# 1988 Sentra - Overheat + White smoke



## elusivx (Aug 28, 2006)

Hello all,

Just wanted to see if anyone had ideas of what might be wrong with my car? The car fires up like a champ and runs pretty darn good.

The problem is that the engine temperature climbs to max and as the temps go up, more white smoke gets spat out of the exhaust.

I notice the fans never seem to turn on either?

Any suggestions? I figure I'll top up and bleed out the engine coolant, change the thermostat and if that doesnt work perhaps the head gasket will need changing?

Please advise... thank you!


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## technik (Jun 25, 2006)

idk whats wrong but i have an 88 sentra that im taking parts out of so lemme know if you need anything


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## mwolvin (May 21, 2004)

Better do a compression check to make sure the head/gasket is still good. White smoke in the exhaust usually means you are burning coolant. If the check shows a leak, you will need to get the head checked for warpage. Also check for coolant in the oil and vice versa.

As for the overheat itself, check the coolant sensor (there are two-- one for your gauge, the other one for the fan relay,) fan relay, and fans themselves.


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## bob89sentra (Sep 15, 2005)

mwolvin said:


> Better do a compression check to make sure the head/gasket is still good. White smoke in the exhaust usually means you are burning coolant. If the check shows a leak, you will need to get the head checked for warpage. Also check for coolant in the oil and vice versa.
> 
> As for the overheat itself, check the coolant sensor (there are two-- one for your gauge, the other one for the fan relay,) fan relay, and fans themselves.


Defenatly do compression test and check for coolant in oil. 
If there is white smoke you probbaly have a bad head gaskit.


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## elusiv (Aug 28, 2006)

bob89sentra said:


> Defenatly do compression test and check for coolant in oil.
> If there is white smoke you probbaly have a bad head gaskit.



are there any DIY's posted on this site on how to change the head gasket?


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## bob89sentra (Sep 15, 2005)

elusiv said:


> are there any DIY's posted on this site on how to change the head gasket?


I just did a search and came up empty handed.
It is not very difficult to do on a E16, 
My advice is buy a Chiltons or Haynes manual, there is a complete section on changing a head gaskit.


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## elusiv (Aug 28, 2006)

awesome, perhaps i'll do it myself then. 

thanks for the advice everyone, i'll keep you all posted


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## elusivx (Aug 28, 2006)

ok, so i've replaced the headgasket and now im trying to get everything back together.

please excuse my improper terminology... but...
i cant seem to get the timing belt onto the pulley (the one with teeth). this is the pulley that connects to the cams. Getting it off was no problem, as i simply unbolted the pulley, and gave it a bit of a wiggle to get the belt off. Now i've bolted the pulley back up and am trying to get the belt back on.. and its giving me a hell of a hard time!

I looked further down the belt and i dont see anything that looks like a belt tensioner... is there anyway i can loosen the slack on this belt? or am i goign to have to brave more skinned knuckles and try to muscle the belt on?


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## bob89sentra (Sep 15, 2005)

elusivx said:


> ok, so i've replaced the headgasket and now im trying to get everything back together.
> 
> please excuse my improper terminology... but...
> i cant seem to get the timing belt onto the pulley (the one with teeth). this is the pulley that connects to the cams. Getting it off was no problem, as i simply unbolted the pulley, and gave it a bit of a wiggle to get the belt off. Now i've bolted the pulley back up and am trying to get the belt back on.. and its giving me a hell of a hard time!
> ...


There should be a belt tensioner that you can loosten. 

At the bottom of the engine there is another smaller pulley with teeth on it that is connected to the crankshaft, and you will want to make sure that the timing marks are aligned properly on both the crankshaft and camshaft pulley or you will possably damage the valves in the head. After removing the lower timing belt cover you should be able to see the tensioner, and the timing marks on the crankshaft pulley.
The chiltons / Haynes manual should be able to show which marks need to be aligned


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## elusivx (Aug 28, 2006)

i did check the manual but was a bit confused... i found an online scan.

cam sprocket alignment photo from cars pictures on webshots

the pulley has a triangle/arrow looking shape on the lip. i originally thought that this needed to line up with the top indentation. Now after seeing this picture, apparently there's a circle that is what needs to be lined up.

However, which picture am i suppose to follow? the Press type or Sinter type? 
 

thank you for all the help btw, you have no idea how much troubles you've saved me already


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## bob89sentra (Sep 15, 2005)

elusivx said:


> i did check the manual but was a bit confused... i found an online scan.
> 
> cam sprocket alignment photo from cars pictures on webshots
> 
> ...


The Sinter Type is the kind I have seen, but whatever type you have is which one I'd follow. Sometimes the timing mark is obsceured by grease, and dirt, because it is so close to the edge of the sprocket. The Mark is also usually on a tooth sticking out, and not the indent between teeth.

Let me know if there is anything else I can help with 
Bob


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## elusivx (Aug 28, 2006)

Ok, i looked on my sprocket and there's 2 circles? ... which one do i line it up with?


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## bob89sentra (Sep 15, 2005)

Hmm... I havn't seen one with two marks like that. Your Engine is the E16i single cam right?
The only time I have seen two marks is on a DOHC engine. Looking at my chiltons, and from memory you want the slot to the right to point up to form a backwords L, which means you also use the mark on the right...









Basically what really matters is that the key on the camshaft is pointing streight up, so if you install the pulley off by 120 degrees that you use the other mark, allways keeping the key on the camshaft up.


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## elusivx (Aug 28, 2006)

awesome, i actually tried lining it up with the left circle originally and it didnt go line properly. as soon as i tried the circle you outlined, it fit in perfectly. 

I'm actually unsure of the engine type of this car, but I can tell you its definitely SOHC. Thought it kind of makes sense that the two circles would indicate it being DOHC.... strange.

Last question, i promise  I've never torn apart and reassembled a head in my life... I installed the rocker arms and bolted them down to spec. I notice the ends (the small cylinder-like things on the end of the rocker arms that push on the valve springs) dont line up perfectly. Some of them are very slightly off, and some are off as much as 50%. Also, after bolting it down, i tried wiggling some of the arms and i notice some are clamped down nice and snug, but some have a tiny bit of play in them. Is this normal? Do i possibly have the rocker arms installed upside down or backwards?

After this, I can replace the valve cover and bolt the intake/exhaust manifold back up and fire it up! 

I'm excited


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## elusivx (Aug 28, 2006)

just an update..

looks like the headgasket repair was a failure  got everything strapped back on, topped it up with new oil, and added new coolant in. I found coolant leaking from the side of the engine block. Where the air intake manifold runners meet the engine. It leaked out every drop of coolant... Took the spark plugs out to check, and saw they were wet. Dried it off and reinstalled it... tried to fire the car up just to see if the motor would even turn...

click click click....

This repair job turned into something a bit more time consuming than i had anticipated, so with that sad... one more boxy sentra will makes it way to the junk yard 

Thanks for all the help bob, i really appreciate the time you took to help me troubleshoot!


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## bob89sentra (Sep 15, 2005)

elusivx said:


> just an update..
> 
> looks like the headgasket repair was a failure  got everything strapped back on, topped it up with new oil, and added new coolant in. I found coolant leaking from the side of the engine block. Where the air intake manifold runners meet the engine. It leaked out every drop of coolant... Took the spark plugs out to check, and saw they were wet. Dried it off and reinstalled it... tried to fire the car up just to see if the motor would even turn...
> 
> ...



I'm sorry to hear you had bad luck, I had some bad luck this weekend as well. My brother's Maxima with a V6 had a exhaust leak, and after replacing both down pipes, and the Y pipe, we found that the Rear exhaust manifold had two broken bolts, and to drill them out and use a easyout we had to pull the engine to get to it  I hate V6's.

With the leak on the head gaskit, It could be a warped head, from the overheating. In which case you would either have to have it milled, or get a good used one, but if you plan to scrap the car you might save your self some trouble.

Good Luck in future cars

Bob


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## deron1073 (Oct 6, 2006)

Next time buy a Haynes manual... I have changed my head gasket successfully.

Deron


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## joaquin714 (May 18, 2006)

I hate to be the one to say this, but if you didnt know what you were doing then you shouldnt have. Mechanics is not like building a puzzle it requires technique. You should have contacted someone for help! Its just a disgrace to see a car junked when it shoudlnt have been.


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## deron1073 (Oct 6, 2006)

*I beg to differ.*



joaquin714 said:


> I hate to be the one to say this, but if you didnt know what you were doing then you shouldnt have. Mechanics is not like building a puzzle it requires technique. You should have contacted someone for help! Its just a disgrace to see a car junked when it shoudlnt have been.



Then don't say it. No one learns how to fix anything if they never try. Besides, vehicles of this vintage are not worth taking to a mechanic. The bill would exceed what the old POS is worth.

Deron (Engineering Technologist; Electronics)


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## joaquin714 (May 18, 2006)

Yeah not solo, Guidance is key. Measure twice cut once right? Double check before moving a finger.


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