Canadian Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 hey guys, big problemo happened today while I was at the store in my 2001 with the 3.5LI was inside my little auto store picking up a part for my other car, left the car running since I was supposed to just grab and go, well I ended up waiting 20 min, left the car running (ended up forgetting damnit) and one of the clerks eventually saw my car smoking so i ran out, seen a HUGE HUGE HUGE ploom of smoke coming from the engine, I honestly thought it was on fire as I was running over until I seen the huge coolant leak.I took the keys out, took note that the temp gauge was still under half. Popped the hood and the whole engine was coolant sprayed. Noticed that the top of my 3 year old ebayradiator had POPPED IN HALF!! The whole top section seperated from the core. I started filling it with water and could hear it leaking out the back of the engine near the middle of the car. Towed it home, wasnt going anywhere. I did check both the oil and trans fluid, both looked good so I dont believe it got to the point of headgasket failure.Just had the front end up on jackstands, and when pouring water into the rad to try and see where it was leaking from, it is very difficult to see, but the start point I could see the water was rolling off of the surface where the head meets the block, the block is a little wider at that point so all I can see from the bottom is a little waterfall. Not sure where its originating from.Any pointers for me here guys? Ive had the plenums off to do the power valve screws, but this leak almost seems below that point, and possibly maybe even unreachable in my driveway, so cramped between the firewall and engine, work seems very difficult if possible, most likely blind. What would be leaking?I orderred a rad and it should be at the parts store in the AM, but Im wonderring where to go from here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunchie Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Hey "fellow" Canadian, ur probably NOT going to want to here this but I had a leak that sounds very similar to urs, that ended up being a crossover/connecting tube between the 2 heads-I said "screwit" and took it to my mechanic and he ended up having to remove the tranny in order for him to gain access to that area with his hands(BTW, I have the indentical truck as urs). I seems that anything that req's repair along the rear edge of the engine, is a bitch and/or will cost you some $$$$. case in point:my truck, still under warranty, had the thermostat fail. They first thought it was the rad only to have it overheat and them realize it was the thermostat. Dealer cost to change thermostat....$350!!! just because of where it is. Getting a new rad AND thermostat, while still under warranty.....PRICELESS . I hope I'm wrong as to what has failed on ur Pathy, but.......I'm just sayin'. Cheers.........Bunchie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Im all ears! Any pictures or anything? On this tube that crosses over, is there a gasket or an o-ring? Im going to go start pulling the intake manifolds after a coffee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 I think I dodged a bullet and the crossover pipe may still be good Definetely the biggest job Ive tackled on this truck to date. After near a full case of beer and having to use a step stool to do half of the work. I managed to get all 3 sections of the intake manifold off, and the fuel rail, and all the little bits and pieces that go along with it. Presume I found the leak, hopefully its the only one down here!! Look at the burst! I didnt touch it before this pic So now Im trying to figure out all the parts I should replace to reassemble, and fix while Im down here. And I believe Ive heard there is a second thermostat? Also a water control valve. Should either be replaced? Does anyone know where the back thermostat is? This hose that popped was connected 2 housings that in my head both could be a thermostat, but I dont want to crack them open and destroy the seal on something I shouldnt and make life harder. Anyone know if its the one on the crossover pipe or the one on the engine. And incase anyone was wonderring what the VQ looks like with all the manifolds and fuel rail and such off. Here it is You can see the 2 shiny water necks at the back where this burst hose used to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Oh man, why the hell would someone put a hose there? This engine must not have been designed for the R50, only shoehorned in to fit, but that is still piss poor design. Sorry, I know nothing about the VQ engines so I am of no help. I can move this thread to the R50 thread where it might get more input... Thank you for the picture of the engine, that is interesting. I recommend you go to the Garage section and download the FSM for a 2002 Pathfinder from the pinned thread. That should show you exactly where your therm is, along with a whole lot of other things... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 And to think after researching leaks I am actually VERY lucky to have the source be this hose burst and not one of the ends of the crossover pipe, as that requires pulling the transmission, and seems quite common ! The confusion with the thermostat is there are actually two of them on the engine, and a water control valve. The 2nd thermostat is under the water neck coming out of the middle of the space between the cylinder heads, and the back water neck on the crossover pipe just behind it is where the water control valve is. My local Nissan dealer was kind enough to take my order even though it was after hours tonight. And the parts manager was very experienced with the extremely confusing exploded view of the cooling system and its million hoses. I just showed him a picture (same I have above) and told him it general location and he made the order alot easier than expected. Parts wont be here til thursday though. I'll install the new rad tonight while the wife is sleeping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrariowner123 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Nice work for figuring it out on your own, i don't know of too many people who would run out to a smoking car, get it back to their place and then tear it down to figure out whats wrong, especially with no prior experience! Bravo! And i'm pretty much in the same boat as B with this one, i agree with they complete lack of maintenance orientated design and i know nothing about the VQ engines other than when i hear about them on here, they are pretty severe issues, not much help i know. But keep us posted on what the outcome off all this is! -Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 We had an xterra in the shop here last week for this same thing, the front gasket for the pipe had corroded over the years and had started leaking. It made a big mess of coolant everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 What is your opinion of the placement/design of that? Just don't answer if you don't want to or shouldn't. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) Since we got 10-12" of snow here today I didnt get anything done, but mounted my e-fans to the new rad. Used threaded rod and rubber washers instead of those cheap chinese square zipties that come with the fans Wire wheeled up all the corrosion on the 25+ bolts that hold the 3 intake manifold sections to. Edited March 12, 2014 by Canadian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrariowner123 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) Is that a stock radiator or a re-core? -Kyle Edited March 13, 2014 by ferrariowner123 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 Ive never heard the term re-core. It is just a regular part store replacement radiator. Core thickness and dimensions are exactly as stock, only difference I noticed was the PLASTIC drain plug on this one faces the ground and uses a phillips head, vs the oem which faced the engine and used a wing style drain plug. I pulled the drain plug and coated in antisieze and re-installed, would hate to have that seize in the future, the phillips would strip oh so easy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Well now is a good time to change your spark plugs, pcv valve, and anything else you see that is a common maintenance item! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 What is your opinion of the placement/design of that? Just don't answer if you don't want to or shouldn't. B I think it sucks. But that is my opinion. Nissan used that deisgn on the VG30i, got rid of it in the VG30e then went back to it in the VG33. I see it more often than I would like to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Thanks for the info, and the bad news. The VG33 has the same set up? Damn, I own one of those... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted March 14, 2014 Author Share Posted March 14, 2014 All fixed up and running great! Pretty happy not one problem on startup to, that was alot of connections, manifolds, bolts and hoses. More than Ive ever had to keep track of. Getting that hose that burst back on was a hour long PITA, as you can see from my pic the two necks are very close to eachother, pulling the old one off was easy as I just cut in half and pulled in pieces. Getting the new hose was the fight of my life, especially with the corbin clamps cutting the crap out of my palms while wrestling it. Now to service my rear diff and hopefully thats all the maintenance for a while please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted March 14, 2014 Author Share Posted March 14, 2014 Oh man oh man did I ever speak to soon. Engine is cooked. Must have blown the headgaskets when the hose failed. I was just topping up the coolant and noticed it just kept drinking and drinking, looked under the truck... no leak... where could it be going..Pull the dipstick... Milkshake Fudge, time to source a new engine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgrote Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 If you haven't started it up yet, you may get away with replacing the HG's and flushing out the motor. First thing I would do is drain it out and get some engine flush in it, just to get the coolant off the bearings if nothing else. Are you planning on trying to save it or just replace it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted March 14, 2014 Author Share Posted March 14, 2014 Well I ran it for about a minute earlier today after I got it back together, thought I was golden as I seen no leaks and it ran perfect. But I only had about 5 quarts of mixed coolant on hand, so I just filled it until I ran out, ate dinner, went to the store and bought more coolant, then she guzzled and I came down from my high Im not sure if I should try and save the engine or not. Kind of want to, as I know it ran well, but it does have pretty high mileage. Possibly get the heads rebuilt as I have a semi hookup there. But Im just a shadetree mechanic, this engine is a beast. I have never even seen the bolts for the exhaust manifolds. Might be over my head. Wish it was as easy as my Hondas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Do you have coolant/smoke out the tail pipe? If this isnt your daily driver replacing the head gaskets is not difficult, just time consuming. You did half the job already earlier! You need two head gaskets, the upper and lower intake gaskets and new head bolts and a nice weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted March 14, 2014 Author Share Posted March 14, 2014 I didnt notice any smoke out of the tailpipe when it ran, havent run it since discoverring the milkshake. Pretty bummed at this point, after just putting 2000 into a new transmission and less than 500 miles later this happens.... Headgaskets might be do-able, but Ive never even seen the exhaust manifolds, those cant be easy to take off at all. Luckily as you said this isnt my dd, only my winter car. But Id hate to invest 40+ hours getting the heads off ( I work slow ) only to find the block is warped aswell. It defientely got hot when it burned down in that parking lot, the gauge was half way but probable because it was completely out of coolant. I dont know what to do here guys, shucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Crap, I'm sorry to hear this! Before you tear into it, take a look around and see how much a used motor goes for, it might give you perspective on what to do next. B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted March 14, 2014 Author Share Posted March 14, 2014 An engine would probably go for 1200-1500, but thats iffy if its in good shape, no warranty Id imagine if I install it myself Id love to be able to keep the transmission attached to the engine if I were to try and pull it out myself, but the engine cant come out the bottom can it? I think the frame rails are to narrow. Dont think I have the room in my garage to pull it whole out the top. A shop would probably charge a stupid ammount to do the swap to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Just throwing it out there, LKQ has used starting at $1400 and reman with 3 yr/36000 mi warranty for $4200. These motors and blocks are pretty stount. I wouldnt write it off. Take a look into it first, play around with it. I dont think the block is going to be bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted March 15, 2014 Author Share Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) Theres no way coolant could get into the head through the intake manifold right? I mean no coolant hoses run through it, and there were no holes for coolant passage in any of the gaskets I had to install. Just trying to rule out stupidity on my part sealing all the intake manifolds back up I just dont get how good it ran. Trying to rule out maybe I have a coolant hose somehow feeding the crankcase.... but I dont see anywhere on my engine where that is possible, all hoses went back together easily and nothing was changed Gotta be heagasket right? Edited March 15, 2014 by Canadian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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