So bought my Honda good paint clean interior but the only bad thing is that i think i have a bad head gasket. Im getting little black particles in my water reserve tank and also when i take off my cap from my radiator theres black residue on the cap from the inside on top. Havent had any problems so far, no over heating, starts on the first try, doesnt leak oil. Is it the head gasket that needs to be replace or could it be something else? Also what would be an estimate for it? Like the cheapest a mechanic would do it for. Maybe a friend or something like that haha i can put pics just in case if you need further detail

 

oh and its a 96 ex civic

 

Radiator staying full? If it is the gasket should be OK. On a newly acquired car it's a good idea to drain the coolant, flush with plain water a couple of times and install new. Old worn out antifreeze changes into an acidic substance that can corrode your engine.

 

yeah its good just sometimes i have to fill it up. Sometimes its so black looks like oil. I kinda want to flush it out maybe it has bad coolant or something

 

Coolant shouldnt be black unless it is mixing with oil, and even so, it would look like a chocolate milk type color

 

So than i have a bad head gasket?

 

Is the only symptom darkened coolant? Have you drained the oil and checked that out?

 

So far yeah. Haven't tried flushing it. What are the symptoms of a bad head gasket? Also if you take off the radiator the comes up and over flows within 10 seconds.

 

I can take pictures if that can help

 

You can google to find out what all of the symptoms are of a bad head gasket. I am not going to go through everything. Not all issues relating to a bad HG can show up depending on where it is blown.

You take off the radiator? Or radiator cap?

It is starting to sound more and more of a bad HG, especially when you are referring to excess pressure in the coolant system.

What did the oil look like when you drain it? Black, or something else? Have you had a compression test done?