I have a 2000 civic ex four door the car overheated one day i replaced the thermostat but since it overheated it blew the radiator so i took it to a shop to replace it along with the hoses timing belt and water pump because it had a small leak from it the shop replaced everything and once they put the car together it will not start they are saying it might be the head gasket but it ran fine before no smoke from the exhaust and oil level never went up if anything it goes down a little i ran it for about a week i just had to put coolant in everyday what could it be the car cranks just doesn’t start thank you
it could very well be a blown head gasket overheating an aluminum engine can cause this and even warp the head its self there seems to have been enough heat & pressure to blow out your radiator you should have your mechanic test for a blown head gasket to see if thats the problem because they probably checked for other no start causes before drawing that conclusion it doesnt sound reasonable to think a blown head gasket is their first guess for an engine that cranks but wont start imo and what else are you going to do have the car towed to another mechanic who will likely say the same thing because they will see the new radiator and other fresh work and know there has been a recent cooling system problem good luck
Thank you for your response it seems like most people agree with the headgasket being blown but my problem is that the car ran fine before they did any work on it besides the coolant leak of course so could they have messed up my car while working on it
Blown head gaskets are a common outcome when you overheat an engine. In that situation I'd say the shop should have checked the head gasket before undertaking other work. Of course the cost to replace the gasket and possibly deal with a cracked or warped cylinder head exceeds the value of a 22-year-old Civic and you probably would have declined to have them work on the car at that point.
Thank you for your response it seems like most people agree with the headgasket being blown but my problem is that the car ran fine before they did any work on it besides the coolant leak of course so could they have messed up my car while working on it
It is unlikely they did anything to damage the head gasket, assuming that's what the problem is. It is more likely it took some time after the overheating incident for the gasket to let loose.
You said he replaced the timing belt! Maybe he either disconnected something or possibly damaged the crank sensor. Where is his diagnosis? Sounds like a shade tree mechanic. If you drove it in, it should drive out!
Right because if they damaged something its on them
To replace it
if it cranks but doesnt start do a leak down test or a compression test
That should isolate ur problem
It is a possibility. Have you dealt with the shop before or know if they are reputable? My assumption here is they are somewhat competent mechanics.
I dont know if they are reputable im military so im from out if town the reason i went there is because my buddy takes his mini coop there everytime it has problems and they always do a good jobb
Since it's already there I would have them test for a blown head gasket. That doesn't mean you have to pay them to repair it.
If the no start is unrelated to overheating and is because of the timing belt replacement, I would think there are trouble codes indicating so. Ask the mechanic if he has scanned the car for a possible cause.