Does this sound like a blown head gasket?

[rossisalvage]

AHHH the problems continue. Finally fixed my fuel pump on my 363whp stock block h22. Now I am overheating. It started on my trip to honda day, after 30 min of highway driving the temp gauge went up 3/4 the way and check engine light went on. I shut it off, let the fan run and it cooled down. Went another 30 min same thing. Went another 30 min then got stuck in traffic for 1 hour 30 min, just ideling basically....didn't overheat once. I hit full boost yesterday, the temp gauge spiked right after and check engine light went on. Heres a summary lol

When I idle and cruise around town temps are great. When im on the highway at 3 thousand rpms, or boosting hard it overheats.

Coolant has a slight oil slick....small film...not like a milkshake, but just like a drop or so of oil or fuel has gotten in the system

Fan runs, both hoses are the same temp.

Let me know what you guys think!

[JoshM]

How's your thermostat? Kind of sounds like the issue I had. It was fine as could be just cruising around time, but would spike if I was on the interstate, going up hills, or anything that really "pushed" the motor.

[accordztech]

Bleed your cooling system first. Also backwash your radiator

[rossisalvage]

How's your thermostat? Kind of sounds like the issue I had. It was fine as could be just cruising around time, but would spike if I was on the interstate, going up hills, or anything that really "pushed" the motor.

Im assuming its good, I mean both hoses are the same temp, it warms up fine. The thing is the car didn't do this on the dyno last week, its a problem that developed now that I am driving it harder. Any other signs to look for a bad thermostat?

Bleed your cooling system first. Also backwash your radiator

I bleed the system real good but I am going to defiently try again.

[SOHC-FTW]

Leak down an compression test it or have it done by someone else.

[accordztech]

Leak down an compression test it or have it done by someone else.

A leak down or compression test doesn't always find a head gasket issue.

[rossisalvage]

Basically I am thinking that the head is lifting under boost and causing exhaust gases to heat up the coolant passages. I would assume if the termostat was bad it would overheat all the time and the hoses would be different temperatures when this happened. This is just what I have read so far from other threads with similar problems. And why would an air pocket cause this only to happen when im on the highway or boosting hard? Not idleing or cruising around town? Idk just some thoughts I figured I would throw out there

[accordztech]

Basically I am thinking that the head is lifting under boost and causing exhaust gases to heat up the coolant passages. I would assume if the termostat was bad it would overheat all the time and the hoses would be different temperatures when this happened. This is just what I have read so far from other threads with similar problems. And why would an air pocket cause this only to happen when im on the highway or boosting hard? Not idleing or cruising around town? Idk just some thoughts I figured I would throw out there

You can feel for the thermostat. But if you keep getting air it is the head gasket

[toycar]

A leak down or compression test doesn't always find a head gasket issue.

A compression/leak down wont always show you a bad gasket, persay. Theres more then one reason why you dont have compression is what Im saying. If your compression is bad, its related to the combustion chamber. Once you establish the compression is bad, then the task is to figure out why; bad/stuck valve, blown piston ring, bad head gasket, warped head, broken rods etc...

But, if you have good compression your gasket is good 99/100 times.


What else is going on? Theres got to be more to the story. Have you measured the concentration in your coolant?

Do you know for sure that the thermostat is opening? Have you considered buying one that opens sooner? Is it possibly getting stuck open? I know stuck open usually means the car wont warm up, but if your mix was shitty, and the thermostat was stuck open you would have similar symptoms.

Are you running lean at all when this happens?

i had a vac leak once that caused me to run lean and spiked my EGT's causing the overheating.

Are you building boost steadily or does it jump around until you get to full boost?

What kind of intercooler are you running?

Are you logging intake charge temps, and if so where are they at? Side note; considered methanol injection?

What are your EGT's currently?
^^^^

Knowing the temps that are going in/out will help us figure out if its in the timing/tune. (The overheating issue)

Your tune could be good in terms of air/fuel, but if theres too much timing being thrown at it under boost that could be creating higher EGT's... Do you know how much timing is being thrown at the motor under full boost?

You mentioned the CEL is on, what code is it throwing?

[rossisalvage]

A compression/leak down wont always show you a bad gasket, persay. Theres more then one reason why you dont have compression is what Im saying. If your compression is bad, its related to the combustion chamber. Once you establish the compression is bad, then the task is to figure out why; bad/stuck valve, blown piston ring, bad head gasket, warped head, broken rods etc...

But, if you have good compression your gasket is good 99/100 times.


What else is going on? Theres got to be more to the story. Have you measured the concentration in your coolant?

Do you know for sure that the thermostat is opening? Have you considered buying one that opens sooner? Is it possibly getting stuck open? I know stuck open usually means the car wont warm up, but if your mix was shitty, and the thermostat was stuck open you would have similar symptoms.

Are you running lean at all when this happens?

i had a vac leak once that caused me to run lean and spiked my EGT's causing the overheating.

Are you building boost steadily or does it jump around until you get to full boost?

What kind of intercooler are you running?

Are you logging intake charge temps, and if so where are they at? Side note; considered methanol injection?

What are your EGT's currently?
^^^^

Knowing the temps that are going in/out will help us figure out if its in the timing/tune. (The overheating issue)

Your tune could be good in terms of air/fuel, but if theres too much timing being thrown at it under boost that could be creating higher EGT's... Do you know how much timing is being thrown at the motor under full boost?

You mentioned the CEL is on, what code is it throwing?

The coolant is brand new 50/50. I know for sure that the termostat is opening, both hoses get to the same temp. Last night I drove it for 45 min under 3500 rpms, barely boosting and I was fine. The min I do a second and third gear pull I overheated.

I am not running lean at all, im on the rich side and the timing is pulled. Boost builds steadily and smoothly.

I am running a godspeed stage 3 srt4 big boy intercooler. Its HUGE and my charge pipe into the turbo is always cool/slightly warm even when I am overheating.

I don't know my EGTs now. I think my tuner said the timing is retarded 2 or 3 degrees and im running on the rich side right now. Afte the 363 pull I asked him to tune it down alittle for the streets, so he pulled some timing, ran some more fuel in it, and lowered the boost to 11psi.

The cell I am getting is 11 which is hondata code for overheating. I am going to do a hydrocarbon test on my coolant system to test for a headgasket leak. Thats all I can really think of right now unless you have some other ideas? Thanks

Oh and there is no coolant in the oil/oil in the coolant. That slick is like completly gone, might have been from my funnel or something

[toycar]

How rich are you running? Read up on running rich in relation to over heating, I'm on my phone so I gotta keep it short.

When you overheat, have you visually looked at your turbo/manifold? Is it red hot, like glowing hot? If it is, your running way to rich.

When this happens, some of the fuel won't burn until it leaves the cylinder-creating a ton of heat, possibly creating your issue.

I'm gonna ask around the dsm crowd and see if anyone else has any suggestions.....

[accordztech]

So the question remains, have you done any of the things we mentioned?