96 Sentra... Changed head gasket, lost compression... why?

Jan 18, 2005 2 Replies

I have a 96 Nissan Sentra and I have been having overheating problems. From my diagnosis, I determined that it was a blown head gasket. After changing the head gasket and putting everything back together, I can't get the car started. I did a compression test and found that the compression reads below 100 psi for all cylinders. Prior to changing the gasket, I checked the compression and they read between



130 and 140#.

I should mention that I checked and double checked the timing of the cam gears and the timing chain. I checked against the shop manual and it all checks out. What else could I be doing wrong?? Please help.



Al Kondo


You had the head checked to make sure it wasn't warped, right?

Get yourself a leakdown tester. Using it and some good hearing you can see how much leakage each cylinder has, and hear where the leak is.

A valuable tool, well worth the $75- 100 spent.

-Pete

Al K> I have a 96 Nissan Sentra and I have been having overheating problems.

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