I have a 04 accord ex coupe with a bad head gasket. Does anyone have any write up on how to change it yourself. 3.0 v6 engine

thx in advance

 

How do you know you have a bad head gasket, and do you know which head has the alleged bad gasket?

 

The simple write up is remove the intake and all hoses and electrical associated with the heads. Then remove the timing belt as it is easiest, the remove the valve covers, then remove the cam shafts and then remove the heads. Clean, inspect to see if they are warped and then install following torque specs and sequences.

Before doing anything you need to verify that it is the gasket and not a valve if you have poor compression on a cylinder as a valve can bee the cause and it is all but impossible to test for that after the head has been removed.

 

I have oil and coolant mixing together as well as overheating, brought it to the shop and they told me it was a bad head gasket, they did not specify which one they just started quoting ridiculous prices so I just drove it home.

 

Right off, you have two heads on your engine and there is a good possibility *if* you have a head gasket issue, it will be confined to only one head.

I'm thinking your next step is to have a cylinder leak down test performed; if nothing else, that should help you determine if you have a leaking head gasket as well as which head is involved (assuming any leak which might be found is isolated to only one head).

Keep in mind, the issue could also be a cracked head or even a cracked block.

 

Check the dip stick and see if there is water in the oil. If not then it may be that the radiator has failed internally which will mix transmission fluid with the coolant and can cause over heating. If it is engine oil and coolant then the head gasket(s) are the likely cause.

 

Shippo has the right info for you to follow..

Props to Shippo

 

Leak down tests don't always determine if it is the head gasket, BUT in the case that there is oil in the coolant there should be bubbles in the coolant funnel when a cylinder is pressurized. I like to use a leak down to determine if there is a bad valve seat as you can hear it hissing on either the intake or exhaust side.

A simple radiator funnel attached with coolant in it, running the car to operating temp and letting it run will tell the story if it is a bad gasket. You will see continual bubbles in the coolant in the funnel while the car is running indicating a bad gasket.

Also check the transmission for coolant in the fluid. I have had a few cars where the internal portion of the radiator fails creating this problem. This is rare on Honda's but not unheard of, much more common on Toyota's...