Hey I have 89 ka24e with a blown headgasket I have a fsm(not sure which one but it isn't very desriptive of what to do.i've been reading about ka24de headgaskets but I have an E. can someone give me a detailed description of what to do or show me a thread I may have missed?so far I only have the valve cover off, and the exhaust manifold unbolted.
oh and sorry about the double post. could you please delete the other thread in the nissan mechanic forum.
head gasket for ka24e
You gotta remove the intake manifold. Take all of the radiator hoses off, the heater hoses off, the power steering pump off, all of the belts off, disconnect (and label for easier installation) all of the electrical connections to the intake manifold, pull the rocker arms off, take the cam sprocket off the camshaft BUT SUPPORT IT BY WEDGING A BLOCK OF WOOD INTO THE FRONT COVER SO THE CHAIN DOESNT END UP IN THE OIL PAN, then the head bolts. The head and intake manifold come off together, then you can seperate them because there are 2 bolts underneath the intake manifold you cant get to while its all on the car. Be sure to have a machine shop check your head, if you are planning on more horsepower, consider an ARP head stud setup, otherwise please buy new head bolts, they are stretch bolts and you will find yourself doing this all again a LOT sooner than you wanted to (mine lasted 11k miles). Good luck!
Answers:1) I really dont want to sound mean, but if you cant find your powersteering pump, i dont think this is a job you want to undertake. It took me a week to do, and im a mechanic (of course 4 days was waiting for the head to get back from the shop). The powersteering pump is the top most 'pulley' right infront of the intake manifold. You need to remove this to get the upper and lower radiator hoses off. You do not need to remove the lower powersteering hose, just move the pump out of the way.2) that would be the cam sprocket, yes. Do not let the chain leave the sprocket, do not rotate the crank while the head is off, do not drop the chain down the front cover.3) i recommend new head bolts because the original are 'stretch' bolts. This means that they stretch to get to their final torque. But that also means the next time you use them (say, after replacing a head gasket), they are already stretched and can lose some of their effectiveness when torqued. I also recommend them because i blew my head gasket only 11k miles after rebuilding my motor, and the blame was 100% on me reusing my original head bolts. A head STUD kit, however, clamps much more consistantly and is only about $75 or so more than 10 new head bolts from Nissan. It is just a suggestion.
Just be careful. The sprocket can rest on top of the wood, just make sure the chain doesnt leave it. Mark (with white out or something) the chain and the sprocket, just in case something bad does happen.
Worst case scenario (besides dropping the chain down into the oil pan), if something bad happens, you can always fix the cam/crank timing once the head is off. Its as easy as rotating the crank to TDC, dropping the oil pump and pulling the distributor, putting the head back on, setting the cam so they keyway is straight up, then install the oil pump and distributor with marks lined up. This now becomes TDC compression. Everything will be ok.
Worst case scenario (besides dropping the chain down into the oil pan), if something bad happens, you can always fix the cam/crank timing once the head is off. Its as easy as rotating the crank to TDC, dropping the oil pump and pulling the distributor, putting the head back on, setting the cam so they keyway is straight up, then install the oil pump and distributor with marks lined up. This now becomes TDC compression. Everything will be ok.
Im assuming youve pulled the pin before getting the sprocket back onto the cam. What has most likely happened is the pushrod has overextended in the tensioner housing. Just slightly pull the pushrod up as you push it back into the tensioner housing, then you can use two hands to pull the sprocket onto the the camshaft.
NO NO NO NO! You have to hold tension on the chain/sprocket while you put the shaft back into the tensioner housing. Then pull the chain/sprocket really hard (maybe even have a friend manually compress the tensioner) to get it back on. Taking the head off wont help, you would have to take the front cover off so you could better get at the tensioner, only then to fully retract it to put a pin in it until you got the sprocket on. You just have to work against the tensioner. Be strong!
hey man I got it back on with my brothers help he put the cam bolt back on while I held the cam sprocket up. now i'm just putting it all back together and torqueing(*spelling) it together. thanx for all the help I knew i'd get through it sooner or later. I think this should even be a sticky I think i've had just about every headgasket problem there was to have but i gotta go finish now so thanx again..
well i'm back with 2 problems. I got it all back together but I broke a hose. the hose is the one on the driver side of the intake manifold. it leads next to the raidiator hose. what is this hose for.
2. i'm gett a pretty bad ticking noise it sounds like its coming from the head.is this my timing or b/c I need oil?
2. i'm gett a pretty bad ticking noise it sounds like its coming from the head.is this my timing or b/c I need oil?
Re: (scruffy63)
you sure you put the cam back exactly the way you took it off? sometimes if your not carefull, you could accidentally give slack on the chain and make it jump a tooth on the crank gear or either gear. could cause valve/piston clearance issues. or your lifters need to pump up or you have an exhaust leak. hope its an easy one
the ticking noise is more likely the rocker arms needing oil. it will go away in about 20 or 40 minutes. If the car is running, then there is no problem with timing (except a little tweaking). And you will have to be more descriptive about the hose, im not sure which one you are talking about. is it for coolant or vacuum?