A couple of months back I was losing coolant in my car that lead to the overheating problem when ever my car was not moving (example: standing in traffic). SO I thought it had to be a leak or something. It ended up being the coolant temp sensor being bad, so the fan didn't kick on. I changed that and the fan works now. The car hasn't overheated till today. more coolant gone, and the fan hesitates to work. Heres the weird part, I took of the valve cover to change to the JDM red cover, and I found layers of crud that looked like turkey gravy all under the valve cover. Could this be the reason the coolant is beeing cooked? Is it leaking in the engine through the head gasket or something? Help!

 

sounds like a thick oil water mixture to me

 

Sounds like you might have a blown headgasket. Compression test and Leakdown test will tell you for sure.

 

What's a leak down test?

 

I changed the GSR intake manifold to a skunk unit. Some say I may have over tightened the bolts on the manifold and may have crushed the gasket. Some say the crushed intake manifold gasket may be the reason for the leak into the runners. Hence eating the coolant. Could this be?

Honda techs please help...


[Modified by BONER, 2:58 AM 1/19/2003]

 

This scenario should only be possible if you're using the Hondata IM gasket. The stock paper gasket should be unaffected (it can't crack in this situation)...it's ~1mm thick and made of layered/coated paper/fiber. The only way to screw up using the stock paper gasket is if you don't tighten the nuts down enough.

If you reused the gasket, then it may have been torn. Sometimes they stick when you remove the IM and it tears when you separate the IM from the head.

Hondata only:
The crushed part isn't directly responsible...indirect. It's the improper seating/sealing of the gasket area around the coolant hose by the #4 runner that causes the leak.

If the part of the gasket by the coolant hose and #4 runner is fine, then you shouldn't have to worry. That coolant hose is the only place where coolant runs through the gasket.


[Modified by IN VTEC, 11:12 PM 1/18/2003]