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I have a 2004 EX with close to 300,000 miles on it. It’s starting to crop up with small problems. I’m losing coolant somewhere, I thought head gasket but I used one of the exhaust gas testers on the radiator cap and it didn’t change colors. Now there is a small oil leak that is coming from behind the timing belt cover. I’ve replaced the timing belt and water pump recently as well.

My question is, while I don’t want to completely rebuild the engine would it be worth it to drop it, disassemble it, and replace all the gaskets and seals? We plan on keeping it for several years since it’s paid off and my daughter will need a car.

 
Rep Power: 367

exhaust gas testers are notoriously not reliable to test D17 engines gasket

first post have a more reliable testing method to pinpoint gasket issues.

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...reference.html

 
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So I ran the test with the spill free funnel and there is the non stop stream of bubbles. So I'm guessing the head gasket is gone. Which brings back to the first question on whether I should drop the entire engine and replace all the seals and gaskets due to age or just replace the head gasket. I'm leaning towards just doing everything but it will be the most intensive thing I have done yet.

 
Rep Power: 126

If you’re doing the rebuild yourself, have at it. Definitely not worth the price it would cost at a shop though.

 
Rep Power: 367

seals and gaskets might not be enough.
crankshaft bearings, piston rings, etc...

 
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As I start to look at this process and looking at rebuild kits I've seen some that offer oversized piston and rings, main bearings, and rod bearings. Because of this it has me wondering about the flow of how things go. I've read that I should get the head checked for flatness and resurface if necessary. If the head is already at the machine shop is it worth it to take in the block as well to check the cylinders and crankshaft. If so, I'm assuming I should wait to order the rebuild kit until I know if they have to correct anything from the parts that I can order oversized components from?

This is the rebuild kit that I'm referencing as well.

 
Rep Power: 126

Have you considered something like this?

 
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While I could look at buying an engine like that, I’m leaning towards doing it myself partially for the satisfaction of it.

 
Rep Power: 512

if you have the means and allowable downtime of the car, I'd say drop it. The D17 isn't terribly hard to work on.

Dropping the engine makes sure you get everything checked out properly, reassembled to spec, without having to battle tight areas. That, and you can easily check out thing that would otherwise be a pain in the ***

 
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I have the time that I can work on it. Two car household with a motorcycle. Plus we homeschool and I live about a mile and a half from work so during the winter I’ve left my car in the parking lot if a storm blows in and I just walk home.

 
Rep Power: 512

my vote goes for drop it. Especially if you want the satisfaction of, "I did this"

 
Rep Power: 99

Hey Casey. My situation is very similar to yours regarding the loss of coolant (no leaks) and an oil leak at the lower timing cover area. I also recently replaced the timing belt and tensioner and many seals. Still leaks.

My mileage is half what yours is, so my plan was to just replace the head gasket. But I'd be interested to see what you do and how it works out. Keep posting here if you can....

 
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So I went ahead and rebuilt the engine. It’s back in the car and running well with no leaks at this time. New seals and gaskets, with piston rings and bearings as well. The head needed to be decked and the machine shop showed me where it he never been done before. Which means it either warped after the last head gasket replacement or the original repair shop never took it to a machine shop like they told my wife they did. The engine piece of it ended up costing around $850 for the machining and parts. But while I had everything out of the engine bay I noticed the brakes were worn and a lot of the bushings were shot so I bought This kit and replaced everything. The final thing was every single engine mount was completely broken so I replaced those as well.

I didn’t take any pictures of the project since I was working to get it finished since work has been crazy the past couple months. The biggest help was the shop manual that I found here when I first got the car. Between that and YouTube videos it’s nice to see what you are able to do by yourself.

 
Rep Power: 134

Well done!

 
Rep Power: 367

good job!

 
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As I’ve been driving the car for just under a week now I think the thing I am most happy about is that I know so much more about my vehicle and how it works.

the tie rods are fairly worn but I didn’t want to install the new ones until I knew the engine was working fine since getting an alignment right after a rebuild wasn’t something I was looking forward to. But now I know about how long it will take me and know it will be done by the book.

And there are things on my car that frustrate me that I never would have thought about before. The ABS module right by the side engine mount is a royal pain in my *** whenever I need to do anything. It never would have crossed my mind before but it does now.

I also learned just how nice a wide assortment of tools are. I originally did it all with basic wrenches and ratchets. But I saw a review for the long reach double box ratcheting wrenches and decided to get them with some money from Christmas. Not necessary but so much nicer for certain things.

 
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Where did you find the shop manual?

 
Rep Power: 224

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...updated-3.html