d16y8 swapped EF running p28
since swapping the motor, i've had this issue. when i floor it, sounds great, runs great, idles great after. what i've noticed is that my rad overflow will fill up. so i pour the overflow back into the rad, and it runs just fine. there is little black specs in the coolant.
one night sitting in my driveway i was watching my temp gauge. it went to 3/4 then died down.
other than that, I keep hearing a ticking. it's not my valves, i adjusted them to proper spec and torqued the lock-nuts to spec as well, following the service manual.

i'm thinking bad headgasket. i've replaced the thermostat, so that's not the issue. i just want a second opinion, in case i'm missing something.

 

Zerojett,

Hmm, it sounds like it could be a blown head gasket. Have you experienced any of the following symptoms?-

One area of failure is the seal between an engine cylinder and a coolant passage, resulting in coolant seeping into the cylinders. To determine the exact cylinder, there two tests can be performed. Visually inspecting the spark plugs will likely turn up one that is visibly wet or distinctively cleaner than the rest. A compression gauge will show lower pressure in the affected cylinder as well.

Oil in coolant- be on the lookout if your coolant exhibits a "coffee with milk" like colour, as this can indicate a blown head gasket.

Tapping, clicking or hissing sound- The first indication of the blown head gasket is an audible hissing or tapping sound, which can be difficult to locate, as it sounds like a bad lifter or rocker arm. This sounds somewhat like what you are experiencing with your Honda..

If it is indeed a blown head gasket, then here is the oem p/n for your reference: 12251-PM5-S02. It's about a $69 part at the stealership and $50 on most Honda parts sites.

 

With a small leak there often aren't major signs like low compression or oil in the coolant. One test is to start the engine cold with the radiator cap off and rev it. Bubbles appearing in the radiator are likely gas from a leak in the engine. You can also rev a cold engine with the cap on and note if pressure rises in the cooling system. (Normally, it should not rise until the engine warms up). Either a radiator pressure tester can be used or if you don't have one, squeeze the upper radiator hose. If you feel pressure increasing in it when you rev the engine cold, it's likely a head gasket leak.

Another method is to feed compressed air into a cylinder (engine stopped of course) and note if it appears in the cooling system. Most compression testers have a way to disconnect the gauge from the hose that goes to the cylinder and connect to an air compressor. You will also need to remove the check valve from the spark plug end of the compression tester. Pressurize each cylinder in turn. Look for bubbles with the cap off or pressure increase with the cap on.

 

yep i've got little bubbles in my rad neck. almost like carbonation. if i rev my motor with the cap off, i get a nice geyser of coolant. no oil in the coolant, i've caught the problem early. hopefully this will fix my annoying ticking!!!

alright, so if I'm gonna replace the head gasket, I should replace a few other things as precautionary maintenance. shopping list so far:
1 new OEM d16y8 headgasket
Gates blue timing belt kit (water pump and tensioner included, with water pump gasket)
oil pump (if OEM isn't too expensive, i'll replace it)
head studs

anything I should add to this list just in case?

 

Valve cover gasket, tube seals, distributor o-ring if yours are original and leaking.

 

sounds good. Hobo I didn't know your avatar was animated until today. O_O

 

Its a bad head gasket for sure. I had the same ticking noise, same over heating issue, same filling of the reservoir issue. I came on here and asked about it and mk378 suggested a slow head gasket leak. I changed the gasket and it fixed everything.