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Good evening,
Need some advice. I own above car, excellent condition and thought it could go another 100k. Current milage is 125k. It sputtered and stopped working this week. Took it to the dealer and they said its a blown head gasket. $4000 for a used replacement engine. Mt question (I am fairly mechanical, have the tools) is for this particular engine what issues should I watch for besides the gasket? The engine turns over and I don't heard any nasty noises. Records show the timing belt was done at 90k and I have other records the car was well maintained. Is this engine head gasket able to be serviced with a gasket kit? I'd rather try to repair it and if that doesn't work I'll buy a used engine. I have removed a head from a 4 cylinder engine and also replaced a few clutches n the past. I am not afraid to get dirty to make the repair. and have repair area. I have watched a few videos on the issues. My question is on the removal of the cam and the timing. What is a good book or video to view for assistance. I appreciate all responses for help. Thanks again, Ray
What was their reasoning as to the head gasket? Normally when a head gasket goes it will cause 1 or 2 cylinders to miss-fire, exhaust gases in cooling system-overheating/bubbles, water in oil-milky, white smoke from exhaust, external water leak, etc.
There are many tests to verify the problem, but I'd start by taking a compression test of the cylinders just to verify there is a sealing problem.
When the plugs are out, you can even pump up the cooling system to operating pressure and crank the engine over to see if any mist is expelled from spark plug holes.
Also, there are "kits" to check for hydrocarbons present in the cooling system.
Thanks Turbonut.
The plugs are fouled and there is slight smell of radiator fluid. I got the car home and took out the plugs. The oil looks fine, the oil cap is clean. I am going to run a compression test this evening.
I am assuming this is not a major blow out or I would see rad fluid in the oil and the milkshake residue. I have been searching the net and forums checking to see if the head gasket can be changed with engine in the car. It appears so. Its a big job. Are you familiar with this type repair?
At this point it sounds like you would benefit greatly from a "cylinder leak-down test"; such a test will be fairly definitive as to whether you have a blown head gasket (or possibly a cracked head, which by the way, is very-very unlikely).
I replaced the head gasket on a friends J32 which wasn't as bad as I first though. I did the removal and reinstall of the timing belt and water channel which is a PITA, as well as removal of all other components including the cylinder head. I had a shop do the milling and reinstall of the cylinder head since that's very precise stuff that I didn't feel entirely comfortable with. I didn't want to spend all that time just to find out I was leaking a bit of coolant due to an incorrect torque or something. If you do end up attempting it, make sure the shop is planning on getting the cylinder head measured for tolerance. Out of default, the head surface is normally milled to assure a precise mating surface with the block. It will be a few hundred bucks to do that. Still cheaper than a new engine. A good shop should do that by default.
Hi all,
Thanks for your replies.
When I drained the oil, a ton of antifreeze drained out as well. I have the front head off and it is warped. I used .0012 feeler gauge. I can see where the gasket was compromised. photo included I was able to find a used engine(130K) for $400 and $250 for a 1 year warranty. Does this sound reasonable?
I just learned I have to remove the engine and trans as a unit. I was hoping I wouldn't have to remove axles seeing i don't have many impact tools, although I believe I can use a breaker bar. Does anyone have a link on how to begin that process or which service manual to buy? Thanks all.
Have you tried YouTube? They typically have a lot of good How To videos. If they don't have one for an engine R&R for a 3G TL, look for one for the Gen 7 V6 Accord.
Thanks, Yes I have found a few and very helpful., the one I did watch was an accord where they were able to separate the tranny and pull out the engine only. There must be a bit more space in the accord engine bay than in the TL.
Thanks, Yes I have found a few and very helpful., the one I did watch was an accord where they were able to separate the tranny and pull out the engine only. There must be a bit more space in the accord engine bay than in the TL.
Hmmm, I've been inside a couple of Gen 7 Accord engine bays and they look to have exactly the same room as the TL.
yes that needs removed for sure.I am still not sure there is room on the TL, according to TEH above comment says it is not possible and since this is an accord video and he has done this swap am thinking it needs to be all in one removal. I would love it if I didn't have to mess with the axle stuff.!
@rscone I got your message about the service manual. I can't reply as forum says that your inbox is full. Weirdest limitation ever - it's 2018 and couple more KB wouldn't make a difference for a forum server.
Anyway, I have a good 2007-2008 TL manual that I'm using all the time. 2004-2006 models are different, mainly engine and transmission, and some minor interior changes. This service manual would be really close, but location of some bolts, torque, etc. might be different. It would be better to get a 2006 model manual.
Also look for post #8 by thoiboi. He linked his dropbox with couple manuals. That's probably where I got mine in the first place.
Question about engine price: I would say it all depends how it was maintained. You can buy excellent 150k engine, or 50k trashed one. One thing to consider is 105k maintenance, which includes timing belt, timing belt tensioner, and a water pump. It's easy to do, especially when engine is out of the car, but adds another ~$300 to the price.
- Are they providing any other warranty? $250 is more than half of the price of that engine. If they provide free 7 days warranty, do swap, if engine makes noise, leaks, etc. then you're covered. I wouldn't buy additional warranty if there is some basic one.
- As far as I know, engines usually run for $500-$800, so this one is low. Any reason why?
Hi Peter, Thanks for all the info and getting back to me.
I will take a look at the manuals and figure out which is best. Appreciate it! They have 3 engines in stock, the 130k is the lowest miles and looks good. Nice n dry and they state it runs great. (what else would they say) Cost is $400 plus $250 for a 1 year warranty. if there are any issues, they diagnose it and if the engine is bad they would replace it with another used unit and they pay for the labor I am going back this afternoon to remove the timing belt top covers to check for any marks that would have been made at the TB service interval. I am going to check it over very well, check the oil. I know its a risk but rebuilding what is in the car is not the best option either, I could be in the same boat in a week, month, year. I will post some photos later. This is a local salvage yard of all foreign car parts. They appear to be high volume. He said they sell a lot more wholesale to dealers and whatnot, but they have consumer counter as well.
does anyone know if the engine # would match the VIN or part of the VIN? I pulled a carfax on the car and its 2 owner, wrecked in the backend, but only a few service records and nothing about the TB services.
does anyone know if the engine # would match the VIN or part of the VIN? I pulled a carfax on the car and its 2 owner, wrecked in the backend, but only a few service records and nothing about the TB services.
With the engine out, doing a timing belt R&R is pretty easy; even if you were to find there was only 20,000 miles on the belt, it would be a good idea to change it anyway.
Yes I agree with the engine out things are way easier but getting the crank bolt off doesn't seem like it. nothing for leverage? Are you thinking a massive impact wrench? thoughts?
I had my engine oil replaced on my old camaro once at one of those drive thru stations, in austin tx about 10 years ago. And hit the highway, drove to Dallas, and as I got here, I noticed the engine was acting weak, and I looked down and the temperature was pegged max. So I immediately pulled over and it was smoking. When I checked the water, mysteriously the radiator cap was loose. It blew the head gasket, and water was bubbling from inside the radiator after I put water back into it. It was friend. So, Me and a friend took off the heads and I took them to a machine shop to have them checked.. We never did check the block to see if it was warped. But the machine may have slightly milled the heads , I dont fully remember but I think it was very very little if they did mill it. And they checked it for pressure, and it was good. Putting it back together was not that difficult if you follow the book and tighten the bolts in the right order and using the correct method. Its not rocket science but you need a torque wrench and a gauge to see how far past you turn the bolt after you reach the required torque setting. My impression was that a block doesnt warp as easily as a head. It probably has to do with the "mass" of a block versus the thinner metal on a head.
After I put it together I had a misfire and I couldnt tell where it came from. So I took the car to a pro who works for himself, out of his own house, and he did a compression test and located a cylinder that had Zero compression. So, he took the valve cover off that side and readjusted the lifter, and Bam! problem solved. He charged me $170 for locating the small glitch. He said I did a good job and almost had it , had it not been for over tightening 1 lifter. So, note to self.. if there is a misfire after you are done, then double check the torque on the lifters. and/or do a compression check to find which cylinder is giving you the trouble.
I just did a head gasket and head replacement on my 3g Acura TL, I got the crank pully off pretty easily, I used the honda crank pully tool, a cheapo autozone breaker bar with a few impact grade extensions and an impact grade 19mm socket, I then got a 6ft metal pipe from Lowes and put it on the cheapo breaker bar, I then had my friend push on the breaker bar while I held the crank pully tool in place to keep it from moving because it wanted to go out from the frame, and we got it off pretty easily. It was like $30-$40 in total for the tools to get the pully off. Head gaskets are very easy to do on this car
I know nothing about the TL heads at this time. And I dont know why the crank pulley needs to be removed. But I'm glad to hear it is easy. Question: if you have only the front head gasket leaking, would it be a bad idea to just replace the front head gasket and skip the rear? I mean, why do it if it never breaks out? And if the rear is completely separate, and easily accessible, then why do it ? Why not just let it go and replace it if it needs it later.
chad, do you want to do the job twice????
Because that's how you do a job twice.
the timing belt is connected from the crankshaft to the heads. you need to take off the crank pulley to get the timing belt off, to get the heads off.
no one in their right mind wants to do this twice.
when putting it all back together, one needs to keep the heads at TDC, or Top Dead Center. one has to perform a little sequence of keeping things at TDC. which means rotating the crank.
only a mad man would want to do this sequence twice.
Last edited by justnspace; 10-11-2020 at 06:57 AM.
Why not? Your people, or the ones you say "are not mad" , are replacing both the front and rear heads. So anyone who has done this job should have done a visual inspection.. heads can leak on the outside too. And the gaskets will show the bad spot, whether it leaketh internally or externally..
Originally Posted by justnspace
I dont think you will get the data that you are looking for..
so, a shop in denton texas told me I dont have a leaking head gasket. He said it is a solid engine. He said the valve cover gasket is leaking a little bit.
Also a few weeks ago, I had my car at Lute Riley Honda for a valve adjustment and they said my power steering pump is leaking.
So, now I am wondering if the slight odor is coming from the PS pump leaking instead of the head gasket. ha!
It still runs great though. Only 114k miles.
What was their reasoning as to the head gasket? Normally when a head gasket goes it will cause 1 or 2 cylinders to miss-fire, exhaust gases in cooling system-overheating/bubbles, water in oil-milky, white smoke from exhaust, external water leak, etc.
There are many tests to verify the problem, but I'd start by taking a compression test of the cylinders just to verify there is a sealing problem.
When the plugs are out, you can even pump up the cooling system to operating pressure and crank the engine over to see if any mist is expelled from spark plug holes.
Also, there are "kits" to check for hydrocarbons present in the cooling system.
there is also a head gasket test kit. Its a 2 chamber tube with a squeeze bubble. You can buy the liquid chemical from auto supply. Pretty accurate to test the exhaust gases coming out of cooling system.
02-18-2018, 06:01 PM
