Shop Acura Head Gaskets

1987 acura legend 2.5 overheats, exhaust coming from radiator when hot, no smoke , no coolant in oil. I used K&W block/head gasket sealer in it, no difference. The fans turn on when a/c is on, but not when engine is hot. Is there a second sensor besides the temp sender that triggers the fans? I swapped all the relays around to be sure they are good, they all work. The car actually runs excellent, I just dont know how big of a job it is to change head gaskets.???

There would be a separate sensor for hot engine and some engines don't need the fans much depending on how it's driven and the temperature outside. If they really won't come on you'd notice the gauge reading warmer then too hot.

Head gasket job is cheap on parts and big on labor. Head really must be checked out for damage and there's a risk it can't be resurfaced for reuse or fixed. It's an old car now so a used one should be availble if needed and you should get some quotes and will probably be told two prices - one if it needs a head and one if it doesn't. See what you find and decide from there on this old a car and it's overall condition what you want to do,

T

I have a 1999 Acura 3.2 TL with 130,000 miles that I have kept meticulous care of and now want to sell it. I was showing it to a perspective buyer when the radiator hose came off during our test drive.
Yeah, during the test drive!!! Has this not happened, it would have been sold and gone. Anyway, it was the temp gage that gave the warning...no idiot light came on. I cannot be certain exactly how long it was running since the hose became disconnected, perhaps a mile or two, but it was not until we were pulling over that the engine started to knock. I reconnected the hose, got it filled with water, and it ran fine as I drove back to the house. I had the cooling system flushed and refilled with coolant the next day. The cooling system tested good with no leaks. The buyer was still interested but wanted to have their (dealer) mechanic inspect the car. Their mechanic ran a hydrocarbon test on the cooling system. This came back positive and they said it has a blown head gasket. There is no water in the oil, the coolant level remains full, and there is no loss of power. I ran a compression test this morning and got 230, 210, 230, 205, 225, & 230. While this appears consistent I am not sure what spec is for compression.
I still want to sell the vehicle but do not want to screw anybody. I can have the head gaskets replaced and recoup my money in the sale but I do not want to expend any more effort than is really necessary...and I am leary of dealers; they tend to be go overboard with repairs to maintain their integrity.
So the first question i have is: What is spec for compression on a 1999 Acura 3.2 TL?
The big question: Is it necessary to have the head gaskets replaced? Also, what is the risk of not replacing them? How long can it run like this?

Thanks for your help
~Ken

Well 1st off Ken I would like to commend you on the way you are going about this..... Most people wouldn't give it a second thought & just move on to the next unsuspecting buyer.... You're a decent person....

I don't have a maxium spec but minimun is 135 lbs with a 28lb max variation. Those readings actually seem a bit high but the cylinders could be carboned up & that would account for high readings...... The reading don't look too bad but that 205 is right on the edge..... I would hate to see you spend unnecessary money but a leakdown test on the suspected cylinders would confirm a bad head gasket. Also a pressure transducer & labscope would confirm that & be easier to run.

Is the car using any coolant? HCs are measured in "parts per million", did they say how many ppms there was?

You said you ran the compression test, if you have an air compressor you could run a leakdown test (sort of) youself. I would bring the low cylinder up on the compresson stroke & run air in there with the rad cap off (you may need someone to hold the crank pulley with a breaker bar to keep the engine from turning over), if you get bubbles or the level rises, then you are probably looking at a bad head gasket....

As far as the risks go, you really can't calculate it...... If the alledged leak stay the same as it is right now, not getting any worse, then there wouldn't be too much of a problem. (not likely if there is a leak) If the leak got big quickly & overheated the engine severly, you could risk ruining the whole motor............

Hope this helps some........

Thanks for the response.
It does not appear to be using any coolant but then again I really have not driven it much since their mechanic inspected it.
They did not report a ppm on the hydrocarbons. He said it was a "lithmus" test; the tab turns cooler in the presence of hydrocarbons. From what I gather this test can also be done with SMOG test equipment?
Since I do not have an air compressore or the proper fittings, I probably need to have another shop diagnose it.

Thanks again

That is one of 2 tests I place no value in..... The other is a block test..... A tube with blue liquid that will turn yellow when air from the cooling system is passed into it with exhaust gases in it....... The only time I've see those tests being accurate was when it was such an obvious blown head gasket you didn't need those test to confirm it. In cases like yours (early on) I've seen those tests pass cars & just the opposite, when there was no gasket problem get a false positive.

Exhaust gas analyzer, pressure transducer or leakdown test are the only sure ways I go by to detect a leaking head gasket in the early stages...........

Hmmm.Thanks, Sidom. I will start with the exhaust gas analyzer. Is there a particular ppm reading above which I should be concerned or is anything above 0 ppm bad?

HCs are raw/unburned fuel so the reading should be zero..............

A compression test isn't what you need here. Have an independent shop check it out for you. They can pressure test the cooling system or they can use an exhaust analyzer to sniff for hydrocarbons in the radiator.

Hello All,

Well, a buddy of mine has a 1993 accura Legend and the motor always overheats. BOOOOOHOOOOOO....

Now, being the friend that I am I told him that I would help......BOOOO Hooooooooo.....


OK, I thought it was a bad head gasket because it was overheating and seemed to run fine. I then
did a compression test on all six cylinders and here is what it said.

Cyl 1: 180 psi
Cyl 2: 180 psi
Cyl 3: 150 psi

Cyl 4: 179 psi
Cyl 5: 180 Psi
Cyl 6: 180 psi...

OK, Now I'm thinking, this is not a bad head gasket....

Could it just be a cooling problem that keeps the car overheating OR, should I do a Leak-Down Test........

P.s.: I did a "Block Test" with the test tube and the blue fluid that is supposed to turn yellow/green if there is exhaust in the radiator.....it was negative...no exhaust...


Anyone have the "end all " test for a bad head gasket.

the owner, brought the car to my house a couple of weeks ago after a short drive (10 miles "I guess") complaining that it was overheating.

I'm going to treat the problem as an "over heat" cooling problem until I find evidence to prove otherwise.
I'll:
pull the thermostat, test the water pump, run current to the fans, check for blockage in the heater core and the radiator........




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P.s. HammerTime:

The timing is adjustable on the pre-ODBII 1993 Acura Legends (Haynes manual), because it is listed as a cause--in the troubleshooting section--of engine overheating..................................Crazy......

Hi, recently with the last few months I was coming from North Carolina to Kentucky (600 some odd mile drive) and a little bit outside of Nashville, TN my car started smoking so I pulled off at a rest area

the water in the radiator was so hot that it was blowing it pure steam into the overflow the overflow was shaking like crazy because of the pressure being put on it I had to unscrew the cap for the overflow so it could blow all the steam out of the radiator

The cooling fans are working, thermostat is A ok replaced it 3 times, still doing it and the belts are OK my brother checked them for me

my dad says it is probably the head gaskets he works on cars a lot but hasn't got a chance to look at it at all yet

there isn't water coming out of the tailpipe, any leaks, nothing it's just like the water in the radiator is superheating and turning to pure steam and coming out of the overflow

it won't make it but about 5-10 miles before it starts doing it so I can't really drive it anywhere I had to have a tow track come tow it into kentucky

Any ideas what could be causing this? I don't really know much about cars
and also the only things different I did before the trip were add freon to the A/C (switched it over from old type to the new one) that's the only thing that was different

Hi - I'm here,

Let's get this cooling problem fixed first and hit back all you want with the A/C.

Sounds like you DO need a head gasket repair. Of many ways they can fail is to put exhaust into the cooling system. Test for that with a cold engine and feel the upper rad hose before you start it up. It should not build up pressure very quickly but is supposed to as it warms up.

OK: If you feel pressure too quickly you could take the rad cap off when safe to do so, then check for bubbles comming up. Those just strong indications of needing the head gasket and or head work to fix this. It's wicked not good for you engine to overheat so the sooner the better.

As said -- we'll take care of A/C later. If the engine doesn't run you can't have A/C, T

I have a 1997 Acura 2.2cl. 2.2 liter 4cyl, auto trans. Problem is the car was overheating at idle. I replace the electric cooling fan because it wasnt coming on. Also replaced the coolant fan switch. It was fine for a few days and then today started heating up again while sitting at a redlight. So I decided to replace the thermostat. Car did okay for a few minutes then started heating up while idling at a standstill. It got almost to the red before I shut it off. When I started it up again it was running real rough and a brief amount of white smoke came from the tailpipe, it also got hot again almost immediately, I shut it down and let it cool for a few minutes, then I removed the radiator cap and started it again. It ran very well at idle and even giving it a little gas it was fine, and did not heat up, but there was ALOT of steam coming from the radiator. I put the cap back on while it was running and it immediately strted running rough and blowing white smoke from the tailpipe, and getting warm fast. What do you think? I have my suspicions, but want a second opinion. Thanks in advance for any response.

Sounds like a blown head gasket or cracked head. When you remove the radiator cap you allow the cooling system pressure to come out the top instead of through small crack or failed gasket. Sorry