2005 Honda Civic LX 1.7L SOHC (non vtec) - Overheating - Possible Engine damage

[thana]

Hey all,
So I come here looking for help. Here's a rundown.
2005 Honda Civic LX 1.7L SOHC (non vtec), ~49,000 miles
Overheating issues
Mechanic I had been taking it to has been masking the problem by replacing radiator, thermostat, stuff like that
Car keeps overheating
Check engine light comes on
-At first - Cylinder 1 and 2 misfire
Change spark plugs
-Then - Cylinder 1 and 3 misfire, random misfire
Change plugs
Still has issues
One day car does not start
Excessive pressure buildup in radiator cap (coolant wants to spurt out)
Take car to different, expensive mechanic
They get it to start by pulling spark plugs and cleaning and drying them
-They pull cylinder 3 spark plug, say coolant is pooled, and shoots out of cylinder 3
White smoke coming out of tailpipe
They say I have a cracked head and internal engine damage

Questions:
What do you guys think I should do?
Could the head be actually cracked? What do they mean by internal engine damage? (Block cracked?)
I need to go and ask them specifically where the crack is, as I don't think they pulled out the engine

Could coolant coming out of a cylinder just mean a headgasket? Or is it worse like they say

I bought the car less than 2 years ago, so i'd really like to try and keep it and not scrap it, as I have already invested quite a bit of money in it.


Thank you!

 

[lethal6]

Hey all,
So I come here looking for help. Here's a rundown.
2005 Honda Civic LX 1.7L SOHC (non vtec), ~49,000 miles
Overheating issues
Mechanic I had been taking it to has been masking the problem by replacing radiator, thermostat, stuff like that
Car keeps overheating
Check engine light comes on
-At first - Cylinder 1 and 2 misfire
Change spark plugs
-Then - Cylinder 1 and 3 misfire, random misfire
Change plugs
Still has issues
One day car does not start
Excessive pressure buildup in radiator cap (coolant wants to spurt out)
Take car to different, expensive mechanic
They get it to start by pulling spark plugs and cleaning and drying them
-They pull cylinder 3 spark plug, say coolant is pooled, and shoots out of cylinder 3
White smoke coming out of tailpipe
They say I have a cracked head and internal engine damage

Questions:
What do you guys think I should do?
Could the head be actually cracked? Yes, it most certainly can be. Especially if the engine overheated, blew the head gasket, and kept overheating. That very well could have and sounds like it did, crack the head and possibly the block. What do they mean by internal engine damage? (Block cracked?) Only they can say for sure, unless you crack her open and look for yourself. I am guessing that water got into the cylinder if they are saying it is spewing coolant out of it and hydro-locked the engine. If so, you are talking at the least a rebuild and if it is cracked then you need a whole new one.
I need to go and ask them specifically where the crack is, as I don't think they pulled out the engine

Could coolant coming out of a cylinder just mean a headgasket? Or is it worse like they say Not very likely. Sounds like you have a hydro-lock situation. But at the VERY least you have a blown head gasket.

I bought the car less than 2 years ago, so i'd really like to try and keep it and not scrap it, as I have already invested quite a bit of money in it. You don't have to scrap it, but what you are going to have to decide is weather it is worth it to drop a bunch more money on a new engine. Personally, I would part it out and start another one. They are a dime a dozen. Sucks because you had a low mileage vehicle. Body still has the low miles but the engine was pushed beyond it's boiling point (literally) and is now kaput. This situation is why I always tell customers to pull over and shut it down IMMEDIATELY if it begins to even show signs it might overheat. No babying just a couple miles to get home or to work. Overheating is bad news to engines.


Thank you!

Responses in red.

 

[thana]

Responses in red.

I don't know if the engine ever hydrolocked.
It would crank, but due to (atleast I think) coolant around the spark plugs, it could not complete its ignition sequence.
I guess I will just have to talk to them again when they are open on monday..
This sucks.
I'm not sure how they would diagnose internal engine damage without taking the engine out and looking, and it seems like they did not do that.

 

[ekcoupeproject]

Start within a head gasket get the head pressure check and go from there

 

[Esotericimage]

EKcoupeProject?

Where did you find an EK coupe?

those are elusive as the EM hatch

 

[thana]

Okay, just heard from 2nd mechanic I took it to (first was going to be a complete ripoff) (still spent 200+ dollars to basically confirm what I had already known. Ugh. what a waste of money.

I am now trying to decide between replacing the entire engine for 1800 (including parts and labor) (~65k miles) or attempting to just get a new headgasket and the head checked/milled. I'm not sure if there is internal engine damage or not, which would bring back issues after just resurfacing the head and a new headgasket

 

[MyLittleTeg]

You could always swap a motor in it to save the hastle of throwing money into a motor that needs more time and effort than just dropping a used motor in there. (Especially paying someone to do it. As you already know, most mechanics will take multiple hours to do something that takes 30 minutes and charge you out the ass. If you would like you can tear into the motor yourself just to get a feel for it than go get your used motor installed after you pull the old one. I personally swapped out my y8 that had bad rings with a y5 by myself in two days. And it was my first official motor swap. Other than giving my friends a hand or swapping an alternator on my integra I hadn't ever worked on a Honda. It wasn't too bad but it all depends on tour comfort zone. Also have a friend with experience there (makes it a lot less stressful when you can use two sets of hands).

Sorry for the mini rant and going off topic. But if you have any questions just ask

 

[Anthony Xiong]

Mine was like that too, buying all these small parts costs as much as getting a new motor already. So I went with a D17A, but check your head gasket it might be blown. If your oil is milky in some what way, then your head gaskets out.

 

[Logan98036wa]

I just bought a crate motor from hmo for around $900 with low miles and start up warranty, you should check them out if you decide to replace