Slick Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 (edited) ok.. so... who here has changed their head gasket before, and do you have any tips/tricks...warnings/advice for me? I am gunna delve into this nasty little job starting tomorrow weather permitting....... any info would be great. I plan on having the heads checked before reinstalling them to make sure they are not warped or cracked. I am not removing the engine this time oh yeah... 92 pathy 5 speed and I have Thorley headers not stock manifolds Edited March 7, 2006 by Slick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94 Pathy Gary Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Follow the bolt sequence (both on and off) and avoid the temptation to clean the pistons while you have the top-end off! Many an engine has been ruined because a well-intentioned backyard mechanic has tried to clean the pistons with a wire brush.... Have fun: I've done a billion of these Cheers! Gary (Hey, have you got the Service Manual?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted January 30, 2006 Author Share Posted January 30, 2006 the only manual i have is my haynes manual Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Follow the bolt sequence (both on and off) and avoid the temptation to clean the pistons while you have the top-end off! Might be a NooB question, but why not? Does debris get into the engine or something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 slick, the only thing i recall is that the allignement guides (looks like a wide wedding band) fall off from the underneath side of the head when you lift it.. make sure not to loose them.. there are 2 in each head.. cross corners.. can't recall if i got new head bolts or not.. don't remember if they are the "stretchy" kind or not.. if they are, just get a new set (some have not, but why risk it) haynes should be fine and of course you have us.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 i donno if the 92's are like the 87s but pretty sure they are...theres 2 hidden (well not really hidden but u'll over look them or at least i did the 2 times i've pulled my heads one is on the front side of the driver side i think they're 12mm and 1 is on the back of the pass side on a flange off of the head into the block...if u hit all the head bolts and it still wont come thats whats holding u on more than likely... im sure ures has a lot more electrical connectors than mine did...i used a paint pen and marked all my eletricals on both connectors 1- however many and for vaccum i did v1 to however an coolants c1 to whatever just to make sure i didnt forget any and loose where any went... as for the alignment pins both of my kits from napa came with replacements although mine stuck in the block and were stubborn about comming out so i just left them and havent ever changed them i'd say haynes or chilton is plenty for the project and they sometimes give u some actual photo's where the FSM doesnt...im pretty sure i used haynes rather than chiltons for the during the procedure reference b/c i dont wanna get my FSM crudded up with greasy hands and what not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 The Haynes manual will serve you well for this... I don't recall any one thing standing out as something unusual when I have pulled the heads from my truck. It's fairly straight forward really, you should not have ay trouble... and if by chance you do, we are here.. just as MZ said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 (edited) and if i can do it any1 can...it seems like its a big task but once you've done it got it back together and shes runnin u'll look back and kinda laugh at it if ure like me i was scared to death about pullin heads b/c i hadnt ever done anything like that b4 but now i didnt think twice about pulling my motor and doing this swap... the only other thing i could think of when u 1st crank it up ure gonna have a lot of hand oil and what not on parts as well as the new gaskets and what not that will smoke and stink to high heaven this was a lil nerve racking at 1st for me b/c no1 told me it was going to smoke like that and the guy helpin me gotta good laugh at that cuze i was like ohh crap we messed up but everything worked out good luck with it and im sure it'll be fine and like every1 else said if u have problems im sure some1's had them and can help with my last project i've had lots of issues so i think i got most of them covered but i've learned a lot more during this project (my motor swap) than any other if something breaks goes wrong other things are going to go wrong so just stop for na hr or so and go back to it if its still a bad day its a bad day try again the next... didnt wanna clutter it up with pix but heres some links to some pix as i went along taking it apart...the main difference is just going to be u're intake Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 Pic 4 Parts 1 Parts 2 Gasket set i'd also change the timing belt/tensioner and waterpump while i was in there so murphey's law is reduced a lil bit later on Edited January 31, 2006 by unccpathfinder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Can't really offer any specific help on your engine Slick, but be sure you go slow, take your time and mark EVERYTHING. Good luck, you'll do great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 the only other thing i could think of when u 1st crank it up ure gonna have a lot of hand oil and what not on parts as well as the new gaskets and what not that will smoke and stink to high heaven this was a lil nerve racking at 1st for me b/c no1 told me it was going to smoke like that and the guy helpin me gotta good laugh at that cuze i was like ohh crap we messed up but everything worked out ummmm... ok Is it possible that you just dripped some motor oil down into the cylinders? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 yea that too...but no matter how clean u keep everything theres still gonna be smoke and smell the smoke was from the engine bay and not from the exhaust sorry i didnt clarify that 1...plus it was dark by the time we got to crank up and we were in a pretty small garage even tho the door was open i might be over exhagerating it a lil bit that was about 4 years ago and i was scared my truck was never going to run again...for some reason that should be the case now but im just like whatever...i swore i smelt stuff and heard stuff i had never heard b4 i was just being paranoid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 hey slick, just so you don't freak out about the smell.. it smells like NASCAR.. lol.. if you've been to a race you'll know what i mean.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted January 31, 2006 Author Share Posted January 31, 2006 (edited) hey slick, just so you don't freak out about the smell.. it smells like NASCAR.. lol.. if you've been to a race you'll know what i mean.. lmao.. no... they have much nicer smelling fuel than i do...lol.... thanks guys!! i am not freaking out about it, i just wanted to make sure there wasn't some hidden trick or gadget in there that the manual doesn't tell you about. funny, i am more worried about this than i was when i pulled the motor. so yer sayin i should get a new tensioner pulley? my h20 pump is brand new from when i pulled the motor last year.. not even 10 months old, and when i changed that upper bypass hose a few weeks ago i checked the h20 pump and all was perfect. all the belts are brand new too (t-belt now has 3,000 miles on it).. so the main thing is just the HG and a tensioner pulley i guess. well, i got the HG kit from parts dinasaur (i highly recommend him.. great service amd OE equivalent parts).. he uses TME or TMI i can't remember gaskets and his HG kit is OE specific.. so everything nissan give you he gives you... it should arrive today. -bounce- so... i should also get new head bolts then? i had been thinking about that a lot lately...although i need to save as much $$ as i can i want to NOT have to have any problems... and the head spacer/balancer washer thingies.. can i get them anywhere? thanks guys... you rock! EDIT: oh yeah.... and i still have all my pretty neon labels from when i pulled the motor.. you know.. remember this pic?? lmao sssh allll the pretty labels... but it sure did help make reinstall quick! X1 to X1..yada yada... Edited January 31, 2006 by Slick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 i've never replaced my tensioner ( sssh ) mine always looked ok but its just 1 of those things that i've heard every1 wants to replace but them things are expensive...i guess i'll ride the line till it bites me then from then on i'll change the tensioner plus i dont think after u tighten down the retaining bolt or whatever u wanna call it...i dont think its gonna move but the bearings could go bad sometime and cause some unpleasent noises... if u've had ure motor out im sure u can handle this with no problem b/c my 1st time ever doing anything "serious" with the motor was top end work after i broke a timing belt when i didnt change it after the water pump b/c i didnt know anything about milage on a timing belt and it looked good but my mechanic buddy said antifreeze will break down the structure of the belt i also liked using goo gone (think thats where a lot of my smoke and smell came from) but that stuff gets rid or any kinda oil or sticky stuff and 3m pads to remove the remaining gasket after scraping with a strait razor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted January 31, 2006 Author Share Posted January 31, 2006 (edited) I am fortunate in that i have access to the best air powered tools (and non power tools) to make nay mechanic drool.... cleaning the heads and other bits n pieces will be no problem.. ahhh.. life is so much sweeter in a well equipped enviroment! :bow: I have not checked out tensioner pulley prices.. I am extremely POOR this next couple of weeks... so if it is expensive.. it may just have to wait til next pay day... luckily when that upper bypass hose went.. all the belts but the t-belt got drenched in bars leak and anti-freeze I changed the other 3 belts though they are 3,000 miles old.. i dried and cleaned them and will keep them for spares... i thoroughly checked the t-belt and it looked perfect. so that is staying. i just HATE working on that motor while it's inside the truck.. i can't see everything and i really wanted to have it out and go through it again in case i missed something the first time.. but time does not allow this. I think i will be removing my fuel rail and cleaning it out.. hopefully i don't have an injector gone.. just clogged a bit.. *sighs* will it ever end?? there is not much left to change in there... although i still feel strongly that i have leaky/worn rings on #6 piston.. the #6 spark plug is always oily when i pull it.... which could also explain the fuel in the oil problem... Edited January 31, 2006 by Slick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgranch Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Slick there is one big caution if you replace the head bolts. For the record the factory manual says to replace the head bolts everytime. These bolts are stretch torqued, meaning they give a little when torqued. Now that is the official line, many people have just used the same bolts over again. My local Nissan garage does not even have a set of head bolts in stock. The caution is if you buy a new set ($65) be careful of the washers that come with the set of bolts. Nessain used 2 different washers. One washer has a larger diameter than the other one. If your VG30I needs the smaller washer and you use the larger washer the embossment around the head bolt will fracture when you tighten the bolt. A small head crack is likely, but metal chips in the engine are a given. These washers are very close in size but side by side you can see the difference. The best way in my opinion is just reuse the washers that came out of the engine even if you use new bolts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 (edited) Yeah yeah....do that......sure.....your gaskets may look SLIGHTLY different though!! On a serious note........If you want the FSM, PM me and we'll see what we can do. Edited January 31, 2006 by Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 (edited) The only advice that I can give is the following: Make sure you loosen and tighten your head bolts (and cams bolts etc) a little at a time and never adjacent ones. Do a criss-cross alternate side pattern to prevent warpage. Be aware of the alignment spacers (little rings) that are often located between the head and the block. If you want to clean your cylinders, I reco a little water into each cyl before putting your sparkies back. This will effectively steam clean the tops of the cyl etc. Not to much... it doesn't compress. Make sure you get a good clean surface for your new head gaskets. Take the extra time to clean the old one off very well. I suggest new head bolts. Even though you may think the look fine and tighten ok, they are already stressed (stretchy) and you increase your chance of failure if you reuse the old ones (though I did and have had no issues) Good luck. I have the real 94 and 95 manuals (plus they're online) if you get stuck and have a question. Not a lot of engine differneces from 92 wrt the block and heads. Edited January 31, 2006 by k9sar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 (edited) sssh so.. reading the manual... I am to assume i have the KA24E motor as mine is a 92 and it says 1990 on?? ummm... not necessarily. The VG30E was in pathys back then. Typically, teh KA24 was in the hardbodys look at your VIN. the 4th digit tells your engine. H is the VG30, S is the KA24 Edited January 31, 2006 by k9sar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted January 31, 2006 Author Share Posted January 31, 2006 ok. unless ym head bolts look crappy.. they are gunna stay. so.. how the HELL do i find out which one i have?? it has diff torque settings and compression ratings.. so now i am lost.. KA24E or pre 90 vg30e??? even though mine is a 92? my first hiccup! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Slick...you have the VG30E..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted January 31, 2006 Author Share Posted January 31, 2006 (edited) Slick...you have the VG30E..... hellooooooooooooooo! i KNOW that .... but in my haynes manual there are 2 types of VG30E......... PRE 1990 which they just call a VG30E and a POST 1990 which is STILL a VG30E BUT they call it a KA24E my pathy is a 1992......... so c'mon HAYNES...which one is it?? Edited January 31, 2006 by Slick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 The KA24E is a 4 cylinder engine slick. Follow the instructions for the VG30E. Are you sure it doesn't say a Pre 90 VG30i? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Here's a link to the EM section of the 94 FSM. It has info on the heads, and torque specifications. EM section of FSM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted January 31, 2006 Author Share Posted January 31, 2006 (edited) The KA24E is a 4 cylinder engine slick. Follow the instructions for the VG30E. Are you sure it doesn't say a Pre 90 VG30i? not what i was reading.. it just said vg30... amd ka24e 1990 on.. that's why i got so confused.. that's ALL it said.... i am just gunna go with the vg30 specs... i am tired which doesn't help.. and i am getting that anticipation thing goin on cuz we start on her today.. i am doing my pre-wrenching freak out.... once i have the tools in my hand.. i will be alll good to go.... hehe.. til i start yelling at dave " IT'S NOT A CHEVY GOD DAMNIT!!!!!!!!! NOT LIKE THAT!!!!! DAAAAAAAAAMN" .. i swear i don't know how he puts up with me.... maybe that's why i like doing most of the work myself sssh i don't like anyone else touching my babies.. but help is always appreciated.... he will learn the wyas of the jap engine..... lol.. prolly not before he kills me for being an anal retentive psycho Edited January 31, 2006 by Slick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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