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Subject Topic: Head Gasket Leak maybe? Post ReplyPost New Topic
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xcasillas
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Posted: Apr 01 2008 at 2:19pm | IP Logged Quote xcasillas

I have a Frontier XE Crew Cab 2002 with 128k miles on it. last year i had some overheating issues and the thermostat was replaced. About 4 weeks ago i noticed that two days in a row i was leaking some anti freeze. I poured some more in and took my car to sears since i could not visibly see any leaks from the hoses. they ran a pressure test and said they thought i had a head gasket leak. Since then i have never had any leakage or my car has never ran hot. I did look under my car and saw where i think the leak is coming from. How long can i run like this before i can take it to the shop. trying to save money and i am not mechanically incline. I also noticed some anti freeze by the front ac low pressure hose. but i do not see any leaks up front either and sears didnt catch anything. please help my only vehicle and i love my nissan truck.
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Posted: Apr 01 2008 at 2:56pm | IP Logged Quote Boomer

First of all, make sure the clamps on your radiator hoses and heater hoses are tight.  You can tighten them easily if they are the SS worm clamps but not if they are the spring tension clamps.  You can also get leaks from intake manifold gasket failure.  Any leaking gasket will cause a pressure test to indicate a leak so you can't just assume it is a head gasket. 

Is there any evidence of coolant in your oil?  This manifests itself as a milky looking glop on your dipstick and on the inside of the oil filler cap.  This iIS indicative of a head gasket that has failed and is allowing coolant into the oil.  You can also pull and examine the spark plugs to see if one or more cylinders is pulling coolant into the cylinder through a break in the head gasket.  How badly did you overheat your truck a year ago?  If severe overheating occurred, you might have warped a head and allowed the gasket to start leaking.

If you have coolant in the oil , don't drive the truck.  You'll ruin the bearings.  Have it towed to a shop for repair.



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xcasillas
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Posted: Apr 02 2008 at 9:18am | IP Logged Quote xcasillas

Thank you for the reply, think it is worth taking to the dealership to just have them run diagnostics and see what the exact problem is?
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Posted: Apr 02 2008 at 2:10pm | IP Logged Quote Boomer

First of all, I would NOT go to Sears.  Find a good independent shop or go to a dealer that you trust.  A leaking head gasket is nothing to fool with as it can fail catastrophically and cause a lot of damage.  Hopefully, your problem will turn out to be a simple one that can be easily fixed.  I for one think that it is worth your while to have this checked out by qualified mechanics who can do a good job.

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Posted: Apr 04 2008 at 7:58pm | IP Logged Quote nismod

Don't assume it is a head gasket issue.  My 2005 4.0 had the same symptoms minus the visible leaks and the heads were removed at Nissan and taken to a local performance shop for analysis.  The initial findings at Nissan indicated that cylinder 3 was @ 30% normal compression.  Further review from the shop found that two other cylinders had low compression which they surmized was due to incorrect valve factory settings.

They are now looking to replace the entire engine under warranty (19800 miles). 

The dealership initially thought it was a head gasket issue until the latest findings.  Go to a good shop and you may start looking for a replacement engine as the labour costs involved will be huge.  My truck has been at Nissan since last Wednesday - there are over 35 hours of labour on my truck so far but I'm fortunate since this is under warranty.



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