How can i fix a head blown gasket on a 2003 Nissan Xterra without taking it to a garage?

The car is overheating. I already changed the thermostat, water pump, radiator but was told it might be the head gasket.

I'm good with fixing cars, but I have never done a head gasket. How can i fix a head blown gasket on a 2003 Nissan Xterra without taking it to a garage?As weird as this sounds, it is not hard to replace one at all. The problem is time. It takes a while dude. Not like a week but give yourself a full day or more since you've never done this.



Basic stuff before you assume the gasket blew.



Is the car smoking WHITE out of the tailpipe? A blown head gasket allows coolant to get into the cylinder and burn. When white is coming out of the tailpipe, that's coolant. Blue = oil. Black = fuel.



Check that first at start up and when you are driving. If you see it, then yeah it looks like it. If not, check others.



Such as: What's your compression? A typical blown head gasket will lose compression is two adjacent cylinders. Example, number 3 %26amp;4, 5%26amp;6, 1%26amp;2 or anything next to each other. With compression, all of the cylinders should be within 15% of each other. Example: If the highest is 150 (don't know for your car - you can check with a compression tester), then your lowest one should not be more than 135. Do the math, I hate math but you need it with this stuff some time haha.



After exhaust smoke and compression, then check your oil. With a blown head gasket, you are getting coolant into the cylinder which can seap down into the crankcase and mix with your oil WHICH IS HORRIBLE FOR THE BEARINGS! If coolant and oil mix, your oil will look extremely bad! Chocolate milk looking. So if you look at your dipstick or cap or check your oil, then you can see.



After those three, then check your coolant. Are you losing coolant? If you are, bad thing bro. You should not be losing much at all if any. Check that for lowness (is that even a word?). If low, fill it up to the top. Then take the cap off and start the car. If it has bubbles in the radiator (the coolant is bubbly), then that is another sympton.



After that, check for regular things that can cause overheating. Blown hoses, leaking radiator, maybe the thermostat was installed incorrectly, the coolant is old/dirty or it is just low period. Check those. Simple stuff for checking.



You can check compression with a compression tester. Your local parts store will have one.



If the symptons I listed are there, then yes. Suspect the head gasket. Those symptons can also mean other things: Cracked block or cracked head. Unlikely, but I've seen it. So yeah, those are the things to check out.



When replacing it, follow your manual and go from there. I could give you an idea but I don't know your car exactly so I can't be sure. Just take your time, make sure you understand what parts the manual is saying and when you fix the gasket and all that, be sure you TORQUE THE HEAD BOLTS TO THE BLOCK IN THE CORRECT SEQUENCE AND AS TIGHT AS WHAT THE MANUAL CALLS FOR. It may be a good idea to buy new bolts too. Talk to your dealer. Make sure the gasket is set on there properly, enough sealant to hold it, and before you install the new gasket, be sure the old one is off completely and the block's surface is evenly aligned. Should not be a problem though.



But hey, you wanna check the other symptons I listed before going on and suspecting the gasket. Best of luck!









ADDED ON: First off, when was the last time you flushed your radiator or just replaced the coolant all together? Secondly, I take it that you have enough coolant to keep it cool if you noticed that you aren't losing any.



If you car is overheating, check these: Coolant, make sure it has enough and is the right coolant for your vehicle! Check with your local parts store to see. If it turns out you filled it with the wrong kind, then buy the kind your car takes and not the predeluted (sp?) type. Just get the kind with correct color and add 50/50. 50 %antifreeze to radiator, 50% water to radiator. What I do with that: 8 cups of antifreeze, then 8 cups of water and repeat until it's full.



Along with those suggestions, check to be sure your thermostat is installed correctly. After doing that, check these to be sure it's good: Your fans are spinning (working), your radiator hoses are good and that your water pump is functioning. Might have twisted something up in the installation. I have done it many times with many parts, but it happens.



So again, flush your system (new coolant - ask people at parts store), be sure your thermostat is working, be sure your fans are spinning, the radiator hoses and heater hoses are good, check your coolant sensor, and all those are how they are supposed be.



Shoot, I've seen cars that when you replace the coolant and fill up with new, the problem goes away. Good luck.



What I would start with: Open hood, start car and check to see if the fans are spinning. If they are, great. If not, there ya go. If they are, then you can move on.



Also, your timing may be off. Not usually if someone didn't touch anything regarding but if you messed with distributor or doing anything like that, it could be off. If you tried everything I listed and nothing helped, let me know and I will add on and try and get this solved.How can i fix a head blown gasket on a 2003 Nissan Xterra without taking it to a garage?AND WHEN YOUR DONE DOING THIS, YOU'LL NEVER WANT TO DO IT AGAIN. THE NISSAN V6 IS A HUGE PAIN IN THE BUTT.

GET THE BOOK AND FOLLOW IT EXACTLY !! THERE IS WAY MORE TO IT THAN YOU THINK IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE ONE LIKE THIS BEFORE . NOT THE ONE YOU WANT TO START WITH.. SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA KNOW WHEN TO SAY NO... How can i fix a head blown gasket on a 2003 Nissan Xterra without taking it to a garage?I tend to agree with inkjax. I'd rather rebuild an entire motor than do a head gasket in place. It never seems to go right the first time, and you have to mill the heads usually anyway.How can i fix a head blown gasket on a 2003 Nissan Xterra without taking it to a garage?It might just be easier to do a motor swap, that's what I did but im not the greatest with cars, just easier for me. My cars a 92 which makes it even easier, good luckHow can i fix a head blown gasket on a 2003 Nissan Xterra without taking it to a garage?I fixed my head gasket by using CRC compound. The leak became very small and then I sold it!



BTW a motor swap may make more sense. You need gaskets, time, manuals, straightedge and what nots.

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How can you tell if the water pump is fried on a 2001 chevy venture?

my van is overheating on my chevy venture , i changed the thermostat and found out after that i ran it with a really big air bubble caught inside , hot water going to rad, but the hose going to the water pump isnt evan warm,,, wondering if water pump is shotHow can you tell if the water pump is fried on a 2001 chevy venture?should be able to watch the flow of coolant in radiator and tell if its pumping

could remove a hose and tel as well

and a dirty radiator a bad hose or a thermostat more likey sure i see you said replace that but still doesnt mean it was good

98% of time water pump leaks when bad



type into searchbox



how to check a water pump

how to check a over heating car

how to check a car thermostatHow can you tell if the water pump is fried on a 2001 chevy venture?sounds like thermostat is bad....u could have fried it by air bubble....could also b ur water pump but would replace the thermostat again first....just make sure u BLEED the system this time...How can you tell if the water pump is fried on a 2001 chevy venture?the air bubble can cause overheating issues too, so purge the system run it for a short time, like around the block and park it, turn it off and make sure the overflow stays full , as everything cools off the system should draw down the overflow so keep that full . usually when the water pump is bad, the weep hole directly on the bottom of the waterpump starts leaking water. this is a sign of a worn bearing. take your time make sure no hot air bubbles are in the system good luckHow can you tell if the water pump is fried on a 2001 chevy venture?I don't know about a Chevy Venture, but when my 1999 Chevy Malibu blew it's water pump, it kept overheating and I had to constantly put anti-freeze in it. After a couple of months of that, it started leaking the whole bottle of anti freeze in like one days time. When I was driving home from school one day it just spit anti-freeze every where. I had to sit and let the car cool. After it did that I drove it right to the shop, and spent about 600.00 to get it fixed. Keep in mind, this happened about 2 years ago, so it might be more or less to get it fixed now.

Heater not working in my Astra?

Hi i got a vauxhall Astra 20 litre turbo bertone model the heater get hot for a while and then after a run they go cold they blow alright on every speed ive changed the thermostat ive had a look to see if i can find a bleed nipple just in case its a air lock but cant find i forgot to mention that after u turn the car off u can hear the water bubbling but can any help ur tell me how i can fix it

thanks!!!Heater not working in my Astra?Just a thought. Was the replacement thermostat installed backwards? If not, try filling the radiator and running the engine, with the rad cap off, until the coolant level drops. Then refill the rad and cap it.

If that doesn't work, take it to the dealer.Heater not working in my Astra?take it to the vaxhall garage...Heater not working in my Astra?Defoe an air lock problem,or a blockage in the system.At your local garage they have an automatic heating system

bleeding machine that dose the job quick.

I think you maybe able to purchase one

at Moter Save.Heater not working in my Astra?Sounds like the vent flaps under the dash in the heater box are stuck in the cold air position, maybe a cable or wire broken or disconnected, not a job for an amature, take it to a dealer :o)Heater not working in my Astra?What you do is simple.

Your heater is clogged up, so you reversethe hose pipes on the heater so the Sh** is taken out of the heater so it becomes unblocked.

The run the engine for 5-6 mins with low revs.

The revers so the pipes are put back on as they were.

Result a very hot heater on these cold morning s

Symptoms of blown head gaskets or cracked heads?

My 95 Acura Legend is overheating after 15-20 mins of 35-40 mph driving. Coolant Reservoir fills to top, gets VERY hot and bubbles over. Radiator fills with pressure and shoots out hot steam when I opened it. Changed out thermostat but didnt solve problem. Dealership said blown head gaskets but the car runs way too good. Its not smoking or anything. What is causing this? How can I tell if I have a blown head gaskets or cracked heads?? HELP!!!Symptoms of blown head gaskets or cracked heads?Blown head gaskets could cause these symptoms. Usually you will see either oil in the water or water in the oil. A compression check gives them a clue too. If your engine oil has any foam in it, then they are right. They are probably right anyway.



Take it in for a second opinion. Don't tell them what the first dealer said. If the second guy confirms it, then you will know.



But I will bet the dealer is right.



Good luck,

SiggySymptoms of blown head gaskets or cracked heads?it could also be your water pump is bad...Symptoms of blown head gaskets or cracked heads?You've about answered your own question....by observing bubbles of air in the radiator. Sounds like it could be either,,,,head gasket or cracked block.

My engine seems to be running hot?

i got this 94 ranger with a 4.0 and seems to be running hot. i noticed on the guage inside its around the middle of the temp. i had recently flushed out the engine, changed the thermostat, both heater hoses, and both radiator hoses. Someone told me there could be a air pocket inside it. If so, how do you get rid of it? I notice the antifreeze does circulate. Is there possiblity that the radiator cap could be bad? Whats the difference between the 13lb and 16 lb? One better then the other? make engine run cooler? Finally, is there a possibility that the converter be plugged? I notice a previous answer on here sugested that.My engine seems to be running hot?sounds like you have a warped head gasket, it will over heat, suck asntifreeze and have really bad gas mileage if thats the case, and if you touch the engine after driving youll notice its very hotMy engine seems to be running hot?OK, %26quot;On a Scale of 0 to100, Temp. Gage%26quot; Thermostat starts to Open around 35% and is fully open at 50% (Normal). 13lb and 16lb Cap, Different Cap Pressures depending on what the System is designed for, Some Older System 7lb, Newer 12 to 16lb, Diesels I've worked on 16 to 21lb. %26quot;Bottom Line%26quot; Temp. Gauge at 50%, System Not %26quot;Boiling%26quot; into Overflow Tank, Not Leaks (High or Low Oressure), everything is normal. %26quot;NOTE; Coolant=50-50 Mixture of clean Water %26amp; Anti-Freeze Used All Year Round!%26quot;My engine seems to be running hot?check or replace your belt and check your timingMy engine seems to be running hot?you may need to bleed the cooling system i'm not sure how to do that but autozone.com has an online repair manual that might tell you how my husband did that to one of our vehicles....did you notice if your fan was working properly if not you may need a fan motor or a fan clutchMy engine seems to be running hot?If you follow the top radiator hose to the thermostat housing there should be a bleeder valve ontop of the houseing you had to take off to install the thermostat.Start the car, and open the valve untill antifreeze comes out.As far as the lb difference, keep the same psi cap that came with the car, thats basically how much pressure it can withstand before it relieives pressure there would be nothing wrong with replacing the cap, they do go bad .And not sure what you mean by converter unless your refering to the radiator up front.If there is no bleeder cap than open radiator cap with the engine running and make sure its topped off because the coolant level might drop some.GLMy engine seems to be running hot?goto autozone.com and look for the online repair guide for the truck/car (whatever it is)

Aluminum engines like to circulate some coolant thru the cylinder head and that why they have to bleed the air out of them (its far too high above the water pump and hose routeing)

a 16 lb cap holds more pressure and raises the boiling point,,,try one.



and i dont know what you mean by ''converter''. as far as cooling is concerned.

Timing? 1995 Chevy Luminia?

Timing? 1995 Chevy Luminia?

Ok here we go again. This has been an ongoing thing. As you can see from the post I have copied. The car is back togeather but now it will not run. When we got the car back togeather I tried to crack it and it just turned over very loosly(not sure how to explain what that sounded like). I checked the compression and one cylinder had no compression. I tried to start it again a few minutes later and the cylinder that had none now had 120 lbs I think it was. Now the car will start but it is not drivable it will backfire through the engine and you can hear it knocking loud on the back part of the engine. It is progressivly getting worse. I could drive the car around the block but now it will not even go two feet without fighting with it. Any ideas?





I posted the question below and then I got to work taking the heads off my engine. I got both of them off last night and out of the back three cyliners two of them have antifreeze in them. Myself and a friend of mine looked at the gaskets for both heads and didn't see anything wrong with them and we also looked at the heads to see if we could see any warpage or cracks. We couldn't see any. Any ideas? I posted the original post below so you guys would have all the details. Thanks for the help. My car is a 1995 Chevy Luminia with a 3.1 V6





This started back about 2 months ago. I was hearing a strange sound coming from around the serpentine belt. I had my brother look at it and he said it was either the tensonier for the belt or it was the water pump so I just replaced both. After I replaced the water pump, the noise did not go away and my car began to run hotter then usual. It was not running hot at this point just a noticable difference in the temp. Over about a week it begin to run hotter and hotter until it finally over heated completely and I changed the thermostat and put it in. I also put some radiator flush in. It said to add pure water(no antifreeze at all) to the flush and run it for about 6 hours driving time. It ran like a charm for about 5 hours driving time but then it over heated all of a sudden. I was driving the interstate when the temp shot up and I started to pull over then it went back down. It did this about three time then it over heated. I pulled over to let it cool down and then I got home(less then a mile from where I pulled over). I got home and I most of my water was gone. I drained the rest out and started to put antifreeze in and bleed the air out but I poured 2.5 gallons it. It should only hold about 2 gallons and it never got full. So checked the oil and it has antifreeze in it. Anyway after all of that I know I need to check the head gasket and few other things but I have no idea what I am doing or what tools I need. Any help or advice would be appreciated.





3 weeks ago

Additional Details

3 weeks ago



I took the cylinder heads to a machine shop. It turns out they where both warped. The back one where the antifreeze was in the cylinders was warped pretty bad but not so bad they couldn't fix it. I do appreciate the help.





Timing? 1995 Chevy Luminia?you're whole engine is gone i know you spent alot already but the water in the cylinders did it all you're bearings are done

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I have a 1996 Chevy Blazer, has been overheating, losing coolant, recently the intake manifold leaking?

I have been going through alot with this truck, I changed the thermostat, the cap, flush the radiator. It would blow white smoke from the exhaust for a couple of weeks, so I thought it was the a cracked head gasket, then it stop, but still had to keep putting coolant in the radiator. It was working okay for a while now it started to leak from the top intake manifold, What could be the problem, the solution, and the cost?



Also when I the truck is going down a hill or incline the fuel gauge goes to empty and cuts off and I would have to let the truck coast until it gets to leveled ground and then the gauge goes back up and then I can start the truck again, unless I have over a half a tank of gas, and its gettin on my nerves, could you tell me how to fix that problem also...ThanksI have a 1996 Chevy Blazer, has been overheating, losing coolant, recently the intake manifold leaking?You have two separate problems



Engine: You keep losing water so you have either a cracked block or a blown head gasket (and if it has overheated maybe a warped head or two. Because of the leak on the intake manifold (which has no water in it), I think the head gasket has gone. Look for water in your oil (white froth) whcih is prob. a cracked block or a lot of steam from the engine exhaust (more likely a head gasket but it could also be a cracked block). Since you have to pull the heads to do the head gasket anyway you can check for warpage at that time.. but a cracked block will mean a new short block at the very least... sorry but either way it will be expensive.



Fuel: do you have an electric fuel pump? If so it sounds like you have a loose wire which is knocking out the pump and the gauge wiring when the car is pointed down hill . If it were not for the gauge going south on you I would say it is simply either dirt or something in the fuel that blocks the intake, or a bad fuel pump.. but that sender unit?? that's the puzzler.



Unless you have a trailer hitch, it is easy to drop the fuel tank on most chevy's... just get the fuel level low first (at $3.50 a gallon you prob. dont want to lose too much gasoline).



then you can open up the sender unit, and inspect the tank .. I like the idea that the baffles are bad, but at the same time I have never heard of that.



.I have a 1996 Chevy Blazer, has been overheating, losing coolant, recently the intake manifold leaking?Man my neighbor has the same issue's. Sounds like you need to buy a Ford . LoL na just kidding put ya a 350 in it call it done

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I have a 1996 Chevy Blazer, has been overheating, losing coolant, recently the intake manifold leaking?Your intake manifold gasket has probably been leaking coolant into your oil for some time now, so you probably need a new engine. The other problem requires you replace the fuel pump.



The best thing you could do for yourself is stay the hell away from pile of crap blazers and jimmys.I have a 1996 Chevy Blazer, has been overheating, losing coolant, recently the intake manifold leaking?i used to have a blazer. get yourself a new truck, honestly. I was spending upwards of 2000 dollars a month on constant repairs. It is a P.O.S. truck. It has more problems than this economy.*rim shot* Seriously though, get another truck. any truck.I have a 1996 Chevy Blazer, has been overheating, losing coolant, recently the intake manifold leaking?The baffles in your gas tank/sending unit are broke. letting all the fuel run forward. As for you motor it sounds like you need to tear apart that motor, the head could be warpedI have a 1996 Chevy Blazer, has been overheating, losing coolant, recently the intake manifold leaking?i am having the same problem right now with my blazer and the garage said its the intake gasket they said 500 to do it but anm going to do it my self i hope this helps uI have a 1996 Chevy Blazer, has been overheating, losing coolant, recently the intake manifold leaking?Sounds like you need to change the head gaskets,(check to see if warped), intake gaskets, and your fuel pump