I know it's a Civic but you have all been so helpful with the Accord that I figured I trust your opinions more than a different forum that I don't know so here goes.
A friend of mine wants to give me a 99 Civic EX that he says has a bad head gasket. It would be for my 16 year old daughter which I think is perfect. Dual airbags, abs, sunroof, leather, new hoops and FREE except for the repairs. The car has 96K on it. The owner says that he was leaving work one day and the car overheated so he shut it off, towed it home and hasn't done anything with it in a month. So it could also not be the head gasket but a friend of his that's machanic said it looked likely. He has owned the car since 85K with only minor maint done and says that it ran great up until that time (he knows these cars because ge drives another one). The only reason that he wants to give it away is that he is moving next week and doesn't want to tow the car 50 miles to his new house and he has 2 other cars. The car will clean up nicely (even though it's purple) and be a great ride for a college girl for another few years if I can get it running well.
So here's my question. Where would you go from here? Take it to the dealer or an independent shop? Should I tell them that I think it's the head gasket ot just let them diagnois it? If it is the head gasket, I will also do the water pump and timing belt since I don't have a history. I know that there may be other things wrong like cv joints and such which I can have checked at the same time (without giving the tech an open checkbook). Any and all advise is greatly appreciated. :notworthy

I'd have it towed to an independent shop that knows Hondas and have them diagnose the problem, telling them just what you did her about what the owner did when he saw the overheating - let this tech reach his/her conclusions on the problem. Should be an inexpensive diagnosis visit to get the data before you decide to dive in. But a free vehicle even with a head gasket job is likely better than paying for a car and having the problem potentially happen down the road - at least this way you know the motor will be solid.... You can check the other items as well, but can delay the work if you need to.... Sounds like a decent car around the issue you outlined - certainly worth an opinion...

andy

I know it's a Civic but you have all been so helpful with the Accord that I figured I trust your opinions more than a different forum that I don't know so here goes.
A friend of mine wants to give me a 99 Civic EX that he says has a bad head gasket. It would be for my 16 year old daughter which I think is perfect. Dual airbags, abs, sunroof, leather, new hoops and FREE except for the repairs. The car has 96K on it. The owner says that he was leaving work one day and the car overheated so he shut it off, towed it home and hasn't done anything with it in a month. So it could also not be the head gasket but a friend of his that's machanic said it looked likely. He has owned the car since 85K with only minor maint done and says that it ran great up until that time (he knows these cars because ge drives another one). The only reason that he wants to give it away is that he is moving next week and doesn't want to tow the car 50 miles to his new house and he has 2 other cars. The car will clean up nicely (even though it's purple) and be a great ride for a college girl for another few years if I can get it running well.
So here's my question. Where would you go from here? Take it to the dealer or an independent shop? Should I tell them that I think it's the head gasket ot just let them diagnois it? If it is the head gasket, I will also do the water pump and timing belt since I don't have a history. I know that there may be other things wrong like cv joints and such which I can have checked at the same time (without giving the tech an open checkbook). Any and all advise is greatly appreciated. :notworthy


How long has it been sitting with a "bad headgasket"

there are many reasons for a car to overheat, one of which could be a compromised head gasket. On a Civic of that year it has a multi-layer steel head gasket to start with, which are very hard to "blow". Overheating a D series is not a minor thing.

The reason I asked how long: If coolant has been sitting in any cylinders for any length of time, the engine will need to be re ringed. D series are notorious for losing oil control ring tension and carboning up from sitting when this happens. The thing will gobble oil if a head gasket is put on without new piston rings.

This also happens if the engine has gotten very hot. The gauge is more like an idiot light, it will only swing up when a certain temp is reached, not moving up slowly in response to gradual temperature rise.

Also, if coolant has gotten into the oil, no matter how little, it damages the crankshaft bearings almost immediately. If it's been in there for a while, they should be changed.

I would look for a good used engine, there are many recyclers in Cali and they also are a dime a dozen, as most "kids" with Civics toss out the D engine for Integra B engines.

Even if it's not repairable, like FredSVT said these things are better than a dime a dozen. I know a guy who runs a boosted D16 stock block on almost 15+PSI, and he just buys a new one every 6 months...only $500 or so and he does the labor himself.

I would be looking at an engine swap!!

I think the price would be competitive to fixing it, but if the estimate comes out high for repair, I would think about swapping.

Lots of engine sources around.

lucky you. free honda, not too old, even if it needs repairs, is a great thing.

Dealers are in the business of making money, so before going to them ---

Get the car home.. then check and ajust all fluid levels, drain the radiator and refill with clean water at this point, no additives yet, (as long at the weather temp is above freezing where you live) after that run it and see what happens, then give us as much detailed info as possible plzz.. Then hopefully, between us, we can diagnose the problem and get it back on the road for you asap.. :)

Thanks all for the advise. I am going to tow it home tomorrow and see what I can find. Idon't know how much I trust my friends mech. I have some experience in repairs but things like brakes, cv shafts and such. Not much of any engine experience. I fugure that if he shut it off right away, maybe it overheated from the water pump or another cause other than the headgasket. He hasn't started it since it overheated so I'll see this weekend nd keep you informed.
Thanks again.

In my experience "a friends mech" is usually one step from the local loonie asylum!! lol...

So no cause for alarm yet, may be something as simple as a worn out spring in the radiator cap, or a jammed thermostat.. :) We need more input.. lol.. :D

Well I went out to the car today and guess what? I found out that it is a 2.3L ACCORD.... DUH :lmao: . Even after years of Hondas I guess I just took the guys word for it. So....how or does this this change my problem? Thanks.

I dont think the Si even came with a 2.3. Everything I find shows a 1.6. I think there may be something fishy here. If they swapped engines with something different, there maybe a lot of work and expense to get everything right. If you had time and were doing it all yourself, not a problem. But most shops dont want to work on cars that are extensively modified, especially if it has been cobled together.

I'm sorry but maybe I didn't explain my mistake right. The CAR is an ACCORD not just the engine...LOL :lmao: . So the whole picture now changes. Getting an even better car than I thought.

LOL! That's awesome. You would think people would know what kind of cars they are driving. Definately avoid your friend's mechanic in that case as, no offense to your friend, his word on cars is severely lacking (model confusion, lol). Hope everything turns out ok.

Erm, maybe your friends mech is in a worse mental state than I thought.. heh heh just kidding.. ;)

I hope its not a 6 clyinder with the dreaded iffy autobox??? :paranoid:

Engine cooling systems are usualy very similar and have rads, water pumps, etc, etc, in common, so The problem remains unchanged, we still need a lot more info.. :)

OK so here's what I am planning. I will get it to a mechanic (friend that used to work for me) on Monday. First step is to pressure test the colling sysyem. After we find the leak, we will asses the reast of the car. I gotta say though, is is nice and I hate to see a Honda "die" so young. But we can rebuild it and make it better...LOL!

Go for all the quick, easy to fix, and cheap jobs first, then give us a detailed progress report please. If need be, we will try to sort any remaining problems with you..

Many heads make much confusion.. lmho :lmao: :lmao: :D
.

F23's are not as easy to find, but they are out there + they have a big engine bay. With a hoist and a manual you could probably do the swap yourself if it came to that.

I wouldn't do anything to it unless he signs it over to you...unless he's a GOOD friend. I don't wanna see ya on Judge Judy. :thmsup:


JP

He's signing it over Saturday morning. THEN I'll see what"s going on!!!

OK so here's what I am planning. I will get it to a mechanic (friend that used to work for me) on Monday. First step is to pressure test the colling sysyem. After we find the leak, we will asses the reast of the car. I gotta say though, is is nice and I hate to see a Honda "die" so young. But we can rebuild it and make it better...LOL!


So, you have a 2.3 F series engine now.
Look in the coolant reservoir and radiator, is there engine oil there? Once oil gets into the system, the thermostat will stick shut, as it has a rubber seat. Most of the rest of the system will be screwed up if it is oily.

This is a now more common problem on 2.3 engines, the headgaskets don't have problems, the blocks do.
They crack internally causing oil pressure to be pushed into the water jackets.

Even so, the car has fairly low mileage, but I'd have it gone over. Especially the transmission if it'll run. Check for excessive play at the inner cv joint where it goes into the trans. These are known for the carrier bearings to fail, they spread fine shavings into the trans which eventually causes the valves and whatnot to hang up.

Just remember, what looks really good could cost a lot if it's been abused.

So here's the outcome..... new (used engine) with 41k on it for 2k. The car is great. There is no way that I could have bought a 99 in this shape for that amout but here it is.....and and one of our others

I'd say you got a sweet deal. :thmsup:

JP

Wow, that thing looks fantastic! It seriously looks showroom condition in those pics. 2K well spent.