[stricklandjs]

I'm blowing oil and water out of the exhaust.

Would the head gasket be the most likely cause?
Would there be any other issue that could cause this symptom?

What other gaskets would be most recommended to change while the head is out of the car?

Is it necessary to drain the engine oil to remove the head?

Should I follow your timing suggestions from your other post for this engine as well?

Thanks in advance,

Scott... who's about to attempt to remove his first civic head... :(

[TxGreaseMonkey]

You will likely need to replace the head gasket, machine the head, and fix any damaged valves, if your engine has overheated. This is likely the cause of your problems. This would be the logical time to replace the water pump and change the timing belt. There's no need to drain the oil, in order to replace the head. If you verify your engine is one of those listed, it should work fine. You might want to buy a Haynes Manual and study it first.

[stricklandjs]

Thanks for the response...

Engine runs smooth... I don't think anything is damaged.
The previous owner replaced the valves, seals and seats, but did NOT shave the head before reinstalling it. He also did not replace the head bolts.
This car has over 200k miles on it so I would have assumed, after talking to friends, that this would have been standard procedure.
He did, however, replace the timing belt, wp, etc. so those should be good.

I do have a manual...

Thanks again for the response... you gave me the opinion I was looking for...

Scott

[TxGreaseMonkey]

Yes, never reuse head bolts. Remember to chase the threads and coat the new bolt threads and bottom of washer with clean engine oil. Follow directions exactly, including bolt torquing order.

[stricklandjs]

EVerything put back together...

Head shaved... everything cleaned of old gasket... new gasket... torqued in specified order... etc... etc...

Car still smokes white smoke... oil exiting exhaust...

I was told the valve seals were replaced, but I've been told this is the only other means of this smoke and oil...

Would you agree?

[TxGreaseMonkey]

The catalytic converter may be polluted, etc. and it may take a little while for everything to clear out. Be sure and change your oil and filter. If the problem doesn't resolve itself shortly, the only other thing that comes to mind is a cracked head, which the mechanic should've checked for.

[stricklandjs]

What about rings??

At idle the car does not smoke or at least not enough to really notice. When you give it gas/rev it up, then you get the big cloud of white smoke and oil out of the exhaust.

When talking to certain people, they insist rings... other insist valve seals...

I don't know and am getting quite frustrated with the whole thing...

I really appreciate your responses though...

Scott

[TxGreaseMonkey]

If rings are bad, your car will continuously smoke. If valve seals are bad, your car will only smoke upon acceleration.