Blown Head?? Not again.

Clintman · Sep 11th, 2003, 07:52 PM

I was recently driving my 88 Sentra with the E16I engine to work when all of the sudden it started making a really loud clacking noise. I finished crossing the bridge i was on and pulled over to the side of the road. The car still ran but would not idle and it did run very poorly. After i towed it home i did a compression check on the cylinder only to find that the farthest left two cylinders had no compression. I read a post somewhere on this website awhile ago that when the head gasket breaks it can make that noise and also of course, i would loose compression in the cylinders that the gasket blew around. I am pretty sure it is the head gasket but i don't see how considering it is only about a year old. I replaced it last x-mas but i didn't have the head resurfaced or pressure checked. I was just wondering if any of you had any ideas or if you think it may be the head as well.

niky · Sep 11th, 2003, 07:57 PM

possibly not broken in properly... you should have had the head either resurfaced or at least checked to see that it was still level...

who put on the gasket?

Myetball · Sep 11th, 2003, 08:47 PM

It could be a cracked head but losing compression in two cylinders tells me you blew the gasket between the cylinders. They are pushing pressure across the gap. Happened to me and there was some damage to the head from debri being pushed back and forth between the cylinders. I had the head welded, surfaced, and 5 of 8 valves replaced and it's still running strong.

Are you saying you replaced the head/head gasket and didn't resurface the head? Lesson learned. On high mileage engines you are flirting with disaster if you don't cut the head.

minute rice sentra · Sep 11th, 2003, 08:48 PM

yeah, if the head got warped the first time, then the head gasket won't seal correctly and you'll blow it again. also make sure the head bolts get torqed down good