headgasket question

[Anubis_4_99]

well I've got a question that I've been searching for a few days with no luck on.

im changing my head gasket this weekend, i bought the MLS one along with new headbolts and plan to rip into the car this week.

im changing it due to an upcoming trip and i dont want to overheat and throw a rod or anything while we are away.

i've done this with hondas before, but only single cams, so here it is, and please understand i know that its optimal to replace waterpump, timing belt etc at the same time, but i simply dont have the cash flow to make it possible right now.

on any single cam honda head gaskets I've done, I've lined up timing, pulled the head, replaced the gasket and reinstalled. timing stayed and lined up fine and car ran great no problems.

this will be my first dual cam, let alone dsm headgasket repair that i am undertaking, and i really dont want to misalign something and bend a valve and screw over my motor.

so is it possible to just line everything up and have it work out once the new gasket is in place, or is there going to be more to it?

also please no "take it to a shop" or "let someone who knows do it", this is what i've got to work with at the moment, so any help is appreciated

also i will be redoing the belt, pump and all related parts in about a month and a half, just cant afford it right now, and cant risk it going to pieces on the trip.

anyone local who wants to lend a hand is more then welcome, and i can provide burgers and beer

 

[ed1380]

Yes you can do that. That's what I do. I do 2 marks per sprocket

 

[Silver99OZ]

There is a proper procedure for lining up the timing on the 420A, it's very simple. I would recomend that you get a Haynes manual if you dont already have one, or register on autozone.com and use their free online repair guides. Also, it helps to have to have two sets of hands when setting the timeing.

 

[bullettdsm]

Dis;

2GNT.com - Timing_Belt_Replacement

And dis:

2GNT.com - PROPER_TIMING_MARK_ALIGNMENT

For timing marks etc.


MB

 

[Anubis_4_99]

sweet, thanks for the info guys! i'll be ripping into her tomorrow after work and hopefully post back that shes purring like a kitten in a day or two! i'll be replacing a rear mount as well, had it for a while but figured having the head off would be the perfect time to do it.

by the way, i've always used the what i would call composite headgaskets (not sure if thats the right term or not)

anything i need to watch for using the MLS?

and ed, that's exactly what i had planned, making a couple marks with a paint pen beforhand to make sure it all goes smoothly, thanks for the tip though

 

[ed1380]

Mls headgasket requires the sealing surfaces to be in very good condition. I would get a composite if the engine is stock

 

[Anubis_4_99]

cant find anywhere near me that has them, they only have the mls, which is why i had to go with it.

i read about some type of spray gasket sealant to help with the mls gaskets, anyone used it before, know where to get it/what its called?

 

[dalesmitsu]

When was the last time both timing belt/water pump been changed?

 

[Anubis_4_99]

no idea to be honest, belt appears in good condition, and as mentioned earlier all other components there will be replaced in about a month.

i've owned the car for about a month, bought for $500 after it had been sitting under a tree for 3 months due to a bad alt and no battery. so got pretty much no history on it.

im just trying to keep it going for a month untill i get school loans and can go through the whole thing.

 

[fbc-eclipse]

if ## going on a trip, then replace the water pump, you would be sorry if you dont. i learned that the hard way.

 

[Anubis_4_99]

i've learned several of those lessons as well, but wishing for the money, doesnt make it appear sadly enough.

thanks again for the info guys, i'll post back in a day or two

 

[johneclipse]

coming from someone thats done it....dont bother putting the MLS gasket on without decking the head and block. it WONT seal. even with the permatex copper spray your talkin about. Autozone, O'Reillys, and Advanced should ALL sell the composite gaskets made by fel pro.

 

[Anubis_4_99]

coming from someone thats done it....dont bother putting the MLS gasket on without decking the head and block. it WONT seal. even with the permatex copper spray your talkin about. Autozone, O'Reillys, and Advanced should ALL sell the composite gaskets made by fel pro.

i wasnt talking about copper spray, but thanks for the info, i will see if they will take this one back and can order it or something maybe then because they didnt list anything other then the mls. and even there websites only list the mls as well.

*edit*

did some web searching, only place i can even find that has it listed is napa, and they want $80 for it, hopefully autozone will take theres back

 

[BigBeans]

If you are short on cash, why are you replacing parts that are working just fine?

It's not like the head gasket is going to see an abnormal amount of stress from a long highway cruise.

 

[Shake_Zulla]

coming from someone thats done it....dont bother putting the MLS gasket on without decking the head and block. it WONT seal. even with the permatex copper spray your talkin about. Autozone, O'Reillys, and Advanced should ALL sell the composite gaskets made by fel pro.

This ^
I don't know if I would say that it WONT seal but chances are your engine is a higher mileage motor so it is bound to be a little warped and the MLS gasket does not flex that well.

 

[johneclipse]

cant find anywhere near me that has them, they only have the mls, which is why i had to go with it.

i read about some type of spray gasket sealant to help with the mls gaskets, anyone used it before, know where to get it/what its called?

copper spray is the only "spray gasket" i would ever let touch a head gasket...so if thats not what your talkin about...i would look into it.

as far as finding a composite gasket, you have the 2.4 SOHC right?

Felpro/Head Gasket (9932PT) | AutoZone.com

theres one from autozone for 53 dollars.

 

[Shake_Zulla]

copper spray is the only "spray gasket" i would ever let touch a head gasket...so if thats not what your talkin about...i would look into it.

as far as finding a composite gasket, you have the 2.4 SOHC right?

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/pa...itemIdentifier=75957&_requestid=6193372theres one from autozone for 53 dollars.

He said this will be his first DOHC head gasket and this is posted in the 420A section so I'm guessing he has a 420A not a 2.4 SOHC

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/pa...String=search&itemIdentifier=918731_171675_0_
or
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/pa...String=search&itemIdentifier=390703_171707_0_

 

[station734]

If you are replacing the stock head gasket with a cometic, it tells you on the package do not use any spray gasket on it because the black coating on it is their coating and whatever you use on it is going to interfere with it sealing. Also get a heins manual thier full of good info and you won't mess anything up doing as it instructs to do it.

 

[Anubis_4_99]

If you are short on cash, why are you replacing parts that are working just fine?

It's not like the head gasket is going to see an abnormal amount of stress from a long highway cruise.

I'm replacing the headgasket because from previous threads, compression numbers, and disappering oil and coolant with no leaks, and a loss of power, I've reached the conclusion I have a bad headgasket.

As for mileage if the odo is right it has 126k on it. And is the 420A dohc.

And as for the spray, I saw it mentioned on another headgasket thread but can't find it and don't remember what it was called.

Ill check out those autozone links once I get home, thanks

*edit*

hey shake, both those gaskets are described as permatorqueMLS

well napa is the only carrier of the non-mls gaskets i can find locally, autozone took there's back no problem so I'm half way there.

only other place i could find a non-mls one is ebay for $20 .

 

[ed1380]

I've used ebay water pumps, timing belts, head gaskets, etc. worked fine for stock applications.

 

[Anubis_4_99]

i was curious to try it out, i mean autozones MLS is only $32, how much worse could it be i guess huh?

 

[Shake_Zulla]

*edit*

hey shake, both those gaskets are described as permatorqueMLS

well napa is the only carrier of the non-mls gaskets i can find locally, autozone took there's back no problem so I'm half way there.

only other place i could find a non-mls one is ebay for $20 .

Yeah sorry I was just saying that the gasket that johneclipse posted a link to was not the one for a 420a and I was just posting the correct autozone head gasket for future readers. Good luck man.

 

[ed1380]

i was curious to try it out, i mean autozones MLS is only $32, how much worse could it be i guess huh?

You lose $35 and all that time spent putting it on. You might have abundant time, but you're short on cash. Wouldn't want to lose any

 

[El Cuervo]

Did you check advance auto parts? They should have it.

 

[Anubis_4_99]

Did you check advance auto parts? They should have it.

advanced, autozone, oreillys, and napa.

napa is the only one who even lists one that is not mls, and its special order and $90. it would be $80 but they want $10 to ship it from there warehouse to the local napa

No other autoparts stores local to me that i know of, so its either the e-bay HG or hopeing she doesnt let loose on the trip.

and ed i was talking about the e-bay HG, basically saying i'll probably end up going with that for now. if i have to next month i can put a new motor in it, i just need it to hold together until then.