head gasket leak

[Scdevon]

$1000 bucks is insane. Do the job yourself. You won't be sorry. Older Hondas are great cars. A $40 FelPro head gasket + an afternoon of sweat equity will set it straight again.

You know you can just slip the timing belt off and on the top cam sprocket, don't you? No need to take too much apart. My Honda friends just undo the head bolts, lift the head a few inches and clean the head and block carefully with razor blades, slip the gasket in and tighten it back up. You don't even have to undo the fuel lines or electrical connectors this way. You'd be surprised how little of the old gasket sticks to the block and head.
"Slip 'n Slide" head gasket we used to call it.

Seriously. This is like a 2 hour job.

 

[Scdevon]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
Headgasket for a Civic will certainly be expensive because the timing belt must come off, and a mechanic will not re-use the old one. A t-belt replacement usually costs 300-500. Some OHC engines have the cam and followers in the way of the head bolts, and if that is the case, those parts will be taken out, and valve lash may need to be re-adjusted. Next, multiple gaskets and seals outside the cylinder head will be replaced. That price varies based on engine design and how much stuff is on top of and to the side of the head gasket. That can be pricey. Most mechanics will not simply re-install the head, they will send it to a machinist first to have it shaved until it is perfectly flat, and have all valves checked for perfect sealing. That can be between $100-$200 there. Finally, when the engine is being re-assembled, new bolts will be used, they are about $50.

But if the car has no other significant problems, I consider this to be a worthwhile job.


Some wankers need to have everything perfect on a job like this; send the head out to a machine shop, straight edge the block, replace the water pump........On an old POS car, sometimes all you need to do is just carefully slide the old timing belt off, clean stuff, replace the gasket, torque the head bolts properly and just drive it.