Rep Power: 0

My 01 lx civic just exploded, I was driving up a 10< incline at 65mph and the car was at 4500rpms in cruise control when the engine just went POP!!!! oil went all over the ground. This is less than a week after this mechanic changed the head gasket and Honda put in a new computer. I have had problems with it lacking power, the engine dying at stops, and going up to 5000-7000rpms when trying to get on the interstate and it would not shift, and now this. I have had all these problems after they did this work and the mechanic is trying to say I drove it to hard and that's why it went. He said that 5k rpms is to high for this engine and that I probably threw a rod. Is he bullshitting to try and get out of being liable or is he right? i figure the redline is 7k rpms so 5k should be no problem.

 
Rep Power: 233

Just because redline is 7500 and these are higher revving engines doesn't mean that you can rag the f**k out of it every time you drive it. Why do you think these Honda guys go thru headgaskets like they're going out of style. Shift at 3000rpm and you'll never have a problem. That being said, 5000 isn't too high but, anytime you do work like that you want to give the gasket(s) some time to settle and seat properly. I don't think you drove it too hard, you drove it too hard too fast.

 
Rep Power: 0

I was granny driving it, it was the computer that kept rev-ing it up, not me. Was told that there was hole in the side of my block so I threw a rod, coincidental not even a day after he worked on it after replacing the head gasket for free.

 
Rep Power: 233

Well, if you can prove the comp is bad then make Honda pay for it. If you can prove the headgasket was installed improperly then make the mech fix it.

EDIT: I'm suspecting used head bolts. Using the old head bolts can lead to headgasket failure because the bolts stretch when you torque them down. Even though you're supposed to be able to re-use them a lot of times they don't work. Are the head bolts new? If you can't tell, have another mech look at 'em.