Head Gasket D.I.Y. - Page 4

ThomasP520 · 11-21-05, 03:47 PM

Just finished the top end job on my '93 LS after a blow head gasket. Thanks so much for the valuable information! I have it all back together and running, but I have a loud tapping noise coming from the right front side of the motor. Any idea what it could be? I had the heads machined, so I'm comfortable everything is OK there. I understand that the valves are self adjusting, right?

I bought the car needing work, so I'm not sure if this tapping noise is normal or not. It runs ok, but I haven't run it more than a few minutes so far. Should I warm it up real well and see what happens?

Thanks

Merlin the Wrench · 11-21-05, 05:49 PM

not good. Could be a collapsed or stuck lifter which happened when the heads were machined - the lifter core sits farther into the lifter body. Could also be a valve tapping a piston if the lifter is stuck in the extended position. Or it could be a nut or bolt that got dropped. I would try a compression test to see if all the Cyl are equal first. Also you can use a long extension or screwdriver as a stethoscope to zero in on where the sound is coming from. That will tell you a little about the problem.

Lots of machine shops are not very careful when they do a valve job to keep the valve stem height the same as before the job, even though they will tell you they did. If the stem height changes radically it can cause all sorts of issues when combined with milling the heads.

ThomasP520 · 11-22-05, 02:34 PM

Merlin the Wrench,

I'm not sure what happened. I finished this up last week (have off work Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and I came back today to do the compression test like you advised. Anyway, I started it up this morning and the tapping noise was gone.

Could it be that it needed a few minutes for the valves to adjust? Maybe oil was being temporarily blocked from one of the valves? Whatever it was, I am hoping it is fixed. I ran it to normal operating temperature and everything looks good. Thanks so much for your post and help. These boards are great.

Merlin the Wrench · 11-22-05, 03:09 PM

it maybe that one of the lifters was stuck and the new oil dissolved some of the varnish holding it.

hawaii50 · 11-23-05, 08:40 PM

Just wanna say Thank You for the documented info and the break down on what symptoms to look for. I just bought a 91L about Two weeks ago and the head gasket was already going, lucky for me the previous owner installed a new water pump, timing belt and thermostat. The car runs perfect now and no more checking the temp gauge thinking the motors going to go.
Thanks Again-Chris"hawaii50"

lgnd · 12-22-05, 04:48 AM

Yesterdy I have a BHG at 115000 miles because the mechanic did not bleed the system and the car overheated in the repair shop.

99% percent BHG. I am very upset. They will do the complete HG job valve job for free and water pump, timing belt, hydraulic lifters, radiator, hoses. May I check the piston rings also?

ntujyug · 12-22-05, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lgnd

Yesterdy I have a BHG at 115000 miles because the mechanic did not bleed the system and the car overheated in the repair shop.

99% percent BHG. I am very upset. They will do the complete HG job valve job for free and water pump, timing belt, hydraulic lifters, radiator, hoses. May I check the piston rings also?

I would not worry about the piston rings. To change the rings is another story. If you are burning oil(blue smoke) than either you have damage rings or vavle stem seals. (during engine idle) Most likely it is the valvle stem seals. Valve stem seals come with the head gasket kit.

This happened in the shop so it is the shop's fault for technician dumbness.

igloo · 12-25-05, 12:53 PM

Yesterday I had the same problems as DatStyle with my 91LS.I was driving and nothing was wrong but when I parked I noticed a small trace of antifreeze inside the engine bay on top of the intake manifold, but the car was not overheating.So I started it back up and let it run and nothing.When I started driving it againg about 2 hours later I noticed more smoke from the engine bay and it was trying to overheat.Stopped the car and low and behold I could hear air spewing from near the firewall and antifreeze was leaking from the same area.At this time the car had overheated so I left it there until today because it was dark.Is my had gasket blown or is there something else wrong.Prior to that I was going to bleed the air from the coolant system on Monday because I had all of the symptoms for that.Any incite as to what may be wrong.

Thanks to DIY by my fellow legend lovers I can see clearly now.

"NUT" · 01-11-06, 04:54 PM

I know on some Vehicles with high milage, that when getting a head job done and head resurfaced. It can cause higher compression. I have a Acura with 300k plus, great compression, and runs great. Will I have any problems with the lower end after repairs. Like I said, car doesn't have any problems, but the cooling overheat after 6-7 days of driving, small amount of air in system. Bleed and its fine for a week! Anyone here done a head gasket with this milage? Just wanting to know if its worth the time!

Thanks in advance!

DatStyle · 01-12-06, 02:58 AM

There are a few guys on here that have done the job themselves and I think a lot that have gotten it done. I personally am debating between doing it or getting it done at the moment. There's a good thread on here for the DIY.
Also check out https://www.acura-legend.com/vbulleti...275#post711275
Good Luck

legend_fan06 · 01-29-06, 10:39 PM

What are the minimum types of parts needed to remove prior to removal of cylinder head cover. I have to replace the cylinder head cover gasket for passenger side. I have removed all nuts and bolts on top of the cover but there are still nuts on each sides. Its difficult to loosen those because of other wires, which are in my way. I removed three ignition coils and harness cover. Fuel injectors assembly is almost unscrewed. I don't know what to do next. I will appreciate if anyboy may help me!

Dethred · 01-30-06, 12:32 AM

Instant message me on AIM if you want piecemeal instructions.

AIM: Dethred

The_Iceman · 02-01-06, 12:23 PM

Thanks everyone for keeping this thread going. I'm glad to see that there are still alot of us with Legends who want to keep them going.....I haven't look at this thread since June05. Job change... Sorry for not getting back to those who were asking questions. I am however proud to say that since that time I have not had any problems and the car is running better than when I got it used in 2000. That HG job was the best thing I ever did to my GS!

redtegrs91 · 02-03-06, 10:16 AM

Thanks to this DIY i was able to get mine done. Its been over a month and no problems at all. Doing the HG on my own gave me the confidence to do other repairs which are mostlikely a lot easier than a BHG. Thanks a lot Iceman!

BlackBirdVQ · 02-26-06, 03:33 AM

I'm new to these forums, but I work for Acura as a tech and did tons of these head gaskets as more and more Legends and RLs come in for these repairs.

Here is something I must stress bout doing this job on your own, take the heads to a reputable machine shop to get them tested for cracks. I've had 2 Legends and 2 RLs that each had one head cracked and coolant was leaking into the intake or exhaust ports on the head. Anyone in Chicagoland area whos looking for a excelent machine shop should give Weiner Machine (I don't have their # handy at the moment) shop a call, they will recondition your cylinder heads to that "like new" look and finish. Also they can fix severely warped cylinder heads for an extra charge. I have a 91 Legend Standard Model w/cloth interior that I bought for my fiancee off some old folks for 600 bux in mint shape, it needed a set of head gaskets. I pulled the job off in 6 hours and took a chance with the cylinder heads. Every car we do at the shop gets the heads sent out to Weiner for a head job, you simply can NOT take a chance of the heads being cracked and tell the customer after they spend 3K on the job they need to do this over again as the head is cracked.