# head gasket question 2000SE 70K



## gendron (Jul 16, 2005)

What can cause such an early failure on a an Altima ?
What should I expect for repair time (hrs) ?
Any hope of complaining to Nissan for refund ?


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

gendron said:


> What can cause such an early failure on a an Altima ?
> What should I expect for repair time (hrs) ?
> Any hope of complaining to Nissan for refund ?


overheating is normally the culprit. its a pretty involved job. the intake manifold should be removed with the head and not separately. then once the head is out, you need to get it shaved to make sure it didnt get warped. the cam timing is tricky too if youve never done it before. if youre not very mechanically inclined, its going to cost you some dough. i think the job at the dealer is about 1600 or so...


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## gendron (Jul 16, 2005)

*job done........$1325 CDN*



AsleepAltima said:


> overheating is normally the culprit. its a pretty involved job. the intake manifold should be removed with the head and not separately. then once the head is out, you need to get it shaved to make sure it didnt get warped. the cam timing is tricky too if youve never done it before. if youre not very mechanically inclined, its going to cost you some dough. i think the job at the dealer is about 1600 or so...


You are quite right about the job, here is an overview :
intake gasget : near failure 
head : heavily warped
chain + guide (lower) : loose
Charged : Time : 11.9 hrs ($618.)
head planning :$100.
IAC valve :$69.
gasketssss :$375
1 year fully guaranteed
What would be the main causes of overheating ?themostat ? coolant lost ? overspeeding? fan's thermostats? 
Is it too late when "heating "warning lamp turn on ?


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

gendron said:


> You are quite right about the job, here is an overview :
> intake gasget : near failure
> head : heavily warped
> chain + guide (lower) : loose
> ...


the thermostat could have been bad. you can pull it and test it. coolant loss you probably would have noticed BUT if the head was already warped, then it would have been simultaneous. you dont normally notice high heat on your gauge when theres a lot of coolant loss because remember - it takes liquid to heat up the sensor, not air. your water pump could even have gone bad. there are a lot of variables. start with the easiest/cheapest first. check your hoses now too. with the head off of the vehicle, its a lot easier to check and replace hoses.


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## gendron (Jul 16, 2005)

*used car hazard*



AsleepAltima said:


> the thermostat could have been bad. you can pull it and test it. coolant loss you probably would have noticed BUT if the head was already warped, then it would have been simultaneous. you dont normally notice high heat on your gauge when theres a lot of coolant loss because remember - it takes liquid to heat up the sensor, not air. your water pump could even have gone bad. there are a lot of variables. start with the easiest/cheapest first. check your hoses now too. with the head off of the vehicle, its a lot easier to check and replace hoses.


I bought the car at 67K and 3 months later (70K) noticed the leak.New clips had been fixed on one of the hoses.Coolant kept low in the bottle but lost was minimal, I figured.Car comes from traffic jam area.
Hope the dealer checked thermostat,and pump,will obviously keep close surveillance of car behavior. Owned nissan for many years, first " bad luck" I hope, future will confirm.


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