Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

So I was racing this boosted eg tonight from 40-120 and once I got off the highway I noticed my car didnt sound quite right. Ive got a stock b16a2 running 8 psi on a 18g. There wasnt any skoke coming from the motor and I dont think there was any excess smoke coming out of the exhaust (it was night so I couldnt tell) but the motor sounds like a wrx kinda gurgly and stuff. Im pretty sure the headgasket is blown but I dont know how to tell if there is any further internal damage. There is a little bit of oil that looks like it got sprayed on the fuel rail and surrounding areas. Im assuming I just got some head lift and blew the gasket since I dont have aftermarket headstuds or anything, all stock. Thats about all the info I can think of to give you guys right now. Any ideas what might have gone wrong?

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

You're probably using the wrong rope.


And lay off the skoke, that skeet/coke mix is making you see things.

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

Broken Ringlands FTMFW

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

^^what he said^^

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

^^what She said^^

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

So chances are I didnt get lucky and just blow the headgasket? Is there any way to be a little more sure without tearing into the block?

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

compression check

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

Will I still get good #'s if just the gasket is blown?

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

SUBBY SOUNDS ARE YOUR ENEMY

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

Looks like I just might be building a block sooner than I thought!

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

:y

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

if the subby sound is on and of i.e: clears up when reved...than its your headgasket. if the subby sound is constant it's a broken ringland.

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

Eh, I would check the spark plugs first. You could have just fouled one of them.

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

wishful thinking pwns you. Sure it COULD be somthing like that but how many times have you seen a honda foul its plugs and sound like a suby, boosted or not? Im going for ringland pwnage here, because i know better.

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

I can attest first hand to broken ringlands, I just went through that issue with my b16. Car was running good, then all of a sudden...suby sound. I was hoping it was the hg too, but no such luck. Replaced the hg and rebuilt the head and I still only had about 28psi from cyl. #1. Pulled it all off, popped the piston and rod out, and sure enough...both ringlands were broken. Take this as your first lesson that boosted stock-block hondas suck balls. Best bet is do what I did if you're cheap...get a good rod and piston complete from someone (they're still pretty cheap), make sure the number stamped on the new rod is the same as the old rod, swap the bearings and rings over, slap it back in and run it. I didn't even hone the bore, and I still pulled a 220psi compression check from that cylinder. ;D

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

Well I went out and tried to start it today and it cranked a little slower than normal and there was a pretty good bit of white/light grey smoke coming out from the breather filter on the back of the valve cover. Im assuming the little bit of oil I saw splattered in the engine bay could be coming from that? I pulled the spark plugs and they all look pretty decent except for #3 has some light oil deposits on it. could that be from broken ringlands letting oil up into the cylinder?

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

Do a comp check, or a leak down, that will tell you whats up. Just go pick up a ls and make a lsvtak :y

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

For him I wouldn't suggest LSVtec. If he can't properly diagnose what is wrong with the engine I doubt he has the skills to properly build an LSVtec. To do it right takes a little bit of know how.

Do a compression check and get back to us. Don't keep asking Q's, Compression check, now get to it!

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

Seen it plenty. Plus, why the ---- are you gonna just assume it's something else without checking the easy ---- first. That's just stupid and arrogant. ---- it could be a spark plug wire or even a terminal on the cap.


First time I messed up some ringlands, the motor sounded fine and ran fine, just couldn't boost without a ton of blowby. It really depends on how bad it is.

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

its ur headgasket... hondas + blown headgasket = sic sound lol, ive blown two headgaskets and each time hte car sounded like a subaru. i even drove my old zc with a blown headgasket for like 2 weeks cuz i found the sound sic lol.

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

Just did a comp check and I got rediculously low #'s. Too low for the car to run so Im assuming the pos compression tester from auto zone wasnt sealing somewhere causing the low #'s. Im going to run a leakdown test at my buddys house and probably just start pulling things apart to figure out exactly whats wrong with it.

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

Just rip the head off, if it is the hg you're going to have to either way.

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

well Ive decided since Im going to tear into everything anyways I might as well go ahead and build the block a little bit. Anyone selling a good set of stock bore pistons and rods for a b16 let me know.

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

I got some rods and pistons for ya, good condition, I even have new rings for them if you want

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

Lemme guess...you forgot to hold the throttle plate open when cranking the motor? ::)

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

Classic............ :1

Re: Blew my headgasket, hopefully!
 

Actually no I didnt. The compression tester had a leak in it but good call. :1