Last night out of the blue the temp spiked driving home. I noticed it after about 15 mins of driving in the city. it normalized on the highway, and spiked again when I got off the highway to get to my house. I pulled over to idle and watch for the fan which did come on.

Today the dealer said this "Tech pressure tested system. System was very slowly leaking pressure with no signs of coolant leaking. When putting on coolant funnel to bleed system, coolant was showing consistent signs of air in system. All signs point at a blown head gasket." They also said two spark plugs had seized.

This will cost $2,300. They also want me to replace the timing belt that was put in by Meineke last year with a Honda brand timing belt. I don't see why I should do that. That's an extra $230.

However today there was no temp spike and the fan worked normally. Made sure coolant was adequate. Would a gasket have anything to do with the temp? And if it's working now, why should I spend the money? Seems to be fine. only 137K miles.

 

When the head gasket leaks, gases from the cylinders will gradually displace the coolant out of the engine and radiator leading to overheating. After refilling and getting the gas bubble out, it will work normally for a while.

A third party garage can replace it for a lot less. The important thing is not to ruin the engine by continuing to drive overheated. Before every trip (when the engine is cold) remove the radiator cap and make sure the radiator is full. Don't just check the coolant in the white plastic tank.

 

Thanks for your response. I won't drive it overheated. But oddly when I took it to the dealer yesterday, before anything was done, the temp was normal.

I'm also afraid of taking it to anyone but the dealer because I got screwed by Meineke last year when they did the timing belt. They did it wrong twice and I had to take it to the dealer.