8 replies to this topic

[85CRX]

Now I am new to this whole website but I was wondering if anyone had run into the same problems that I am having.

When I first bought the car it was not running so I had a guy fix it for me. He replaced the head gasket and machined the head. It ran for about a week before it over heated and blew the head gasket. Next he replaced it again and once again it was running but after a few months it blew. On my third and final try a different guy replaced it and told me that there were a few screws missing in the center of the gasket, ince he did that it ran perfectly except for the fact that is was leaking oil into the exhaust. Now it hasnt run for about a month and the battery is dead. While its down I wanted to know if anyone else had this same problem and what yall did to fix it and see if I could do it.

I think it is the rear seal, but im not a big engine repair guy and neither is my dad.

Right now it is leaking oil into the exhaust and we have used some engine sealant stuff that is supposed to stop leaks but that hasnt worked. All the oil leaks into the muffler and just a few drips (in the same spot) at the front of the car.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[powermanaf]

Are you sure it isn't leaking out of the valve cover?

[Omega Mugen]

If the oil is leaking onto the exhaust, then it is not likely the rear main seal which is further down. You can get an oil leak dye at carquest. Pour some in and run the motor a while. Use a UV flaslight and protective goggles to find the leak. You may need to mill the head or replace the gasket or any number of things. Locate the leak first, then you may have to check the flatness of the both the block and the head. It may be as simple as a valve cover gasket or oil cap that needs replacement.

[85CRX]

I will try to check on both of those today when i get home. Im thinkin its one of the seals but I will get in there and look. Hopefully Ill be able to get to it tonight and tell you guys what I see. I would really like to get this fixed soon and have it up and running again.

[Super_Cricket]

My 5 cents worth.
With what you have prob paid those 3 guys on labor plus the 3 head gaskets you could have had a certified competent Honda Shop do the work right the first time. Old Honda Heads overheat but dont warp as easily as American Engines However when you open up a Honda engine you might as well spend a little bit of money and do the whole thing right the first time. Replacing all the seals with a good kit is very important A lot of gasket and seal kits are not up to the task. Its very important to have the Head Properly Straightened and shaved, replace the piston rings at the least and bearings and making sure all the springs and retainers are up to spec and that valves are sitting right. also reusing gaskets or seals even the smallest is not really a good idea. Even if you have to special order parts and wait a little longer its better doing it right the first time.

[85CRX]

My 5 cents worth.
With what you have prob paid those 3 guys on labor plus the 3 head gaskets you could have had a certified competent Honda Shop do the work right the first time. Old Honda Heads overheat but dont warp as easily as American Engines However when you open up a Honda engine you might as well spend a little bit of money and do the whole thing right the first time. Replacing all the seals with a good kit is very important A lot of gasket and seal kits are not up to the task. Its very important to have the Head Properly Straightened and shaved, replace the piston rings at the least and bearings and making sure all the springs and retainers are up to spec and that valves are sitting right. also reusing gaskets or seals even the smallest is not really a good idea. Even if you have to special order parts and wait a little longer its better doing it right the first time.

yea thats what i should have done, but now its to late. I do agree with you, I want it to be right because i don't want to have to go through this again. Although I am planning on buying a JDM-ZC in the next month or so I just want to see if I can get this to run just by checking the few things that it could be. You know just to drive it down the road again since it has been out of comission for some time now.

[85CRX]

yea thats what i should have done, but now its to late. I do agree with you, I want it to be right because i don't want to have to go through this again. Although I am planning on buying a JDM-ZC in the next month or so I just want to see if I can get this to run just by checking the few things that it could be. You know just to drive it down the road again since it has been out of comission for some time now.

Does anyone know if the JDM-ZC engine fits in without much modification? Im going to save up and get that put in there no matter how much it costs. I've got a lot of body work to do so I'm gonna be saving up plenty of money to get a new engine and thats the one I want. Plus I heard it was the best one to put in there.

[b16a87crxsi]

Does anyone know if the JDM-ZC engine fits in without much modification? Im going to save up and get that put in there no matter how much it costs. I've got a lot of body work to do so I'm gonna be saving up plenty of money to get a new engine and thats the one I want. Plus I heard it was the best one to put in there.

I wouldn't say its the best engine that you can put in, but I would say it is the most cost effective/easy swap to do. Check out the FAQ/Wiki section and read the write ups on engine swaps, you can learn a lot there.




James

[lxndr]

Head gasket screws...


That's right up there with muffler bearings and blinker fluid!


If your mechanic meant "head bolts" when he said "head gasket screws", then yes, you have a problem in that the head was not able to be torqued down properly which is why the head gasket kept blowing. To me, it doesn't sound like any of the mechanics you have been going to know what they are doing and are using cheap headgaskets and reusing your old stretched-out head bolts.

The only way for oil to enter the exhaust system (you mentioned that oil leaks "into" the muffler) is through the motor. This means you either have bad piston rings, bad valve stem seals, a bad head gasket, or all three. This also means you need a leakdown test to determine what is causing the problem, which unfortuantely will lead to either another head gasket replacement, a head rebuild or a complete engine rebuild.

Engine sealant won't work on a 20+ year old motor with bad seals (actually, it's never worked on any car I've tried it on), your seals are leaking bad enough that the engine sealant is leaking out too.

The likely sources of an oil leak are at the rear main seal, front main seal, oil pan gasket, oil pump gasket, oil cooler O ring, cam seals, distributor O ring, valve cover gasket or head gasket. I'd suggest using a can of engine degreaser on the motor to clean things up, this way you should be able to see exactly where the the oil is leaking from. Also, check the tranny fluid since the spot of oil left on the ground caused by a bad front seal on the tranny looks exactly like the spot of oil left by a bad rear main seal on the motor.

I'd also reconsider the ZC motor. All the 1st gen ZC's have already been picked over and all that are left are the "bottom of the barrel" motors. I personally wouldn't want a motor that has been sitting for almost 20 years without being turned over. There will be rust accumulation on the valves and in the cylinders, and the seals will probably have dried up and are now stuck in the position they have been in for the last two decades. Save your money for a rebuilt motor, or for a motor that you have seen running.

Just my $.02

Edited by lxndr, 11 June 2007 - 10:53 PM.