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I know this is a common issue on any d series motor but just like the title says Do you guys use the oem gasket or aftermarket? How often to these heads warp? My car only over heated once and that was just over 30k miles now and i think i'm going to finally give in and start thinking about replacing it sometime in the next few months.
I would assume my head is not warped since it really hasn't gotten worse since i first discovered the gasket was leaking. I work at a dealer so i can bleed the cooling system and fill it every few weeks as needed. I'm not burning coolant just pushing it out into the reservoir.

 
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Get an OEM gasket. Aftermarket one won't hold up or seal as good, tolerences are not as accurate.

 
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i was assuming that i should go w/ the factory gasket just figured i'd see what you guys do on here since i know the head gaskets on any d series always go bad for some reason. I usually buy all my parts from the dealer b/c i get a discount but wanted to know if anyone had luck w/ cheaper parts. this is just a daily driver for me not a fun car so if something else worked i'd be open to it. thanks for your input it is always appreciated!

 
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Majestic honda (hondaautomotiveparts.com) is where most people here go for their parts. I was able to get a D17 headgasket kit for $180 overnighted, dealership wanted $250, I talked them down to $185 out the door because I could have gotten it overnight for a much lower price. That, and I figured the convenience was worth $5.. lol

 
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with a part as important as a head gasket i would definitely go OEM.....not worth the risk considering how long it takes to replace

 
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the dealership wanted $250 for the gasket? That is really pricey. I don't even pay that much for my 500hp car. I'll have to call the honda dealership and get a quote on the gasket. the car is due for another timing belt and all that maintenance too. I'm also reading that the crower stage one cam will possibly help the car out a little so since its a fairly cheap part i think i'll throw that in the car too while its apart.
I'll post back when i get the gasket price from honda!

 
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so your willing to spend unnessessary money on an aftermarket cam, but complaining about the cost of a head gasket?....your logic does not make alot of sense

 
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well cams are usually all right around the same price, and i have put almost no money into this car since i bought it 11 years ago. I'm really bored of the car and if i can get a couple hp more i'll be happy w/ that i guess. I like the gas mileage too much to get rid of it. $250 for a head gasket in general is pretty pricey, i'm sorry if you don't think the same. if thats the price then it is what it is, no worries. Its not going to stop me from fixing the car by any means. I just have to stop being lazy and make the time. its been about 30k miles since the first and only overheating. since then it has gotten slightly worse but i keep coolant in it (which i don't pay for) and its not to the point of misfire yet so i have some time. just weighing my options as far as parts go. is that so wrong?

 
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ahhhhaaaa...... i see i missed an important word in xriceboyx's post.... and in return Mr Mikey1 also missed an important word in my reply post that was missing.... word = KIT
I missed that that was a kit price that was posted up. My mistake, mikey1's too. now the $250 price makes more sense, but still too much so i'll call the dealer tonight and see what they can do for me on the "KIT"
i'll reply back tonight. Have to go to work now.

 
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JMHO you guys are really drinking the oem koolaid. I have had tons and tons of exp wrenching and QAULITY is what counts. That is not to say you should never go oem, but buy good parts, not AZ or PEP Boys, good stores. The oems contract out their parts to the cheapest reputable builders. Those prices for a 4 banger head set are rediculous. It isn't the gasket that is known to fail, the head warps then IT DOES NOT MATTER who made it, head gaskets are not made to withstand cylinder pressures and temperatures unless the surface is flat and tourqed.....

 
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OEM Coolaid? Most of the parts that I buy from Honda are stamped Honda, so it's not some joe making it in his basement or cheapest company around. Yes, they do give contracts to other companies for some of their parts, but a lot of them are factory. It all depends on what your buying. It tells you right in the calender who manufactures the gasket. Try to find the same gasket somewhere else and let me know how you make out. Most of the parts they are getting from third party they are assembling the cars with right in factory. Honda does not make every part in the car that your buying right off the lot.

That being said, you can always buy an OEM head gasket and buy the other gaskets from someone else. However, I think 180 isn't too bad considering your getting every part that you need to replace the head gasket. Remember though, if your removing the exhaust manifold from the downpipe to make sure you get the material washer that goes between or you will have an exhaust leak

 
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well i found some prices out. for the kit it is $179, so about the same as stated above. but for the parts i actually will need to accomplish the head gasket job it will be just under $60. These parts will all be from the honda dealer i usually buy parts from. that is of course w/ out replacing the cam, the stage one cam is only a thought at this point. i would want to replace the cam seals if i did that. I won't be removing the intake manifold and i'll take the exhaust manifold off at the head, i live in chicago the other parts of the exhaust are to rusty to bother w/. I also have a straight edge so i will w/ out a doubt be checking for warpage. i'm pretty positive i'll be ok on that as i didn't over heat the car badly. i caught it right away when it happened and pulled over.

 
Rep Power: 201

Doesn't take much to be warped enough. Take the bolts off in a little order and a little at a whack until they are all loose, not each bolt all at once like you can on a bomb proof cast iron head. Be gentle a bunch of clamp on one side and none on the other has the possibility of warping it more...

 
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I usually loosen all of them in about two or three steps... if its going to warp or is already warped then the car will just be down for longer than a saturday. At work, not honda obviously, i loosen them in usually two steps and there is never an issue w/ warping on aluminum head/block but i understand where your coming from i always follow the sequence when tightening or loosening. I still don't think it will be warped but time will tell i guess. if it is warped then i'll be mad for a few hours then i'll be fine.. lol

 
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that doesnt mean the part is nessessarily made by honda....gates make honda belts and stamps them honda, just as an example

 
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But is a belt made by gates and stamped with the Honda name the same as a belt with the gates name and no Honda stamp? Or is the one stamped with the Honda name built to different specs (maybe thicker)? Or are they all the same!

 
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i dont know, but that was not my point.....my point is, just because a part is stamped "honda" that doesnt mean its made by honda

 
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I didn't say THE cheapest or basement builder etc. I did say cheapest REPUTABLE parts builder. This is how every single OEM works, that does include Honda. They are in business to make money, that does not mean buy x part at 150 and sell at 152... If a 200 dollar part cost the OEM 130 they have a bigger margin than a 200 dollar part that cost them 150. This is business, nothing "wrong" with it, just the simple facts....

 
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Everytime I see threads where people are looking for the best deal on parts or fluids it makes me scratch my head a bit. People get so shortsighted sometimes. O.K. so the first OEM head gasket lasted 10 years therefore thats $250/10 years and if the next OEM gasket will last another 10 years then it's a bargain as far as I'm concerned.

I think for certain things you should always defer to the manufacturer and these Civics we drive certainly promote that with 'special' anti freeze, PS fluid, ATF or MT fluid and other things like O2 sensors and spark plugs all seem to be very OEM oriented.

I bought my car when it was 10 years old with 100k miles on it and every part on it was still original except for one of the CV axles and it was replaced with an OEM axle. It makes me feel good to think all the parts I buy from the dealership will last at least ten years and fit my car properly. If they would like an extra $20, $30, $50 for that then I'm quite happy to pay it.

I won't pay the labour (sorry ezone) at a dealership, though.

 
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Mostly agree, but I have worked at a dealership. If you are doing your own work that is a no brainer. I haven't paid labor for anything in 15 years, and won't. With that said if you do have to pay someone that is fine, it is expensive to wrench your own stuff if you don't know how too. "Parts changing" is not even close to worth it. Around here atleast the dealers are around 30 or less bucks/hour more. We had flat rates that kept our prices decent. The ma and pa shops have mechanics that are paid around half or even less than what the dealers pay and you get what you pay for, not only that they usually put more labor hours in x job than at the dealer, so it really is a wash out. Now, twice the labor rate is rediculous, but in that case drive out of the city a bit and find a dealer with a less rate.... We are 60 miles or so from St. Louis and our dealership's rates are around 80 or 90/hour, the rates in St. Louis are 125/hour min. Flat rates are flat rates. If 2 hours at x is 250 and 160 at the other there are considerable savings to be had in a big job. Not only that the caliber mechanics are not always top notch in the city. Some guys around here are darn sharp....

 
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Yeah, I meant I do my own work.

For the odd time I do need the pro mechanic the guy I deal with runs his own shop (so he pays himself). It usually takes a week to get in because he's busy all the time. He's known as a good/honest mechanic where I live.

 
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I don't mean stamped. I mean steel parts with Honda right in the casting ...

 
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well in the begining i wasn't looking for the cheapest part just quality. thought since you guys are more into these cars than myself you would know which parts were quality wether it be factory or something else. I had a misunderstanding when the first prices came out, i was asking about a head gasket not a kit so totally didn't read that he was putting up a kit price b/c $150 or what ever the price was would definitely be insane for a stock d series gasket. the head gasket from honda is only $32 so i'm good fellas. it lasted this long i can put another factory one on there.
sorry for the confusion. but mikey1 is correct. there are many companies that make parts and stamp them w/ different factory names. most car lines outsource just about all parts for cars. It would be way too expensive for a car manufacture to produce every single part for the car.