Help! How bad is it?

While re ringing my son’s 1990 crx we attempted removal of head gasket material remaining on the block. I was told we could use a wire wheel attached to my chordless drill. I found one at the local home depot which was less stiff than the one at the parts house but after doing some reading it sounds like maybe I removed aluminum when I shouldn’t have. There are slight grooves in the block surface now and I’m afraid we may have a problem if we reassemble it as is. Is there anything I can do short of bringing the engine to a machine shop; it’s still in the car and I sure wasn’t planning on that? I know a mechanic who teaches at a votech school and just in talking over the phone he seems to think it’s not a problem. I’d sure like to feel better about it though before we do any reassembly.

How Bad Is It?

Thats kinda bad, you might need to have the head redone. Or take sandpaper and sand the head down smooth. But DON'T quote me on this. But I do no it is not good. :p

can you post pictures of it?

if its light scratches..like brushed aluminum or something then dont worry about it..but if it looks like you turned it upside down on concrete and dragged it..your in trouble.

Pictures will help a lot. But if they are just slight scratch marks you will have nothing to worry about.

i cant see a wire wheel doing that much damage... unless its a steel wheel and you REALLY pushed down and held it there so it would gouge the hell out of it... im in for pics as well

actually i can tell you what i had done. had the head resurfaced and compression check for like 125 and then the block was hand sanded to 1/1000th of a inch of spec. which would basicly be what you get to do now. seeing as how its still in the car.

Okay, I’m going to attempt this a third time. Every time I attempt to respond I’m told I’m not logged in (but I am!) and I lose my response. Very #*$&%$@ frustrating The head doesn’t look like it was dragged across the concrete, just some 100 grit sandpaper. I didn’t stay in one place and work the metal that much. Just a nice even buff to remove the gasket (I swear it). I worked the wire wheel parallel to all the jackets and bores so there are not scratches perpendicular to these openings. I’m going to attempt taking some pictures that’ll give you enough detail to “get the picture” but I work late tomorrow so it’ll probably be Saturday morning before I get them posted. Is there any kind of head gasket sealer which could be applied very slightly to cover such small imperfections? The sanding thing sounds like a possibility. Is it something a rookie should attempt? Also, I read somewhere that any head bolts passing through water jackets should be prepped with a flexible thread sealant. Is this a reality with the d16a6 engine? They don’t look like all blind holes but I can’t be sure. What type of sealant are they referring to (something like locktite?). Well thanks a lot for the responses. I sure feel a lot better knowing there’s someone else to discuss this with. Even if it doesn’t turn out so great.

Use silicone rtv sealant..its usually orange and smells like vinegar.

Just pull it and have the machine shot deck it. Don't be so lazy/cheap.

i wouldnt use RTV is you canhelp it.. ut will only last so long before it starts leaking again. then youre back at square one.. run your finger nail across the block/head.. does it catch in the scratches? if it does, then you probably need to sand/have it milled.

You can get away w/ sanding it, if you hit it with a wire wheel... usually, a wire wheel won't "kill" the aluminum... unless you're really n00bish...

Take a large section of sandpaper, attach it to a flat block of wood, and sand evenly across the surface until you see that it's smooth.. can use 100 grit for this, then finish with something smoother... like 500 aluminum oxide emery paper. After all that, check it for warp condition w/ a flat bar and a set of feeler gauges, if it's still slightly out of spec, then repeat the process.

Use common sense here tho... if it's really far out, you'll need it machined.

As for your "not logged in" message, you should download a few programs (like spybot s&d and adaware) and scan your computer, it's probably a locally stored website on your hard drive that created a mirror of this site... (i.e. spyware) But that's just the computer technician in me talking. :)


Then again, it could just be a problem w/ AF's servers too... since this is a fresh corporate install, and I just got the same problem.. I KNOW I'm not infected w/ anything... Should always keep scans tho.

just go with what doug said. even sanding it by hand could cause an uneven ness. just give your self a small insurance policy if you will.

Okay, I’m going to attempt this a third time. Every time I attempt to respond I’m told I’m not logged in (but I am!) and I lose my response. Very #*$&%$@ frustrating The head doesn’t look like it was dragged across the concrete, just some 100 grit sandpaper. I didn’t stay in one place and work the metal that much. Just a nice even buff to remove the gasket (I swear it). I worked the wire wheel parallel to all the jackets and bores so there are not scratches perpendicular to these openings. I’m going to attempt taking some pictures that’ll give you enough detail to “get the picture” but I work late tomorrow so it’ll probably be Saturday morning before I get them posted. Is there any kind of head gasket sealer which could be applied very slightly to cover such small imperfections? The sanding thing sounds like a possibility. Is it something a rookie should attempt? Also, I read somewhere that any head bolts passing through water jackets should be prepped with a flexible thread sealant. Is this a reality with the d16a6 engine? They don’t look like all blind holes but I can’t be sure. What type of sealant are they referring to (something like locktite?). Well thanks a lot for the responses. I sure feel a lot better knowing there’s someone else to discuss this with. Even if it doesn’t turn out so great.


You don't need to apply ANYTHING to the bolts. Make sure you use compressed air to blow out the bolt holes of any shavings/debri/fluid that may have accumulated in there. This may cause improper torque readings when retorquing your head. I can give you more accurate advice on the condition of the block/head if you post pictures. For future reference, do not replace the stock headgasket with another composite headgasket that comes standard on the 88-91 civics. Use a 92-00 civic ex headgasket. It's the same thing, but it's an MLS gasket (multi layered steel) and it has better sealing properties.