Gasket Replacement Problem for Sentra 2005

[sentramk]

Hello everyone,

I have a Sentra 2005 1.8S.

My car's engine needs a 15 second time to stabilize in every startup from shaking. I also see big bubbles when I leave the radiator cap off and start the car. The other thing is I need to top off coolant quite frequently, even after short drives(10 km for instance).

I was told by my mechanic that I need to replace the Head Gasket but since it is very hard to reach and replace head gasket in this car, he told me that it is cheaper to change the entire engine (Around 1500 CAD to replace).

The car also makes a very loud whistling sound mostly during startup (and also at random moments during driving).

I wanted to confirm with you guys if you also advise to change the entire engine as a cost effective choice or any other things I could check before doing that.

[frapjap]

Welcome to NICO!
A new engine may be an option, but for 1,500, I'm wondering what you'll get. Is that just the cost of the engine, or engine and labor? Is the engine new, rebuilt, or just something plucked from a junkyard?

How many miles are on the current engine?
It sounds like you may have an issue with your head gasket if you are consuming coolant at that rate and aren't finding any on the ground.
In regards to the repair- a head gasket on an inline 4 isn't all too difficult, even if the engine is sideways.

If you're interested in knowing what the repair entails, click on the link in my signature and find the Factory Service Manual for your model year.