[basszzilla]

Okay, just got my car back from the local honda guru, his diagnosis is as follows. Blown head gasket-may need head and or block. he gathered this diagnosis without a test drive in about two minutes. When the mechanic called me he figured all of this out buy noticing pressure on the upper rad hose and bubbling from radiator and that I would probably need a new engine. So this gut is either a genius or a con trying to make money. I had him reinstall the rad cap and leave the car alone, I will pick it up.
When I went to pick up the car I searched out the owner and told him what I thought about his mechanic. Without boring everyone with his excuse for why the mechanic said what he did, I will give his explanation of the diagnosis. Coolant getting in the combustion chamber and shorting out/drowning out the plugs. He told me to decrease the spark plug gap to .020 and that would stop the plugs from shorting out/drowning out. I no longer have an intermittent problem, runs like ass very consistently now. I did look at the combustion chamber with a bore scope while I had the plugs out and numbers 1 & 3 pistons were stained green on top.
So I guess I really do need a head gasket, I am just worried that it won't fix my poor running problem. I did find out during this little venture that once I drive the car about 15 miles it begins to run fine (standard plug gap). The weather has been such that I can't make much about steam coming from the tailpipe, it's been cool and humid and all cars are putting out steam/condensation.
Thinking about running without water for a minute or two since it is moisture that is supposedly causing the problem with standard gap of coarse, or experimenting with a little wider gap. Ideas? Anyone?