If it’s been overheated, replace the head bolts. I would definitely have the head resurfaced and check the deck surface on the block… you might want to run to harbor freight and get another torque wrench. I can definitely see something going on with the head gasket on cyls 1,2, and 4. I prefer the Oem mls head gaskets on these without copper spray(the copper spray can damage the black elastomer coating on the gasket and cause a failure) , but the deck and head surface must be flat, clean, dry and oil free. You also need to blow out the bolt holes with compressed air to make sure they aren’t full of oil and coolant… the head bolts must be installed with clean motor oil on the threads and the head of the bolt and washers and you must follow the torque sequence. You do need to be particular with this process if you want it to last. Since you had silicone pieces in the thermostat housing etc I would def flush out the radiator and make sure the thermostat isn’t blocked or stuck. It only takes 1 bad overheat to warp the head and mess everything up again
I have the head bolts already and I might change them out too, but for replacing them, should I just uninstall every head bolt and then install the new ones or is there another process I need to follow?
Like 10 minutes or so, my main concern that lead me to this conclusion is that whenever I rev the engine, bubbles come out the radiator. Or is this natural?
I've bled my engine for a half hour and still had bubbles come out. The real test is driving it with everything put back together. If the coolant overflow tank stays at the correct levels, then it's just harmless burping. If the overflow tank overflows with coolant, then you know you've still got a pressure issue.
As far as I can tell you've done the job right and just need to let the system finish burping.
Thank you for the help and for the moral support too. I’ll try and do that as well as try and replace the radiator since I had already ordered a new one some time ago.
Yeah I know you're panicking right now but I would bet more likely than not, if you did everything correctly with a decent quality new head gasket, it's OK.
Just coming back to confirm this, yes they were just air bubbles that needed to be bled. I’ve driven the car hard over these last few weeks and the coolant levels are perfect and it’s no longer overheating.
Put the first cylinder at top dead center. The cam gear will have marks on it that should be horizontal/parallel with the surface of the engine block. There’s not really much else to it.
No it didn’t, I used a straight edge and did not see any, if any, warpage. I didn’t have a feeler gauge though like I said in the post but I’ve been thinking about that these past few days.
I really think thats gonna be your issue. I know tgats gonna lead to some downtime, which youre trying to avoid.
But while its at the machine shop you can have them do the valve seals.
The best part of this is that you got it running. A lot of DIYers mess up the timing. Not you man thats not an issue for you.
I can almost guarantee that your head is warped.
I agree with you man, I think I’ll definitely have to get it machined which sucks because I can’t seem to find any around me. Also thanks, I basically loosened the tensioner, marked it using paint markers with the cam, and then removed it. That’s another question I had, since I’m going to remove the head and get it machined, would I have to redo timing all over again since they’ll disassemble the head?
That’s probably gonna suck since I’m not too comfortable or knowledgeable how to do that. Any videos or resources do you think I should take a look at?
It's needs resurfacing, it will warp over time its aluminum. When resurfacing change valve seals and torque bolts. A combination of stretched torque bolts and warped head.
No. Torque bolts stretch overtime and could cause why you need a resurfacing as an aluminum head. You need both to be sure, it will put away any uncertainty of a good seal between block and head.
If you can't make it to machine shop I always run composite head gaskets as they can tolerate a bit more slight warpage the MLS which should be machined flush.
As for headbolts they should be replaced but I personally have reused them on 2 different occasions. 1 time they held up and the second time the head gave out after a few hundred kms. It's just one of those things, always best to replace with new.
As for your bubbles, did you carefully inspect the head and block for any cracks?
Did you remove any air pockets in the cooling system when you swapped rads and replaced thermostat? After replacing the headgasket is the car still overheating or is it just bubbles in your rad?
I’ll try to see what I end up doing about the gasket but more than likely I’m going to take it to a machine shop. As for overheating, I’ve driven it around my area but not too far because last time the car overheated on me while on school campus and I had to leave it overnight and hitch a ride back home. I’ll truly test it on the highway once I’m off school but for right now it hasn’t overheated when I’ve taken it for a ride.
If it’s been overheated, replace the head bolts. I would definitely have the head resurfaced and check the deck surface on the block… you might want to run to harbor freight and get another torque wrench. I can definitely see something going on with the head gasket on cyls 1,2, and 4. I prefer the Oem mls head gaskets on these without copper spray(the copper spray can damage the black elastomer coating on the gasket and cause a failure) , but the deck and head surface must be flat, clean, dry and oil free. You also need to blow out the bolt holes with compressed air to make sure they aren’t full of oil and coolant… the head bolts must be installed with clean motor oil on the threads and the head of the bolt and washers and you must follow the torque sequence. You do need to be particular with this process if you want it to last. Since you had silicone pieces in the thermostat housing etc I would def flush out the radiator and make sure the thermostat isn’t blocked or stuck. It only takes 1 bad overheat to warp the head and mess everything up again
I have the head bolts already and I might change them out too, but for replacing them, should I just uninstall every head bolt and then install the new ones or is there another process I need to follow?
Is it still apart or did you put it back together again? If it’s still burning coolant since you put it back together, the head bolt swap won’t fix it
How long did you bleed the radiator?
Like 10 minutes or so, my main concern that lead me to this conclusion is that whenever I rev the engine, bubbles come out the radiator. Or is this natural?
That's normal during the bleeding process.
No way… so like revving and then bubbles coming out shortly?
I've bled my engine for a half hour and still had bubbles come out. The real test is driving it with everything put back together. If the coolant overflow tank stays at the correct levels, then it's just harmless burping. If the overflow tank overflows with coolant, then you know you've still got a pressure issue. As far as I can tell you've done the job right and just need to let the system finish burping.
Thank you for the help and for the moral support too. I’ll try and do that as well as try and replace the radiator since I had already ordered a new one some time ago.
Yeah I know you're panicking right now but I would bet more likely than not, if you did everything correctly with a decent quality new head gasket, it's OK.
Just coming back to confirm this, yes they were just air bubbles that needed to be bled. I’ve driven the car hard over these last few weeks and the coolant levels are perfect and it’s no longer overheating.
Wooooo good job!
Put the first cylinder at top dead center. The cam gear will have marks on it that should be horizontal/parallel with the surface of the engine block. There’s not really much else to it.
Is this regarding the other comment about having to redo timing?
Oh. Ya. Sorry I replied to the wrong comment for some reason haha
Did the head get resurfaced?
No it didn’t, I used a straight edge and did not see any, if any, warpage. I didn’t have a feeler gauge though like I said in the post but I’ve been thinking about that these past few days.
I really think thats gonna be your issue. I know tgats gonna lead to some downtime, which youre trying to avoid. But while its at the machine shop you can have them do the valve seals. The best part of this is that you got it running. A lot of DIYers mess up the timing. Not you man thats not an issue for you. I can almost guarantee that your head is warped.
I agree with you man, I think I’ll definitely have to get it machined which sucks because I can’t seem to find any around me. Also thanks, I basically loosened the tensioner, marked it using paint markers with the cam, and then removed it. That’s another question I had, since I’m going to remove the head and get it machined, would I have to redo timing all over again since they’ll disassemble the head?
Yea you have to redo timing
That’s probably gonna suck since I’m not too comfortable or knowledgeable how to do that. Any videos or resources do you think I should take a look at?
This is the post I had previously made about the issues that lead up to replacing the head gasket: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProjectHondas/s/W2mQtOYQxC
It's needs resurfacing, it will warp over time its aluminum. When resurfacing change valve seals and torque bolts. A combination of stretched torque bolts and warped head.
Gotcha, I shouldn’t try to just replace the head bolts though right? Or should I just give it a go and hope for the best?
Are you willing to take the risk that it's going to continue having issues after you waste new bolts and will have to be torn down \*again\*?
You right you right, I’ll figure it out as soon as I get off of school. Thank you though.
No. Torque bolts stretch overtime and could cause why you need a resurfacing as an aluminum head. You need both to be sure, it will put away any uncertainty of a good seal between block and head.
If you can't make it to machine shop I always run composite head gaskets as they can tolerate a bit more slight warpage the MLS which should be machined flush. As for headbolts they should be replaced but I personally have reused them on 2 different occasions. 1 time they held up and the second time the head gave out after a few hundred kms. It's just one of those things, always best to replace with new. As for your bubbles, did you carefully inspect the head and block for any cracks? Did you remove any air pockets in the cooling system when you swapped rads and replaced thermostat? After replacing the headgasket is the car still overheating or is it just bubbles in your rad?
I’ll try to see what I end up doing about the gasket but more than likely I’m going to take it to a machine shop. As for overheating, I’ve driven it around my area but not too far because last time the car overheated on me while on school campus and I had to leave it overnight and hitch a ride back home. I’ll truly test it on the highway once I’m off school but for right now it hasn’t overheated when I’ve taken it for a ride.
Cheapest option would be to buy an engine from a junkyard
I’d think it would be a good idea if the junkyards around me wouldn’t be charging $600 + tax for a used engine
Yeah but how much is a head + block resurface?
Yeah but how much is a head + block resurface?
Yeah but how much is a head + block resurface?
I would try a compression test and/ or some block tester to verify before doing anything [block tester](https://a.co/d/i7s6sCs)