Blown Head Gasket.... Help !

[woza01]

Hey all,

Well, I toook my R33 GTR for a drive today, and it started running a little rough, then I noticed it was getting pretty hot. Turned for home immediately, and let it cool down. When it was cool I checked the water (only checked it 2 weeks ago and it was fine)...It took about 5 litres !. No water leaks evident, so it had to be going somewhere....checked the dipstick but no apparent signs of water in there - Opened the Rocker cover Oil filler Cap and there is mayonaise present...>DAMN !!!!!

OK, so Im up for a head gasket.....Can anyone who is out there let me know anything I may need to be aware of ?..anything at all, including stuff like how much it cost to get done by someone else, how much it cost you when you did it yourself, things I will need to be wary of if I do it myself, availability of parts & gaskets & the best place to buy from.....anything at all !

Thanks in advance to those who leave any comments and advice......I look forward to heairng from you all.

Cheers Skyline Lovers

Woza !

[tek_01]

i have only done a head gasket on my old pulsar but its pretty involved and requires some mechanical knowledge and also tools

just to replace the gasket would be pretty easy but it must have gone for a reason, so thats something to think about

you would most probably have to machine/face the block and head so u get a nice flat surface

someone else would know that has more knowledge than me

[raps86]

the main thing 2 look out 4 is making sure that the head didnt warp at all. but if u do it yourself make sure u take close note of where everything comes from. if doin yourself make sure that u spray the nuts on the exhaust manifold with wd or equivilant and let soak in 4 at least a good 15 min and when undoin the nuts 2 jar them instead of just putting pressure on them. less chance of breaking them hope this helps

[SECURITY]

its a pretty involved job but you could do it in a day if you had the tools/knowledge. the turbo/s dont need to come off, just disconnect all of the lines and use some strong mates or an engine crane to pull it out (it will be heavy).

head studs off, auxiliary bolts off (there are 3 of them, 2 at the back and 1 at the front which is in a prick of a spot).

disconnect all brackets from under the plenum.

out she goes.

scrape off the old head gasket with a clean sharp razor off the block and the head. use a straight metal rule to check the head for any kind of warp in it. if it is warped you'll need to remove the plenum and exhaust sides off and take it to a machinist to shave the head. it costs around $50 to do this.

if you've got little mechanical experience or it is the first time to do anything like this you should just send it to a mechanic.

also.. look into replacing it with a metal head gasket.

while its off you might want to look into blocking off the rear oil feed if it suits you.

[Godzilla32]

Don't jump the gun mate.

You need to test it with a CO tester first to establish whether or not you have in fact got a compression leak. You could just have a heat exchanger leak. The heat exchanger transfers heat from the oil to the coolant and vice versa. If there is a break anywhere in seals etc then you will have a similar situation.

So get a CO (carbon monoxide) test done to confirm your head gasket scenario. Don't ever assume

Could be alot less costly if you check it all out.

Deren

BTW: RB26's arent renowned for blowing head gaskets. More so lifting the head off the block under extreme boost applications. Or cracking between water jackets.

Edited September 27, 2007 by Godzilla32

[woza01]

Thanks guys for all your replys.....let me start by saying that I am an ex mecahnic by trade, so I could actually do it myself. My main problem is manily time - as I have been off the tools for around 10 years, I'd be extremely cautious in pulling it all apart, then any head issues will take time, then reassembly.....it will probably end up takeing a couple of months, which Im sure you can appreciate, it not desirable.

WIth regards to the CO test - yes, that will definately happen before I continue with the job, however the writing is on the wall, because the car idles roughly, spits traces of water out the exhaust, and consumes a lot of water from the radiator - no external leaks apparent....so its HOPEFULLY just the head gasket, but as previously suggested by some of you guys, there could be a number of other causes....PLease all keep you fingers crossed for me !

Heres my baby...when she was running ! sob sob