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97 Honda Accord 2.2L Head Gasket Replacement

Home Forums Stay Dirty Lounge Service and Repair Questions Answered Here 97 Honda Accord 2.2L Head Gasket Replacement

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  • #552584
    Chris EverettChris Everett
    Participant

      I have a question about a recent repair I actually had done ( I did not do it myself which made my wallet hurt) on my 97 Honda Accord SE. It’s the 2.2L I4 engine and I had it basically a year when I got it fixed, though symptoms started showing up before then. I had the head gasket replaced this past July, and I remember from one of the ETCG videos that the head gasket is pretty robust on an Accord. It does have plenty of miles (190,500 when I bought it, 197,700 when I got it fixed), and I am wondering if there was something that caused it during that one year, or was it already there. There is quite a bit of work already done such as:

      Speed sensor replaced (I already know this is a common Honda thing around this time)
      Exhaust fix (Not sure what was replaced, but part of it rusted away recently so I have a leak again)

      Valve cover gasket: This actually I got done twice once by Firestone (learned that one the hard way) and then by a local shop where I am in school at. The first time I know they fucked up because I barely got far before I started smelling gas fumes inside the car. But they did not do a complete job, and I had to get it fixed again (which the mechanic stated that it was replaced badly the first time).

      I had the valve cover gasket replaced again because I had bogging issues with the car, where I would want to accelerate but the car would have issues delivering power. It was not smooth deliver of power at all. I heard a long bang once or twice while the bogging first appeared.

      I also had a leak in the air intake pipe (plastic tube attached to air filter) for a bit.
      I noticed a bit of overheating last fall around october when I idled for a little bit but nothing dramatic. Not until after winter, this spring did I really notice it over heating (I did warp a piston…)
      Which lead to the head gasket issue.

      So What I am asking is that, in all of these issue, was it something I did ( which is more likely the case) or was it something that could have already been there? I know there is a lot that happen but I am very curious on what really happened.

      I know I start overheating a little bit in October but it could have been the fan switches.

      Yes I am young and the reason I did not get it checked out right away is because I am a poor college student. First car all that fun stuff.

    Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
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    • #552623
      college mancollege man
      Moderator

        Its hard to say with not knowing the service and life history
        of the car. It seems that the problems were there and got worse.
        Its like a drip in the sink.Starts out small and gets bigger from there. 🙂

        #553052
        EricTheCarGuy 1EricTheCarGuy
        Keymaster

          My question is, how do you know you have another head gasket failure? Head gaskets are often misdiagnosed on those engines. Perhaps confirm you have a head gasket problem before you start looking for a cause. Also, not all workmanship is created equal. In my experience most problems are caused by the people working on the vehicle, not the vehicle itself. Thing is, that’s very difficult to prove.

          http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/what-to-do-when-your-engine-overheats

          #563632
          Chris EverettChris Everett
          Participant

            I had it taken into a shop that I trust in my town and they did a compression test. I knew I was loosing coolant and they replaced the gasket and the car has worked fine after that.

            Edit: Eric I am 100% sure you are right about it being the people working on the car and not the car itself. I had a little work done at a chain store (bad life decision) and I think this is what happened in the end as a result.

            #563639
            george gonzalezgeorge gonzalez
            Participant

              If you “noticed overheating”, you should have gotten that fixed pronto. Overheating leads to warped cylinder heads and leaking head gaskets. It was less prevalent in the old days of iron heads, but now that almost all heads seem to be made from old pop cans, you gotta watch the temps.

              #563641
              Chris EverettChris Everett
              Participant

                Sadly I did not. I should have parked the car and waited until I had the money but I didn’t so I paid a huge amount to get it all fixed. It works relatively well now (few issues I have to take care of but nothing detrimental). I just wish I had taken the time to look at it sooner.

                #894619
                TT
                Participant

                  I recently had a confirmed head gasket being complete shit, from a local mechanic. They told me that the engine needs replacing, didn’t even suggest head gasket replacement or any other avenues of repair. Once coolant is in the engine, can’t be flushed or cleaned? I’m really not into getting an entirely new engine and I’m hoping for some kind of fix. Meanwhile, I have my eye on a couple brands of head gasket sealant, bottles of fluid type stuff. Is my engine toast?

                  #894620
                  TT
                  Participant

                    96 accord 2.2

                    #894622
                    Billy AndrewsBilly
                    Participant

                      Coolant in the crankcase can do damage, but that’s relatively uncommon. Has it been verified that has happened here?

                      #894626
                      TT
                      Participant

                        It was a fairly trusted mechanics shop in town, and I went there on the advice of family members. I had gotten a diagnostics test to determine why I was overheating and they discovered head gasket being busted after I explained there was white smoke when I start it up. At first I believe they told me if it was my head gaskets then there would be white smoke all the time? I basically had white smoke during the time that I had pulled the thermostat out on the advice of a mechanic neighbor, only on starting the car. He was convinced that if I yanked the thermostat I would not have Overheating issues, and once I got the thermostat back in there I did not have any white smoke on start or during driving. During this entire overheating phase, towards the tail end of it since I don’t drive it anymore, I have been having starting issues, also. Three days of it taking 20 minutes to start up! Anyway, the shop told me that I needed a new engine maybe twice, after I asked if I could do anything with the car. They told me I could drive it until it breaks. They did not describe any precise or particular damage done. They said coolant is all throughout the engine and once that happens that I am out of luck.

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