I have a 86 Honda Accord LX Carb. with 173k miles. The car is in good shape, other than the engine, and loaded.

About 2 months ago I was on the road when the radiator blew a hole in the top of it about the size of a quarter and the engine overheated. I had it towed to my house so i could repair it. I first replaced the radiator and water pump thinking that was it. When I attempted to start it coolant poured out under the intake manifold.

I then replaced the head gasket and all gaskets it took to get the head gasket off. Still it would not start. I tried pulling out the spark plugs and turning the engine over. When I did that coolant started spitting out of the spark plug holes.

With my newborn son now here, I have ran out of time to work on this car. I have never taken my vehicale to a mechanic to get work done. I have always done it myself. I called a local mechanic in town and told him the same thing I just wrote. He is saying that the head needs to be refaced. He also said that I will most likely keep having problems with gasket including the rear main seal because the vehicale overheated and that I should get an engine from the junk yard and have him put it in for me. He said it would cost me $250-$300 for him to take the head off and get it refaced and around $400-$500 to get the engine replaced.

What do you think I did wrong? Is the mechanic right about the head needing to be refaced? Should I just get a junk yard engine?

 

That is a tough call. Coolant, or any liquid, getting into the cylinders could have caused engine damage.

The only way coolant can get into the cylinder is through a bad seal between the head and the engine. Also a crack in the cylinder head could cause this.

It is always advised by members on here to get the cylinder head milled so it is perfectly flat when replacing the head gasket. Especially since you car overheated, because the heat can cause it to warp. How long did the car overheat?

The prices you are getting quoted are very reasonable IMO. You can call some auto machine shops to find out what they charge to mill and inspect the cylinder head if money is an issue.

Did you use a torque wrench to tighten down the cylinder head?

 

I did not use a torch wrench. Should I get one and try that first? What about the seals? Do you think they will go bad down the road?

 

If you are not leaking oil, then I think that you are ok with the oil seals.

Definitely get a torque wrench, or rent one. The bolts on the cylinder head should get tightened in a specific order and all should have the same torque to hold down the cylinder head evenly.

I would suggest downloading an 86 shop manual from the spooner link in the Online Manuals thread in the DIY section to find out the torque setting and the proper tightening order.