Botched head gasket replace

oilspotoilspot Wagonist
in Engine & Drivetrain
Did a mini me swap. Got the head redone/ decked. Checked the block with a straightedge and it all checked out.

Well the heads on (arp head studs to boot) and the head gasket leaks a little.

Soo.......
A few people that i respect there mechanical ability and advise have told me to just pick up a new head gasket, and coat the shit out of it with copper gasket spray.

Anybody gone this direction?

Bottom end is in great shape, great compression. But man at this point I really don't wanna pull it just to strip it down for a lousy decking.
The motor has 150k on it. I've got another a6 coming my direction but I'd like to be able to take my time with that and build it up mabey as a p29 high compression build..... over time :D ..... when I have time to gather the cash together for a super nice build.

Comments

  • SikocivicSikocivic Wagonist
    I have always used the Copper Spray Gasket Sealer and have never had one leak. I also only use OEM Honda head gaskets. :wink:
  • StylEmonStylEmon Wagonist
    I second the OEM gasket. The auto parts store brands don't fit exact.
    I used copper spray, but didn't
    coat the shit out of it
    , I just sprayed it on there evenly.

    Do you know how much the took off when they decked the head?
  • oilspotoilspot Wagonist
    Machinist told me it took .008" to clean up the head.

    Anyway... was able to get the head off, cleaned up. Coated my new head gasket and got it all torqued back down. I just need to finish up putting the intake and exhaust back together. Hey with kids, sometime this stuff takes a little more time.

    Damn, I hope that seals it up good! I've battled so many stupid problems working on this wagon that I almost expect that it will still leak.

    Having upgrades is nice. But damn there are some prices to pay for them. It's takin me a lot of time to do the brake swap, head swap, wire tuck. Once i get it all worked out I'm sure it will all be well worth it.
    but for now the next honda i get is gonna be one stock sombitch! :D .
    (wait, i bought the honda as my car "no to mess with")

    ... what the hell is wrong with me?


    I'll report back as soon as i get it all back together as how it worked out!
  • JakerJaker familEE
    8 thou is not very much, but I'm always weary of machining the head after I had headgasket leakage issues. I went nuts and took .040" off the head (cheap and easy way to bump compression). The issue became the head dowels. The pockets in the head and block were no longer deep enough for the head to seat fully onto the block. I ground down the dowels .020" (I think, it was a while back), and the issue was fixed. If you have occasion to take the head off again, measure how deep the pockets are, add them up, and make sure your dowels aren't any longer. The thickness of the head gasket will give you a margin for error.
  • StylEmonStylEmon Wagonist
    mine had .010 taken off, mostly to fix the pitting issues on the head. Mine worked flawlessly the first time. BUT, there is a slight possibility that the block surface is uneven. I know it's a lot stronger than the aluminum head, but it can happen. Then you ef'd
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