91 Civic Si, 1.6L cylinder head

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Gito

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Purchased a used working cylinder head for my engine (D16A6) for 150$.

Was going to use a Genuine Honda head gasket and head bolts.
Is there an advantage in using Genuine parts?
I've heard that ARP bolts are also good but not sure if they are recommended for my Honda.

Already started loosening the bolts to the manifold.
Will need to clean the new head a little bit and hope that the old head gasket does not stay back on the actual engine.

Any advice is greatly appreciated
 
Genuine Honda parts are always preferred IMO. Doing a HG and head bolts I would always use OEM parts. Sure they may cost more but to me they are far superior to aftermarket. I have seen a lot of Dorman and other brand aftermarket gaskets and they were pure junk.
 
Need to clean both mating surfaces (engine block and cylinder head).

Which type of cleaner is preferred?
What is the best way to clean both surfaces without causing damage to surface?
 
ARP bolts would be better than any OEM product, but probably more expensive than OEM. Price them out and compare. If your engine is otherwise stock then there might not be a advantage to ARP bolts. Head studs are also an alternative.
 
ARP bolts are far superior then OEM bolts. ARP bolts are used when you are putting out 800 hp out of 1.7 liter turbo motor with 30 lbs boost. OEM will be just fine up to 350hp.
 
Originally Posted by Mainia
ARP bolts are far superior then OEM bolts. ARP bolts are used when you are putting out 800 hp out of 1.7 liter turbo motor with 30 lbs boost. OEM will be just fine up to 350hp.


Will probably use Genuine parts.

Also want to know if I should first take the head in to get it checked out at a machine shop for any warping.

Was guaranteed by seller that head was straight but I'm thinking I should get it checked out so there are no surprises.
 
Originally Posted by Gito
Originally Posted by Mainia
ARP bolts are far superior then OEM bolts. ARP bolts are used when you are putting out 800 hp out of 1.7 liter turbo motor with 30 lbs boost. OEM will be just fine up to 350hp.


Will probably use Genuine parts.

Also want to know if I should first take the head in to get it checked out at a machine shop for any warping.

Was guaranteed by seller that head was straight but I'm thinking I should get it checked out so there are no surprises.







Having the head professionally cleaned, inspected and new valve stem seals installed would be a good idea. Resurfacing depends on the condition of the surface, but it isn't always a good idea.
 
Victor Reinz are the go to guys for gaskets. For a standard engine the standard headbolts will be fine but ARP give you more scope for upgrades in the future.

What are the valve seats, valve guides and valve stem seals like? has the head been pressure tested? The extra time and cost in ging through the head and checking/rebuilding everything will pay yyou back 10x over when its in the car - imagine getting all the work done only to find out the valves dont seal and the casting is cracked...
 
You could always use a stud kit, they are much easier on the block threads and hold the head a lot more rigid than bolts, for a 100 bucks it may be well worth it if the car is a keeper. Yours would be ARP 208-4301 but look it up and confirm.
Have the head planed and checked out good, use a OE, Mahl or Victor Reinz gasket, Cometic if running a hair dryer.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/arp-208-4301
 
Having the head inspected is always a great idea while it's still out of the car. You wouldn't want to go through the headache of pulling out the block because the head ended up damaged.

+1 on the ARP bolts but if it's staying stock and you don't have any plans on going forced induction later then OEM will work fine too.
 
How did it die? Did it overheat when it died. Those things typically run until until the body just falls off them from rust 🥴unless you overheat it. Get it real hot and it's a coin toss if the blocks warped If it overheated make sure that the engine deck is straight on the block or it'll blow or leak again in short order.
I had my own multi year ordeal with an 88 CRX SI that started with a simple overheat from an object cracking the bottom corner of the radiator tank. I ended up swapping head gaskets every 6 months until I got sick of it and got another 🤢good ...–used engine to find it had the same basic issue. This one had a tiny corrosion divot between the 2 center cylinders that I even filled with JB Weld and sanded nice n flush. I even made a homemade surface leveler from a piece of plate glass with 220 wet dry sandpaper and it didn't work either🤣
So along with this adventure I got to know the parts guy real well at Honda. And oh yeah are used Honda gaskets Fel-Pro gaskets and even some newfangled at the times two piece only stainless steel gasket kind of came up with. Parts guy laughed when he worked it out and showed it to me because I said you realize that isn't going to work he said yeah I figured that too but I was just waiting to see you show up again so we could try it out🥺. It sucked as predicted . So did new OEM bolts. I ended up just changing that gasket every six months and it started leaking and ran it that way until I got rid of the car A year or two later to a guy who wanted to make a rice rocket.
The good news with that engine is exactly how simple and easy it is to change those gaskets out. It's literally a two hour job from start to finish and incredibly simple! Cheap too . Still I'm sure you don't want to deal with crap like this . Just be aware of the possibilities if someone ran it too hot too long and take appropriate precautions. FYI if you did find a warp on the head they can put it in some kind of oven and squeeze🤷ðŸ¼â€â™‚ï¸ It back to true if they have to. Good luck
 
Originally Posted by Driz
How did it die? Did it overheat when it died. Those things typically run until until the body just falls off them from rust 🥴unless you overheat it. Get it real hot and it's a coin toss if the blocks warped If it overheated make sure that the engine deck is straight on the block or it'll blow or leak again in short order.
I had my own multi year ordeal with an 88 CRX SI that started with a simple overheat from an object cracking the bottom corner of the radiator tank. I ended up swapping head gaskets every 6 months until I got sick of it and got another 🤢good ...–used engine to find it had the same basic issue. This one had a tiny corrosion divot between the 2 center cylinders that I even filled with JB Weld and sanded nice n flush. I even made a homemade surface leveler from a piece of plate glass with 220 wet dry sandpaper and it didn't work either🤣
So along with this adventure I got to know the parts guy real well at Honda. And oh yeah are used Honda gaskets Fel-Pro gaskets and even some newfangled at the times two piece only stainless steel gasket kind of came up with. Parts guy laughed when he worked it out and showed it to me because I said you realize that isn't going to work he said yeah I figured that too but I was just waiting to see you show up again so we could try it out🥺. It sucked as predicted . So did new OEM bolts. I ended up just changing that gasket every six months and it started leaking and ran it that way until I got rid of the car A year or two later to a guy who wanted to make a rice rocket.
The good news with that engine is exactly how simple and easy it is to change those gaskets out. It's literally a two hour job from start to finish and incredibly simple! Cheap too . Still I'm sure you don't want to deal with crap like this . Just be aware of the possibilities if someone ran it too hot too long and take appropriate precautions. FYI if you did find a warp on the head they can put it in some kind of oven and squeeze🤷ðŸ¼â€â™‚ï¸ It back to true if they have to. Good luck


Car has 507k miles. Yes it overheated and car shut off. Was able to restart the car and was running errands locally for a few months. Number 4 cylinder has the "off number" when I checked compression.

I'm the original owner and just trying to get my car back on the road.

Any advice is greatly appreciated
 
By "off number" compression do you mean zero? Does it still fire on all 4 cylinders? Does it burn oil or make oil smoke? The rings never last 500k miles.
 
3 of the 4 cylinders had close compression numbers. The 4th cylinder was way off. Cant remember the exact number.

Valve stem seals had been leaking prior to car over heating.
Had been losing coolant but not enough to where I thought it was an immediate concern. Then one day, while driving on the freeway, the car shut-off.
When I went to check the coolant reservoir, I found fluid that looked dark and charcoal like.
Towed the car home and added coolant. Car started without a problem and did not over heat again.
Every now and then I drive the car for errands around town, but for the most part, the car just sits in my driveway.

Time to fix it.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
A good used low mileage engine would be my choice.


Want to keep my car as original as possible but I am thinking about getting another engine so that I can swap it in later.

My civic has been a work horse for over 20 years and I'm just trying to get it back on the road
 
If you got the head used I'd bring it to a place you trust for measurement before you install it. How do you know it wasn't also warped or cracked? For stock rebuild ARP is probably overkill, that 91 1.6L is probably only 110HP stock. At your mileage I'd replace the whole thing with a long block. The bottom end may also be worn out as well. Actually the whole car may be worn out (suspensions, engine mount, transmission, fuel delivery, ignition, AC, interior, etc).
 
Originally Posted by Gito
Originally Posted by Trav
A good used low mileage engine would be my choice.


Want to keep my car as original as possible but I am thinking about getting another engine so that I can swap it in later.

My civic has been a work horse for over 20 years and I'm just trying to get it back on the road


B16 swap time
19.gif


or at least a newer D16 from an EG or EK
 
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