"Greyjaei" <greyjaei@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1158893919.785977.61770@i42g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
> Car info:
> 92 Honda Civic DX
> 340k(engine rebuilt at 300k)
>
> About a week ago my engine troubles started.
> Was driving home when the engine temperature shot up, checked the
> coolant and there was none there.
> Refilled it, took it to a mechanic friend, he said the Thermostat
> wasn't working, which was resulting in the coolant being boiled off.
> Seemed reasonable, changed that, coolant hasn't been dissappearing much
> or at all since then. (timing belt is going, can't drive it around much
> to check)
> WAS going to get the belt changed, but the mechanic at the place I took
> it to was pretty convinced I had a blown head gasket or cracked head.
> All he did was take off the valve cover, didn't do any compression
> tests etc.
>
> There seems to be no coolant in the oil pan, and no oil in the coolant.
> But the inside of the valve cover is covered in this brown sludge.
>
> I'm not sure what to do.
> Is it definitally a blown head gasket/cracked head?
> Could that brown sludge have formed inside the valve cover any other
> way?
>
> Not really willing to dish out the 1500 to repair the head gasket right
> now, or the 3000 to repair the head. Want to be sure of where I go from
> here and would appreciate any opinons. The car is a really nice ride
> and I'll be sorry to see it go.
>
> Here are a couple pictures of the valve cover and lifters etc
> http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e15/Greyjaei/2.jpg
> http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e15/Greyjaei/1.jpg
>

See my response to Hendersauce's post, "Need some DIY input to replace a
headgasket on my 93' Civic DX" earlier today.

The sludge is mostly the result of too much time between oil changes - see
http://tegger.com/hondafaq/sludge/index.html

I'm not sure I understand why the mechanic removed the valve cover if he
suspected a head gasket or head problem.

Mike