-00-a.html