92Legendsedan

Since these cars seem to have such an issue with bad headgaskets- I am wondering- how many here have actually not had a problem with the headgaskets?

Also interested to that if you have not had any issues- what mileage are you at now?

Also- what would you recommend to folks that still have good headgaskets? Is normal anti-freeze good enough? Any measures to prolong the gasket life?

My car has nearly 197K and as far as I know, it still has the original headgasket. So far, so good (hope and pray that it stays that way for at least 50K more miles). My car does not overheat- guage stays steady at the 2nd line up from "C", no coolant leaks, no oil in overflow tank, no oil in the radiator, no water in oil and the heating works fine- puts out very hot air when I place it on hot mode.

With this mileage- is it only a matter of time before it goes? Are there any measures I can take now to prolong the original gasket? Any special anti-freeze recommended? Flush recommended? I am thinking since all it well now, should I just leave it along and not "jinx" it? I am afraid if I go messing with the cooling system now, I may cause damage? Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

 

Theava

Im below you but 128,000 and everything is suave.

91LSMAN

I've said this many times. MILEAGE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BLOWING A HEADGASKET.

Mine blew at 70k. Take care of your cooling system, and you will have no problems.

That's the bottom line.

Can you hear me now?

Gooooooooooooooodddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd.

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I drive this and still have more posts than YOU

Ballistic

98.5k miles. Overheated about 10 times and 7 owners.... head gasket is still fine

I guess your more prone to a BHG beause of your mileage. but regular maintainance should keep you going.

I do check my coolant reserve tank every morning though.

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Ballistic

miles drivin = wear and tear.

As 91lsman said... just keep your cooling system in check.
Coolant flush and replace coolant hoses would be a great start to prevent a over-heating problem from happening.

EDIT: radiator replacement owuld be good too.

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94LCoupe

I hate that commericial.

114k on mine.

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-Brian

OJP

mine happened at 190k

GSteg

almost


the headgasket does not rub against another components while driving. its not like a piston ring where the more miles you put on the engine, the more more wear the pistons rings will have.

Gaskets will go bad in a matter of time. With the material that its made out of and considering other things that may influence the HG"s life, miles should be the least factor.

A good example would be the transmission mount. Its made out of rubber, but it doesn't break because of high mileage. some people have will get 50k miles, and other will get 150k of rubber life out of them. Time is a better predictor than mileage. Rubber will go bad over time, or at least its not as good as if it was new. Rubber will crack in the long run since its also introduced with heat from the engine.


back to topic: i dont' know if i have the original HG. Bought my car with 146k miles and i only have 148.5k right now (2.5k miles since sept ). I'm just hoping its was replaced though.

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1992 Acura Legend LS sedan

Ballistic

almost....

many things can accelerate your chances of getting a BHG

Example: A radiator going bad (usually at around 100k miles) and not noticeing it will overheat your engine and cause a... BHG

Example: a leak in the cooling system.

Example: improper maintainence

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KINGFABIAN

My headgasket has a small leak that started at about 160k Im almost at 180k and it still drives with this small leak no major problems yet - Im wondering when the headgasket is going to totally fail where car will not drive anymore but it drives fine as is. I think what took mine out was a AFTERMARKET WATERPUMP / TB change I did at around 100k miles. The aftermarket failed engine overheated a few times just eough to start the small leak...changed the WATERPUMP / TB to OEM ACURA PARTS no problems since --
MORAL OF STORY : dont go generic on important engine parts or you pay more in the future!

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FutureX 2001

Use Honda Coolant only.

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jno2968326

bull. use any coolant just change it about every 2-3 years and don't let it breakdown(the coolant that is).

ChrisK

Have about 150K on my old 91 which my friend has, about 130K on my 95 that my brother has, and about 120K on my 93 that my sister has. All don't have a problem yet.

ChrisK

What do you think about the whole silicate and borate free antifreeze? I know a few independent mechanics that will only use silcate and borate free antifreze in aluminum block cars.

Now, I wont say one way or the other since I'm not a chemical engineer and don't have any real knowledge of how these additives react with the aluminum, but I'm still using Honda coolant since it isn't exactly expensive.

Here is the information on the Honda coolant.

Subject: Honda Anti-Freeze

Recently, several people have questioned whether the coolant (anti-freeze) sold by Honda and Acura dealers is different from the popular mass-market brands.

Honda has sent the information attached below to its dealers. While you might not expect the source to be exactly unbiased, it does provide technical information and justification for differences in their formula.



Genuine Honda Coolant is the Only Way to Go -------------------------------------------

Increasingly severe operating conditions and the advent of lower maintenance requirements have resulted in significant changes in the variety and the concentration of additives used in engine coolant. Also, the continual improvements in engine and vehicle design have challenged coolant suppliers to design products that perform well in a more demanding environment.

To meet these needs, Honda engineers have developed a superior, high-quality coolant that has several advantages over the competition.

Some antifreeze, although labeled as safe for aluminum parts, may not be compatible with Acura cooling system components. Extensive research and testing by both Honda R&D and CCI, the manufacturer of the Honda coolant, have proven that the abrasive silicates and/or borates found in most domestic coolants can cause these problems:

- Silicates bond to the surface of the water pump seal and act as an abrasive, causing considerable seal erosion and coolant leakage. In actual tests, the silicated coolant caused early leakage. This leakage increased dramatically until a substantial portion of the coolant had been lost. In contrast, the Honda coolant had almost no leakage through the duration of the test.

Chart here, entitled "Coolant Leakage from Water Pump Seal", showing Leaked Coolant Volume in ml as follows for each test duration in Hours:

24 hrs: Honda Coolant 0, Typical Silicated Coolant 21 48 hrs: Honda Coolant 1, Typical Silicated Coolant 36 72 hrs: Honda Coolant 2, Typical Silicated Coolant 47 96 hrs: Honda Coolant 2, Typical Silicated Coolant 55 120 hrs: Honda Coolant 2.5, Typical Silicated Coolant 56 144 hrs: Honda Coolant 3.5, Typical Silicated Coolant 57 168 hrs: Honda Coolant 4, Typical Silicated Coolant 58.8 192 hrs: Honda Coolant 6, Typical Silicated Coolant 63 200 hrs: Honda Coolant 6, Typical Silicated Coolant 64

- Silicates tend to gel and settle in the coolest parts of the cooling system, causing radiator plugging and overheating.

- Borates cause pitting corrosion on the cylinder head.

- Silicate inhibitors are difficult to stabilize and, therefore, limit coolant shelf life.

Most commercially available coolants were originally designed for cast iron engines. Silicate, an inexpensive additive, was added to coolants to prevent aluminum corrosion, but the long-term durability of the combination was not tested.

In contrast, Honda coolant was designed specifically for aluminum engines. It contains an organic corrosion inhibitor instead of silicate. This superior formula gives these advantages:

- No silicate abrasion of water pump seals. For example, these graphs show the surface roughness of two aluminum water pump seal rings. Seal A, exposed to silicated coolant, shows considerable damage. Seal B, exposed to Honda coolant, displays only minute wear.

(graphs here, showing roughness across the surface, with A a very wiggly line, and B a very smooth line)

- No plugging or overheating caused by silicate gelling.

- Excellent corrosion protection for aluminum components.

- Long-term corrosion protection for other cooling system materials (steel, cast iron, copper, solder, gaskets, seals, and O-rings).

(note from XXX - I think I can guess whether the last paragraph, provided below, was written by the engineers or by the marketers...)

You can find less expensive coolants on the market, but now you can see why genuine Honda coolant is the only coolant approved for Honda and Acura vehicles (it MUST be used for warranty repairs). Honda's non-silicate formula delivers added protection not offered by 95 percent of other brands. Since our customers expect lower maintenance, you're doing them an injustice if you use any other coolant.

GSteg

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1992 Acura Legend LS sedan