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Headgasket????

863 views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  dragman99 
#1 ·
Ok here's the prob. I have low compression across the board, I'm constantly blowin white smoke, hard starts(probably due to comp. being too low). Car runs, but hesitates until it's warmed up, then doesn't hestitate AS much.

Does this sound like a head gasket? I've had one guy tell me that it's my rings, one guys says it's my valve guides and now one guys says it's my headgasket.

Obviously headgasket is the cheapest fix, so I'm trying to eliminate the other possiblilities, some one gimme some more insight.
Thanks :beer:
 
#3 ·
Thats what I was thinking too, no bluish smoke, so rings should be good. I haven't looked at my coolant yet. I had someone pull up next to me and tell me that I was burning oil. But the reason they smell that, is b/c all the crank case pressure building up is blowing oil out of my breather filter on my valve cover and that oil is burning off my motor. So it smells like burnt oil, but the smoke is all white. I'll take a look at my coolant ASAP.
 
G
#4 ·
Yeah that diffently doesn't sound like valve stem seals,Usually when the valve stem seals are leaking you will burn some oil on start up(blue smoke) and then it will go away...in other words will not smoke the whole time you are driving. Yeah go check your coolant and see if your low or anything..Does sound like a headgasket to me.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the help:TU:
 
#6 ·
MATTXR250R said:
Yeah that diffently doesn't sound like valve stem seals,Usually when the valve stem seals are leaking you will burn some oil on start up(blue smoke) and then it will go away...in other words will not smoke the whole time you are driving. Yeah go check your coolant and see if your low or anything..Does sound like a headgasket to me.

In some cases, it will go away after start up. However, I've seen two bad heads, both with bad valve steam seals. Whoa is all I have to say. The whole rear end was covered from all the smoke.

As for whether or not it's your head gasket, it's possible. Check the coolant, and you will know. Also, check you oil. If you oil seems a little "soupie"/thinner than normal or have a weird tint to it...then oh yes, you have a headgasket out to get you.

Best of luck
 
#8 ·
*hangs head*...it'll be done this weekend if it's just the headgasket...:TU: can't wait!!!
 
#9 ·
Street2uned said:
Thats what I was thinking too, no bluish smoke, so rings should be good. I haven't looked at my coolant yet. I had someone pull up next to me and tell me that I was burning oil. But the reason they smell that, is b/c all the crank case pressure building up is blowing oil out of my breather filter on my valve cover and that oil is burning off my motor. So it smells like burnt oil, but the smoke is all white. I'll take a look at my coolant ASAP.

this crank case problem is piston rings. what's happening is your getting compression in your oil pan and it has no where else to go except out the vent in the valve cover. it might not happen on short trips but it takes time for it to build up and release. your problem is the rings. the loaner accord at the shop i work at is doing the same thing. it doesn't smoke really after it warms up or anything. also, your car will hesitate when the rings are bad. most of the time at idle. trust me, the rings are your problem.
 
#10 ·
i dunno...it blows white smoke all the time...
 
#11 ·
well, we can narrow that down too. if it blows white smoke all the time and it's the headgasket, then that means your blowing water out the exhaust and your car would have overheated by now and lost all compression and wouldn't start. could be a bad catalyst. more than likely it's oil. do you put much oil in it? has the oil light come on ever? i'm sure that it hasn't b/c i'm sure after you discovered it blowing out the valve cover that you've been checking regularly b/c it's pretty obvious the way it smells and smokes under the hood after it happens.

sorry for being so redundant in the first post i made. to me it's obvious what's going on.
 
#12 ·
it hasn't overheated b/c when it did it, I stopped driving it. Yes, when I noticed the oil loss, I kept the oil levels up when necessary. It smells and smokes under the hood b/c I have a breather filter on my valve cover and the oil likes to take the path of least resistance, so when it blows out of that, it burns off the motor and makes smoke and smells like it.

No offense taken, it's very possible that it's the rings, but do ALL of them normally go at once? I'm hoping it's just the headgasket right now, but I'm prepared if it's more:(
 
#14 ·
dragman99 said:
this crank case problem is piston rings. what's happening is your getting compression in your oil pan and it has no where else to go except out the vent in the valve cover. it might not happen on short trips but it takes time for it to build up and release. your problem is the rings. the loaner accord at the shop i work at is doing the same thing. it doesn't smoke really after it warms up or anything. also, your car will hesitate when the rings are bad. most of the time at idle. trust me, the rings are your problem.
It's not necessarily the piston rings, although the blowby is definitely going past them. Most likely cause is no turbo-friendly PCV system installed. You really need to run the factory PCV valve to the turbo intake with a catch can installed - this should solve the "blowing oil out the breather" problem.
 
#15 ·
My 2nd ej1 blew white smoke like that...and it was a blown headgasket! Hope you get it all worked out...and keep us updated! :)
 
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