I just got done doing a head gasket replacement on the left side (radiator side) of my 92 VE engine. I had no problems and followed the manual to the tee on tighting bolts, ect. The engine starts and runs, but misses real bad, and it it running really, really, rich. I will foul out the plugs almost right away. The is a lot of black soot on the plugs and a lot of soot in coming out of the tail pipe. Does anyone know what is causing this?

 

The engine is flooding really bad. So bad , that the gas is coming out from the tailpipe. The plugs are really gas soaked. I checked for spark and it is getting spark, just way to much gas. Help please!

 

Why did you have to replace the head gasket? Did you have any fuel problems previously? It sounds that you may have one or more injectors stuck open. Did you reuse or replace the injector seals?

 

the #2 cylinder would not fire. I checked/changed the injector and still would not fire. After a while white steam started to come out of the tail pipe, and when I checked the plug it looked like it been washed. The cylinder also was a little low on compression. When I got the head off, I found a "soft spot" on the gasket near the cylinder wall, looked like coolant was getting it the cylinder. The top of the piston was "clean" and the other two had the uasual carbon on them. I took the head and had it cleaned and milled. It was warped pretty bad. I reused the injector seals , I was told by the parts guy at Nissan that they seldom change them when they pull a fuel rail. ALL my plugs are gas soaked....what could cause the injectors to be stuck open?

 

ALL injectors being stuck open is doubtful. As far as what the Nissan guy told you... that's just not right. Especially from a dealer. Those seals will dry out and crack with age. That's just how it is. It might not be that, but prevention is worth it's weight in gold. Maybe he didn't want to be bothered. It sucks that those guys give that profession a bad name. Double check all your harnesses and connectors, also. Make sure everything is where it should be. A lot of times after a time consuming job, it's easy to overlook something small. Vacuum lines, too, while you're in there. Wish you luck.

 

I didnt have a flooding issue before I did this job.....what could cause the massive engine flooding?

 

maybe you misconnected some fuel and or vaccum lines

 

Ok. Just breathe and relax. We've all been where you are. If you changed the head gasket yourself, I'm sure you have the intelligence to diagnose the problem. Now you just need the patience(I have problems finding that too). Ask yourself how the fuel gets to the cylinder(mechanical) then work backwards to verify no problems. Then(if needed) ask yourself what controls that delivery. Single out all the components that may have any effect: injectors, seals, tbody, maf, pressure regulator, o2, ecu, etc. Just work from the easiest to the hardest. You'll find it. Hope that helps. I'm trying.

 

Would a defective fuel pressure regulator cause this? Can they stick "open". How can you check it for proper operation? BTW, I have NO check engine light on?!?!

 

Hopefully, you're not letting the engine run like that for too long. Could cause severe damage to O2 or cat. And if you're not, the ecu may not be cycling enough to read the rich mixture. If everything but #2 was running great before the repair, I would target those things that could be damaged/ignored during the repair. That being said, I wouldn't worry about the p/reg just yet. Look at the path of fuel and intake. Any blockages? Any crossed lines? Any missed wiring? Did you have someone working with you? If so, double check their work too.