B16, B18, B20
By Squirrelman91
#337333 I bought a brand new head and had the block checked
By bks84
#337349 Still doesnt mean you didnt screw something up putting it back together... Point is, you shouldnt have steam coming out.
By Squirrelman91
#337355 Ok what are some ways that I can double check to make sure its a headgasket?
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By PirateEG
#337378 First it might be as simple as loose bolts. It is ALWAYS a good idea after doing any mod to re torque the bolts after a few days. things can move about and vibrate loose.

so I would check for any leaks around the car and even just on the block.
retorque your head bolts

As for the steam, do you have coolant in the reservoir? is the cooling system properly bleed? if you have air pockets in the cooling system they will be near the thermostat housing making the sensor useless.
By Squirrelman91
#337554 I just retorqued the head bolts they were a little loose whats the best way to bleed the cooling system?
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By PirateEG
#337555 http://youtu.be/zUpXgAJ1gjU?t=1m15s
Eric The Car Guy's detailed how-to

How I did it, as I did not have a bleeder bolt on my B16A2.

was actually a lot easier.

You will need a funnel or something similar, I used a gravity feed use once paint gun container... had a pack of 10, figured what the hell.

Anyway,
1. Fill the radiator to the top, THE TOP!! at first just let a little over flow a bit, better to be too full then having it run low and get any more air into the system. Also, fill the reservoir to the max line.

2. start the car and let it idle.

3. as the system pulls coolant into the system stand there and keep filling the radiator. some bubbles will appear and some coolant will go into the system, just keep it full.

4. when the system is starting to get warm (coolant will start "expanding" and coming out the top of the radiator) put on the cap. At this point you will force out some of the coolant, but this is okay.

5. let the system warm up until the radiator fan comes on... twice.

6. shut off the car and let it completely cool, couple hours/overnight whatever.

7. check the levels in the reservoir and rad. essentially and this point you should be done. make sure reservoir is at max and the rad is full so again when you put the cap on a little coolant comes out.

8. start the car, let it idle so again the rad fan comes on twice. at this point you know you do not have any air pockets because the fan is coming on.

9. again you can shut down the engine and let it cool and check again if you like. For me, I just like making sure the bleed is COMPLETE and check it off my mental check list.

10. Engage VTEC YO!


PS. I used Honda coolant... mainly cuz it is a cool blue with green hue.
And 1 bottle of 50/50 was enough to do an entire flush. Have a little bit left over, so no worries about wasting coolant or running out.
By Squirrelman91
#337557 I just retorqued the head bolts they were a little loose whats the best way to bleed the cooling system?