head gasket problems

well seems that my head gasket is blown .. so here are my options.. find a lower mileage vg30e and swap that in, take it to a shop and have them fix it, or attempt o fix it myself,.. right now i'm thinking of just trying to fix it myself.. b/c as it stands right now, if i do screw something up, i won't be in any worse position than i already am since the car overheats so quickly that i can barely make it 10 miles before the coolant is boiling.. so if you guys could give me your opinions on what to do i would greatly appreciate it!

Go for it yourself. If you won't be any worse off than it can't hurt to try.

I agree. Take the time to do it yourself. If nothing else, you'll learn a lot.

I've got a whole motor for you (whole car for that matter but will part it out) for sale in CT for cheap if your interested. Check the for sale section. Yes its an SE V6

do it yourself the amount of info you will learn you wont regret..

yeah.. i'm thinking that i'm going to get one of those kits off of ebay that has like every gasket for like the whole engine just about.. and then replace every one of em.. is there also anything else that i should look at doing while i have the engine apart?

Water pump, timing belt, timing belt tensioner, if funds permit you could also do your oil pump.

i just replaced the waterpump, timing belt, and timing belt tensioner last week,.. i'll see how much the oil pump is, and i might do that,..

but on a side note.. i may have sourced a vg30De for cheap :evillaug:.. so if it turns out that i can get it i wont even bother with the head gasket,.. but instead i'll be workin on gettin that beast into the SE! :devil:,.. i'll keep you guys posted on what happens

Oh boy..........look out.

if the vg30dett fits then the vg30de will fit as well

if the vg30dett fits then the vg30de will fit as well

EXACTLY :banger:

alright.. well the vg30de i was trying to get didnt go through.. it was on eBay and got outbid by a few dollars!!!! DAMNIT!!!! oh well.. so looks like now i will be just putting a new head gasket on the vg30e for now.. but dont you worry.. one day, my SE will have a vg30deTT under its hood!

ok.. so now with the new head gasket.. are the kits on ebay worth buying or are they just junk?? if anyone could let me know where i could get the cheapest priced (not necessarily cheapest quality) please let me know! b/c i want to get my SE back on the road as soon as possible!!

When you do the headgaskets install a new timing belt! Yes, I know you just did a timing belt but install a new one anyway.

When you do the headgaskets install a new timing belt! Yes, I know you just did a timing belt but install a new one anyway.

can i get an explaination as to why?? i mean i have maybe only put like 30 miles onto that belt.. and they're like $20 and i dont really have the money just to be throwing it around..

personally I would have somebody else do that head. Its pretty easy sure, but on a 15 - 20 year old car something ALWAYS goes wrong. I would rather have it be the mechanics problem than mine. PLus in the end you will have learned more, but I think patience would be at the top of the "things you learn from a head gasket change" list.

Most shops wont charge more than about $300 US and could have it done in one day. It would be on the road faster, you wouldnt need to wait for winning an auction and you could save the headache of the whole mess.

Its up to you, but dont forget I said this if you decide to do it yourself anyway/ :firebird:

Personally I like to take my time with head swaps/gasket changing. I rip the motor apart, clean everything, paint everything, and end up with a slick looking motor when im done. If you have a dremel or die grinder you can try your hand at port matching and maybe some polishing if you feel up to it.

personally I would have somebody else do that head. Its pretty easy sure, but on a 15 - 20 year old car something ALWAYS goes wrong. I would rather have it be the mechanics problem than mine. PLus in the end you will have learned more, but I think patience would be at the top of the "things you learn from a head gasket change" list.

Most shops wont charge more than about $300 US and could have it done in one day. It would be on the road faster, you wouldnt need to wait for winning an auction and you could save the headache of the whole mess.

Its up to you, but dont forget I said this if you decide to do it yourself anyway/ :firebird:

well i've called a few places.. and so far i've been told that labor would be around $600, the gaskets around $200 and having the head's checked would be around another $120.. so in total pretty close to $1000,.. unless i find someone to do it a lot cheaper than that, i'm doing it myself!

hey 200sxSE..

FYI..a dremel does work, but a drill press (if availible) would be much better.

well.. i got my gaskets in today and started to work on it.. and i'm already sick and tired of it :roll:

right now i think i'm just gonna give up for a while and let the SE R.I.P. :disgust:

alright.. being the non-quitter that i am.. i gave this thing another shot!

i made a little bit of progress today.. but once again i hit another wall :wall:

i've made it down to the intake manifold and taken all of its bolts off.. but the thing wont budge.. i've tried to pry it, but no luck..

anyone got any suggestions??

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/9/web/237000-237999/237018_109_full.jpg

Check your private messages. A rubber mallet is your friend.

ok.. i made a little bit of progress today..

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/9/web/237000-237999/237018_113_full.jpg

i finally got that lower intake manifold off.. the rubber mallet didnt do anything so my brother came up with the idea to us the jack and force it up.. we were able to wedge it in and jack the manifold up enough to break the seal, then after using plenty of WD-40 to loosen up the rust and dirt on the left rear stud we were finally about to get that thing off.. tomorrow i'm going to get rid of the A/C and take the distributor, right side valve cover, and both exhaust manifolds.. depending on how smoothly that all goes i might even go ahead and take the heads off and then take them to a machine shop first thing tuesday morning..

WOW! That thing was REALLY sealed! Usually, a couple good whacks with the rubber mallet will loosen it right up. Good progress though! Gotta keep that motivation.

WOW! That thing was REALLY sealed! Usually, a couple good whacks with the rubber mallet will loosen it right up. Good progress though! Gotta keep that motivation.
i wish all it would've taken was a few whacks.. but it ended up taking us over an hour to get it off.. i even messed up my rubber mallet in the process, but no biggie, i'll just get another one if i need it

i'm probably going to get started on the SE here in a lil while.. i'll update tonight if i make any progress

Do yourself a favor while you're in there. Replace those studs in the head that the lower intake manifold sits on. Also, replace ALL of the exhaust manifold studs in the head. I do mean all of them. It will save you many headaches later on. Those exhaust manifold studs tend to break, and it's no fun trying to drill them out with the heads in the car.

And don't forget the anti sieze. It is your best friend when it comes to aluminum.

Do yourself a favor while you're in there. Replace those studs in the head that the lower intake manifold sits on. Also, replace ALL of the exhaust manifold studs in the head. I do mean all of them. It will save you many headaches later on. Those exhaust manifold studs tend to break, and it's no fun trying to drill them out with the heads in the car.

about how expensive are those studs and where can i get them?

And don't forget the anti sieze. It is your best friend when it comes to aluminum.

yea this is a newb question.. but i put that on the studs when i put them back into the heads, right? if not, then what?

Correct. You put it on any stud or bolt that you thread onto aluminum. If you don't you may never get them back out.

When aluminum and other metal come into contact there is a chemical reaction that causes corrosion. This is why you need to use anti sieze.

those exhaust manifold studs tend to break, and it's no fun trying to drill them out with the heads in the car.

hmm...any suggestions on getting them out? if i can't get the Pipe-to-manifold bolts drilled out, ill need to get the manifolds off, and drill then....

just a lil update

after being delayed all afternoon by rain, i finally got out there and started taking some bolts of the exhaust manifold.. and then i realized that it would just be easier to disconnect the pipe from the manifold and just take the heads off with the manifold still attached and then take it off.. so thats what i'm going to do in the morning (weather permitting of course) and i'll update on any progress i make

Use some penatrating oil a few hours before you plan to attempt to remove the bolts and have PLENTY of heat around. You're gonna need it.

Oxy/accetaline is your best friend in these cases.

alright.. i've made a lot of progress today.. got everything off! so tomorrow i'll take the heads by a machine shop and then start cleaning everything.. and depending on how the trip to the machine shop goes i'll start putting everything back together tomorrow evening.. my goal is to have my baby running again by thursday night!

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/9/web/237000-237999/237018_126_full.jpg

MY GOD!!!!WHAT HAPPEND TO ALL THE PUSHROD HOLES??!?!?!??

(he he he)

well check this out:

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/9/web/237000-237999/237018_127_full.jpg

seems the old head gasket was kinda resrictive anyways.. look at the new one (top) it has bigger openings for the coolant which i marked with the red arrows..

and here is my next question.. what should i use to clean the engine with?

Engine degreaser. Any auto parts store will have it.

And that sure looks like it will make a big difference in coolant flow...WOW!!

when i had my g/f's head off of her Cavalier...I used a an of Carb & choke cleaner, and a can of compressed air (for lack of an air compressor!) to blow all the JUNK out of the cylinders..

alright.. i've already cleaned some stuff such as the valve covers and painted them,.. i've cleaned the timing belt covers which will probably be painted tomorrow.. and i'm starting to take the heads apart to replace the front camshaft seals and the valve oil seals.. but how do i get that stuff out (and that stuff referring to the camshaft and the valve springs and valves)?? i've taken the rocker arms and the lifters out.. but now what??

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/9/web/237000-237999/237018_128_full.jpg

Do yourself a favor while you're in there. Replace those studs in the head that the lower intake manifold sits on. Also, replace ALL of the exhaust manifold studs in the head. I do mean all of them. It will save you many headaches later on. Those exhaust manifold studs tend to break, and it's no fun trying to drill them out with the heads in the car.
where can i get those studs, and what is the best way to drill the broken stud out of the head. when i was taking the exhaust manifold off i put the socket wrench on the nut and didnt even use any for to turn it and the bolt came off with half of it still in the head :bs: ,.. i also broke one off in the exhaust manifold when i was unbolting it from the exhaust pipe..

The cams come out the front of the head. It should just slide out the front with the lifters out. If you need leverage I'd reinstall the timing gear and wiggle it slightly until it starts to move. Make sure not to just pull it out or you will damage the cam bearings. Support the cam from inside the head and walk it out that way.

nissan rereleased all of their studs as a new high temp steel and they aren't that much i would check with the dealer for theese items

i checked with nissan.. would cost me about $227 for all the studs and nuts that i need.. so right now i'm checking some other places..

BUT in the mean time.. i wanted to should you guys some of the detail work im doing on the engine.. here is the intake collector cover..