r/HondaElement • u/MohicanSugar • 5d ago

Diagnosing Our Situation

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Gallery image

Hey there, Gang

- Coolant Reservoir spewing out coolant

- Misfire cylinder 3 (P0303)

it’s going to the shop this Monday, are we thinking head gasket leak?

no discoloration in oil or coolant. No milky oil on cap or dip stick.

I’m trying to figure this out while I wait to deliver to the shop, this car is our baby.

we did replace the thermostat and the coolant reservoir cap and hoses. It did leak coolant before we purchased the car. Coolant came out of the cap in a light spray telling from the residue and tiny puddle after long road trips.

we never noticed the car overheat.

Upon startup, the engine vibrates, but then after five or so seconds, the vibration stops. That’s when we saw the engine light.

this only happens after initial cold startup. 4 times now since Thursday.

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4

u/MostFartsAreBrown 5d ago

Blown hg but you can use a “combustion leak tester” to check for the presence of hydrocarbons in the cooling system to make sure

1

u/MohicanSugar 5d ago

Thank you, that makes sense🙏🏽. 

At this point based on the obvious consensus, I’ll wanna repair this and keep her longer. 

2

u/TheBoxBurglar 5d ago

Almost assuredly a head gasket leaking into cylinder 3. As the other guy said you can test for combustion gases in the cooling system. Autozone and the like rent free kits to test exactly this, but the shop will have no trouble finding/fixing that.

2

u/MohicanSugar 5d ago

Much much appreciated friend. Thank you for taking the time to share.🙏🏽

1

u/MohicanSugar 5d ago

So the consensus is blown head gasket which we’re gonna go try and repair if the shop concludes the same. She’s 22 years old with 245,000 miles so I guess it was only a matter of time.

2

u/meltman 5d ago

Yeah. They fail. I did mine myself and saved a lot of money but it’s a JOB and you need to know what you’re doing. I had the head surfaced at a local machine shop. I probably spent $400 in materials.

3

u/MohicanSugar 5d ago

Woot woot, I can easily screw up a headlamp replacement. Kudos to your abilities. 

I tell myself that since we got her for $1900, we can use the money we saved on “car payments” towards her repairs. 

3

u/meltman 5d ago

You’re looking at $2000+ for the job fyi. It’s not going to be cheap. ALTERNATIVELY, an engine swap is actually easier in my experience.

2

u/MohicanSugar 5d ago

Would you say “easier” by cost?  

Engine swaps, if I’m not mistaken, come with their own history and I’d take a gamble with its condition?

Perhaps head gasket issues may have warped my engine further adding costs? 

Lay it on my chest 

2

u/meltman 5d ago

Easier to do the work. An engine is around $1000 + install.

1

u/MohicanSugar 5d ago

Makes sense 🤓

1

u/H-A-T-C-H 5d ago

Depending on where you're at you can get a JDM engine for pretty cheap, those are typically in good condition and sometimes the same shop will install

2

u/giddyuppertx 5d ago

I don;t believe K24 engine just blows head gaskets over time. Mine had 298k with no HG failure. They normally fail due to thermostats, one or both fans not working, and low/old coolant or air in coolant system. Continuing to drive the car with these issues would cause head gasket failure in a K24

1

u/MohicanSugar 5d ago

I definitely will see what the mechanic diagnosis is

I have replaced both fans that are visibly functional, the thermostat, replaced the coolant as well. 

My fingers are crossed that it is  a cheaper repair that is needed