I have a 96 Sentra with 120k miles on it. It has a 1.6 liter engine and is automatic drive. I recently determined that I have a head gasket leak (i.e., losing anitfreeze, consistent overheating, and steam from the exhaust at startup). I have done head removal on other cars over the years, but never on this car. For those of you who have experience with this car, I would like to know:
- Is there anything that I should be aware of or be careful of as I do this job.
- Are there any special tools that I will need other than wrenches, sockets, etc??
- What other procedure would be wise to do since I have the head off? I should mention that I changed out the water pump because I thought that it had something to do with the overheating. Would it be wise to do a valve job?
- Besides a head gasket, what other engine related items will I need to complete the job.
I appreciate any thoughts you may have about this job.
Thanks, Al Kondo