14 replies to this topic

[zAd -]

It my first time posting here. I bought a 1st gen crx for 100 bucks. I can't pass smog because it produces 1600 hydrocarbons. and i need to pass smog in order to get this thing registered. This thing produces some white smog maybe im burning coolant the guy who smogged said maybe its a misfire everything else is good just the hydrocarbons.

But the car runs always cold and there was a new thermostat unopened in the car so i said hmm mite as well change the thermostat. So i go change the thermostat and to my surprise there isnt a stock thermostat in there im like wtf. But i put the new one in anyways and fill up coolant do all that good stuff. idle the car and the heat start raising almost to full hot so i shut it off. im like wtf.

Note when i drained coolant there wasnt much left and it wasn't a solid color kinda watery brownish. So i think maybe its the head gasket so i decide to pull the head im almost done but i didn't pull the head off. when my friend goes off on me and says it could be anything. so i decide to put everything back together and i put in a head bolt and out came some coolant. could this mean that there it is definitely the head gasket or not?

Edited by zAd -, 30 December 2003 - 06:23 PM.

[IamNOTaRicer]

Well, if you already took the head off, you're going to need a new head gasket, regardless of it's condition. If you even loosened one head bolt, I'd put on a new gasket. Not good to loosen them and retighten like that.

--Danny

[zAd -]

I didn't pull the head but im mite as well change the head gasket

[87dxhatch]

hell no!!! you have air in your radiator, bet you a box of doughnuts.

[C_piddy]

you definatly have an air bubble. did you bleed the air from the coolent? read it in the service manual forum. that wouldn't have anything to do with your emissions though. is it fuel injected or carbed? could be your catilitic converter. could be a bad air filter... also be for the test runn the shit out of your carr... get her good and warmed up. maybe that will help? oooo and never get a thermostat that isn't from honda... the ones here in canada at crappy tire, are rated to open at a much higher temp...

chris

[87dxhatch]

good advice, my 85 accord was failing on Hc's and passed with flying colors after i replaced the cat.

[rexadic]

honda motors use tension bolts on there heads (that means that they strech when you tourqe them down) so if you losen your head bolt then you will need new ones our it will leak anyway but ijust got an 87 crx si and it had a blown head gasket it was doin the same stuff so id pull the head and if the gasket is in good shape then get a magnaflux kit and check the head for cracks atleast it will be one less thing that will break later

[C_piddy]

my zc is using it's original head bolts, after the head was off the block for a couple of months.. no leaks... no problems

chris

[zAd -]

nice im gonna put back the bolts and pray it doesnt leak. i did bleed it but the temperature was rising and all the coolatn started gushing out so i turned it off and havent started the car since then. i know for a fact that i also need a new cat.

[zAd -]

 

read it in the service manual forum.

I cant seem to find the service manual forum can somoen link it.

[87dxhatch]

look at the top right of the page.manuals

[jonesy]

I had the same problem recently, although here on Vancouver Island we are blessed not to have air care/smog testing. Turned out in my case that the rad was blocked. Blew smoke, the whole nine yards. Took the head off, new water pump, new thermostat nothing changed. BTW i dunno what head gasket you're using, but I'm way happy with my Cortico gasket. I used to swear by Fel-Pro head gaskets, but put the Fel-Pro and the Cortico side by side and you'll switch too. Hope this helps.

jonesy

[C_piddy]

whats with th fel=pro and cortico? are they better then the stock honda head gasket? does it increase compression?

what gives?

chris

[eldo]

jonesy,where did you get the Cortico gasket from?

Ed

[jonesy]

I got my gaskets from Gorge road automotive in victoria. It doesn't do anything for the compression (but my 35 thou head shave sure did!!!) but it just seems to be a better built gasket, imho. The Honda's stockers are nice, but I just felt that sometimes change is good.

Note: If you use the cortico, for god's sake read the paperwork that comes with it. You need to re-tighten the head bolts after initial torquing. I almost didn't, and god knows what kind of disaster I would have had otherwise.

thanks for the thermostat tip C-Piddy, I guess I'll make a trip down to Honda today. Damn canadain tire....

jonesy

Edited by jonesy, 02 January 2004 - 12:00 PM.