Whatsup everyone,

I've been on these forums for a while but was "car"less so i never really posted anything... lol, figured i would see whats up with everyone with a question. I've got a 1989 240sx fastback and im like 75% sure i blew a head gasket about 2 days ago. I was kinda abusing the car a little bit because i was getting ready to sell it and this went on for about 30 minutes, my house to kil-kare and back again after i figured out they were closed. lol, anyways i got a huge cloud of smoke from the exhaust so i pulled over, no wierd noises and everything seemed fine but smoke was comming out of the engine. Opened the radiatior cap expecting a little bit of coolent to rush out and the thing like exploded so i threw it back on quick. I know this wasn't the smartest thing to do but i wanted to make sure if it was the head gasket or not so i could decide weather or not to drive it home or tow.

Well, had the car towed to my house and ive been working, 2nd shift and going to classes almost every day. I dont have time to rip into her much and i figured i would ask for some help on what everyone thought. I could get pics of anything you need to see but im pretty sure its the head gasket combined with a bad intake mani gasket and a few other little problems. Also, i took the car to a shop a week before all this to see about getting the intake manifold ported and polished and they messed a few things up in the process. There are a few lines running from the intake mani to the intake and a few other miculanious lines that are like dry rotted out and cracked so they arent air tight. The vaccume lines are fine but pretty much every other line is messed with. Im i nthe process of getting the shop to replace this but i am thinking that this helped blow the head gasket, it thats what it is. Could i get a few opinions and some help? Glad to return the favor...lol, thanks

step 1.
turn on the car
step 2.
rev it up alittle bit
step 3.
go smell your tail pipe as the car is running


do you smell coolent?

theres a head tester that goes over the radiater fill hole, and you run the engine up while someone holds this tester tightly over the hole. Inside the tube you put this liquid in, if the liquid turns blue to yellow when you run it up, then your head is cracked or your HG is blown. This test works to see if carbon monoxide is getting into your cooling system. If it is, then your head or HG is bad.

How hot was the car on the temp guage? I over heated my car and cracked the head in 3 places, and even melted the HG.

Talk to any automotive store about getting one. Then just follow instructions.

step 1.
turn on the car
step 2.
rev it up alittle bit
step 3.
go smell your tail pipe as the car is running


do you smell coolent?

you can do it this way too. But when mine went it was only doing it every now and then, and i couldnt really tell that there was coolant in the smoke, but i knew something was fucked up so i used the tester described.

you can do it this way too. But when mine went it was only doing it every now and then, and i couldnt really tell that there was coolant in the smoke, but i knew something was fucked up so i used the tester described.

if its only doing it every once in a while it usually a cracked head (in your case) or a cracked block. the reason the car overheats is because air is introduced into the cooling system, causing it to boil

i have never seen a cracked head or block with out a blown headgasket, the overheating from the crack usually causes the headgasket to fail very shortly their after

the reason the car overheats is because air is introduced into the cooling system, causing it to boil

or the elec fans stop working when the alternator went lol. Thats what caused the car to overheat and get me where i am. Everything elec just died out and drained my batt super fast.

now that sucks

Well, the temp gauge read normal the entire time but it could possibly be broken. I was keeping an eye on it while driving because i have never actually had a problem with the car overheating which is kind of wierd considering that the excess coolent resivor is all ate away at and cracked. What is the best way to go about making sure the gauge is functioning properly besides just checking the thermestat? All i know is it is somthing serious because the car has no h/p anymore at all. It just dumped - I tried drivin her last night a few feet.

I think its dead man, check for water in your oil.

yea when my headgasket went bad my shit was constantly overheating. Over flow reservoir was boiling and letting out a noticeable amount of steam.

Haha, my baby will never be dead. I do think it's DOHc time tho because i had some time to rip into her today and when i started her up she ran smooth as ever but revving at high RPM's she blew a little smoke out of the exhaust. Didn't get to the heads tho because i only had 2 hours but i should get there tommarow... Everything looked fine but my coolent is extreamly dirty. Im going to just go ahead and check the head gasket and get a new one (steel :licka: ) re-build the engine, drain the radiatior and refill. Also, do an oil change, plugs and wires altho those were just replaced not 5,000 miles ago. Would you all say it would be worth the time to check the head gasket. I know its always worth the time but im thinking to just go ahead and do the re-build minus the head gasket and then a tune up. What do you guys think?

toss the sohc


and i dont know how you would rebuild w/out replaceing the headasket


DE's can be had for a song nowadays

headgaskets arent even that expensive. Get a new one.

headgaskets arent even that expensive. Get a new one.

True, but i am tring to make up my mind between rebuilding the SOHC or just saving for a month and buying a JDM DOHC motor. I think i may re-build my SOHC and then drop the DOHC in a few months when i can give the DE a few more mods and not just drop in a stock engine. BTW meaning forged internals and blueprinting, port and polishing just normal prep for boost. :) I am just really stumped on this engine because i've never worked on a car that will have a massive HP loss one day and fun fine the next. :screwy: oh well, thanks for the help all - I've got my plans now... lol

jdm dohc?

theres no jdm KA... unless youre thinking of an SR... but if you meant KA its USDM

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Guess i got a little cought up in myself tring to juggle the honda and nismo world. haha, The DOHC motor out of the 91-93... I like those the best for a stock N/A motor.

lol its all good.. and yes KA's are good motors imo

What parts are universal from the Ka-e to the Ka-de because i dont wanna be comletley stick after the rebuild but in a month or so im going to have the DE motor sitting in a garage. What could i buy in the meantime Engine wise... besides an intake?? BTW does anyone know if there is a 6 speed tranny that would run smooth with the Ka-de? Im guessing not but figured id see if there was some crazy site somewere...

never heard of any 6sp ka's...

never heard of any 6sp ka's...

you could run a s15 6 speed trany with a ka bellhousing on a ka


if you really wanted to

you'd be pinning it before 6th lol

i think you would need an adapter plate...

i think you would need an adapter plate...

im pretty sure you would... and this is my opinion but why do you need 6 gears? 5 works pretty good for me, :2cents:

i think you would need an adapter plate...
no, you would also need a six speed drive shaft, and a s15 rear end(because the s15 speed sensor is th the rear end) and a dakota digi speedo decoder (if you want it to work

sr and ka trannys are identical in every way (other than the bellhousings)
gearing, every thing (other than the 6-speed is a little longer)


as for me, i love ths six speed, i stay in my power band better

no, you would also need a six speed drive shaft, and a s15 rear end(because the s15 speed sensor is th the rear end) and a dakota digi speedo decoder (if you want it to work

sr and ka trannys are identical in every way (other than the bellhousings)
gearing, every thing (other than the 6-speed is a little longer)


as for me, i love ths six speed, i stay in my power band better

I stand corrected! thanks for clearing that up. and a quick question... how often are you in 6th?

never heard of any 6sp ka's...

Explains the reason i even asked and why im interested...

Also, would save a little gas and just look mean...

So I would have to swap the rear end with the s15, Get a custom made adapter plate and a few other little things besides the tranny and id be set?

Also, im not updated on the s15 as it's a dream car to me and i don't even wanna look up the info on that beautiful freakin car but did they ever come with an AWD package? If i was to do the conversion to 6 speed, and had to change the drivetrain then i think i would just go all out and have me an AWD 6-speed s-13... Tell me that wouldn't win some shows :evillol:

Sounds like a really really expensive/Time consuming project tho...

Explains the reason i even asked and why im interested...

Also, would save a little gas and just look mean...

So I would have to swap the rear end with the s15, Get a custom made adapter plate and a few other little things besides the tranny and id be set?

Also, im not updated on the s15 as it's a dream car to me and i don't even wanna look up the info on that beautiful freakin car but did they ever come with an AWD package? If i was to do the conversion to 6 speed, and had to change the drivetrain then i think i would just go all out and have me an AWD 6-speed s-13... Tell me that wouldn't win some shows :evillol:

Sounds like a really really expensive/Time consuming project tho...


1. if its a dream car why wouldnt you want to research it?
2. the S15 never came with an AWD package
3. uh good luck lol

good luck with your awd 240sx lol. but yeah more gears is pretty much all about the powerband. hondas should have like 10 gears.

good luck with your awd 240sx lol. but yeah more gears is pretty much all about the powerband. hondas should have like 10 gears.

hahaha well said well said

I stand corrected! thanks for clearing that up. and a quick question... how often are you in 6th?

when im on the freeway getting 38mpg with 400ish hp

when im on the freeway getting 38mpg with 400ish hp

top speed estimate? :smokin::loser::icon16:

i peg the speedo in the very bottom of 4th gear.

i need a gps to get an accurate mesurment

let us know if you ever figure it out man. that shit must be mucho fast

its really scary man, the car starts to float

i dont doubt that. you need a ricer wing asap. lets hope you dont end up like the RX on the salt flats lol

Well the reason i've never researched the s15 silvia is because im more interested in boosting my 240 and getting this b18 in my dudes CRX at this time. I've really just never went to google or whatever and messed with the research... The AWD 6-speed thing most likley wont be on my car anytime soon but i am for sure researching that right now, and planning it out so all ill need is the money... lol, thanks for all the help tho. And i owuld also plan on eventually doing the SR20 maybe DETT?:evillol: So, if i just went ahead and did the tranny and rear end then all i would have to do is drop in the motor and i would be good. Also, does anyone know if the skyline drivetrain would at least be customizable to fit the s13? Im really stuck on this AWD thing for some reason, i just wanna know that its posible and find out what it takes.

Well the reason i've never researched the s15 silvia is because im more interested in boosting my 240 and getting this b18 in my dudes CRX at this time. I've really just never went to google or whatever and messed with the research... The AWD 6-speed thing most likley wont be on my car anytime soon but i am for sure researching that right now, and planning it out so all ill need is the money... lol, thanks for all the help tho. And i owuld also plan on eventually doing the SR20 maybe DETT?:evillol: So, if i just went ahead and did the tranny and rear end then all i would have to do is drop in the motor and i would be good. Also, does anyone know if the skyline drivetrain would at least be customizable to fit the s13? Im really stuck on this AWD thing for some reason, i just wanna know that its posible and find out what it takes.


gtfo------->

gtfo------->

lol well said, thank you.

when im on the freeway getting 38mpg with 400ish hp

thats just sick right there. very impressive. get some vids up ASAP!

When im ridin in my AWD s15, converted out of the s13 frame - I'll remember this forum... Peace...

whats gtfo?

When im ridin in my AWD s15, converted out of the s13 frame - I'll remember this forum... Peace...

i just lost all respect for you. :nono: go learn about cars.

whats gtfo?

GET THE FUCK OUT NISSAN_240SX!!! lol

That would be what im doing right now, and if you think i need to be kicked out of a forum for asking something everyone has wondered more than once then you obviously need to get your head out of your ass and also learn about cars... And how anything is possible with the right research. WTF was said that entitles that i know nothing about cars? Did i ask what a spark plug was or what having no compression meant?? No, I asked about an AWD conversion - Which is HIGHLY POSSIBLE. :smokin:

That would be what im doing right now, and if you think i need to be kicked out of a forum for asking something everyone has wondered more than once then you obviously need to get your head out of your ass and also learn about cars... And how anything is possible with the right research. WTF was said that entitles that i know nothing about cars? Did i ask what a spark plug was or what having no compression meant?? No, I asked about an AWD conversion - Which is HIGHLY POSSIBLE. :smokin:

i didnt say you need to be kicked from the forums so i guess that wasnt directed to me, although telling somebody who said you should GTFO that they should also learn about cars is pretty stupid. saying its highly possible is an irrelevant statement, because converting a prelude to RWD is also highly possible. understand what im saying? you can do anything to anything, but lets start thinking logically for 2 seconds. do you have any idea how much you would need to cut up and how you would even fit a skyline subframe/drivetrain in the 240? people already bitch about the rb's weight, how horrible will the weight distro be after this? did you even think of this shit? that the car will most likely handle like ass? and how many other problems there would be?

Quote:
Originally Posted by nissan_240sx
whats gtfo?


GET THE FUCK OUT NISSAN_240SX!!! lol



I suck at internet abreviations lol

i didnt say you need to be kicked from the forums so i guess that wasnt directed to me, although telling somebody who said you should GTFO that they should also learn about cars is pretty stupid. saying its highly possible is an irrelevant statement, because converting a prelude to RWD is also highly possible. understand what im saying? you can do anything to anything, but lets start thinking logically for 2 seconds. do you have any idea how much you would need to cut up and how you would even fit a skyline subframe/drivetrain in the 240? people already bitch about the rb's weight, how horrible will the weight distro be after this? did you even think of this shit? that the car will most likely handle like ass? and how many other problems there would be?

Yes, of course i understand what your saing because thats pretty much what i said. Also, there would pretty much be no car left after altering all of that shit, hint's why it would be a "full" s15 conversion... I would most likley use an s14 if i was to do something like that tho because it would just flow alot better. Im sure there is a way to do it and flaming every person who even thinks about the idea is not going to help it ever get done altho i am researching all of that shit right now, but i havent even gotten to the drivetrain yet as i still need to do alot of work as to learning about the Nismo world. Comming into nissan from honda is a big jump, the cars are quite diffrent... lol. Seriously tho i realize that im not going to be able to walk outside and bolt this up to my car, i realize the motor and tranny is going to have to be pulled, all the interior stripped, the whole drivetrain pulled and everything else. Also, this would take a few years of persice tuning and various suspension/wheel set-ups to get this thing to handle decent but when it was finished do you realize how good this would handle? Think about all of that... Im the one doing the work and im the one paying all the prices for the parts so what is the big problem?

at this point i would rather build a tubeframe chassis and work the rb26 awd and s15 around that. seriously.

No, I asked about an AWD conversion - Which is HIGHLY POSSIBLE. :smokin:

Many dedicated members have tried and failed. Ask AWDSR20 about it hence the name 'AWRSR20'. Ill put a bet down that you wont ever have an awd S13 because of the time/dedication/knowledge/experience that it takes.. Ask mckinney (SP?) motor sports. I think they used to do something on the lines of AWD conversions though

awdsr20 tried that?! he needs to tell us what happened!

Well, I really don't think it would be any time soon anyways - But ill always love the s13 i just also love AWD cars and i hate that no 240 or silvia was ever AWD, altho they really dont need to be it would just be nice - The tube frame chassis sounds like a plan but you would be more building an actual car than doing a conversion... lol. AWDsr20 needs to see this post so we can get some more info... :grinyes: Thats the main reason why i even asked about this is to find someone who has attempted it...

you know, the same thing happened to me about 6 months ago, ask about the awd swap and all hell breaks loose. lol

if you ask stupid questions/make stupid statements, you are regarded as stupid

honestly... my opinion... the 240sx/silvia/180sx family should stay rwd. thats one of the biggest reasons i love 240's. if you love AWD so much, go buy a wrx. like everyone with any sense here has said... you can go ahead and dump your money and time into it... noone is stopping you, were just advising you. you came here to get opinions from us or feedback from people who had experience with this. were not flaming you, were telling you its going to be a money pit. and like i (we) said, noone is stopping you. good luck

he mentioned something about a twin turbo SR. how feasable is that? it is something ive been wondering about. how much fabrication would be needed?

he mentioned something about a twin turbo SR. how feasable is that? it is something ive been wondering about. how much fabrication would be needed?

tell us why you would want a twin turbo sr over a single turbo sr?

he mentioned something about a twin turbo SR. how feasable is that? it is something ive been wondering about. how much fabrication would be needed?

the first thing that comes to mind that might be a prob would be fabbing a downpipe to fit... although i dont have an SR so i have no idea of the clearance issues... and you couldnt do a bottom mount mani anymore..

tell us why you would want a twin turbo sr over a single turbo sr?

that too... single>twin turbo

EDIT: TO BE JDM TYTE YO!

tell us why you would want a twin turbo sr over a single turbo sr? i dont know. like i said i was just wondering and i had never heard of it being done so i asked.

how much lag does the SR have?
and why would the single be better than a twin?

i dont know. like i said i was just wondering and i had never heard of it being done so i asked.

how much lag does the SR have?
and why would the single be better than a twin?

1. none. small T25 turbo... spools up VERY quickly. (not sure about the T28, though i think it is also virtually lag-free)
2. Single turbos are usualy preferred over twin setups because it takes so much to spool up two turbos off of a small engine. think about it like this.. with a single turbo setup on an SR... youre using four cylinders to spool one turbo, a small one at that. with a twin turbo setup on the same motor, you have 4 cylinders to spool two turbos... you do the math. in short, there is less lag with a single turbo setup. anyone feel free to add/correct if i missed anything... its late lol

Atleast you have a reason to go SR lol. good luck

1. none. small T25 turbo... spools up VERY quickly. (not sure about the T28, though i think it is also virtually lag-free)
2. Single turbos are usualy preferred over twin setups because it takes so much to spool up two turbos off of a small engine. think about it like this.. with a single turbo setup on an SR... youre using four cylinders to spool one turbo, a small one at that. with a twin turbo setup on the same motor, you have 4 cylinders to spool two turbos... you do the math. in short, there is less lag with a single turbo setup. anyone feel free to add/correct if i missed anything... its late lol

t28 takes no time to spool


sr20dett=retarted
why would you do this?
with all cars that come with twins from the factory, the first step to makeing power is to replace them with a big single

A TT on an inline engine wont ever be as effecient as a large single. This can be a different story on V displacement.

honestly... my opinion... the 240sx/silvia/180sx family should stay rwd. thats one of the biggest reasons i love 240's. if you love AWD so much, go buy a wrx. like everyone with any sense here has said... you can go ahead and dump your money and time into it... noone is stopping you, were just advising you. you came here to get opinions from us or feedback from people who had experience with this. were not flaming you, were telling you its going to be a money pit. and like i (we) said, noone is stopping you. good luck

You (all) make a very good point, i just thought it would be a cool project that would turn alot of heads. I've been looking into speed trap racing latley and seems AWD cars always come out on top and RWD cars always end up in walls... lol, I just want to represent NIsmo and the S-family in the speed-trap world. BTW, i would never buy a WRX - I build power, not buy it... also, i was thinking a twin turbo SR for the original smaller/bigger turbo set up, you know - Retarding the bigger turbo untill higher RPM's when the mass air is flowing and letting the smaller one do its job. I mean its pretty much just like a Single turbo SR, except less turbo lag :p . I will most likley never have the time, money or connections/tools to be able to do the AWD conversion but i wanted to see what everone thought of the subject. GUess i should have just did a thread search... lmfao!... Im starting the re-build of the SOHC tommarow tho, ill post a new thread and some pics and let eveyone know how its going. Any pointers for a first time nissan rebuild? Especially the SOHC motor? Im going with a steel head gasket... think its worth the money? I know i do!... lol...

You (all) make a very good point, i just thought it would be a cool project that would turn alot of heads. I've been looking into speed trap racing latley and seems AWD cars always come out on top and RWD cars always end up in walls... lol, I just want to represent NIsmo and the S-family in the speed-trap world. BTW, i would never buy a WRX - I build power, not buy it... also, i was thinking a twin turbo SR for the original smaller/bigger turbo set up, you know - Retarding the bigger turbo untill higher RPM's when the mass air is flowing and letting the smaller one do its job. I mean its pretty much just like a Single turbo SR, except less turbo lag :p . I will most likley never have the time, money or connections/tools to be able to do the AWD conversion but i wanted to see what everone thought of the subject. GUess i should have just did a thread search... lmfao!... Im starting the re-build of the SOHC tommarow tho, ill post a new thread and some pics and let eveyone know how its going. Any pointers for a first time nissan rebuild? Especially the SOHC motor? Im going with a steel head gasket... think its worth the money? I know i do!... lol...


wtf is speed trap?

Highest mph in the 1/4-1/8 ? :S

Speed trap racing is just like time attack, except its all point to point and the person with the highest speed throughout the entire track takes the win... Are you all from the U.S. and seems as how u don't know what speed trap is don't say thats also a stupid question... lol

never heard of it, and it sounds really stupid

:slap: ^

:wtf: :thumbsdow