Hey guys,

Just finished a b20vtec install into my DA6 Integra. I've started it up a few times & got it warmed up etc with no problems.

However yesterday, we started it & oil is leaking from the front left corner from the head gasket. This is no oil "seep", it seems to be pressurised & is almost squirting out.

We've taken the head off tonight & everything seems in order. I'm going to check to see if I was given the right head gasket as the sealing area around the oil return (front left) is quite thin. Is this normal with a b20 & b16a2 head?

we put the gasket on dry (no sealer), however i have seen that some people are using a gasket sealer. However I would have thought that oil would seep out rather than squirt.

Another concern is that looking at the block the milling is a bit rougher than the standard finish. you can see definite lines in the block surface 7 we thought oil could possibly have found a "line' to squirt out through. However I'm thinking if this was the case then coolant may have escaped too.

The only other thing I have seen is that the hose which is on the PCV valve which we tapped into the back of the block was bent to a point where it may not function. Not sure if this has any relevance but thought I would add it in.

Please guys can you let me know if you have experienced this same problem or what a possible cause may be.

Thanks

Marcus

B20b block
B16A2 head - mild port & polish, cc'ed to 84.5mm
Endyn Rollerwave 84.5mm pistons
Block girdle

 

Here's a pic of the machining if it helps:

 

the machine work doesnt look bad to me. however did you guys remember to block off the oil line in the head? ive seen people forget to do that and thats what happens

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by saleensolution &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the machine work doesnt look bad to me. however did you guys remember to block off the oil line in the head? ive seen people forget to do that and thats what happens</TD></TR></TABLE>

Either this or torque specs need to be double checked on the head studs. Don't blow your headgasket either! Good luck!

 

Heya peeps i helped build this motor ... the internal vtec oil feed is blocked and dry so its not that. I am pretty sure the head bolts were torqued correctly as per the workshop manual for the DA. Used a new Morbar (sp) wrench etc i borrowed from work.

You can feel the machining lines when you run your finger nail over them ... they really are quite rugged.

 

Yeah the oil line was definitely blocked & head bolts were torqued correctly - nice & even when we removed them.

Is the gasket sealer a must when putting on the head gasket? Even if I had used this would you expect it to squirt out?

Thanks for your help so far.

 

no..there shouldn't be any sealer for the head gasket.....sometimes there's a lil leak between the head and the block..but if it's "gushing" so to speak, then that's not good. Have any pictures? Did you put the headgasket on right?

 

was the head machined as well? Sorry if this was covered, i did a skim-read.

 

Yes the head was machined as well, however it's not as grainy a finish as the pic you can see of the block.

When I look at the head the head gasket does cover a bit of the oil return port in the corner that is leaking. Is this normal? I understand this port is pressurised so it is definitely coming from there.

From what I gather I need to measure the head & block & make sure it has been machined flat.

Do you think it's worth trying another OEM head gasket just in case there was a problem when it went on??

 

The head was also machined but its finish is much better ... head gasket was on correctly, verified by a honda mechanic when it came off etc.

When it was ran for say maybe 5-10 seconds after it was already warmed up it was as if somebody squirted a syringe, was not a directional stream as such tho but about that sort of flow rate really ... just ooooozed out more than anything.

Its weird because the only things around there are oil returns, there is nowhere close that has oil pressure ? spooky

 

The reason I asked, on a fresh sleeved engine, exactly the same thing happened(ls/vtec). Machined the head, new head gasket, copper spray, problem solved...

 

if both head and block were decked a fair amount, i would mill down the dowel pins, i wouldnt be surprsied if they were holdin the head up

 

I had this problem with a b16 block I had at the #3 &4 cylinders. It was spitting out onto my header. It turned out that the block deck was warped.

 

Thanks for your help guys,

I am fairly sure the problem lies with the machining as the finish is really grainy. I'm thinking that this combined with the small sealing area around the front left corner has caused this problem.

I'm getting the block stripped this weekend & I'll get that & the head milled by someone else. I'll also make sure they check that it's straight. I guess I've found out the hard way about some of the pitfalls in building a motor.

I'll get the machinist to measure up the dowel pins as well. However I don't think this is the problem as sure the head would leak from the back in the area the dowels would be???

I'll post up my progress when the motor is back together - hopefully it may prove helpful for other people in the future.

Marcus
Hamilton, New Zealand.

 

Before you spend money getting the head and block resurfaced, take the time to grind the dowel pins shorter. Take about .100" off them, and zip it back together. I'll bet you'll have no leaks. Its worth the trouble, and will cost you nothing other than time.

 

The dowles on this are at the corners on the intake side ... leaking is by no 4 on the exhaust side, i would have thought if the dowles were to blame it would leak on the intake side where it would be sitting up the most ?

In the area where its leaking the machining lines on the block meet the sealing ridges of the gasket at 90° ... like putting a combe on your desk point side down and expecting it to stop a spilt cup of joe