Rep Power: 0

I have a friend selling a 1995 Civic with a blown head gasket... The problem is this is the third one in 20k miles... The shop said it maybe a sleeve in the engine slipped and may not be repairable.. Any thoughts?

 
Rep Power: 813

did you have the head milled flat on the gasket side by a machine shop? usually if there was something to cause a headgasket to blow, it involves overheating and the head may have warped. then you will always blow gaskets until the problem is fixed.

 
Rep Power: 0

yes, the head was machined..

 
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I spoke with my friend again about this car ( I am wanting to buy it from him) and he said the shop told him (they havent torn it down or looked at it any further..he has just let is sit in his driveway now) that the cylinder sleeve may have slipped or something causing this to happen and it may not be repairable... does that sound likely?

 
Rep Power: 813

i guess possible, but rare. could also be a cracked block. i think whatever the reason, the engine was abused or not taken care of. so if you buy the car, best bet would be swap in a different motor and not deal with these problems.

 
Rep Power: 286

+1 Engine swaps in Hondas are very affordable for pre-2000 cars, if this is a becoming a routine problem then I'd suspect there is something wrong with the block and it wouldn't be worth repairing.

 
Rep Power: 205

^^ sometimes it's a more cost effective way to go.

Was the HG professionally done?

Could be it was just an amateur job. Although you'd figure 3x you'd get pretty good at it. LOL

Doing a headgasket isn't rocket science but you still have to be meticulous when you do it.

Could just be the head bolts have been in and out so many times they just won't hold tension properly anymore.

 
Rep Power: 0

So do these engines have sleeved cylinders?? The shop that has done the repair is supposed to be a reputable shop....Right now, it runs, low on power, like a slight missfire, bubbles in radiator and getting hc readings with an emissions test device from radiator/coolant. I guess I feel they must be missing something, maybe like what was said, maybe the bolts are stretched...

 
Rep Power: 314

Youd think the second and third time the shop was doing it they would inquire into why the gaskets were blowing and know what the actualy problem is? A reputable shop will do that if someone brings the car back to them for a second or third time with a repeat problem. Sounds to me like they are just changing the head gasket, collecting their money and guessing as to what the actual issue may be. Take it to a different shop and get a second opinion. Better yet, tear it down yourselves and see whats going on in there.