Okay I am a noobie to this forum. But I have a 97 gxe with a "blown head gasket". I don't think that's the issue but I'm not sure. After halfway into take the heads off the see for myself I find a 99 gxe with motor and trans for $250. I'm going to put the 99 motor in my 97 but I plan to go through and beef up the 97 motor but this is my first nissan and I would like to know any and all advice i can get. What are simple mods?? What things are worth buying/doing to my engine?? What parts should I get first? Is there anything worth doing to the trans? This 97 motor has 236,xxx miles on it. Is it really worth doing anything to? Like I said. Bought it from a guy saying blown head gasket but it does not leak. Oil is perfectly fine. Dosent run hot. BUT coolant smells strongly of gasoline. It smokes white out the tailpipe and with any throttle given to it would make it die. I'm sure anyone here has more experience than me so the question I'm asking is what would you do. Thank you and sorry for long thread just alot of questions due to lack of info.

 

First question..... are the heads still attached to the block?

If so, good.

Because you do NOT have a blown head gasket.

You DO have a bad fuel injector or fuel pressure regulator.

These cars have issues with both of those.

Remove the vaccuum hose from the fuel pressure regulator. Does that hose have gas in it, or smell of gas?

The fuel injectors tend to leak when they are old, sometimes massivly. That is why your car spews white smoke, with reeks of gas.

The cure is to replace the injectors, or have them rebuilt. Occasionally the fuel pressure regulator is the cause.

There are additional preventative maintenance items which are much easier to deal with while the upper intake manifold is removed.

You will need to remove the upper intake manifold and the fuel rail. Do not go any further.