Head Gasket

[1989typer]

Hey everybody!!! I was driving in town the other day and my DA9 decided to overheat and make struggling noises from the engine. So i pulled over, turned my car off and called to RACT. They came and so i started my car and there was (and still is) air bubbles coming from the radiator. This made me and the RACT guy come to the conclusion that my head gasket is leaky! so ive booked it in for a CO2 test, just to confirm it. Just wondering, if it is, how much would it be to fix? and if the head itself is damaged (cracked), would it be worth getting it welded, or better off getting a new/second hand head? or should i get a VTEC head for it and build an LS/VTEC frankenstein?

[garett]

if the head gasket has broken then chances are the head may be slightly warped which happens in most cases, a place which does heads or a mechanic will take it off get a new head gaskit, the the head face machined and bolt it back on. if your head is rooted so its got bad compression or its leaky it might be wise to get a reco one from a wrecker and bolt that on. its a simple job too..


the frankenstein conversion isnt as simple as bolting on the new one. remember that you will need the new ECU and wiring harness to work the vtec. so lots more frigging around.
get the head off and see whats wrong first. might be as simple as machining it and replaceing the gaskit. this will slightly improve performance anyway as your compression will be higher as a result of machining the head

[FR33K]

^^^ what he said + LS gear box isnt suited for the LS/VTEC either..

[NSPYRE]

i had a bit of a worry with this as well wen i first bought my DA as it looked like my coolant was mixing with the engine oil.

honda dealership quoted me $1,500 for the job. local mechanic said i'd be looking around the $500 - $600 mark.

anyway, in the end, there wasnt a problem at all. the coolant was just really, really dirty lol.

[garett]

normally if they are mixing quite often under the oil cap it is like a mayonaise whitish paste

[1989typer]

oh, k, Sweet. Thanks for the input!! My g/fs dad owns a wreckers and has contacts, so im getting it done a bit cheaper. Ill prog get the valves done while the head is off as well. My cars being towed to the place for a diagnosis and a quote as we speak!

[string]

Oil and coolant certainly don't need to be mixing for a headgasket to be leaking, especially if it's bubbling into the coolant gallary.

1989typer: If you end up needing a headgasket give me a pm with how much your quoted for one and i'll sell you one for cheaper :) I somehow ended up with a spare.