1997 Sentra head gasket?

hello, how bad of job is this? I guess it's the 1.6 DOHC motor. it's a friends car and he's wondering how much for this job? thanks

Reply to
Randy Pape
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How do you know it's the head gasket? What symptoms?

CD

Reply to
codifus

It could be quite bad. My experience with N15 GA 15/16 DE

1997 Nissan with "blown head gasket" was that the head was also cracked / unrepairable after overheating. It takes some time to remove exhaust manifolds, intake throttle body & hoses etc, timing chain etc to get the head off. Then it costs to have the head crack tested, if it's okay then more time to clean everything up and reassemble. Then there's the other stuff that you should probably do while the head is off, so while you're spending the money to do the job, you might as well make sure it's done properly. The full head gasket set is quite expensive. You could save a fair bit by neglecting to do the stuff that might best be done while the engine is disassembled.

Labour wise, I guess its almost easier to switch motors. This was an easier option for me as a used motor with about

50k miles cost about the same as a full OEM gasket set and new water pump. (The minimum I would have done if the head had been okay). If it's an auto, you can lift and drop a replacement motor without taking the transmission out, though the labour saved in doing this isn't all that much as you still need to take out the RH axle and remove splash plates etc under the motor to get access.

I'd suggest that if the motor has done a higher mileage, see what the prices are like for a used motor / motor swap. If it's done a low mileage, then it might be worth replacing the head gasket alone, but be prepared for the possibility of spending quite a lot more than the cost to simply replace the gasket on the assumption that it's all going to go smoothly.

Reply to
frederick

Reply to
Randy Pape

For the one I did, it was a relatively easy job, but a few things to watch for. I guess it took me 8 - 10 hours total, but I'm a home handyman, not a mechanic. Total cost for me was about = US$300 for the motor, plus fluids and filters. If you were going to do it yourselves, then the factory workshop manual can be found on the net, but post again here, as there's a few gotchas you should think about before you start.

Reply to
frederick

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