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projectgtir

Member
Ok been having trouble with my r for ages now. turning into a bit of a nightmare.

In oct2010 it over heated badly. I gathered parts and had the head skimmed polished etc .

In jan put it back together started fine, ran ok but water still going in oil . Also after the car gets hot the water pipes that come off the rad get very hard and eventually leak not matter how hard i tighten them .

I thought it was me not doing something properly so did it all again new headgasket ,and put a bit more torque in headbolts . The same is still happening . Did a compression test when hot and throttle fully open .
got 150 psi on 3 and 142-144 on 4th cylinder which is still within spec .

Im thinking the head or block is cracked somewhere and exhauat gas is going into water system ,pressurising it .
 

PobodY

Moderators
Staff member
You might need to get the head dye tested (or whatever it's called) because I suspect you're right; there's a fine crack somewhere..

Get the coolant checked with a "sniffer" it tests for exhaust gases, so you'd know for certain whether the exhaust is getting into the water jacket.
 

Trip

New Member
If the engine is still standard, i suggest you simple buy a good standard engine, fit it and start enjoying the car. it would be worth every penny compared to the time and money needed to find the problem in your current engine.

end of story
 

projectgtir

Member
Thanks for the input guys,I'd like to solve this problem as I've spent alot of time on this engine now. It could just be the head and therefore I could just get a second hand head . My worst fear is the block has warped .
Is there any specific place these engines tend to crack first or is it random and could be anywhere.
 

PobodY

Moderators
Staff member
I don't know. - The only reason it occurs to me is that my aunt has had to have the head replaced on her (standardard Australian) Pulsar because of a crack; that was rebuilt three times before they found it, so it's actually a waranty job.

I was hoping that someone who knows a lot more than me about this would have posted a reply now.
 
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pulsarboby

Guest
could be anything tbh
check block for warpage
liner distortion causing waterways between cylinders to close up
cracked cylinder liners
cyl head distortion
internal cracking
are you using arp head studs?
are you bleeding the system correctly on assembly?
are you sure there are no other faults such as blocked rad, sticky stat, faulty fans n/w, weak rad cap, any other water leaks?
all these things can cause damage very quickly if the car boils up....then your back to square one with head / gasket troubles
 

projectgtir

Member
could be anything tbh
check block for warpage
liner distortion causing waterways between cylinders to close up
cracked cylinder liners
cyl head distortion
internal cracking
are you using arp head studs?
are you bleeding the system correctly on assembly?
are you sure there are no other faults such as blocked rad, sticky stat, faulty fans n/w, weak rad cap, any other water leaks?
all these things can cause damage very quickly if the car boils up....then your back to square one with head / gasket troubles
No other water leaks . New oe head bolts and oe gasket new oe water pump and crank pulley . To bleed the car heater on hot and full, bleed nipple on stat housing open until water comes through. Rad cap could be suspet . The amount of water going in the oil is stupid . Put brand new comma fully syn in b4 startin once warm took oil filler cap off and beads of mayo are flyin out. Can the water ways on the turbo crack etc and leak into oil..
 

projectgtir

Member
Just an update .
Head has been pressure tested and checked for straightness and is true and holding pressure so it's either block face or a crack in the block .
 

Fast Guy

Moderators
Staff member
Don't want to state the obvious but have you checked the thermostat is working? and the water pump?

Do you have a standard oil cooler still, if they leak it's normally oil into water due to the pressure difference, but I'm thinking if your coolant is pressurising that much could it be leaking the other way when the engine is off and the water pressure is still there.
 
I have said before on here that i always had problems bleeding the system properly. I always had hoses popping off and the system was under a lot of pressure. In the end I bled the system as the manual says (open nipple on stat until coolant comes out then close off). Then, i Opened the head drain bolt just behind the turbo on the head (or might be on the block actually, can't remember) and kept filling up coolant until it started pissing out from here.
Ever scince i did that the cooling system was spot on and never had any more problems.
I do it this every time now and works a treat.
Might not help you but thought id share it anyway.
 

projectgtir

Member
checked the stat and it was opening but, i had removed it the last time it put the engine back together anyway .
water pump was brand new from nissan for the first time i put it back together.

Is it possible for the turbo housing to be leaking exhaust gas into water or water into oil etc...
 

Fast Guy

Moderators
Staff member
I've never heard of one doing it that I can remember, but I guess anything's possible.

Have you been bleeding the cooling system properly? ie as per the manual.
 

projectgtir

Member
Not as per the manual no . I've not undone the one on the block as Jambi talked about .
When I put water in the rad I wait till water trickles out the bleed nipple on the stat housing. Close the nipple start the car turn fans on, temp to hot. Then Open nipple slowly so water trickles out then close . Car warms up after ten mins or so then hoses go rock solid like concrete, then hoses usually leak . when I drain the coolant it's like a tea colour , orange and brown colour.
I assume this is exhaust gas changing the colour.
 
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pulsarboby

Guest
i reckon either the block is cracked or distorted.

were doing a build for a guy at the moment who had a similar problem! one of his liners has a hairline crack in it which is opening when hot and pressurising the coolant system so needs a new block etc
 

Gaz gtiR

New Member
with regards to bleeding the system could someone copy & paste the exact way out of the manuel somehow? as i could do with bleeding my system as my pipes preasurise quite bad but never realy had a problem yet! but i want to bleed it up properly for peice of mind!
 

Gaz gtiR

New Member
cheers ill give that a try! how hard should the rad pipes be once up to tempriture? ive got 1.1 bar radap but no coolant is getting past it in to the expantion bottle & the cap is new & sems to work fine. not sticking! its just when the car is up to temp i can squeeze the rad pipr about 2mm with out any effort but they do feel quite pressurised?? isthis nnormal & am i just being paranoid??
 
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I asked the exact same question when i had this problem a few years ago lol. They are supposed to be pressurised but it's hard to say how much. I'm not an expert but surely if the rad cap isn't opening then the pressure is ok?
Also, i got rid of the standard hose clips for the rad hoses and put some new Jubilee clips on there...... they never popped off again.
 
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