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So you really dont see as many 7th gens . I see several mid 90's still but very few 01-05.
I've heard people say these Honda's aren't as good as the ones before. I would like some insight on this. Also the transaxles in these are pretty awful to right? Mine is the 04 vp aren't those better? I mean no bashing by this either. I like my civic and honda in general.

 
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Many people don't want to drop a grand or two on a car with 100k+ miles when the head gasket blows, so they dump it.
Same if the trans lets go, the car gets dumped.

JMO

 
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^ Yea tons of people come here for advice find out its the head gasket and scrap the car. Its unfortunate but true even though it's still a good car.

 
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Are head gaskets common issues? I knew the mid 90's had that issue but didnt think it persisted that long.

 
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No, most of the 7th gens only blow it naturally once. It's not like they need a head gasket every 30,000 miles... (Pre-2000 Neon, anyone?)

As long as it is fixed right, they usually last for a long time after that. Unless it overheats for some other reason, like a coolant leak or a fan quit.

The ones that keep blowing them over and over are usually because the head gasket job wasn't done right the first time.






Actually, not all of them blow it, but it sure seems like they do.

 
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But It is common for the head gasket to go bad the firs time? Any reason why?

 
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Like I said, not all of them do it......

I have seen them bad before the car hit 50k, and others have gone well past a quarter million miles without failing. Kinda hit and miss IMO.

But I have seen enough of them do it that I know instantly what it is when I see the symptoms.


Probably.

 
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That makes me worry a little. A couple months back i was in my moms garage and all of the sudden had to leave well I was doing a coolant flush /replacement. The car wasnt done purging the air out. So about 8 miles into my drive it started getting hot. It stayed at 240 for about 6 minutes. I had my obd2 scan tool so I was watching the temp. Then it went 270 and I shut it off 3 minutes later went on and it had already cooled down . Did that 3 times. The car never smoked or had steam the fluid never boiled. I often wondered if the air pocket was right next to the thermostat and temp sensor and was causing it to read hotter than it really was.....
I hope!!! Lol

 
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Not good.......


I JUST posted this comment in another thread
Found the video here: Is this Idle behavior normal? Vid included, Redid Thtle Body Clean and Worse Now!
Read a few posts back in that thread so you see how we got to this point.

 
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Search this site for 'head gasket' 'no heat' and 'overheating' and you'll get an idea.

 
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Is there an inherent design flaw or something to cause this somewhat common issue.

 
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Of course not. Hondas are perfect in every way! They are Golden!



I doubt the factory and engineers consider it a flaw.
They got out through the warranty period without failing, therefore all is great!

---

It may not be an admitted flaw, per se, since there really aren't any service bulletins on the issue issued by the manufacturer.
But I have seen how other manufacturers have done it (MLS head gaskets) and I would like to try to apply those ideas to this design. Hopefully it would be more reliable/robust than the original design. If I had a 7th gen of my own, I'd try to use my idea on it.

It's all an opinion.
Your mileage may vary.

 
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I was hoping for an actual flaw, I mean some failing at 50, 000 is very poor. I guess the 7th gen is the worst generation.....
Gm had tons of gasket issues btw and there was always a design flaw. Same with dodge trucks and the plenum gasket . So if a d series head gasket is toast at 50, 000 miles in some cases my guess is that there is some kind of issue.

 
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There are a lot of the Hondas that don't blow it, quite unlike the 3.1/3.4 (and sooo many other engines of theirs) GM intake gasket issues where every last one of those goes bad. Those were so bad while under warranty in the late 90s and early 2000s that there was a waiting list and parts backorder problems at the dealerships.

Want to talk about '95-'00 Mopar 2.0/2.4 Neon/Stratus/Breeze/Van/etc. head gasket problems? Honda has nothing on those. Hondas are golden!
How about GM's QUAD4 head gaskets in the early 90s? Talk about a PITA job to do!


BTW 50k is about the earliest I have seen one of these head gaskets go out without other outside causes. Most seem (from reading here) to go past 100k before they let go.

 
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If yours ends up bad, I'd blame it on the overheat event. (I have had a few engines that overheated but didn't show symptoms right away, so keep that in mind. One van engine took a full year to show any symptoms.)

If you come to find it bad, fix it right the first time and go on with life.

 
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Well I don't think it actually overheated I think the air bubble was right at the temp sensor causing a hot spot. Given that the engine didn't feel very hot the radiator wasn't very hot. Radiator coolant didnt boil either.

Honestly if the gasket went bad i would probably fix it. Its not that hard. But I may sell it after the job. Wouldn't mind a crv or something a little bigger.

 
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Don't kid yourself. The temp sensor did not lie.

If there was no coolant around the temp sensor then the aluminum head itself was that hot.
The head would have had to have been just about empty to uncover the coolant temp sensor. System about 1/2 to 3/4 gallon low would be my guess.


So.... After yours overheated, how much coolant did you have to add to get the radiator full again?
And if your sensor said 270*F, then it was probably boiling any liquid that came in contact with the high temp areas in the head. I would hope there isn't steam erosion damage to the neck of the radiator from that event.




If you head gasket is bad, the reservoir normally ends up full or overflowing while the radiator is found to be low. Once the radiator is low enough, the the poor heater output may get noticed (in the cool seasons) and overheating may show on the gauge.

 
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Over flow has never been above proper level. The radiator neck looked perfectly fine.
Also . It was only a quarter gallon low. If honda had a bleeder screw on these purging air would be easier. I ended up using the temp sensor hole. If it actually overheated how could it goes 270 to 185 in 3 minutes?

 
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Thermostat was stuck and it finally got a blast of cooler liquid from the radiator once it opened?


3 minutes is really a long time, I bet the radiator fan could have it cooled down that much in that amount of time.

IDK, I wasn't there to witness it. I'm just guessing. These cooling systems are designed to run on the ragged edge of max efficiency. It does not take much of a loss to cause cooling problems.
There isn't an extra gallon in there just in case some leaks out, like big old cars with V8s and huge radiators from the 60s and 70s.


I'd still tend to trust the temp sensor reading myself, especially if there has been no signs of that sensor reading erroneously since then........damage or no apparent damage.

No damage apparent, you are lucky. Cross your fingers and keep driving.

 
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I tend to agree with the sensor as well. But the way it acted was very odd for overheating. Other than the gauge there were no symptoms most cars you'll see steam or you'll notice the engine is hot or radiator. I could easily touch the radiator and fins, engine didn't feel hotter than normal. No bubbling sounds no pre ignition pinging . Nothing. The gauge never did hit the red. 240 was about 2/3rds and 270 was about 85% .

 
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Hot engine, cold radiator.....

Now sounds like maybe not only was it not full, but it also wasn't circulating. Like thermostat stuck shut.

I wasn't there, I can only guess.




How did this thread get to this point anyway?

 
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The radiator was normal temp have you ever felt a overheating cars tadiator? It's hot as hell! Lol this one at that time was normal. Also we got on the topic because the head gasket was brought up as being a somewhat pattern failure and a reason the cars gets dumped. Back on track though I like my 7th gen it's been great ive replaced lower control arms not necessary but the bushing had some surface cracks, and did strut mounts. Struts were still good so didn't do those. Been my experience aftermarket struts are generally crap. I am surprised that i don't see more 7th gen civics though. Don't see alot in junk yards just don't see many at all....

 
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Not if the liquid isn't circulating.

You have never seen how one overheats when the water pump loses its impeller? Or any engine that loses its water pump belt? The heat stays where the heat is created. No circulation to move the heat elsewhere.

If your stat stuck, it would not let the cooler water out of the radiator into the engine.

 
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Yes but as long as the water pump is working properly an overheating car is going to have a hot radiator. My water pump is fine that's why I sad it was bizarre that the temp was where it was but the radiator felt like it normally should along with the hoses and the engine. The only thing I could come up with was the air pocket was floating around the temp sensor and was creating a hot spot right there. I don't know for sure but it was bizarre but the car runs fine and hasn't missed a beat yet.