Hey everyone, just joined, this is my first post, Great site!

I'm replacing the head gasket on my 92 civic DX.

What's the best way of finding TDC (Top Dead Centre) on the #1 cylinder?

Also, is it necessary to remove the rocker arm assembly, distributor and intake manifold when replacing the head gasket?

I have the exhaust manifold and valve cover removed so I just want to know if it's necessary to remove these other parts before I start removing the head bolts.

The reason I'm doing this is my engine was burning coolant like crazy so is there anything else I should be replacing/looking out for?

Any other tips to make this repair go smoothly would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

no, u dont need to remove the rocker arm assembly to remove the head, however, u might want to disconnect the pcv valve the intake manifold bracket at the back, and some water hoses.

 

there is a mark on the timing belt cover which you line up wiht the usually white mark on the crank pulley. This tells your your at TDC.

 

take off valve cover, take off top timing belt cover, make a mark with white out or whatever to tell you which tooth of the belt was between which teeth of the sprocket, loosen belt tensioner, and slide off t-belt. Now when you're finished, you can just slide back to belt to original position and tighten tensioner.
You don't need to remove the distributor or intake manifold, but you do need to remove the 2 bolts that hold the intake mani to the bracket. Also drain your fluids and remove all hoses connecting to the head, intake mani, and throttle body. Clean surfaces good, check for trueness, and use generous amount of copper spray

 

Thanks for the information everyone! Should make the repair go much smoother. What is Copper spray? Is it gasket sealant?

 

If it is a blown head gasket have the head checked for flatnees (not warped). Usually the head gasket blows due to over heating which will tend to warp the head. if it is warped have it shaved just enough to flaten it back out or you'll be back in replacing the head gasket sooner than you would like.