Hello everyone, I am new to the forums. I own a 1991 Honda Civic DX Hatchback. My apology if I am posting in the wrong forum, there is not a forum for the DX, but this seems like the closest. Anyhow, recently a mechanic has brought to my attention that I have a coolant leak in my IAC value and suggested a part replacement. The part in question is a 36450-PW1-G01 which is no longer being manufactured. The part is an air valve, but it does have a heat transfer block with connections to coolant lines, presumably for deicing in winter. I found some nice pictures in an eBay listing that show exactly what I am dealing with:


eBay Listing Photo (not my part)

eBay Listing Photo (not my part)

While the figure-eight gasket for the air holes is readily available (part number 36455-PR4-A01), it seems like Honda never intended for the heat block itself to be serviceable. Of course, this is exactly the part that is leaking in my vehicle:



OEM parts on eBay seem to sell for $300-400, with some aftermarket parts being considerably cheaper, but of unknown quality or fit.

Since my part is functional, just leaky, it seems silly to replace the whole thing. I am curious if anyone knew what was inside that heat exchange block if you were to remove those three screws (if they are removable at all). Would there be a gasket, or would it be sealed inside with some impenetrable goop? Simply removing the part and taking a look isn't a good option for me. Though doing so might be within my limited mechanical abilities, I've learned from experience that the hoses in my Honda are very old and very brittle and an easy job can turn into a much harder job.

I'm hoping someone on here might have an idea or a recommendation on whether it is worth replacing the entire part, whether the existing part can be repaired, or whether to simply ignore it for now. If anyone has pictures of what is behind that plate and those three screws, that too would be helpful. Thank you!

 

If it isn't actively leaking heavily, leave it alone until you can take it off.

Once off, you can investigate and see what sort of gasket it needs. Worst case is it needs a rubber seal you can't get, best case is it's flat and you can make your own with generic gasket material and honda-bond.

Another option is to bypass it, it won't leak any more but you may have issues in freezing temperatures.