After checking out my engine I found that my head gasket is blown and there is coolant in my engine. fockin great. anyway i am armed with my trusty haynes manual and my garage so what do you guys think i should do? should I rebuild my engine or just buy a used engine? any suggestions on where to look for a used engine and what i should expect to pay?

TIA

 

also, what years maxima will be a direct fit? I know the 02-04 is no good but how about 94-2001?

 

www.car-part.com

That's were I found my tranny.

95-99 are a direct fit, 2000-2001 might be with minimal custom work, but I don't really know.

I hope you don't mind me asking a question in your thread, but what causes a blown HG? Is there anything that should or shouldn't be done to avoid it? I ask because it seems like it is one of the more common causes of engine failure.

 

I dont think the 2000 or 01 will be a perfect fit either.... I may be wrong.

 

yeah, after researching some it looks like only 95-99 will be direct fit. I am leaning toward just swapping engine. how much work will this be and how long do you guys think it will take?

 

right, they're defiantely not a perfect fit, othewrise peopel woudlnt put effort into the MEVI

 

since my max is a 5spd do i need to get a used engine that was from a 5spd or does it matter? I already know the flywheel will be different but anything else?

 

no you dont.....it doesnt matter what tranny the engine was connected to previously, because all the parts from your tranny and 5 speed will be there to connect to....

 

so all the engine controls and electronics should be the same, right? no swapping of any parts from my current engine to the replacement even if it is auto?

 

i bought an engine off the internet for my I30 (a 5 speed)....chances are it was from an auto.....but I never specified and it installed fine....the basic engine is the same.....the flywheel from your last engine will go on the new block.

 

yes there are many parts swapped from the old engine to the new, at least that was my experience....

 

for instance?

 

If you have a blown gasket your coolant RESERVOIR should be full of chocolate milk.

 

Just clean the engine I would say, I had blown head gaskets pretty often in my turbo charged Mazda 626 (custom turbo), everytime the engine was cleaned, new gasket installed and I was fine, you just have to check for oil in you cooling system... Why swap a good engine? :S

 

u know i never heard of a auto car blowing an engine auto cars blow auto trannys but stick cars blow motors. hmm i guess im lucky lol then again i may be wrong

 

my car is 5spd, the reason i know the head gasket is blown is because my oil is chocolate milkshake and my radiator fluid froths, coolant loss in excess of 1 gallon with no puddles. plus all the usual telltale signs of extreme loss of power and hesitation, car actually dies when shifting to neutral. all this and the temp gauge never went above normal yet upon inspection coolant is boiling and shooting out of radiator when i take the cap off..

 

My radiator has oil in it ,and my car gets hot but she still turns 13,s in the 1/4

 

ok, after mulling over it for a while, I have decided to change the head gaskets. what gaskets and parts will I need to buy for this job?

 

I would just built it up with some goodies. This way you know ur motor is ready for boost and also more power. Get the internals and all that stuff and built this one up.

 

People keep saying "build it up" but how many vq 30's have you seen that broke internals . This engine will take 600+ flywheel hp if you need more than that then by all means build up. But this engine is so strong that i rev to 8000rpm's with totally stock valvetrain and internals.

 

great suggestions guys but what gaskets, seals, and such do i need to buy? is there a kit? how much should i expect to spend?

 

do i need to replace both head gaskets? how about the spark plug seals and valve gasket?

 

I would double check with the dealership on that one brutha. Email WWW.JerryRomeNissan.com. They will help you plus theres a discount for the .ORG members on OEM parts.

 

Blown head gaskets are usually a result of over heating. Coolant can get into the combustion chamber and case a white smokey condition or mix the oil with the coolant. You'll notice oil in the radiator floating around or in the oil when you change it. Not much you can do afterwards. Just change the head gaskets or get a new engine.

 

if you change your mind this engine just popped up on ebay - claims it has 21k original miles, hard to believe.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...923767948&rd=1

 

try liquid glass, though i heard you need to bypass the heater core, do a google search on liquid glass, supposedly its the only stuff that can seal up the head gasket when it makes contact with hot air, all heresay, ive never personally confirmed it. it donst react well wtih coolant so you need to flsuht he system completely, itll also coat the inside lining of the pipes so you'd want to swap those out too.

 

i am taking out the upper intake manifold at this very moment. this weekend i will have it all apart and monday machine shop is grinding my heads. will hopefully have it back together by the end of the month. should I have the shop grind the heads down a bit to lower compression? someone else had mentioned i should.

 

your gonna have to shave the head(s) anyway so the new gasket will seat properly. i believe that they sell complete gasket kits for the top end...head gasket, cam seals, etc.

 

yes, i bought the regrind kit. all the gaskets from heads up.