So now you've got a rough engine and maybe some tapping noises... life sucks in the fast lane sometimes doesn't it? But... what do you do about it? You must have a quote for $600 to state that amount and hopefully, your lesson would be learned... the head would be fixed and you can hit that VTEC with fresh oil this time. Answered... done deal.
Or...
You can see if you can unstick the valve by cleaning up the inside of that engine. I've heard of racers draining the oil from the engine and refilling it with KEROSENE which is an oil based product. They add one quart more than the system calls for and they DON'T CHANGE THE OIL FILTER. Your engine will have enough oil coating the parts and in the oil filter to supplement the oil based kerosene to protect it from damage while merely idling. Of course you can opt for any number of store bought motor flushes and follow the instructions on the can as well. At least you won't feel like you are hurting anything since some firm is dictating what to do and not some stranger on yahoo answers.
When you are confident the motor is clean, change the oil and filter add some Kreen to the oil (www.kanolabs.com) and run it. You will have to hope and pray that a good internal cleaning will free up your stuck valve and your problem become a thing of the past. Otherwise, you are into some head work.
One of the simplest answers for head work is to bring the head in and swap it for another that has already been rebuilt. You'll have to investigate a source on your own... I just don't have the time right now. The timing belt will have to come off to do it so you might as well replace that as well. disassembling the head to get the valve out is not hard but requires some specialized tools to compress valve springs etc. Changing the head gasket is one of the easier things to do once the head is off but you must make absolutely sure the block surface and the head surface are flat and clean. Otherwise, you will simply blow the head gasket not long after finishing such a project. Resurfacing the block or the head takes a machine shop... good luck getting the engine block to the machine shop with the head off.
If you do decide to fix it yourself, you will need to buy the service manual from www.helminc.com before you start and you will need to know which valve is causing your problem. For that, you will need to do a compression check... the problem cylinder should show up with lower compression than the others.
If it were me, I would do the cleaning routine and start saving my money for $600 to let a pro handle the job... a cheap alternative in the long or even in the short run.
Good luck!How do I figure out what the problem is, how do I fix it, and how do i change a head gasket.?Honda engines are made with very small tolerances (especially valves %26amp; cylinder heads), which helps in the performance, but makes working on it more critical
do yourself a favor and have an expert do it; you could do it, but if you screw it up, it'll cost much more than $600How do I figure out what the problem is, how do I fix it, and how do i change a head gasket.?How do you know a valve is sticking?
Changing a head gasket isn't that bad, if you have done work like this before. Is this a 4 banger or V6? The four will be much easier.
This would be a good time to change the timing belt and the water pump, if it's got a lot of miles on it.
Some people have success using seafoam in their engines. I am living in Germany so I don't know that much about the stuff.How do I figure out what the problem is, how do I fix it, and how do i change a head gasket.?Don't try this one at home. If 600.00 is all they are asking to fix it pay it so you can drive. Many people try the do it yourself approach and end up bring it in in peiced to be repaired. Which will cost you up to twice as much to fix your own mistake.How do I figure out what the problem is, how do I fix it, and how do i change a head gasket.?if you have the time and the proper space,tools and money, do it with your buddy.go to a honda/acura dealership,buy a shop manual(the ones the techs use) and have funHow do I figure out what the problem is, how do I fix it, and how do i change a head gasket.?you MAYBE able to take the valve cover off and just bump the engen over and see what valve is sticking if it is possible to free it up by TAPPING not hammering on it then you know its not sezed up but if its sezed up the timing will eventualy get messed up is it a VTEC?
