Oil/Coolant mixing

Was glad I ran across this forum and I hope someone here can maybe give me some idea's on this problem I am having. I just purchased this pure stock 90 hatchback under the impression the head gasket was blown. The body is in excellant shape so I couldn't pass it up. But trying to figure out this problem has just about fried my brain! lol Any input would be greatly appreaciated. I hope this isn't to long of a post but here goes.

I had the head completely rebuilt (shaved .008) and found out the guy only pressure tested the combustion chamber on the head and not the water ports. So anyway, I get the new head on fire the car up and still have some nasty milky coolant in the oil (after I run the engine a while and drained it and changed oil twice). I found out the idiots who helped me out, didn't torgue nothing correctly, so I went in and loosened all the head bolts and torgued everything to specs. Hoping they didn't warp the head again, but I would think I would have coolant in the spark plugs or exhaust. The car doesn't smoke at all.

Still no luck illiminating the oil/coolants mixing going on. Now for the wierd part that has be baffled. When I went to change the oil a third time, after running the car for several minutes and making sure the radiator was full I shut it down to let it cool off and then I came back later to check the coolant level and it was fine. I had my hopes up...but while draining the oil,it was like it was never going to quit, then I replaced the radiator cap and it would stop draining. Come to figure out, with the oil drain plug out, you can stand there and pour water into the radiator and watch it run right out of the oil pan. hummmmm Ok, obviously there is a water jacket or something cracked some where...but where?

I have another head, but I hate to go through another gasket kit and have the second head machined, only to put it on and have the same problem. The crack is not in the combustion chamber because there is no coolant in the sparkplugs or exhaust (I'm assuming anyway...and we know what that does to us). And the car doesn't smoke at all. I was worried when the idiots who helped me out (who won't be touching her again!), changed the head, maybe they didn't clean the old gasket off the engine deck enough or something...but then I would have water in the combustion chamber wouldn't I?

Anyone have any suggestion or idea's on how I can pinpoint the location of the problem? I apologize for the length of the post, I was just hoping to provide all the details and hope it all came out correctly. Thanks in advance for any input!

If you can't iron out all the problems you could always just pick up a junked DOHC and convert you car from SOHC. Just my opinion though...I'd prefer the small boost in HP and greater tuning potential...but the SOHC is fine too.

Gotta love the hognose though...way better than trading taking the slope-nose for an extra 15bhp...

swp engines

working with headgaskets is a bitch....i found out the hard qwayu

Thanks for the post. I've thought about both suggestions. The second (changing the engine) would be the easiest solution, but also the most expensive. :( But it may also end up being my only option if it turns out to be a crack in the block.

I do like the first option because its less expensive than the cost of an engine (which I can swap myself saving some $), but I have to figure out if my problem is the block or the head so I don't do the conversion to a DOHC only to have the same problem I have now.

If I could only find a place around here that does leak down testing life would be good. lol

it could be a lot of things, its kinda hard to tell without seeing it, if I had the head on my workbench I could say yeah this is whats causing it, but thats not the case. The head could of cracked by one of the bolts, old gasket, maybe they didn't even mill it down correctly. it sounds like something is defintely wrong if water just pours out of the radiator with the oil, has a big passageway for it to get mixed in. If I was a SOHC owner I would probably just say F it and get a DOHC.

it could be a lot of things, its kinda hard to tell without seeing it, if I had the head on my workbench I could say yeah this is whats causing it, but thats not the case. The head could of cracked by one of the bolts, old gasket, maybe they didn't even mill it down correctly. it sounds like something is defintely wrong if water just pours out of the radiator with the oil, has a big passageway for it to get mixed in. If I was a SOHC owner I would probably just say F it and get a DOHC.

I understand the difficulty in diagnosing a problem on here without being able to have hands on etc. Just thought maybe the coolant running out of the oil pan drain as you pour it in the radiator might be a unique problem that someone on here may have run into before. I know it sure has be baffled! lol

Just went to the expense of swapping a SOHC to a DOHC in the honda and I guess that is really probably my best option here as well. I've read through a lot of the older post and the faq, but what would be the least expensive DOHC swap without a lot of modifications being needed? Sorry I know its a noob question, but I'll admit I'm a noob to nissan's. :) Thanks for the reply SR20.

Alright! Discovered the source of the water entering the oil!! WooHoo. lol At some point in time the timing chain lashed out and slapped the timing chain housing which chewed up some of the housing. (I just bought the car recently.) Well, over time I guess, it finally has sprung a leak.

I'm hoping I still won't need a block or swap! Are there any water ports or jackets that run through the timing chain housing case? I didn't get to finish completely getting it off today, but hopefully I'll be able to get it off tomorrow afternoon. Not being completely familiar "yet" with nissan engines, are there water jackets or ports in the timing chain case? I hope the hell so! lol