Well I've heard many cases of blown head gaskets (not just on Hondas, but on other cars) and seen alot of people worry mainly because is very expensive.

I guess i'm writing this thread just to ask how can we avoid it? what to do as far as maintenace?

 

Keep up on regularly scheduled maintenance, timing belt, water pump, all that jazz. Use good oil, and change the oil frequently. Drive nice, don't beat on your motor TOO hard. That's all I can think of, just basically take care of your engine.

 

I haven't heard of a lot of Honda blown head gaskets - where are you getting that from?

I have read about the second gen Legends where the usual symptom is overheating. Seems like plenty of people have had those $1,500 repairs...

 

yeah , ithink i have a blown head gasket looks like 800$

 

overheating is the main cause of failure.. but the gasket itself is made of metal so it rusts where the water journals meet between the head and block. especially if you dont use purified water to refill the engine. which i dont but it is good to do.

 

yeah i heard of overheating being the main cause, that's why i replaced my rusted radiator, and changed thermostat and coolant about a month ago.

And i know that by doing a pressure test it could diagnose gaskets and seals. But is there a way to tell if the gasket is failing? like weird engine noise or smells or feel of the car?

 

nothing besides the obvious water in the oil, looks like chocolate milk, or if your overflow has an oily film inside it. or the exhaust smells like burnt antifreeze, and of course your car overheating or not running at all.