Mr_SMA_Jr

My '92 D21 is eating water... I see no drips or leaks but it's running hot (3/4-7/8 temp scale)... Put in 2 qts of water yesterday and 3 more today... Bought a new radiator cap and still no joy... Water pump shows no leaks either... I don't see any water trails or marks in the engine compartment... I even filled the overflow container to the max and it was "devoured" too... Any ideas ??? Head gasket ??? Exhaust gasket ??? All parts are still original less the radiator cap (13lbs)...

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J.R.

Madmaxfl

Sounds like a head gasket, but that is a lot of coolant. Could be a cracked block.

jerryp58

Have you looked at the oil cap for signs (foam) of coolant in the oil? Or signs of oil in the coolant? How do the spark plugs look?

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Jerry
2004 Frontier, King Cab, XE, 4x1, 4-cyl, 5-spd

Mr_SMA_Jr

Checked the dip stick, definitely head gasket... My oil is a nice shade of tan coffee... Hopefully, the block isn't cranked... Thanks...

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J.R.

Mr_SMA_Jr

So, I tried to drive my truck, fill of water, etc..., 2 miles to the shop to be repaired and bang... Oil everywhere... Called and got a quote and they said $2500 because the head has to go a machine shop... ???

92 with 100K miles... Worth it ??? or is it something I can do at home - semi-cheaply ???

Someone said I should part it out... Some may ideas/questions... Any suggestions ???

Thanks (semi-ex-Nissan owner)

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J.R.

Teacher97

Well, that sucks. You have my sympathy.

Let us know what you decide and how it goes.

I'm always curious about the when-is-a-vehicle-no-longer-worth-fixing question, especially if it's not something you can do yourself.

In my uninformed opinion, that would be a lot of money to spend on a 14-year-old vehicle that probably wasn't hugely expensive in the first place. Unless you really like it and it's in exceptionally great shape otherwise. But I'm sure others will disagree.

jerryp58

Wow! That seems like an awful lot of money for a rebuilt/machined head. With the rest of the engine (and frame, suspension, body, interior, etc.) 14 years old, I think I'd check on a rebuilt engine, a used engine, or a full rebuild of yours. It always amazes me that Chevy offers a crate 350 for $1500 and 4-cyl engines can be so expensive.

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Jerry
2004 Frontier, King Cab, XE, 4x1, 4-cyl, 5-spd

88pathoffroad

If you take off the head yourself, any good machine shop can go over it for less than $300. I had two V6 heads done locally for $250.

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Owner of NPORA, mod for Nissan-Infiniti Forums, NissanForums.com, NissanHelp.com, AllNissans.com and VGPowered Forums
'88 Pathfinder: 6" of lift, 33x13.50 Swamper LTB's, Rancho 9000's, L&P Stage 3 steering system, K&N, Pacesetter headers and 2.5" exhaust, Lock-Right locker, 110A alty and electric fan swap, dual batteries, 700W+ worth of PIAAs, etc.

Madmaxfl

Before I would spend $2500 for a head job I would 1. pull a head from an engine in the junk yard and 2. pull and engine from the junk yard. You can get engines from $400 to $750m down in Florida.

79kz400

I bought a very nice used one on eBay for $35 for my '91 and had it shipped north with a visiting relative.

$35 + $50 for a gasket set...

At some point they changed the intake side a little. You can look at your intake mani. to see if it has the larger injector cutout for the intake side. I used the larger ports on the smaller intake but got a nice seal using both gaskets and a little grey import sealant.

Mr_SMA_Jr

Thanks all for the advice... I'm going to tear it down some this weekend to see what is what... The used head and machine shop info was good... I'll let you know on its outcome...

On a good note, I'm a proud owner of a 2006 Frontier, King Cab, XE, 4x2, 4-cyl, 5-spd, etc, etc, etc... Dang - what a difference from my old 1992...

Life is good !!!

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J.R.

Mr_SMA_Jr

Took the valve cover off... The bolts were barely tight... And found 5 pieces of metal laying around the valve, etc... Rocker arm, valves, springs,and all on top look good, and so does the timing chain and gear... Metal must be either cracked head and/or block...

Still debating if I am going to continue...

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J.R.

79kz400

This auction will probably expire by the time you read this but it'll have all the bases covered and then some. Item located in NC. Don't let the 240 stuff scare you - it comes off real easy with a socket set. You'd need to convert the ECU to accept the intake thats on it so just strip it and use the head only. The injector cutouts should be the same as your 1992.

eBay Motors: Nissan 240sx 2400 12v KA24 Cylinder Head Assembly NR!! (item 330034027915 end time Oct-03-06 06:11:38 PDT)

If it dosn't sell, and you write them, they'll probably sell it to you for $75 or something.

Mr_SMA_Jr

Back at it... Got the intake and exhaust bolts off... Time chain gear loose... But I can't get the EGR tube off... Any suggestions ??? Tried crescent wrench, vise grips, and other wrench - still locked on... I did manage to remove the emission tube that connected near the catalyst converter, but this EGR tube is more stubborn...

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J.R.

Mr_SMA_Jr

I'm done with it... Teacher97 said it - It time to let her go... Ashes to ashes, Rust to rust... Now I got to figure out what to do with her... Junk yard. newspaper, Kidney Foundation, so many choices...

Thanks for the insight and help, all...

p.s. I love my new truck Hope she lasts 14 years also...

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J.R.