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lets see...my 7th gen civic lx seems to go through quite a bit of coolant for some reason.i dont know why either.there is absolutely no leaks that are visible.i had a shop check it out also...the thing about it is that my coolant resivouir cap im guessing has been blow off 2 times...i've gone through 2 of them already.i'm like where are they going?but they'll be on and then bam there gone....my question is do you think its a head gasket problem?i use to get about 330 miles to each tank of gas and now i get about 275 miles...maybe 280 max...please give me info...i've done tons of searches and cant seem to find anything that helps...let me know

 
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Most likely it is the head gasket. I had a lebaron that would overheat in like 2 minutes and it ended up being the head gasket. Unfortunately it could also be a cracked head or block, but like I said it's most likely the head gasket.

 
Rep Power: 375

If its a head gasket, youll likely have coolant in your oil, and your oil will look like gum. If not, have the shop do a compression check to see if there is a blown head gasket with leaks you cant see. What the shop tell you?

And if your cap is off, you may have air trapped inside causing a loss of coolant by sending coolant into the resovior tank and down the drain pipe to the street as your driving. I think you need to find a good shop and take it there to have them check it out. GL

 
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what types of shops do compression test?

 
Rep Power: 453

any automotive shop should be able to do a compression test. as long as they do everything automotive related. but if you are losing coolant and there are no leaks, the headgasket is blown. either you have a leak somewhere or the coolant is leaking into the engine though a blown headgasket or cracked head or block

 
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The 1.7 motor will blow the head gasket without showing signs of coolant in the oil. The reason the cap is coming off is because the exhaust gases are pressurizng the cooling system. The cooling system gets pressurized on the engine side which forces the coolant to spill into your overflow bottle. Once enough coolant has passed into the bottle it pops you cap off and spills out. The reason you haven't seen leaks is because this normally only happens while you drive and the spilled coolant burns off on the exhaust.

I wouldn't waste any more time or money with testing further. Replace the head gasket and be sure to get the Nippon Leakless.

 
Rep Power: 282

Yeah, I had the same problem. I kept hoping for something simpler than a head gasket but it was. It was a small leak in the gasket and no coolant in the oil, just exhaust gasses building up in the coolant system. I finally caved in and paid Honda a fortune to replace it. I had them replace all the belts and water pump while they were at it since they wouldn't charge labor on them while they had the engine disassembled. good luck

 
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i've already had my timing belt and water pump replace like 7k ago...what all needs to be done then?just my head gasket replaced?

 
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The head gasket and new head bolts should be all you'll need.... oh and coolant of course.

I did mine without removing the intake manifold. The manual says you have to, but, it can be done without that step. If the intake manifold gets removed, you'll need gaskets there too.

 
Rep Power: 257

if you have the cash i would go ahead and spring for headstuds rather than bolts.