Would you resurface your own cylinder head?

[Xist]

My black Civic started overheating two summers ago, when I was driving all over the Phoenix area. I figured out that the radiator fan was dead, but as far as I could tell, the radiator itself held pressure.

Then I got a full-time job in a cooler part of the state, realized that my radiator was cracked, but did not worry about it, because I never drove that car further than 1.4 miles.

I did not realize that a car could overheat within a few miles, even if it is cool out. I moved in with Mom and my brother with autism, got a new job, and blew the head gasket driving seven miles to training in 70° weather.

Life is harder if you are stupid.

Can you imagine how much trouble I would have saved had I replaced the radiator and fan two years ago?

I could only put my straightedge straight across the block, right in the middle, but I could not fit my .0015-inch shim anywhere underneath.

[Shaneajanderson]

Originally Posted by Xist

My black Civic started overheating two summers ago, when I was driving all over the Phoenix area. I figured out that the radiator fan was dead, but as far as I could tell, the radiator itself held pressure.

Then I got a full-time job in a cooler part of the state, realized that my radiator was cracked, but did not worry about it, because I never drove that car further than 1.4 miles.

I did not realize that a car could overheat within a few miles, even if it is cool out. I moved in with Mom and my brother with autism, got a new job, and blew the head gasket driving seven miles to training in 70° weather.

Life is harder if you are stupid.

Can you imagine how much trouble I would have saved had I replaced the radiator and fan two years ago?

I could only put my straightedge straight across the block, right in the middle, but I could not fit my .0015-inch shim anywhere underneath.

If this car has been overheating regularly for 2+ years, I absolutely do not believe that head is still flat.

If you even need to ask these questions you clearly should trust it to a pro: heads are finicky, and you won't want to tear down again.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by Xist

The center of the head was off 0.003 inches. I could only fit my straight edge down the center of the block, but I could not fit my 0.0015 shim under the straight edge.

The head is warped.

[Shaneajanderson]

Originally Posted by Xist

The head is warped.

Three thou seems pretty small to me, though I admit I'm not an expert on cylinder heads. In the world of machining though, a three thou flatness is pretty flat for most applications, especially involving a gasket that has some yield to it.

Maybe three thou is too much, someone with more knowledge of cylinder heads may chime in.

[Piotrsko]

Hence my comment about head gaskets.

3 thou on 24" is considered to be flat tolerances for a Cincinnati mill. You can probably move the head that much by hand. So you ignore the proper torque sequence and tighten the odd spot first.

Went back to the first post, missed the reason for disassembly. I saw where it was said the gasket was blown, but how was it diagnosed? Compression test or puking fluids or internet?

[Shaneajanderson]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Hence my comment about head gaskets.

3 thou on 24" is considered to be flat tolerances for a Cincinnati mill. You can probably move the head that much by hand. So you ignore the proper torque sequence and tighten the odd spot first.

Went back to the first post, missed the reason for disassembly. I saw where it was said the gasket was blown, but how was it diagnosed? Compression test or puking fluids or internet?

This is what I figured. Three thou is as good a flatness as you'll get on a surface that large with any milling process. A ground surface can usually hold sub one thou but even that would be tough over such a large area.

[Xist]

I tested the compression, noted an oil sheen in the radiator, and rented a combustion gas tester, which changed colors.

[redpoint5]

What if you just reassembled using a good gasket or 2, and followed the advice here to crank down the high points first?

[Xist]

I do not know, but I dropped off my head almost two days ago. It is probable they already started.

[Piotrsko]

If the old gasket looked ok, then there may be cracks. Hope they are doing clean & inspect.