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Head Gasket D.I.Y.

279K views 281 replies 115 participants last post by  L3GDKANG/JDMKANG 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm starting this thread for anyone who has enough GUTZ to attempt a Head Gasket Replacement. I'll give the reasons and also tips and tricks I used while doing mine. Hopefully anyone having any of the problems I experienced will be able to determine if they need to do this or have it done.

"This will be a work in Progress because it is such an intense repair so bare with me as I have little time each day to post."

I'll start by giving the symptoms that led to this major repair

1. Temperature gauge going all the way to hot, then suddenly dropping back to normal. "Every day"

2. Engine idles irratically;up&down;fast then slow; during cold starts. Especially in the morning.

3. No Heat. Then heat only after symptom #1.

4. Traces of coolant in the engine bay. Mainly on top of the radiator fan cover.

I went to the Acura dealer and here is how they beat me over the head, stole my check book, then had me begging to do it all over again.

1. They told me to bleed the air out of my coolant system. Did this 10 times with no improvement.

2. Suggested I get a new radiator. I replaced it myself and after 4 hours of work(because I had no garage at the time), it happened all over again. Basically I threw away a perfectly good radiator.

3. Told me it was a water pump problem so I had them do the timing belt and water pump which cost over $800.00. A day after I drove off .....it started all over again. :mad:

4. A month later coolant leaked right into the passenger floor. Had the stealer I mean dealer change out my heater core. Can't remember but it was 500 or more $$$. What tha F.......! Drove off Tuesday and behold back there on Wednesday Temp Gauge up and down, idle crazy, and sure to happen again if I don't find the real problem, a busted heater core.

5. After I took it back complaining like h*ll. The manager was nice enough to offer me $1000.00 off of the head gasket job which he originally quoted for $3000.00+ :giggle: . I'm like O.K. who is the genius certified mechanic who diagnosed my problem the 1st time I came in? Which mechanic in these 20 pictures on the wall here do I have to thank for wasting my money and time? I grabbed my keys, ran over the manager, dumped a quart of anti freeze on the mechanic, and did a Michael Knight right through the garage door!!!! :D No seriously I told him he was CRAZY and left never to return to that place again!!!

Now to the D.I.Y.........Took a lot of tools and Balz to do it but my Legend is one fast azz new gasket having Beauty right now. Also did water pump so I'll post instructions 4 that as well. Here we go.......

NOTE: DO AT YOUR OWN RISK. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE YOU DO TO YOUR VEHICAL AS A RESULT OF THIS REPAIR. THIS D.I.Y. IS ONLY TO BE USED AS A REFERENCE GUIDE IN CONJUNCTION WITH YOUR OWN EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND MECHANICAL ABILITIES FOR THIS JOB. ALSO IF I POST A LINK FOR PARTS REFERENCE I AM NOT PROMOTING THAT COMPANY. I'M JUST GIVING A POINT OF REFERENCE. SHOP AROUND FOR YOUR BEST PRICE PLEASE!

All that being said if you have a garage, a good assortment of tools, a lot of patience, and some good mechanical skills, you should be able to complete this job with no problems. Just take your time, pay attention to what you are doing, and do it right the first time. Aprox time to complete for a 1st timer. 48 -72 hours. If it takes you longer don't worry, you can't rush perfection. That ACURA LEGEND is a work of art so take your time........

Latest quote I got for this job was $1700.00. It end up costing me about $1000.00. Oh and I get to keep all the x-tra tools I bought :D I made a stupid mistake that cost me $200.00 but I'll talk about that later. Would have been $800.00.

Must have tool set:

1. AIR-TOOLS
a) IMPACT WRENCH
b) AIR WRATCHET
c) AIR HAMMER (FOR RUSTED EXHAUST BOLTS YOU NEED TO BUST)
d) METRIC IMPACT SOCKET SET
e) IMPACT SOCKET ADAPTER SET FOR ALL SIZE WRENCH TO SOCKET SIZES
f) IMPACT UNIVERSAL JOINT ADAPTER (FOR HARD TO REACH BOLT ANGLES)
g) AIR DRILL (ANY DRILL WILL DO THOUGH)

2. SPECIALY TOOLS
a) CRANKSHAFT PULLEY (HARMONIC BALANCER) HOLDER TOOL( If doing water pump and/or timing belt)
b) TORQUE WRENCH
c) 1/2" SOCKET SIZE BREAKER BAR
d) LONG IRON PIPE TO FIT OVER BREAKER BAR AND 1/2 INCH WRATCHET FOR XTRA LEVERAGE. (FOR CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT)
e) A GOOD SHOP LIGHT.
f) ABRASIVE PADS FOR DRILL. (FOR REMOVING STUCK ON GASKET MATERIAL.
g) DREMEL TOOL WITH FLEXIBLE SHAFT (get wire brush set for cleaning. Polishing set optional.)
h) ZIP LOCK BAGS AND A BLACK SHARPIE MARKER ( ORGANIZATION OF NUTS AND BOLTS IS A MUST)
i) Chilton and or ACURA service manual. I have both.
j) Masking tape for labels.
k) Plastic BINS for larger parts.
l) Wratchet style oil filter wrench tool.
m) Magnetic Antenna screw getter thing. A MUST! drop a screw or socket down that engine compartment without it and you'll be sorry.

3. BASIC TOOLS
a) Good metric socket set with all size extensions and adpaters.
1. Most used sockets for this job from most to least are 10mm - 12mm - 14mm.
b) 1/4 ; 3/8 ; 1/2 wratchets.
c) FLOOR JACK AND JACK STANDS! DO NOT GET UNDER YOUR CAR WITHOUT JACK STANDS. (I STRESS USE THE STANDS AND PROP THE JACK ON SOMETHING UNDER THERE...JUST TO BE SAFE.)
d) Needle nose and basic pliers.
e) Standard and phillips head screw drivers.
f) A good metric wrench set. I had flared end and s shaped hard to reach wrench sets.

CHEMICALS and CLEANING:

a) WD40
b) Carb cleaner
c) easy off oven cleaner
d) Simple Green
e) SOS pads
f) Household Wire Brush

ENGINE BEFORE WORK BEGAN "What a dirty mess"


I'm going to say this one time only. As soon as you Take off your bolts, screws, brackets, etc.. , place them immediately into labeled zip locks or plastic bins and store them neatly. You will thank me later.. Hit up the dollar store and get a bunch of stuff to store your parts. Work smarter not harder.

I. Disconnect the battery terminals.

1. Check your ceiling height in your garage. Your going to need to stand the hood straight up and out of the way. This includes the x-tra height you will need to jack the car. Give yourself at least 8ft or more. If you don't have this headroom you will need to remove the hood completely. This will also save your back.

2. Remove the 4 10mm bolts that hold the hood supports to the hood, not the body. 2 on each side located about 1/2 way up the hood. Lay the supports down and prop the hood straight up using rope or some other clever support. Run the rope through the hood latch bracket for safety and attach the ends to something in your garage. I used the garage door guide assembly to attach it to. Be creative with your lighting you need plenty of room and focused lighting to see down in there. A hanging shop light hooked on string that you can slide from side to side would be perfect. That's what I did. :2cool:

3. Jack the car up enough so you can get underneath where the exhaust manifolds attach to the y pipe. One on each side. Use jack stands so the front of the car is up in the air. (PLEASE USE YOUR EMERGENCY BRAKE AND STICK SOMETHING UNDER THE REAR TIRE(S) TO PREVENT ROLLING. DON'T BE STUPID!)

4. Now that you have plenty of room to work under the car. Remove the plastic shield under the radiator. 10mm bolts. There are a lot of them so find them all. Plastic anchors in there as well. Get them out of there so you'll have complete access to the radiator. Drain the oil and coolant. Remove the oil filter after draining and replace with new. If you don't know how to do this please stop here because it doesn't get any easier. Screw the oil plug back into the engine because you won't need to remove it again. Tighten but don't over do it.

5. Since your working under there grab your impact wrench, a 12mm impact socket, impact extension, and universal impact joint. Spray the exhaust bolts coming from the head pipes with WD40. let em sit for a min or 2 then impact them off of there. Make sure you seat the socket on the bolts clean so you don't strip them. You'll see why you needed that universal joint here. If you strip them or can not get them off, use an air hammer with chissel attachment to fracture the bolts "NOT THE SCREWS DO NOT DAMAGE THEM YOU HAVE TO PUT NUTZ BACK ON THEM" You may want to try a nut breaker tool if you are not comfortable working with an air chissle. Choose your weapon wisely.



6. (If your not changing the timing belt or water pump you will not have to remove the radiator. Skip this part.) Last thing under the car to do is remove the bottom coolant hose to radiator as well as transmission coolant lines to radiator. Grab your pliers for those clamps and a screwdriver to work the transmission hoses loose from the radiator. The've been on there a while so they will be stubborn. Wear some gloves to prevent slips that slice your hands up. Same thing for coolant hose just use a socket for the clamp screw. Can't remember the size. Maybe 8mm??? Can't recall.

7. Back to the top of the car. Remove the stabalizer bar and upper radiator hose completely.

8. Remove the plastic fuel rail covers 10mm.

9. Take a 17mm socket or wrench and a shop towel, wrap the towel around the fuel line to catch fuel, then loosen and remove the fuel line bolt and washer. Move hose out of the way towards windshield in towel. NO SMOKING PLEASE.

10. Disconnect all 6 ignition coils from wiring harness(Press Tab till you hear a click then pull) and unbolt them. Remove and take care in storing them. I even put them in order as to return to original locations. If you think you will not remember, now would be a good time to start labeling your harness with tape and markers( I didn't do this for this step but use your own judgement).

11. Remove the 4 nuts that hold the fuel rails down 2 on each side. 10mm.

12. Move on to removing the battery and mounting plate. The horn is connected to this plate so unbolt it as well but leave it connected to the harness.

13. Open the fuse box and unbolt the 2 power lines that connect with 10mm/phillip head screws. Unbolt the fuse box from the car frame. Push it towards where the battery was. It still has the wiring harness connected to it so leave it be. You just need to move it to get the left valve cover off.

14. TAKE THAT STUPID AIR FILTER ASSEMBLY FROM THROTTLE BODY TO FENDER OFF THE CAR AND THROW IT IN THE F'N TRASH! LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING YOU CONNECT TO YOUR TOILET! TAKE THE MONEY YOUR SAVING ON THIS JOB AND BUY AN AFTERMARKET INTAKE. I GOT A RM RACING INTAKE FOR $190.00. SEARCH THE WEB AND FIND ONE THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU. I HAVE A TYPE II WITH TCS. YOU MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT SET UP. READ MAN, GET TO KNOW YOUR RIDE'S SPECS BEFORE ORDERING ANYTHING. O.K. SAVE THE THING TILL YOUR DONE JUST IN CASE YOU NEED IT FOR CLAMPS AND STUFF. OR JUST NEED SOMEWHERE TO THROW YOUR BEER TOPS. IF YOU HAVE A LEAKING GUTTER SPOUT, STICK THAT THING UP THERE, IT'LL PROBABLY WORK.

15. Remove the throttle and cruise control cable cover. Remove the cables from the bracket. They slide right out once you take the tension off them. Figure it out. Remove the 3 10mm bolts that hold the bracket. The bolt underneath is hard to get to. Not sure if that one is 10mm or not. I didn't take that 3rd bolt out until I lifted the intake manifold. I bent the bracket a little so don't do what I did.

16. Now comes the hard tedious part. Starting from the 4 major electric connections on the passenger side close to the windshield, remove all the main wiring harness connectors. Do this all the way to the drivers side. You do not have to disconnect the fuel injectors. What we are trying to do here is move the main wire harness out of the way of the engine. There are plenty of screws and connections. Be careful and do a good thourough job. Do not damage any connectors take your time and look around. You will find them all. AAgain the idea here is not to take it completely out of the car but to move it out of our way. There is a ground connection attached to the right side valve cover. Now is a good time to label a bag valve cover and put that nut in there. It's a 10mm. CAUTION: The fuel injectors pull right out of their ports easily. There are rubber seals on top of hard plastic seals. Do not lose those plastic seals. The rubber ones come in the head gasket set to replace but the plastic ones do not. Remove them individually and put them away. Do not bang the injectors around. Be very carefull when repositioning them for anything!!!!! Here is a pic.


17. Once you get that harness out of the way now comes more tedious work. Start by removing the two 10mm bolts that hold the metal vacuum tube rail and breather hose to intake manifold. It's on the right(passenger) side of the engine. They are bolted to the valve cover. Disconnect all the vacuum hoses (pliers and flat blade screwdriver a must. They are stubborn. Put some gloves on.) from these rails at the front and rear of engine. The idea here is to free up the intake manifold for removal. (LABEL THEM) Take the two coolant hoses going into the heater core off as well(pic below). I'm talking about everything connected to that intake back there. Look around for em. I like to leave my clamps on my hoses. The ones in the front are easier to get off cause they are clearly visible. Once you have all the vacuum hoses disconnected remove the metal vacum rail completely and the breather tube. Store them somewhere safe.


Continued below .. Ran out of space in this thread.
 
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#193 ·
im sure were all too good for 'instructions'

but my replacement water pump that came with a page of instructions. advocating the use of sealant. i did and it hasnt leaked a drop in the 200 miles since i put everything back together.
 
#192 ·
My BHG project is almost finished. On the first start, both valve cover gaskets leaked like crazy. Come to find out, the eristic gaskets are crap and don't fit properly..strike one for them. Wound up using the original used OEM's...they were in better shape than the aftermarkets and they don't leak. I will replace them later. Filled the radiator with water and and topped off the oil..second start up...no problems no leaks.....bled the cooling system and it worked just like the jetdoc said.....temp gauge rock solid. The only thing left to do now is to do another oil change, flush radiator and add coolant. Also I need power steering fluid....I don't know where it went, but after I started the car, I noticed it was low. I also have a hand full of brackets that need to be put back on....I've tried to find the locations but I think I am going to need some pics of them installed. I also have a few sockets resting on the chassis somewhere that need to be retrieved along with a couple of nuts and bolts....Time wise the project has taken somewhere in the 20-30hr range. I started the project mid June and have only worked on the car during the week in the evenings a couple of hours each night for 2 or three nights per week with my friend..I have to give him most of the credit. He's done most of the work. The work tho has been rather slow. The caveats of the project was breaking the cam seal cap on my left head. That same day a knock sensor was broken removing the plug....those damn sensors are too dang brittle. I ordered another head and it took over 3 weeks to get. So after I got all of the machine work done, and started reassembly, it was August. If you asked me if I would do it again, I'm not sure. The cost savings really isn't that much when you wind up spending what you might have saved on the extra parts that you replaced because you were already torn down. Water pump and timing belt are a no brainer, the but other stuff like the exhaust bolts and nuts are expensive. A shop most likely would have just replaced the ones that broke and that would be it. My project cost was around $1200 so I saved around $400 from what I was quoted.
 
#195 ·
Use the sealant! It beats starting up the car and finding out the Water Pump is leaking.

When I was installing a new waterpump the gasket for the upper plenum connection wouldn't stay put so I just used a butt load of RTV and it hasn't leaked in a few years. Same with the left rear coolant passage, my headgasket kit didn't even have a new gasket for it, so RTV did the job!

Also, make sure there is no water in the oil. If you remove the heads without draining the block, Anti freeze will fill up the cylinders and drain through to the sump. I ended up driving 20 minutes with water in the sump and the engine has been rough ever since.
 
#196 ·
Wow!

When I originally wrote this DIY I had no idea it would be so helpful to so many people. I'm glad to see what a thread this has become. I'm involved in so many different things so I rarley have a chance to check on this thread but I did today.

BTW my legend has not had one problem since I did this other than regular maintainence. Hope all others have had similar success.
Later..

Iceman
 
#197 ·
When I originally wrote this DIY I had no idea it would be so helpful to so many people. I'm glad to see what a thread this has become. I'm involved in so many different things so I rarley have a chance to check on this thread but I did today.

BTW my legend has not had one problem since I did this other than regular maintainence. Hope all others have had similar success.
Later..

Iceman
It's true this has become the "Bible" for the HG job.

I would like to post a big THANK-YOU to Iceman for the outstanding job he did capturing all of this for the rest of us to benefit from. I found that reading up on the job beforehand is a great confidence builder. At first the job seems daunting - just too much stuff to ever be able to remember how it all fits and in what order. But Iceman's pictures and text - and everyone else's contributions since have made this a great reference.

a couple notes for the take-apart phase:

(1) before trying to move the wiring harness, find and unplug ALL the connectors - don't miss the two under the ps pump.
(2) the wiring harness with injectors etc can be folded out over the driver side front corner of the car, without disconnecting the starter & alternator wires
(3) the control box can be unbolted and with vacuum tubing mostly left connected except at the manifold and EGR valve. The whole thing can be similarly folded to the driver side out of teh way.
(4) Before lifting the heads be sure to take out the three bolts holding the alternator bracket (dr side head), and the two adjuster bolts for the power steering pump (pass side head).

BTW, my car's symptoms were the classic ones. First came the wetness around the overflow tank. Then, even when cold, there was always slight residual positive pressure when opening the radiator cap. And after a drive where a long uphill was involved, there was a definite level increase in the overflow tank - beyond the high level mark. It even overheated once - but it didn't get all the way up before heading back down. If I hadn't read this forum, I'd have still been in denial and probably wrecked my engine. But thanks to this forum and Iceman my car is getting a new lease on life.

THANKS AGAIN ICEMAN !!!!!!
 
#198 ·
I want to join the legions of adoring Iceman fans. Seriously- thanks for your DIY guide. I just got done with my 95 Legend GS and now she's purrrring like a kitten. I'm in grad school, so I had to do it little by little spread out over 4 weekends. But a sharpie marker, roll of masking tape, and zip lock bags helped me keep organized and get everything back together. Also- thanks for the warnings. It kept me from clipping my knock sensors. Although I did make a classic blunder and pop off the A/C line because it was in the way. (Cost me one of those weekends as I had to air out the garage.) I only wish the rest of the DIY forum was as detailed as this thread.
 
#199 ·
GRRRRRR damn it well i believe its time for me to join this damn club

Ok so 3 weeks ago she overheated and i replaced the thermostat, fixed it for 3 days then heat again flushed and bleed it fixed for 2 weeks and then my radiator cracked up top near the neck.... replaced and then it began overflowing from the cap so i replaced the cap :( no luck now i have pissed away 4 gallons of coolant trying to bleed the air, But no matter how i do it thier is steady air coming out the bleeder. :( has anyone used the complete gasket set on ebay ? also the water pump and timing belt? its like "MIZUTO" or something like that.... Grrr damn it i really dont want to believe it but i cant figure out what else would make her continue to overheat no matter what i try.......... any ideas? Come on guys let me hear your opions
As usual THANKS TO ALL OF YOU. any recomendations while im in there ?
 
#201 · (Edited)
Here's a tip for putting the heads on. They are heavy and hard to aim - and the heat shield tends to grab the gasket edge. A slip sheet works great.

Put the new gasket on the block over the dowels - then make a cardboard slip sheet to lay over the new gasket - put a couple notches at the bottom for the dowels. Now put the front lower head bolt in the head and lift it into place, aiming the front lower corner of the head so the bolt goes thru the dowel. Rotate the head and lower it until both dowels are engaged - then pull out the slipsheet before jiggling the head down on the dowels.

My project has turned the corner - heads are back on. There's some minor reconstruction to do on the stay at the back end of the y-pipe, then put on a new water pump and bolt it all back together.
 
#206 · (Edited)
...........my project has turned the corner - heads are back on. There's some minor reconstruction to do on the stay at the back end of the y-pipe, then put on a new water pump and bolt it all back together.
My HG job is 99.9% done. I started the car up today - hooray! - all appears fine. Still need to put the bottom shield back on - and change oil & filter. It's nice to have it back together - big job. I've changed several head gaskets in my time and the Legend gets the prize for most cruft to take apart and put back. It really helped to have a second Legend to look at - there's too much to just remember it like can be done with easier cars.

There was a question above about eBay gasket sets. I used FelPro head gaskets from Rock Auto ($65 shipped) - but for the rest I got an eBay gasket set from DomesticGaskets (in CA) - $45 I think. This is a nice gasket set - I was particularly impressed with the quality and fit of everything - the valve cover gaskets are a good design - they have the little bumps like OEM so they stay put while handling the covers. Probably their head gaskets would have been fine too - they have extra rings of sealant on some passages - they actually look a bit nicer than the FelPros - but I have used a lot FelPro head gaskets and have had good results so I stayed with them.
 
#203 ·
I have started my BHG repair today. I am very mechanically inclined and should have it done by Sunday. I am not sending my heads out for milling. I am confident that all will go well. I am using this DIY as for reference only as I like to remove everything, and have a completely clutter free work area (ex. leaving harness in engine bay) that's just how I am, please don't take it as critisism.

While I am doing my repair; is their any specific photos that you all feel would be a positive contribution to this DIY? If your answer is yes, let me know and I will be sure to snap them and post here post-repair.
 
#204 · (Edited)
Another victim of a cylinder #3 head gasket failure:



Still can't get that damn top exhaust bolt off of the drivers side. I have decided to cut it off with a Dremel(R). So far every bolt has come off with no problems what so ever, and I have not had to whip of the air tools yet.

One more head to go and this will be another self-repaired BHG thanks to this DIY!
 
#205 · (Edited)
......Still can't get that damn top exhaust bolt off of the drivers side. I have decided to cut it off......
One of the studs on my manifold broke off - getting the rest of it out was tougher than expected. First I took out the O2 sensor so it wouldn't be damaged by the heat. Got the flange and stud bright red with acetylene and hammered it a bit - then reheated a little & tried to loosen it with vise grips - it would turn about 30 degrees but then get really stiff. After cooling it finally came loose with zep45 and lots of patient motion back-and-forth. Best of luck with your project.
:beerchug:
 
#208 ·
Here's a tip for putting the heads on. They are heavy and hard to aim - and the heat shield tends to grab the gasket edge. A slip sheet works great.

Put the new gasket on the block over the dowels - then make a cardboard slip sheet to lay over the new gasket - put a couple notches at the bottom for the dowels. Now put the front lower head bolt in the head and lift it into place, aiming the front lower corner of the head so the bolt goes thru the dowel. Rotate the head and lower it until both dowels are engaged - then pull out the slipsheet before jiggling the head down on the dowels.
Great tip here!! I actually had to buy 1 new HG because the head slipped when reinstalling it and cut the gasket. :(
As far as the exhaust manifold to Y pipe bolts go, I knew these would be trouble so I put the car on jackstands and PB blasted them from underneath twice a day for a few days befors I started the job. They came right off!!
 
#212 ·
Hi everyone. New user here. I searched this thread but i couldn't find the answer to my question. What is the safest way to remove those knock sensors? It looks like you need a special tool, but the heads stick out just a little too far for any kind of socket to fit down around them.

Second question. Is it ABSOLUTELY necesary to unbolt the exhaust pipes from the y pipe? Or is it possible to simple unbolt the exhause manifolds from the head, lift the head up off the dowels about an inch and then slide the whole head inward, leaving the exhaust untouched?

Also, a HUGE THANK YOU to Ice man for making this DIY. Its saving the life of my legend, which made it 250k miles before the BHG.
 
#213 ·
Alright.. answered my own questions. No need to unbolt any exhaust components on my 92 legend, at least on the passenger side head. just remove the PS hose bolts and drop it out the way. For the knock sensor i just used channel locks wrapped in masking tape..
 
#215 ·
I separated the passenger side one at the bottom, because it was 3 very accesible studs/bolts. The drivers side was more complex. So i i just used a big pry bar between the head and manifold (careful of the head when doing this) and moved it off the studs and down. I also had to remove a couple of little brackets on the strut tower, a throttle bracket and some computer stuff, in order to be able to pull the exhaust heat shield out from the front without it catching on the alternator or starter. Was definitely worth the time it saved me though, since i was in mud.
 
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