Earle Horton wrote:
> "jim beam" <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote in message
> news:r9udnec6NYL4_hDbnZ2dnUVZ_oGlnZ2d@speakeasy.ne t...
>> imblest11@gmail.com wrote:
>>> On Jul 5, 3:12 pm, "Earle Horton" <el_anglo_burg...@usa.com> wrote:
>>>> Lots of things. Is the fan coming on? Do you see a leak? Is there
> coolant
>>>> at the tail end of the exhaust pipe? If there is a leak, and you let
> it get
>>>> low enough, the "boiling" now could be the cooling system getting rid
> of
>>>> vestiges of air from the engine. Carry a jug of Honda Genuine coolant,
> and
>>>> if the level in the overflow tank goes down more, then you might have a
>>>> leak. If you ever over heated the engine, you might have a head gasket
>>>> leak.
>>>>
>>>> Saludos cordiales,
>>>>
>>>> Earle
>>>>
>>>> <imbles...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>
>>>> news:1183660801.144000.79620@n60g2000hse.googlegro ups.com...
>>>>
>>>>> I have a 95 Honda Accord. Whenever we let it idle or drive for a while
>>>>> afterward there is a boiling sound from the radiator overflow tank. At
>>>>> first we thought it was just low so we filled it to the max and then
>>>>> let it suck up whatever it needed and then refilled it. Now, it seems
>>>>> to be at an adequate level but it's still boiling. The weird thing is
>>>>> that the temperature gauge in the dash doesn't seem to register the
>>>>> heat. It doesn't seem to be moving at all. We just had a friend
>>>>> replace the thermostat like we thought the problem was from
>>>>> originally, but that didn't seem to do the trick. Does anyone know
>>>>> what the problem could be?
>>>> --
>>>> Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com
>>> The fans weren't coming on until we refilled it. Then it seemed like
>>> only one of them was coming on. We didn't see any leaks though. We are
>>> now thinking that maybe when we changed the thermostat that air got
>>> into line and it is trying to get all that out. So I'm going to watch
>>> for coolant in exhaust pipe and see if it stops "boiling" . If not
>>> then I think it may be a head gasket which would not be good.
>>>
>> the expansion tank doesn't "boil", it's gas from a leaking head gasket
>> getting into the coolant and bubbling through to the only possible exit,
>> the expansion tank. coolant in the exhaust is only a late stage symptom.
>>
>> sorry about the bad news, but you need to get this fixed right away
>> before damage to the head or block occurs. confirm with a hydrocarbon
>> chemical test of coolant fluid if you wish to be sure. but head gasket
>> is a 99.999% certainty.
>>
>> if price is a factor, suggest you look into the cost of repair vs.
>> replacement of the motor. many head gasket repairs are not done well
>> and engines tend not to last well after surgery. it'll cost you $450 -
>> $600 for a low mileage used motor from japan - and labor to swap is less
>> than all the work necessary to do the gasket.
>
> To add just a little, head gasket is moderately easy to replace, but
> evaluating the head for damage is the tough part.

kinda. it's relatively easy to check for warping. cracking is a little
harder, but not likely. the biggest problem is shops routinely skimming
heads when they don't need it, using abrasives, and then acting all
"surprised" when the motor's shot 9 months later.

> That is why Jim is
> recommending the used engine from Japan.
>
> If you do the labor yourself

if you're doing it yourself, and not pricing the time, it's cheap. but
you need to know what you're doing, need to have a few special tools.
with the honda, it's an 8 hour job if you're doing it carefully, and a
huge chunk of that is just the clean-up before reassembly. in the old
days where it's just a pushrod cast iron head/block, it's a breeze. you
can use a blunt scraper to clean the head/block and get it done in a
couple of hours at the most. once you get into the alloy head/block
thing, it's very time consuming with careful cleanup, overhead cam, cam
timing, etc., it gets to be a pita.

> or in exchange for beer, then it wouldn't be so
> bad to replace the gasket hoping it would fix things. But if you are paying
> a commercial garage rate, you can burn through the cash pretty fast, and
> still wind up with problems.

yes indeed.