For the second time in a relatively short period, my 83 civic (1500 cc) has blown the head gasket. 1st time, the head was milled to true it and block was checked for true. Appx 400 miles later, another blown gasket. We're not using the the steel gasket .. Honda dealer no longer carries this part so had to go to afte market. As far as I know, neither time did the unit over heat. After the first incident I installed a new heat sensor in the radiator and the fan is working properly. There is no indication of any problems with the head or the block or the cylinders. Can anyone help me with this mystery?
blown head gasket
- Thread starter dunchan1
- Start date
- Replies 10
- Views 2K
We may earn a small commission from affiliate links and paid advertisements. Terms
stock98EKcoupe
Member
stupid questin, did you use gasket sealer?
Dunno about the sealant. Mech has worked Hondas for over 30 years so assume it was properly installed. It was the graaphite gasket both times, not the steel one which DOES require sealant as I understand. One thought occured to me this a.m. ... could a bad radiator cap... IE too much pressure .. cause this problem??
stock98EKcoupe
Member
maybe, crank em down with some arp's to prevent head lift
stock98EKcoupe
Member
headbolts are what hold your head to your block. ARP's are just stronger name brand headbolts. People use them a lot for turbo setups ,when you increase the amount of pressure in the cylinders, to prevent the head from lifting up (which is bad news). I would try to get a MLS (multilayer steel) headgasket and a set of ARP's for your specific engine off the internet. I just don't know what all they have out for your engine.
EM1 1.5 8V SOHC CVCC 3bbl Carb 1487 63hp@5000rpm 77tq@3000rpm 81-83 Civic
You need to upgrade!!
EM1 1.5 8V SOHC CVCC 3bbl Carb 1487 63hp@5000rpm 77tq@3000rpm 81-83 Civic
You need to upgrade!!
Oh I know what head bolts are .. I've been twisting wrenches for over 60 years .. I just didn't know the term "arp". I can't imagine that the compression in that little banger would be great enough to do a head lift... unless the OEM head bolts are soft as heck. However ... it is something to consider and I do thank you. Why do you say I need to 'upgrade'. When that little pinger runs, I get 40 MPG ... and there ain't nothin wrong with that!!
stock98EKcoupe
Member
I get 40+ mpg with a d16y8 (126 HP) with a dx tranny.
Like you said, your OEM bolts are weak. When you change a head gasket you are supposed to retorque them ever so often because they ten d to stretch.
Like you said, your OEM bolts are weak. When you change a head gasket you are supposed to retorque them ever so often because they ten d to stretch.
YBLEGAL
Regular Member w/ Cheese
Well actually it's not recommended to reuse head bolts. They are called 'torque-to-yeild'. Here's a nice lil article about it that will explain it some more. U.M.R. Engines. TORQUE TO YIELD HEAD BOLTS
ARP is a manufacturer, Automotive Racing Products. Here's a good place to order some if you want. ARP Heavy Duty Head Studs
Honestly since your just repairing a problem and not upgrading a darn thing, there is no reason to get ARP bolts. Try and locate a new set of OEM bolts. A good website for ordering OEM Genuine parts would be Honda Automotive Parts and maybe you can find a headgasket on there for your motor too. I have no experiance with those aftermarket head gaskets, but at the least we should have confidence that an OEM one would be sufficent...if anything.
You might want to have a shop check to see if the block or head deck is warped. Other than that, I know people putting 1.3kg.cm2 radiator caps on which increase the pressure from the standard 1.1kg.cm2 and not having head gasket issues. I would assume if it's not over heating, then a cooling system error wouldn't be the culprit. You could also try a coolant flush, as a blockage in the system somewhere could be causing an increase in pressure.
ARP is a manufacturer, Automotive Racing Products. Here's a good place to order some if you want. ARP Heavy Duty Head Studs
Honestly since your just repairing a problem and not upgrading a darn thing, there is no reason to get ARP bolts. Try and locate a new set of OEM bolts. A good website for ordering OEM Genuine parts would be Honda Automotive Parts and maybe you can find a headgasket on there for your motor too. I have no experiance with those aftermarket head gaskets, but at the least we should have confidence that an OEM one would be sufficent...if anything.
You might want to have a shop check to see if the block or head deck is warped. Other than that, I know people putting 1.3kg.cm2 radiator caps on which increase the pressure from the standard 1.1kg.cm2 and not having head gasket issues. I would assume if it's not over heating, then a cooling system error wouldn't be the culprit. You could also try a coolant flush, as a blockage in the system somewhere could be causing an increase in pressure.
Thanks much for your reply and suggestions. We'd already decided that after replacing the gasket this time, to torque, bring the engine to temp, torque again, cool, check torque, bring to temp and check torque again. Sounds like my guy had the right idea ... except we didn't replace the OEM head bolts. I'll post when and if we get this thing cured.