YACT: engine "puffs" like 3 times before running correctly...

[zixxer]

Okay.. when you hit the gas (and this seems to happen at just about any rpm below 3kish..) the engine seems like it sort of "puffs" like 3 times... then it's completely fine..

Supposedly it has a blown head gasket. I'm not so sure... it doesn't blow ANY smoke, it seemed a little low on antifreeze.. but the oil looks good (from the dipstick at least..) so if it's blown then it's from an oil to water passage.


Can this 'puffing' be an indication of a blown head gasket, or something else? I replaced the pcv valve and it seemed to help, but it didn't go away completely.

this is a 91 integra. (honda. bleh.)

 

[oniq]

Like... Puff puff Puff?

 

[LAUST]

it's not a blown head gasket thats for sure, you would know that one and so would your oil

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: LAUST
it's not a blown head gasket thats for sure, you would know that one and so would your oil

what do you mean so would your oil?

I haven't actually drained the oil.. i just pulled the dipstick out.

it sounds like it's missing. im gonna change plugs, wires, cap, rotor tommorow and see if that helps.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: se7enty7

Originally posted by: LAUST
it's not a blown head gasket thats for sure, you would know that one and so would your oil

what do you mean so would your oil?

I haven't actually drained the oil.. i just pulled the dipstick out.

it sounds like it's missing. im gonna change plugs, wires, cap, rotor tommorow and see if that helps.

Look at the fill cap, does it look like gooey chocolate?

If it's going into the cylinder, you'll notice white smoke. I don't think you have a blown headgasket just based on the symptom you describe.

My bet would be a failing sensor and/or vacuum problems.

 

[Eli]

DP... :|

 

[Heisenberg]

Originally posted by: se7enty7

Originally posted by: LAUST
it's not a blown head gasket thats for sure, you would know that one and so would your oil

what do you mean so would your oil?

I haven't actually drained the oil.. i just pulled the dipstick out.

it sounds like it's missing. im gonna change plugs, wires, cap, rotor tommorow and see if that helps.

I would try to narrow it down a little before just throwing parts at it.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg

Originally posted by: se7enty7

Originally posted by: LAUST
it's not a blown head gasket thats for sure, you would know that one and so would your oil

what do you mean so would your oil?

I haven't actually drained the oil.. i just pulled the dipstick out.

it sounds like it's missing. im gonna change plugs, wires, cap, rotor tommorow and see if that helps.

I would try to narrow it down a little before just throwing parts at it.

Well.. If those things haven't been done in a while, it isn't going to hurt. Just consider it a tune up.

You may as well change the oil while you're at it.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Eli
My bet would be a failing sensor and/or vacuum problems.

I concur. I had this same problem just before I sold my old Accord (1988, 2.0 litre PGM-FI). Replaced the distributor and the PCV valve and things got right again.

ZV

 

[zixxer]

also... fyi.. this little integra is fairly peppy ... i was quite suprised.

 

[Quixfire]

Why don't you believe the previous owner's mechanic? He said it had a bad headgasket and you expect people on an internet forum will tell you otherwise based on a puffing noise when engine is under load.

 

[Placer14]

wouldn't a bad head gasket cause the engine not to retain pressure, thus, die?

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Placer14
wouldn't a bad head gasket cause the engine not to retain pressure, thus, die?

Not necessarily. Most of the time when a headgasket goes, it's just one segment, allowing coolant into the cylinders. Since most engines will run on 3, 5 or 7 cylinders, you have to look for the symptoms..

But the engine will generally run like sh!t, yeah.. unless it's really bad.. like you've lost 2 or more cylinders.

 

[iamwiz82]

There are any number of things that'll happen when your blow a head gasket.

Common symptoms:
- Foaming, bubbling, or "gargling" in the radiator.
- Rapid pressure buildup in your cooling system, before the engine has warmed up.
- Some have even reported coolant overflowing from the reservoir bottle because of the pressure.

All these above mentioned symptoms could also be a cracked head. Either way, the head must come off, the gasket replaced, and the head inspected for cracks. At the same time, check both mating surfaces for flatness before putting on a new gasket so you don't have to repeat the job.

Other symptoms of a blown head gasket include:
- White smoke coming from the tailpipe, sometimes intermittently.
- Water in the oil. When they mix, the oil gets a chocolate milkshake appearance.
- Oil in the coolant.
- Cylinder pressure low when using either the wet or dry compression method.
- Cooling system will not hold pressure when statically pressurized.

Look for any combination of these symptoms to diagnose a bad head gasket.

One curious observation of mine, when a person describes their engine problems, and it looks like a blown head gasket, often they mention that the car just had a new radiator put in, or new cooling fan, or some other repair history that suggests the car was constantly overheating.

If you had white smoke coming from the tailpipe and your head gasket was bad, chances are the O2 sensor may have been poisoned at the same time. Expect to have problems with it. It may need to be replaced.

My guess is that your O2 sensor(s) was(were) killed at the same time.

EDIT: When mine died, the pressure built up to the point that coolant/oil were dumping out of the coolant overflow. It still ran, though. I didnt even know anything was wrong until i saw 1-2 quarts of chocolate milk under the passenger side of the engine compartment.

 

[zixxer]

well...

last night I changed the plugs, cap, and rotor.. it runs great!! When at idle it wavers *ever* so slightly.. but I think that can be fixed by tracing down some minute vacuum leak.



I don't trust the guys mechanic (the DEALER) because they have ripped him off over and over and over. his timing belt was changed every 30k. The last thing to check to make sure the gasket isn't blown is to change the oil and see if it's milky. Theres no crap in the radiator, doesn't blow ANY smoke at all.. runs perfect.

He took it to them when it started running rough. They said it was his head gasket. It really just needed a tune up. It's hard to trust a mechanic that cannot identify a car needs a tuneup.

 

[Quixfire]

Well if you so freaking smart why don't you solve the problem yourself. Do you think we have a crystal ball and know exactly what is wrong with your car with your lame descriptions? Do you think that we are just leading you along so you do change your headgasket so we can all laugh at you once it's done and then tell you all it needed was a hose clamp or tightening a nut?

You talk about how you can repair your own car, but don't have the common sense to do you own diagnosis.

I now see why Roger has taken a sabbatical from this forum.

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: Quixfire
Well if you so freaking smart why don't you solve the problem yourself. Do you think we have a crystal ball and know exactly what is wrong with your car with your lame descriptions? Do you think that we are just leading you along so you do change your headgasket so we can all laugh at you once it's done and then tell you all it needed was a hose clamp or tightening a nut?

You talk about how you can repair your own car, but don't have the common sense to do you own diagnosis.

I now see why Roger has taken a sabbatical from this forum.

Thanks for the help...

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

No one suggested this soooo. Most auto parts stores sell a kit to test the coolant for byproducts of combustion. If it tests positive your looking at a head gasket. One thing I have always done when changing timing belts at 80k is to re torque the cylinder head, its not a guarantee but a step in the right direction. You say your using a little coolant and no apparent leaks, its going somewhere...I have heard high pressure chirps on diesels and air cooled gas engines cylinder heads.but to this date never on a w/c automotive engine. Usually after a brief warm up it goes away[the sound that is], but the problem will remain.
Test it..To be sure.......

 

[zixxer]

 

[tweakmm]

Originally posted by: oniq
Like... Puff puff Puff?

It's puff puff PASS man

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

The test kits are real cheep. Like $10. Generally a weak head gasket will fail under high loads and cause instant overheating because the waterjacket will have a mix of air and coolent=very poor heat transfer. If cought early a retorque can do the trick. Its not hard to do. Test it first..

 

[zixxer]

i dunno. i've been driving this thing for like 4 days now. I have beat it to death trying to make it overheat or show SOME indication (smoke from exhaust) and have found none. It also appears to lose no coolant.

I'm gonna go tommorow and buy one of those coolant testing things.

What would cause an engine to loose coolant once and never ever again??? A temporarily stuck thermostat, thus overheating and overfilling the overfill bottle.. or something..?

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

If it does test negative. The head gasket could still be seeping at the edge only down the side off the block, an old Isuzu pu I had did this.
The cooling system can be pressure tested to see how long it will hold it and look for leaks.
The most over looked part of automotive cooling systems is the radiator cap. Is the rubber good? Does the little center valve of the cap drop down easily, this lets coolant return to the radiator at cool down. Is the hose integrity good between the radiator and recovery tank?
Is the seat area for the radiator cap clean? Yes a sticking thermostat could cause a intermittent overheat condition and loss of some coolant. As would an electric fan that does not kick in properly...This INtegra has an electric fan does it not? Is it cycling properly?
Just let it idle when you get home from a drive and it should turn on long before it over heats. Sometimes there is an air pocket in the system. Like someone fills the system and fails to turn the heater on, purging it of any trapped air.
If you change the t-stat. make sure it has a tiny hole in it, the good ones really do come this way, this is to let the air out of the cooling system on first fill.
Never leave out the t-stat, unless it absolutely necessary as in "it is slammed shut and won't open."
The t-stat even fully open provides a restriction to coolant flow that further pressurizes the block above that of the r-cap at road speeds. This is to prevent cavitation in the engine block coolant passages..... Hope some of this is helpful in someway..John
What is a wut wut????

 

[zixxer]

wow.. John thank you very very much.

Okay.. The integra has two fans. One, I believe, was not working properly. It would cycle on and off at wierd times. (like, I would turn the car off, the fan would be off, I would come back 10 min later and the fan would be on.. ) Now, it seems to work fine.

I haven't really looked at the rad cap yet. I think I'm just going to go ahead and replace it (couldn't hurt..) I will also pick up one of the coolant testing kits at autozone.

Thanks!!!

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Its no problem helping as I have too much time right now.
Jacob, get a book on that vehicle and read it. Particularly the chapter of the system
in question, whatever it is.
The fan coming on after you parked it is most likely normal. This is to help reduce what is referred to as "heat soak". Even after the engine is shut off coolant still circulates by thermal flow. Just as a hot oven when it is turned off. The fans shut off when the sensor in the block tells the relay that everything is "COOOL"...While your under the hood make sure the radiator isn't full of bugs, thats very common in humid climates.. John