1990 nissan pathfinder head gasket ?

nize · Jun 15th, 2005, 06:00 PM

hello! can anyone tell me how difficult it is to replace the head gasket on a 1990 nissan pathfinder?

is it something the average home mechanic can perform? are there any special tools or processes involved? about how long would it take for someone the first time? is this something that's possible to do over a single weekend?

also, does anyone have any opinion on gasket-sealing products like steelseal? i'm guessing it's not a good substitute for actually replacing the gasket, but would appreciate any firsthand (or even second-hand) opinions. a link to their site is here;
http://www.steelseal.com/eng/howitworks.html

thanks!

Animal · Jun 15th, 2005, 07:17 PM

From the linked site "...relies on science and chemistry..."

...and other crap to confuse people into buying their product.

No, I don't have any personal experience with this product, but I did spend a lot of time looking for that engine that got 100 mpg and have learned what others have about stuff that sounds too good to be true.

Head gaskets are not hard to replace. No special tools required, unless you consider a torque wrench special and service manuals cover the procedure (I wouldn't do this job without one). A blown head gasket is often caused by a warped head. Simply replacing the gasket may only be a temporary fix.

JoeyS · Jun 16th, 2005, 08:24 AM

Replacing the head gaskets (plural) on the VG30E is simple, but not easy.

I highly recommend getting a Haynes or Chilton manual, since you will have to do several things:

remove upper and lower intake manifold
remove exhaust manifolds (you'll break some studs)
remove heads

Before putting anything back on, I also recommend you clean up not only the mounting surface but also the combustion chambers, they can get pretty nasty, especially if you use non-synthetic oils and cheap gas...

**88pathoffroad** · Jun 17th, 2005, 02:51 PM

You're forgetting removing the timing belt and timing covers, which is a fairly major PITA for most novice mechanics. It's not as easy as you may think.