Need help with head gasket..

[fastiva]

I just got my first Festiva. It is a 1991 that is fuel injected and has a 5-speed tranny.

It is smoking pretty badly and feels like it has no power. Well less than it should normally have :laughing8:. I am pretty sure it is a bad head gasket.

My question is what all is involved in fixing the head gasket on these, and what are some other things I should check/ replace while I have it apart. It already has new plugs, wires, PCV valve, less that 500 miles on the last oil change, and a few other small things. I got it from a friend. He bought it and did the tune up, then he drove it to work for about a week when it started smoking so he sold it to me.

[Roboskittle]

Might not be just a bad headgasket if thats even what it is. Could have dropped rings on one of the pistons which will let oil blow by and it will have no compression which will make it less powerful. If it is just a headgasket pull the head inspect what you can. Than I would have the head milled to make sure it was nice and true might want to change the valve stem seals while you have it off. Get a new timing belt slap it together with a new headgasket and valve cover gasket. Set the timing slap the belt on an viola.

[1988redfordfestiva]

If u don't have it apart use a compression tester and when u do rip apart the engine get a micrometer to check the piston wall circumference. Pull apart crank and inspect bearings and crank then pull your pistons out to change the rings if everything is OK.

[fastiva]

Forgot to mention that it is also putting tons of water out of the exhaust.. He flushed the radiator when he got it too. he filled it up completley and now it is empty.

[batstiva]

^^ Well then, I think we can assume it's a head gasket. In which case, Roboskittle has the answer. Unless you want to do some sort of swap. Which some on here will recommend. You know who you are.:p

[Mike McKown]

You may also have a cracked head. Inspect for cracks across the valve seats. If there's no cracks, have the valves ground before you put the head back on.

I wouldn't do anything to the bottom end of the engine if it was running well before it started losing water.

[Roboskittle]

Make sure you pop that head off immediately and get some wd40 in those cylinders otherwise the flash rust could lock up your engine. If you let it sit too long it could lock it up completely and than you will have to rebuild the bottom end. Went and looked at a civic that got flooded the guy said no water got into the engine boy was he wrong. Popped the plugs out and 2 cylinders suffered from water sitting in them too long. We hooked the car up to my yukon to try to get the engine free but it just wasnt happening. We left it there for someone else to get it. Than we found him a Festy whoo hoo.

[92festie]

Unless you want to do some sort of swap. Which some on here will recommend. You know who you are.:p

Me!! jk jk Thats what I'm doing to my car, is a b8 swap, cause the head gasket on the b3 went all kapootsle on me.

[fastiva]

what is the easiest/ cheapest swap, and what donor cars should I look for. Im working on a very limited budget