Honda Civic 1.6 Sport ('04) - Head gasket failure symptoms

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Tue 17 Mar 2015 12:37
Honda Civic 1.6 Sport ('04) - Head gasket failure symptoms - MikeyTen4

Hi everyone

I'll try to keep this to the point :)

I've got an '04 plate Honda Civic 1.6 Sport which has only done 61k miles. A few months back it developed emissions problems - reported by the engine management. It had a new cat and sensors fitted. Issues continued. Then got worse - engine temp fluctuations (though it's never overheated yet), cold air through the heater, coolant vanishing but no leak, misfires from a cold start, etc.

The guys at the garage checked it out and deemed it a head gasket failure - the give away was bubbles coming through the coolant at the radioator cap when the engine was started with the cap removed. So, it then had... new gasket and associated bits, cam belt kit, new radiator (since they weren't certin if the original cause might be a blockage in the rad, plus it has a very slight leak), oil and filter change, and new coolant.

I drove about 30 miles and the engine light came back on again. Called Green Flag out to my house and the guy did many of the same checks as the garage before the work - he diagnosed the HG failure. Having told him that it had just been done, he suggested that there might be a crack in the engine somewhere, and that if water is gettign into the engine then either a crack or the gasket are about the only ways it could be happening.

So... I'm just wondering if anyone can offer any other probable causes. I can't see myself throwing any more money at it at this stage (£1300 so far), but I'd like to know what people think.

Cheers.

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Tue 17 Mar 2015 12:43
Honda Civic 1.6 Sport ('04) - Head gasket failure symptoms - madf

If the HG was repalced and teh head was not skimmed, that is the problem. This is STANDARD PRACTISE and has been carried out for decades.

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Tue 17 Mar 2015 12:55
Honda Civic 1.6 Sport ('04) - Head gasket failure symptoms - MikeyTen4

Hi mate, cheers for the reply.

I was told by the garage that the head was sent to be pressure tested. The impression I got was that if it did need skimming then it would have been done. I trust the garage - used them for years andf they could have had money out of me in the past where they haven't. So I didn't even think to ask if it had been skimmed or not. But I don't expect that it would have been missed.

If that's not the issue, then is a crack in the engine the next likely cause? Could the issue actually be something else, based on those symptoms?

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Tue 17 Mar 2015 13:54
Honda Civic 1.6 Sport ('04) - Head gasket failure symptoms - hardway

Odly I'm on a head gasket job right now,

Ok not a Honda but the princiiple test is the same.

Came in with a suspect gasket failure so first test on a hot engine is a coolant leak dye test.

Simple procedure is fill the test unit with blue fluid then plug the tester into the header tank with engine running.

If the fluid stays blue the gasket is sound,

If it colour changes to green/yellow depending on fuel then the gasket is leaking.

I did this test the other day and left the owner to monitor it while I made a cuppa.

When I returned he said "Yup that changed".

No "I think it's .........."

Or it might be that.

Coclusive.

Test kit isn't that expensive so I'm supprised more garages don't do this test.

And as you state you've spent X so far.

I'd be reluctant to give the go ahead on a theory too.

Find a better equipped garage that can do this test.

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Tue 17 Mar 2015 15:40
Honda Civic 1.6 Sport ('04) - Head gasket failure symptoms - Railroad.

If the HG was repalced and teh head was not skimmed, that is the problem. This is STANDARD PRACTISE and has been carried out for decades.

I'm not so sure I agree. I worked in a Vauxhall main dealer in the 1980s and early 90s and have forgotten how many cylinder heads I've removed and refitted. We very rarely had the heads skimmed except if they'd obviously got seriously hot and damage was visible. I used to plane the head with medium emery on a steel block whilst keeping it wet with penetrating oil. I can't remember ever having had one come back, other than to later discover that the head was cracked, which did happen on a couple of occasions. That was the 8 valve GM OHC engine, although I do accept engines today may be built to finer tolerances.
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