Hi i am new to the forum not new to motors however this is the first time i have been inside a honda motor. let me say they are deffinatly diffrent from things i have worked on, ok all that bieng said here is what i know and questions.

i have a 1992 honda civic CX, with a D15b7 out of a dx and an si 5 speed tranny.

here is what i know. 1988 - 1995 honda d15 series motors have issues with blowing head gaskets there is aTSB about it. does not effect the v-tech motors.
here is the link http://www.rebuiltautoengines.com/ho...-articles.html

I have taken the head to the machien shop compression testedand resurfaced.
i bought a head set made by "rock gaskets" i also purchased sepratly the special new style head gasket from honda -- 83.40 and special head bolts for said gasket at 9.50 a piece

so whats the question, the manual says somthing about putting an anarobic sealent on the bearing caps numbers 1 and 6 were the surface meets the head.
ok... what type of sealant is this, is it necessary and if so were would one go about aquiring it.

seccond question is the new head gasket has a new torque sequence does anyone have that sequence or do i have to make an appointment with the honda shop to get a print out of the sequince.

on a side note. the new gasket is metal so atleast its comforting to know that your not paying that kind of cash for a piece of compressed cardboard which i expected.

and lastly sence this is my first honda motor are there any quirks or tricks i should know before i install the cam and rockers back into the head.

answers to questions a savy might ask
compression about 190 in all 4.
no oil leakage or buring
no water in the oil or oil in the water

how did i know it was leaking -
wife took it for a drive called me and said the car was running funny, when she parked and went to start it it blew white smoke. i drove down put the comp tester on number one cylindar and when i hit the release valve ..... watter came out!!

i have not checked the rods yet but the clearance of the pistons looks right in the block ill check the rods when i pull the motor out this weekend to put a new tranny in it.... yeah going back to the cx tranny the si pops out of seccond and third..

long winded i know but let me know what you think.

 

wouldnt hurt to have the head reconditioned while its off with like a milling, maybe some valve seals and a 3 angle valve job but its your call. if you are removing just the head and no valves or anything you dont have to remove the rocker/cam system. as far as replacing the headgasket goes just clean the deck of the block really well and get all of the old gasket off. brake clean and a rag really goes a long way. these little motors are cake to work on. just make sure the cam is lined up with the arrow facing up and the 180 degree markes are aligned with the top of the head. line the crank gear up with the little arrow pointer on the block, put the belt on rotate the engine the same way as if it was running a little bit then tighten down the tention. then with the 19mm ratchet spin the engine all throughout its cycles and make sure no valves are hitting and all your marks line back up then you should be good to go. If you have a haynes/helms or chilten it will all be in there

 

Thank you for the reply, and the advise
the cam had to come off to have the head resurfaced just have to put it back on.
any comments on the metal gasket honda reccomends? has anyone used them?

Yeah the timing and run down after build up i know really well it doesn not change much.
imgoing to replace the valuve seals and check the springs ectra and replacce as needed the seats are good and the head has about 30k on it so it should be good and its clean - - well now its really clean just got back from the machienist. This is my daily driver and i have a lead foot so i am happy with the CAI and exhaust.

cheap and a blast to drive

 

a 3 layer headgasket will be just fine

 

just out of curiousity is the 3 layer gasket the metal gasket or is that the felt type gasket, i ask because the metal gasket is in infact comprised of 3 or 4 layers of thin metal, i will upload a pic tonight.i got it up on the lift with the hood off last night and all the fluids drained.

the tip aout the break clean and the rag for the head gasket is great info, most of the stuff i have built before includs 1964 rocket454's, a culpa 350's and the 1.8 in the side kick, but they are all cast and a lot more forgiving then the aluminum.

 

yeah, if you can find a m10X1.25 thread chaser and clean out the headstud holes so you get accurate torque specs. yes a 3 layer headgasket is made up of 3 thin layered pieces of metal like the picture i have attached

[IMG]local://upfiles/1641/F99EAE27F1004ED3BE60091B6A5840FB.jpg[/IMG]

 

thank you, what torque pattern should i use? the one in the manual?

 

ok here is a note on using breakclean and a rag to remove the old head gasked, mi usesd an ice scraper to remove as much of the gasket as possible, "note a PLASTIC scraper" as plastic will not scar the aluminium

 

ok to continue the above. takes alot of elbow grease and i do mean alot, but it works. i am thinking that in hinesite it would probably be easier to use one of the plastic scruby things my wife uses in the kitchen, kind of a cross between one of the shower gel things and a berillow pad.

any way let me clarify the torque question. i have the new torque sequence

Step 1. Tighten all 10 bolts in sequence to 14 ft/lbs (20 Nm).
Step 2. Tighten all 10 bolts in sequence to 36 ft/lbs (49 Nm).
Step 3. Tighten all 10 bolts in sequence to 49 ft/lbs (67 Nm).
Step 4. Tighten bolts 1 and 2 to 49 ft/lbs (67 Nm) again.
i will check the dealership tomorrow and ask if the pattern is the same as in the manual or if it is different
as i need to get motor mounts before i put it back in.

 

here are some pics!