1990 CRX Si Build thread

[daveholiday]

pictures are always helpful. I'll check my heater core stuff and in the morning. I invested in some of those super wattage lights so now I can work at night easier. It's just getting colder and colder.

 

[norcalgsr]

Do you have a cooling system pressure tester? If you can rent/borrow or buy one for cheap you'll probably be able to find the leak in no time.

 

[klyph]

You had the head off recently, yes?
If so, recheck the torque on your head studs.

 

[daveholiday]

Do you have a cooling system pressure tester? If you can rent/borrow or buy one for cheap you'll probably be able to find the leak in no time.

good place to get one?

You had the head off recently, yes?
If so, recheck the torque on your head studs.

Yeah, it's a whole new head. I'll check the torque on them, I'm positive it's on but I'll re-check it. I guess there's the whole possibility that the head was warped when I got it, which is what I don't wanna think about. If it is, machine shops can edge it straight can't they?

 

[norcalgsr]

If the head is/was warped you can get it resurfaced as long as it isn't warped too much.

As far as the pressure tester I couldn't find any cheaply priced ones to buy, but I know that Autozone will rent one to you here in CA. If you have an Autozone out there try to rent/borrow one from there, or any other auto parts stores in your area. Mine cost around $150 when I bought it.

 

[klyph]

Yeah, it's a whole new head. I'll check the torque on them, I'm positive it's on but I'll re-check it.

After you run it for a while, they can become slightly less torqued due to bolt stretch. Did you use any type of loc-tite or similar product?

I guess there's the whole possibility that the head was warped when I got it, which is what I don't wanna think about. If it is, machine shops can edge it straight can't they?

They can resurface it if it's not warped beyond a certain point. Also check for gouges in the block/head mating surface.

Have you located the leak?

 

[daveholiday]

I have some loc-tite but unfortunately didn't think to use any. Maybe I'll take em off, loc-tite em, and slap em back on. If it ends up being warped then, I'll take it down to a shop and see if they can re-surface it, and if they can then maybe I'll have em throw in a port and polish job while it's down there. I haven't found the leak yet though. I let it run yesterday for a while and tried running my hand across the back of the head where it sits on the block to try and feel for a leak there but found nothing.

 

[klyph]

Check the torque on the head studs.

 

[daveholiday]

so the torque is fine. I was talkin to my buddy though, and he said that I might have not cleaned the old head gasket off enough (that shitty sticky paper hg crap) and that there might still be some on there, causing the new head gasket to leak. So, that would be my next test. Also, does anyone know if the timing needs to be advanced or retarded?

 

[Andrew]

What the heck, man?
Why didn't you change it?!?

 

[daveholiday]

Are you serious? That's a given. What I'm saying is, that since we were working in very very low light, maybe it wasn't all the way clean before we put the BRAND NEW OUT OF THE PACKAGE Y8 HG on, and maybe that's fuckin it up. I told him to come look at it though before I rip the head back off and spend another $35 on another head gasket, cuz if I don't need one, I'd rather not buy another one, comprende?

 

[klyph]

I think that you should make damn sure you know exactly where the leak is coming from before you pull the head. Do you know what general location it's coming from? I know that my tech buddy has this dye that he puts into the coolant that glows when he shines this light and wheres these glasses. It's very CSI, "omg, someone ejaculated on your distributor!" dont know if you could get it or if that would even be worth it, but you REALLY need to know the source of the leak before you tear into it.

 

[daveholiday]

see thats exactly what I'm saying, and I told him that I was like look I don't wanna go rippin into this again and gettin new gaskets and shit if 1 theres no need to and 2 I don't even know where the gasket is coming from, so he said he'd come over and look at it before. But I can't tell. All I can tell is that it's leaking onto my cat, but I can't tell where it's coming from, only that the last thing it drips off is my cat, but I don't know what it's on before that.

 

[klyph]

Intake manifold? The coolant lines going to the Throttle Body?

 

[daveholiday]

hm. I didn't even think about those. Intake manifold as in where would you say? Like where it mates to the head?

 

[klyph]

yes

 

[Andrew]

or the ones that go into the IACV and FITV. I've had those leak on me.

Wipe it all down nice and dry, start it up and feel around.

 

[daveholiday]

I'll check this stuff then as well. Does anyone know how interchangeable valve stem seals are for the a6 and y8 head? The reason I ask this is that my oil light keeps coming on? I'll add more oil, fool with it a while, shut it off, and mess with it the next day, and it's back on. I think my valve seals might be going bad, because it's smoking a little bit. Also, I need some advice from my superiors here as to what they would suggest so that I can make this 100% reliable. I'm not in any hury, it's starting to get snowey and I have it uninsured for the winter so I won't be driving it, and I planned on getting a good time and re-tune in the spring when I get it back on the insurance, granted I have it running right.

 

[daveholiday]

 

[klyph]

lol, nice garage

Looks like your Thermostat housing is leaking. Take it apart and put it back together with new gaskets. also, make sure the hoses aren't damaged and that the hose bibs don't have gouges.