Alright heres the deal.. i replaced the head gasket of my sisters civic.. but didn't replace the head bolts.. the car ran fine for a few weeks and has now started to drizzle out oil from the back of the head where it sits flush on the block.. the rear right corner.. it's seeping oil.. i know this cause i've cleaned it dry.. turned on the car and waited to see where the oil came from. I did have the head resurfaced.. and prior to the new head gasket..the car was overheating..so i'm wondering if the bolts stretched enough.. to cause this leak now.. I wonder if i should just get new head bolts.. and retighten them? would this solve the issue? or shall i put in a new gasket as well? am i missing something here?
by the way.. it only used 63lbs of torque on the bolts.. is this correct? i believe so..
so... any ideas guys? i've been away from the honda/acura scene for many years now... losing my specs knowledge haha.

 

What year?
D16Y7, D16Y8 and D16Y5 is 49 Ft-lbs, step1-14, step2-36, step3-49 and step4-49.

Maybe the block needs machining, "decking". 94

 

its a d16y8 '96 ex....
hrmm.. that's a possibility.. ne thing else?
i'd hate to tear that sucker down again..

 

your gonna have to pull the headbolts no matter what the problem is. i bet you didn't check the block surface for warpage when you pulled the head huh. and you should ALWAYS replace head bolts. never re-use them. yeah it costs more but it will save your *** in the long run. pull the head, check for warpage, also check the head. maybe the shop ****ed up. and then replace head gasket again cause its not reliable to torque a head on the same gasket twice.

 

yeah i didnt check the block surface for warpage... shouldave done so.. sucks but oh well... must do now.. so i guess its just the same process.... take off head... check for warpage... new gasket... new bolts... and bam! thats it...
crossing my fingers now!

 

sounds dumb I seen some one put a head gasket backwords in an accord once. Did you seal the valve cover corners? Bad dizzy o ring?

 

haha but no i put the gasket on correct flush with the joining pointed corners and pins. and yes i've checked the dizzy seals.. and valve cover seals.. whiped everything clean..started the car.. and looked carefully for the leak.. it was coming from the gasket area where head meets block in the passenger rear corner.
will just get new bolts and gasket.. and redo... wish me luck... will update as well.

 

What gasket did you use? I had this issue with a Cometic on a LS engine. I crushed one of the gasket rivets between the head and the block.

 

i used an OEM headgasket.
btw, do you recommend any type of sealant goo around the head/block prior to laying the head on the block or no... just let the head and block sit flush? in this case.. no need for copper spray.

 

dooo use some copper seal!!!

 

Sounds a lot like what happened to me a couple of days ago when I made a major noob mistake of installing my HG upside down. Same area where the leak came from. I had to dissasemble and install the HG correctly and now my car is running perfectly.

 

hmmmmm dont know if you guys know this but their is a TSB out on all D15 motors calling for a updated head gasket and head bolts and updated torque settings not saying that this is 100% your issue but worth looking into for the next go around.
you might be able to go to a shop with alldata or maby napa and ask for a print out of the TSB im talking about..... hope this helps.

doing it right the first time makes for the best time .... use OEM dont play games with your honda

 

forgot to say if its a D vtec motor the TSB dont apply