headgasket 2 me 0

Well after having my b16 running for a total of about 6 months its blown 2 headgaskets. keeps happening out of no where. i think this one happened when I was racing one of those new cobalt SS things. damn it. I've already had my cams out twice this week to retorque the head the first time hoping for a quick fix, but there is no such thing, and I broke a cam cover bolt the first time, and I pulled it apart again today after seeing oiling leaking from around the cams im hoping due to the broken bolt. I got the broken part of the bolt out and sealed everything up again and set the timing and started her up for a few seconds and then shut her down to seal up over night. Look for a headgasket write up and a few other write ups i've been too lazy to post up soon.

I think you're supposed to plane the head when you get a headgasket done. Did you do that?

Yeah, did you check for warpage?

What headgasket are you using? OEM or a metal gasket?

its never overheated on me so i dont see any reason for it to be warped and i've never heard of a "plane" job on a head either, maybe deck or mill. but i see no need for that. im gonna replace it again and see what happens lol.

are you using the stock head bolts over and over? you need to get new ones if not, the stock ones stretch. look to arp for that or go oem. and what siz meant about planing the head is that you have to get a straight edge and make sure that there is no warpage over the surface of your head or block. before you do that make sure you get every piece of old gasket off. you should do that if your going to take the head off again.

Even if it doesn't overheat! Deck it, mill it, plane it, whatever the fuck. If you take the head off, make it flat again. Do eet!

its never overheated on me so i dont see any reason for it to be warped and i've never heard of a "plane" job on a head either, maybe deck or mill. but i see no need for that. im gonna replace it again and see what happens lol.

You have to do a plane job in order to get all the old headgasket off.

You can also blow your headgasket by over tightening the bolts.. Give that a thought, inspect the old gasket to look for signs.

Cobalt SS things? I know of a Cobalt SS, but never heard of a Cobalt SS things.

You have to do a plane job in order to get all the old headgasket off.

I've never heard that. I made sure mine was flat (head and block) then just put everything back together, haven't had a problem yet.

Besides making sure it's flat. I'm assuming your tourqing in the right order and step process and not all at once. When you pull this one off make a note on where it failed, and if you remember where the first one failed. If in the same spot/area could be due to warpage.

I guess you could use a putty knife to scrap it off. Just make sure not to scratch up the block to badly.

Its a full metal gasket so none of it sticks to the head or block.

Well after driving the car today its still leaking from the intake cam, so im going to order new seals, head gasket, and arp head studs.

You shouldn't need ARP head studs for a stock head. Why not just get it planed/decked/milled whatever so its flat again?

I guess you could use a putty knife to scrap it off. Just make sure not to scratch up the block to badly.


all it takes is a hair line scratch to burn up a headgasket, been there with a ZC I had, you need your shit to be completly smooth, if anything use the 3m gasket remover pads.

How would you mill, plane, deck or reserface the block if its still in the car. the head i know could go on a mill.

You have to do a plane job in order to get all the old headgasket off.

You can also blow your headgasket by over tightening the bolts.. Give that a thought, inspect the old gasket to look for signs.


WEL I HAVE A 91 CIVIC SI HATCH AND I DID THE HEAD GASKET AND NOW ITS MIS FIRING ON 1 CYLINDER ITS A NEWLY REBUILT ENGINE SO WHAT THE HECK ANY HELP I WILL BE VERY GREATFULL THANKS......

I guess you could use a putty knife to scrap it off. Just make sure not to scratch up the block to badly.

don't do that! :nono: go to your local napa, shucks, auto zone, or any place like that and ask for the attachment for your drill. that will safely remove the gasket....as long as you don't stay in 1 place too long.

as for just milling the head that is :nono: too. you have to address both the head and the block. you have a milled head and warped bottom or vice versa and the head gasket will not work. you're better off leaving it all warped and putting a new gasket on than just doing the head or just doing the bottom. so do it all or don't bother doing it at all.

i hear that you are saying it hasn't over-heated by your gauge standards. however, if the gasket broke twice then either you torqued it too much after you replaced it or you stuff is warped. if you can get the gasket off you can send it back to the company who makes it and they can inspect it and let you know if it was from over torque....

i once had a place with "honda cert. mechanic" over torque my head gasket. we insisted the gasket be sent for inspection and wouldn't you know it they sent back a report that it was the shop's fault. by the way that was the LAST TIME my car ever went to a shop for anything