Blowing my gasket!

[Maliaki]

Hello All,

I've been lurking for quite a while here. Many thanks to everyone for all of the free advice, help and stories.

Currently, my truck is sad. I think that I've enjoyed my Titan more then any other car/truck I've ever had. However, the last year and a half has been a steady flow of issues. It started with the whole overheating thing that seems to be common. Me however, being an Desert Rat who moved to Kentucky wasn't thinking about antifreeze and put water in the radiator. We had a hard freeze and the block froze (at least the water pump was frozen one morning). The freeze plugs didn't pop though so I'm not sure how frozen the core got (my guess is frozen though) but it froze enough to burst the radiator at the stress points on the bottom. Soooo, I put a new radiator in and learned to use more antifreeze! It ran a little rougher but not bad really for many months. Then one day in heavy, fast traffic on I-65, the radiator cap blew off (the small one, not the one for the reservoir). It went into limp mode, we made it to the side and wondered what to do. An emergency assistance truck pulled up and had a bunch of expired Anheuser-Busch water leftover from Katrina. I found a punch-out slug on the ground, fashioned a radiator cap with some green duct tape and we were on our way. Started running a little rougher now. Odd problems on and off, couldn't keep water in the system even though it wasn't leaking out anywhere, it blew the cap off 2 more times (luckily I found it those times!). Then the heater quit working intermittently. I've read all the threads about there there, tried getting all the air out of the system to no avail but, the bubbles never stop coming through the reservoir. Finally figured it's either a blown head gasket (the oil looks fine) or a crack in the block. When I go to pass someone seems to be when the cap blows off (cylinder pressure suddenly?). Annnnyway (I know, LOONG post, sorry, my truck and I have history!) It started running a bit rougher and then, after the last time the cap blew off, snowing, middle of nowhere, we limped it to a gas station a few miles up, anyway, the water/coolant under the hood (I believe) shorted something out, the starter. After it cooled and I got water in it, it did start though. Made it home (I live out in the woods pretty far from a real town) and christmas day went to go check mail and it seemed like the engine froze up. I verified that I can turn the cam so I don't think it's froze. It seems to cause the gauges to jitter, pretty sure it's that short. Dig around and find chewed wires from the pac rats in AZ. Sooo, I need to take off the intake manifold to fix that which FINALLY brings me to my questions! LOL! (Thanks for reading this far!)

I figure I'll do the head gasket while I have the intake manifold off. I got the service manual and know that there are some parts that are just wrong (like the exhaust manifold removal). The steps for changing a head gasket start with pulling the ENGINE! I'm hoping that, like the exhaust, it's an UN-necessarry step. It also says to pull everything else off the engine. Considering where they hid the starter, it wouldn't surprise me but really? Do I actually have to pull the timing chain to do a head gasket?! Is there something else I can use to disconnect the fuel quick connect or is the Lisle 39210 the cheapest option? I've found the gasket kits, but can't seem to find head bolts. Thoughts? Ideas? Anything? LOL!

Thanks for letting me rant and ask!
Maliaki

[Maliaki]

Can anyone here at least answer me this:

Do I have to pull the engine to do the head gasket?

[baseballfanz]

You really think anyone actually took the time to read all that? Look like You want help rewrite your 1st post.

[FloppyKnockers]

Tldnr.

[BBtruck]

After painfully reading, my conclusion;
Maliaki, step away from the Titan and have a real mechanic look at it. Titans are reliably sound but don't stand a chance against poor judgment from owners mistakes.

L

[Maliaki]

Thanks baseball fan!

I did rewrite my first post:
"Can anyone here at least answer me this:
Do I have to pull the engine to do the head gasket? "

Too long for you? Don't know the answer?

Having a "real mechanic" isn't an option. The truck is stuck at my house and I live 15 miles from the nearest town not to mention that I just can't afford all the misdiagnoses that I've read about here (let alone affording the actual repair).

I need my truck and this is what I need to do regardless of your higher and mightier then thou attitude. If you don't want to help because you're too lazy to read something and offer good advice then simply move along and allow someone who actually has an interest in helping people help themselves.

It's a simple question really "Do I have to pull the engine to do the head gasket?".

Is that so hard to answer?

[baseballfanz]

Originally Posted by Maliaki

Thanks baseball fan!

I did rewrite my first post:
"Can anyone here at least answer me this:
Do I have to pull the engine to do the head gasket? "

Too long for you? Don't know the answer?

Having a "real mechanic" isn't an option. The truck is stuck at my house and I live 15 miles from the nearest town not to mention that I just can't afford all the misdiagnoses that I've read about here (let alone affording the actual repair).

I need my truck and this is what I need to do regardless of your higher and mightier then thou attitude. If you don't want to help because you're too lazy to read something and offer good advice then simply move along and allow someone who actually has an interest in helping people help themselves.

It's a simple question really "Do I have to pull the engine to do the head gasket?".

Is that so hard to answer?

Calm down dude before you blow a gasket.

From what I've gather, you need to remove the
-exhaust manifolds
-All the covers from the front
-Timing chain
-probably some other stuffs

IMO it will be much much easier with the engine out.

[Walrus]

Source good used engine.
Remove current engine.
Install used engine.
Use antifreeze.
Drive happy.

Sent from the Vatican.

[06HemiRam]

Originally Posted by Maliaki

Thanks baseball fan!

I did rewrite my first post:
"Can anyone here at least answer me this:
Do I have to pull the engine to do the head gasket? "

Too long for you? Don't know the answer?

Having a "real mechanic" isn't an option. The truck is stuck at my house and I live 15 miles from the nearest town not to mention that I just can't afford all the misdiagnoses that I've read about here (let alone affording the actual repair).

I need my truck and this is what I need to do regardless of your higher and mightier then thou attitude. If you don't want to help because you're too lazy to read something and offer good advice then simply move along and allow someone who actually has an interest in helping people help themselves.

It's a simple question really "Do I have to pull the engine to do the head gasket?".

Is that so hard to answer?

To answer your question better, you will not need to remove the engine to pull the cylinder heads, although that might give you better access to work. You can pull the front core support off and give yourself all the room you need to work on the front of the engine. When you remove the front core support and radiator, it gives you alot of room to work on these modern trucks.

[RCHGVR]

^^ here we go! the genius has arrived

[baseballfanz]

Originally Posted by 06HemiRam

To answer your question better, you will not need to remove the engine to pull the cylinder heads, although that might give you better access to work. You can pull the front core support off and give yourself all the room you need to work on the front of the engine. When you remove the front core support and radiator, it gives you alot of room to work on these modern trucks.

Dude, you're going to confuse him with that picture.
He outside right now trying to match up his engine bay with the picture and blaming Nissan for the battery in the wrong location.

[RCHGVR]

Originally Posted by baseballfanz

Dude, you're going to confuse him with that picture.
He outside right now trying to match up his engine bay with the picture and blaming Nissan for the battery in the wrong location.

Hey BBF! Don’t mess with the expert! Remember he knows this trucks inside and out and with only soldering a resistor to the engine he can make them FLY!!!!

[06HemiRam]

Sorry don't have a Titan picture with the support out of the way but rest assured the loint was to show how open everything becomes.

[joel29m]

Originally Posted by 06HemiRam

To answer your question better, you will not need to remove the engine to pull the cylinder heads, although that might give you better access to work. You can pull the front core support off and give yourself all the room you need to work on the front of the engine. When you remove the front core support and radiator, it gives you alot of room to work on these modern trucks.

Thats a pic of a dodge ram, not a nissan titan.


sent from the galaxy s|||

[baseballfanz]

Much easier this way.