Quick answer: Head Gasket Replacement on a 2017–2021 Honda CR-V is rated Expert and takes about 13-16 hours. You'll need 13 tools for this job, and parts cost about $274. This guide walks you through the full job step by step, including the mistakes to avoid.
| Part Name |
Part Number |
Price |
Buy |
| Cylinder Head Gasket (2017-2020: 12251-59B-A01; 2021: 12251-67A-H01) |
— |
$58.00 |
|
| Head Cover Gasket |
12341-59B-013 |
$31.00 |
|
| Intake Manifold Gasket Set (4 gaskets) |
17105-5AA-004 |
$51.00 |
|
| Turbocharger Inlet Gasket |
17285-5AA-A01 |
$15.00 |
|
| Turbocharger Outlet Gasket |
17286-5AA-A01 |
— |
|
| Fuel Joint Pipe Set |
16012-5PA-315 |
$30.00 |
|
| Engine Oil Filter |
15400-RTA-003 |
$11.00 |
|
| Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant Type 2 (2 gallons) |
08CLA-P99-0F0A8 |
$44.00 |
|
| 0W-20 Full Synthetic Engine Oil (4 quarts) |
— |
$34.00 |
|
About prices: shown prices are typical retail averages and change frequently; cheaper alternatives may be available. Confirm the current price before buying.
💡 Pro tip: Order all parts at once to save on shipping
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these steps carefully
1
Check warranty coverage before you spend a dollar
Honda extended cylinder head gasket coverage on the 1.5L turbo CR-V to 10 years or 150,000 miles (Service Bulletin 26-016 covers 2017-2022; Bulletin 26-098 covers 2017 models with coverage ending May 31, 2027). Ask a Honda dealer to run an iN VIN status inquiry. If your CR-V is eligible and a dealer inspection confirms coolant in the cylinders, the repair is free. Do not start this job until you know the answer. This guide covers the 1.5L turbo (L15B7/L15BE) only. The 2017-2019 base LX with the 2.4L engine (K24W) does not have this problem and this procedure does not apply to it.
2
Confirm the diagnosis
A blown head gasket on this engine typically shows up as a cold-start misfire that clears after 15-30 seconds, coolant that keeps dropping with no puddle under the car, overheating, white sweet-smelling exhaust smoke, and stored misfire codes P0300 through P0304. Confirm it the way Honda does: top off the coolant, install a cooling system pressure tester, run the engine to normal operating temperature (fan cycling or about 194 F), shut it off, and bring the system to 18 psi. Then remove all four spark plugs and borescope every cylinder for coolant entering at the head gasket. If no coolant is found in the cylinders, this bulletin does not apply and the leak is elsewhere.
3
Prepare the car
Work on a cold engine only. Disconnect the 12-volt battery. Relieve the fuel system pressure before touching any fuel line. Drain the coolant from the radiator drain plug and drain the engine oil. Label every connector and hose you disconnect.
🔧 Mechanic's note — Ray Delgado
I label every connector with painter's tape and a marker on this engine, because half the plugs look identical once the intake is off, and guessing wrong on reassembly costs an afternoon.
4
Remove the intake, turbocharger, and fuel rail
Remove the intake manifold, the turbocharger assembly, and the exhaust components blocking the head, following the 1.5L service manual Cylinder Head Removal steps. Disconnect the high-pressure fuel line and remove the fuel rail; the fuel joint pipe set is one-time-use, so plan to install a new one on reassembly and do not reuse the old pipe. Unplug the wiring harness and move it aside. Support the engine with an engine support hanger before removing the side engine mount.
5
Remove the timing chain and valve cover
Remove the head cover and timing chain cover, then the timing chain, keeping the crankshaft at top dead center. Do not remove the camshafts and rocker arm assembly; they stay in the head. Bag and label every timing component in removal order.
6
Loosen the head bolts in sequence and lift the head
Loosen the ten cylinder head bolts in factory sequence, turning each only 1/3 of a turn at a time, repeating the sequence until every bolt is loose. Lift the head off the dowel pins and set it on wooden blocks. Remove the old head gasket.
7
Clean the mating surfaces by hand
Put a clean shop towel in each cylinder to catch debris. Remove gasket material and carbon from the head and block surfaces with brake cleaner, using red Scotch-Brite by hand only where residue remains. Never use power tools or abrasive discs on these aluminum surfaces.
🔧 Mechanic's note — Ray Delgado
I have seen a head gasket fail again within months because someone hit the aluminum with a roloc disc, so I clean these surfaces by hand only and take the extra ten minutes.
8
Check the head and block for warpage
Lay an 18-inch straight edge across the cylinder head mating surface and check the gap with a feeler gauge in several directions, then do the same on the engine block deck, following Honda Job Aid AJA31119. If either surface is warped beyond specification, the head must be machined or replaced and a warped block means a short block; do not reinstall a warped head on a new gasket and expect it to hold. Also inspect the block for cracks while it is exposed.
9
Install the new head gasket and set the head
Install the new head gasket and dowel pins on the block, gasket facing the right way up, then set the head down. Use the updated gasket for your year: 12251-59B-A01 for 2017-2020, 12251-67A-H01 for 2021. Do not use any sealant on the gasket itself.
10
Torque the head bolts to 30 Nm, then angle-tighten
Visually inspect every cylinder head bolt for damage; if any bolt is damaged, replace all of them. Apply new engine oil to the threads and under the bolt heads. Torque the bolts in Honda's sequence to 30 Nm (22 lb-ft), preferably with a beam-type torque wrench, tightening slowly and never overtightening. Repeat the pass in sequence to confirm every bolt is at 30 Nm. Then, using a torque angle gauge, tighten all bolts a further 165 degrees if new bolts were installed, or 140 degrees if the original bolts are being reused. If a bolt makes any noise while torquing, loosen it and restart from the inspection step. If a bolt is tightened past its angle, remove it and start over; never loosen it back to the angle.
🔧 Mechanic's note — Ray Delgado
I torque these head bolts with a beam wrench and go slow on the angle pass, because one bolt that clicks past its angle means starting the whole torque sequence over.
11
Reassemble in reverse order
Reinstall the timing chain and covers, the head cover with its new gasket, the intake manifold with four new gaskets, and the turbocharger with new inlet and outlet joint gaskets. Install the new fuel joint pipe set and the new thermostat case gasket. Torque the VTC oil control solenoid valve B to 12 Nm (9 lb-ft). Reconnect every harness connector and hose, and reinstall the side engine mount, following the engine mount tightening procedure.
12
Refill oil and coolant
Install a new oil filter and fill with 3.7 US quarts of 0W-20 engine oil. Refill the cooling system with Honda Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant Type 2 (about 2 gallons) and bleed the air from the system. Check that the oil and coolant levels are correct and that no fluid is leaking at any of the new gaskets.
13
Reset the PCM and relearn idle
Do a PCM reset, then the CKP pattern clear and CKP pattern learn procedure, then the PCM idle learn procedure. These are required after this repair so the engine relearns crank position and idle. Reset the Maintenance Minder for engine oil and coolant.
14
Verify the repair
Start the engine and let it reach operating temperature. Re-check with the cooling system pressure tester and look for any external leaks at the head, turbo, and intake joints. Clear the misfire codes and take a test drive, then check the coolant level again once the engine is cold. Watch the coolant level and the misfire codes over the next few drives; a level that keeps dropping means the gasket is still leaking and the head needs to come off again.
All Done!
Test your repair before closing everything up. If something doesn't work right, double-check your steps.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- • Reusing a damaged head bolt, or mixing up the angle: new bolts get 165 degrees, reused bolts get 140 degrees. A bolt tightened past its angle must be removed and the sequence restarted, never loosened back.
- • Cleaning the aluminum mating surfaces with power tools or abrasive discs, which gouges the metal and guarantees another leak.
- • Skipping the straight-edge warpage check. A warped head or block will blow the new gasket within weeks.
- • Installing the wrong-year head gasket. 2017-2020 takes 12251-59B-A01; 2021 takes 12251-67A-H01.
- • Reusing the one-time fuel joint pipe set or the old turbo and intake gaskets.
- • Pouring in a bottle of head gasket sealer instead of replacing the gasket. It does not hold on a turbocharged engine and it clogs the cooling system.
- • Forgetting the PCM reset, CKP pattern learn, and idle learn after reassembly, which leaves the engine running rough.
