Questions and Answers

Bad Head Gasket? Q. Hi Mr. Ciulla, I have a 1989 Honda CRX SI, 1.8 liter engine, 5 speed, 160,000, fuel injected, with A/C and no ABS, P/S or cruise control. I've noticed traces of what appears to be oil in the radiator. The engine oil shows no sign of anti-freeze.

I'm thinking head gasket problem. Can the oil be coming from the transmission or A/C rather than the engine? What tests do I do to determine if I need a new head gasket or to find where the problem is?

Thank you for your help,
John

A. There's a few ways to check for a bad head gasket. The easiest is a compression test. Another way is to use a chemical HC detector to see if there is exhaust gases in the cooling system. Another way is to use compressed air to pump up the cylinder and see if any air bubbles appear in the cooling system.

The A/C has no direct connection to the cooling system so there is no way for refrigerant oil to get in. Since you have a manual transmission, there is no connection to the cooling system either. If it was an automatic, then it would be a possibility since the transmission fluid flows through the radiator to be cooled.

I would say the chances of a bad head gasket or a cracked head are about your only possibilities here.