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what a shit day...discovered my head gasket is shot and is leaking combustion into the cooling system. the workshop that did the testing qouted me anywhere from 2200-2500 thats with the head being taken off and pressure and crack tested. this SEEMS like a bit of a rip to me but i dont really know, thats what im here for. just wondering if anybody can recommend a place to carry out this work for me and possible machining of the head if it is farked. or if anybody has or knows of anybody with a reco'd head for sale. open to any other suggestions aswell. cheers, mark

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well off the top of my head....

Head Gasket : $100-200

testing: quite a bit as it takes time.

Chilton Engineering...give them a call dont know there number but that is where my stuff is going.

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Genuine Nissan RB20DET head gasket is $130 retail, im assuming the 25 gasket is about the same cost, If you are pretty good with the tools you could remove the head yourself and send it down to Chilton Engineering phone number is 3391 1672, we use them all the time at work, speak to David let him know that you were recommended by daniel from alfa romeo brisbane.

we just got a 4 cylinder head back from them, pressure tested stripped, valves re ground for about $500. it will be about $700 or so for a 6 cylinder head at a guess.

knowing like most nissan's they just split the head gasket and the head is ok, past 3 nissan heads i have seen the gasket blows out, check the head to see if its flat then bolt a new gasket in and away you go.

Dan B

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farken rip off price indeed!!!!!

contact dan from elite racing on 0407 111 229 (3lit3_32 on here) and get him to do it. i garuantee it wont be anything near that.

plus the testing cost fark all. i got him to test a head i overheated, cost me under $50.(he sends his machining/testing to chilton)

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well off the top of my head....

Head Gasket : $100-200

testing: quite a bit as it takes time.

Chilton Engineering...give them a call dont know there number but that is where my stuff is going.

yep gaskets arnt expensive... labour is..

as if u would test it.. check it visually.. slap the gasket on. seal up head on. away u go..

enjoy the vacuum lines and replace the water lines behind the head while ur ther.. :thumbsup:

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Get it tested. It costs nothing to drop it on Dave's counter and have him check it for you if he is doing the work.

A pressure test/ vac test and shave will set you back around $120-130. This is at least the minimum you should do.

If it didn't get extremely hot then you won't really have to worry about major warping.

A full head service including valve regrind shouldn't be any more than $600. Chilton Engineering is the only person I would use considering his total professionalism and quality of work. He will explain everything and show you any bits or pieces that were damaged or worn.

Labour for a job like this is in the vacinity of 9-10 hours and you are silly if you just buy a head gasket. You WILL need inlet gasket and exhaust gasket. You WILL need exhaust studs and nuts and you will need to replace the thermostat. Depending on the gasket set purchased ( I recommend ACL ) you should find it to cost around $400-$500 for the full gasket set with everything ( including rocker cover gaskets and half moon seals ).

I would say a general workshop quote should be around $2000 - $2200 to be reasonable. This is to do a complete and thorough job.

$2500 would be on the high side but it would be fair to cover any unforeseen parts/damage. You could expect to replace heater hoses at the same time.

Cheers, Daniel

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Labour for a job like this is in the vacinity of 9-10 hours and you are silly if you just buy a head gasket. You WILL need inlet gasket and exhaust gasket. You WILL need exhaust studs and nuts and you will need to replace the thermostat. Depending on the gasket set purchased ( I recommend ACL ) you should find it to cost around $400-$500 for the full gasket set with everything ( including rocker cover gaskets and half moon seals ).

I would say a general workshop quote should be around $2000 - $2200 to be reasonable. This is to do a complete and thorough job.

$2500 would be on the high side but it would be fair to cover any unforeseen parts/damage. You could expect to replace heater hoses at the same time.

Cheers, Daniel

Spot on there. I had mine done about a month ago with an ACL gasket kit. Paid a bit more than 500 for it though(not by much). I ended up paying $3,000 for all the work I had done at the time, that included other stuff unrelated to the head gasket issue though but for that job alone 2000-2500 would be where it's at.

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ill definitely be goin to see them tomorrow. its not so much the money i have to fork out (although it fkn sucks, it has to be done). its the time thats gonna kill me as i dont have an alternate means of transport. thanks again for all the help guys

Mark

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ill definitely be goin to see them tomorrow. its not so much the money i have to fork out (although it fkn sucks, it has to be done). its the time thats gonna kill me as i dont have an alternate means of transport. thanks again for all the help guys

Mark

Who you takin it to?

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ill be goin to see the guys at chilton but somethins come up at uni so i wont be able to go and see them til tomorrow

Have you removed the cylinder head yet?

Chilton are engineers. They do the work on the head after it has been removed, they won't remove it for you.

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Do not listen to the above advice, it's just f**ken ridiculous. You SHOULD get the head tested if it's overheated/popped the gasket.

Mark i can't believe you said that.

bahaha of course i was joking.. lol

i had u going ther. i forget the place we used to send our heads off to back at toyota.. suprisingly they only seemed to be 7M engines and 1 ZZE corolla.. but we replaced the gasket under warranty and didnt send off to the machinest..

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Have you removed the cylinder head yet?

Chilton are engineers. They do the work on the head after it has been removed, they won't remove it for you.

haha well u just answered one of the questions i had for them. its something im not really keen to tackle myself. just means more money to fork out (f*kin thing). Also where would be the best places to look to source the replacement gaskets as ill probably go with the ACL ones you have recomended above. cheers,

Mark

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sucks about the cash flow issue dude, i'm a uni bum too so i empathies with your position. but i would really think about what actions you take cause if you attempt to do it your self and drop the head or hit and its weak and it shatters (seen it happen to a PT Cruiser head) you will be in a certain creek without an important instrument.

also i wouldn't pay off what Dan from ERD says, i don't know him but the "in" people on here give him rave reviews about his work and knowledge... experience is your friend.

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Just dload & print the manual and give it a shot, if anything you'll loose a weekend and 230$ for a cylinder head service and gasket if you get it wrong. You'll be suprised at how easy it actually is, just time consuming.

If you dont want to spend the 130$ on the test, just get a perfectly straight metal edge/table and use a feeler gauge or even torch to check whether or not it needs machining. I dont think a VAC test on the valves is really necessary on a low klm head like these atm. If its warped, definately get it pressure tested after getting it machined.

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