Blown Head Gasket means game over for engine?

[mrclark]

Hey all - I've got a '95 Maxima Automatic with about 125,000 miles - ran perfectly maintained well...

Went to get a belt re-tightened and then 2 days later water pump bearings are grinding - coolant leaking and oil dipstick is muddy brown - coolant leaked into the engine looks like...

now rather than blaming anyone - I was told 50/50 that I need a new engine or

possibly from others fix the water pump, ggasket and drain oil, flush engine, refill with fresh oil and filter, run another 500 miles and repeat oil and filter

provided that the engine never ran HOT and when removing the oil pan - the rods upon inspecting don't show any damage - i.e. remove the pan and pull a rod and main bearing you will be able to tell if the crank is cooked from antifreeze contamination. The rod and main bearings will look like copper and the babbitt material will be gone.

Never had my temp gauge go up nor were there any indicator lights on my heads up panel... no white/black smoke from the hood...

Been using mobil 1 synth for the last few changes and lucas fuel injector 1x mo...

Just drove it 3 5 min trips , filled with regular water in radiator...

Some places were asking like $1800 for a 127K engine + labor - my folks were like telling me to find something under $1K for it all... I've found a few places where the labor would be ok... but would like your opinions on where in the worst case could I find a VQ30DE engine - the body and interior and the car itself looks brand new... and I'd hate to leave it for anything... not working, still a student -

I live in Lexington, KY for the moment....

any recommendations on water pumps and gaskets types to get locally i.e. nissan or advanced auto parts and possibly used engine sites locally or online? I'll probably get a new timing chain and thermostat too...

thanks for your feedback - and sorry if these aren't the types of questions to ask here... not sure if anyone has seen or had experience with this...


Modified by mrclark at 8:39 PM 1/1/2008

[NutriaforBreakfast]

I would check the oil pump pressure-should have at least 10psiat idle and at 3000 rpm should have at least 70 psi

Unscrew the oil sending unit with a 1 1/16" DEEP socket after unpluggingthe sender unit wire. A little oil will come out but not all of it. Screwin your male part of the gauge hose to check.

I bought a cheap tester at Harbor Freight ($10) and it worked. The hose fitting didnt swivel so it was a bit cumbersom but not too bad to screwin. At 3000rpm the gauge would vibrate between 65 and 75 psi when it was hookedup. I am assuming my bearings are ok since the pressure looked prettygood.

[6SPD_FTW]

DO NOT assume that the engine is trashed. Luckily, it sounds like you've caught the problem before any serious damage occurred.

Replace the head gasket and water pump, check the oil pressure - which can vary wildly with engine oil temperature. Mine has ran as low as 50psi @ 3000rpms when running the engine very hard in hot weather.

Change the oil frequently - like at 100 miles, then 500 miles, then 1000 miles. Send that sample in for an oil analysis. That will tell you if bearing problems exist. Do not just assume the engine is trashed....it might be, but it may be just fine.

The only way to tell is a used oil analysis. Go to http://www.blackstone-labs.com and order the kit to send them a sample - it's free. You don't pay until you send it in to them for anlysis and they are very fast.

Late,Trav