New here helping my friend that got stranded at my house. '02 Civic LX with 145,000 miles. Car had timing belt at 114k. Radiator at 130k. We think the water pump was NOT replaced w/ t-belt. Car got hot in the mountains in Vermont. Temp gauge spiked going up and came back down on the way down. When it started going up again, he shut it off and had it towed to a garage by my house. The radiator and overflow tank had brown "crusty" stuff in it according to him.
I just got back from the garage where they were in the middle of testing the cooling system. They had with a clear tube with a liquid that changes color in the presence of combustion gases. They said it had a cracked head or blown head gasket.
My question: Are these heads prone to cracking with one or two overheats? Where do they crack? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, C.

 

from what I have read, the head gasket is the first to go, though if the overheating is severe enough, the head can crack of course. how good are you with car repair. there are youtube videos on replacing the head gasket on civics.

 

thanks... I guess that's what I'm fishing for; some engines can take more heat abuse than others. Just wondered if those heads are prone to cracks. I could do it but I won't be... Having the garage do a head gasket is far better than sending the head out for crack check. blah, blah, blah