Looking for advice or a good mechanic that won't gouge

[NINJABEAUTY]

I just moved back to California from Arizona less than a week ago and right before I left, my 2004 Civic started overheating (so I towed it behind my Uhaul).

On my way out of San Diego the next day, I got stuck in traffic and it began to overheat again. I busted out the car manual and checked the reservoir tank and added some water cuz it was empty. Then I waited for it to cool off and opened the radiator cap and added a quarter jug of coolant (that too seemed to be empty).

I tried to drive home to Temecula after that and it stayed at a steady temp (3 notches below half) the whole way until I started driving into wine country and then it started overheating again.

I gave it a rest and two days later checked the reservoir tank again (empty), opened the radiator cap and couldn't see any coolant so added some more (another quarter of the jug) cuz it seemed to have all leaked out (although I had not seen any spots from leakage under my car, I think it leaks while I drive). Also checked the fuse box and those seemed to be fine. I don't know enough about the thermostat to know if it was functioning properly.

Obviously, I'm no expert...but I thought there was either a problem with 1) the water pump (my friend said it doesn't seem to have any water flow going through cuz it squeezes easily), or 2) it's leaking coolant (but not when parked).

I don't have a job yet, so my parents took it to an Express Tire and they detected no internal engine damage from the overheating, but then they did a block test and said that the head gasket was blown.

I have a hard time trusting the ppl at autoshops cuz I've been lied to before and this time I really don't have the money to spare...and I have never seen white smoke coming out of the car (and that's what I keep reading about in the posts about blown gaskets). I'm really tempted to try to fix it myself but I don't want to screw it up so I need help...so that's why I joined this group, for some expert advice and maybe some referrals.

Please help!

2004 Honda Civic Coupe
Inland Empire, California
I'm a basic driver with no performance goals, other than normal operation!

[smithby]

I'm not up on newer civic's. But you may want to check out this forum.

http://honda-tech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78

is your car a DX LX EX they will need to know. You may want to give the mileage on the car. I gather it's not turboed.

Good luck

[NINJABEAUTY]

Thank you, I will check it out. Meanwhile I am reviewing the manual that I downloaded from Hondahookup...

It's an EX, 93k miles.

[civcmatt]

Originally Posted by smithby

I'm not up on newer civic's. But you may want to check out this forum.

http://honda-tech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78

is your car a DX LX EX they will need to know. You may want to give the mileage on the car. I gather it's not turboed.

Good luck

every post you post refers to another site....wtf????


so to the OP....i believe your head gasket is blown.

i would have gone with the radiator cracked, or a hose busted..... but since you dont have coolant while your sitting..that kind of eliminates that option.

so if your water pump or therm were fucked up you may overheat but your coolant would still be full. so thats not it either.



now with a blown head gasket you dont ALWAYS have to have white smoke or anything like that. can just have coolant that mysteriously disappears and you start overheating. trust me i have had that happen to one of my cars. so im 99% sure your head gasket is done man. sorry to say.

[NINJABEAUTY]

Looks like that's a pretty advanced repair, how much am I looking at if I go to a shop vs. DIY? This is my only form of transportation and I just barely paid it off...

[XGRaViSmOrSX]

well DIY you're going to just be paying for the headgasket + the time it takes to do it. so its fairly cheap. but there isnt a warranty on the work you do yourself so if you arent confident on doing the job yourself then i would suggest getting either a friend who is proficient enough to do it or bite the bullet and take it to a reputable shop to do the work for you.

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by civcmatt

every post you post refers to another site....wtf????

he knows we are lazy and dont feel like helping anyone

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by XGRaViSmOrSX

well DIY you're going to just be paying for the headgasket + the time it takes to do it. so its fairly cheap. but there isnt a warranty on the work you do yourself so if you arent confident on doing the job yourself then i would suggest getting either a friend who is proficient enough to do it or bite the bullet and take it to a reputable shop to do the work for you.

please tell me where you find these???

[NINJABEAUTY]

EXACTLY!!! That's why I'm looking for a reference to a trusted expert from someone who knows their shit! ;)

[XGRaViSmOrSX]

its easy. dont go to a gas station. go to a specialty shop that actually knows what they're doing.

i have a guy who owns his own place, works on mainly honda's and does all kinda of installs and fab work + tuning. havent had a single issue. granted i sometimes pay a bit more than i would like but i also dont need a shop to have most of my work done for me, only when im desperate and out of options and need some professional help. plus i know the work is getting done and done right.

just go onto some local forums or 7th gen specific forum and see if there is anyone in your area than knows a guy or maybe can do the work for you.

its really nt that hard guys, it just takes some detective work and patience.

[NINJABEAUTY]

Found out about what the mechanic shop said specifically. That it failed the pressure test and that they detected exhaust in the coolant.

[swimm397]

blown gasket...sounds like what was going on with me, it would only over heat when i sat in traffic, put a new head gasket and it runs fine now!

[smithby]

[quote=civcmatt;2168958]every post you post refers to another site....wtf????
QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Enigma

he knows we are lazy and dont feel like helping anyone

That's pretty much it.

Compared to other sites, this one gets very little traffic.

I have been a member here for a few years, just started coming back.

If you notice only a few guy's post in this forum on a regular bases.

Luckily you few guy's seem to have a good handle on most problems.

[XGRaViSmOrSX]

Originally Posted by Enigma

he knows we are lazy and dont feel like helping anyone

i help people...

[Enigma]

ok well im lazy and dont feel like helping

[NINJABEAUTY]

Alright...from the looks of where this conversation is going, it appears that I've gotten all the advice I can get from here. Thank you all for your help, I'll keep ya posted.

[smithby]

Originally Posted by XGRaViSmOrSX

just go onto some local forums or 7th gen specific forum and see if there is anyone in your area than knows a guy or maybe can do the work for you.

Hey did he just say to, go to some local forums, I thought I was the only one that did that...


HC's in the coolant is a HG. Sounds like your shop knows how to test for that.

[batever]

Originally Posted by NINJABEAUTY

Alright...from the looks of where this conversation is going, it appears that I've gotten all the advice I can get from here. Thank you all for your help, I'll keep ya posted.

Probably best to get it done by a pro unless you have time to deal with it. You'll save a lot of cash by doing it yourself but it could involve machining the head: once you have the head off you have to check it for squareness and warpage and if it's out of spec you need to have it machined back to spec before installing the head gasket if you want the repair to last. Which would normally mean pulling the engine and bringing it to a machine shop.

Not impossible but a pain in the ass unless you are pretty experienced and would take several days just to get the motor machined and back if you're depending on the car.

[royaltrex7]

first you should have tried checking and seeing if your thermostat is stuck closed before you start looking into the head gasket issue it will run fine driving at higher rpms but idle and low rpms you will overheat and burn off coolant. do that before your invest in headgasket hell even the cost to look at head gasket is more expensive than simply undoing 2 bolts and looking. if left unattended it will blow the head gasket and that is what looks like happened

[kawaii]

Originally Posted by XGRaViSmOrSX

i help people...

i believe you