So im finally attempting to fix my head gaskets that leak a little when the car warms up and cools down. Very little it always leaked since it was built. I'm going to post pics of the process from start to finish. Going to be over time due to availability to work on it. First time ever tearing down a vq so any suggestions or help would be appreciated. So I got the motor out a few weeks ago. Today I got it to the point to wear I'm gonna start digging into the tear down of the timing cover. In the pics you will see where the coolent was seeping over time. I have no idea as to why it's doing this but it bothers me to no end so while I'm fixing a few things I'm going to tackle this.

 

Btw anyone can post where I can get the service manual so I can download to my computer I would appreciate it very much. Lost mine when my old laptop took a s**t

 

I can dropbox you what I have if that's what you're after...PM me (maybe)...

 

I tore my motor down to fix head gasket issues....

lets just say a full long block core, lots of phone calls, shipping, disassembly and money have been spent thus far... with more shipping, phone calls, money, time, and tuning to be done to get my car running again. I hope yours doesn't come to a complete rebuild like mine did

 

You had same problem and you ended up getting a new. Block? Why? What exactly was the problem? If it not to much to ask please explain what was the problem? Thanks

 

Sounds like he wasn't going to get a flat surface for a good seal with his existing block. With the use of L19s and HKS headgaskets, I haven't heard of too many folks having trouble with leaks.

 

That was my next ? I have L19 studs now but an oem hr head gaskets with the ports modified. I hear they are really good. Hears where I'm at. I'm gonna do what I have to do to figure out what's going on and if that oem gaskets are good but there is something else I can use that is better hands down then I will go with them just for a piece of mind. Just want to figure out why it is doing this. This did not affect the way the car ran or anything. I just could smell it and knew it was happening and it drove me up a wall. Figured why I have the motor out I need to just fix it. Along with doing anything else I need to do to make sure I have a strong motor. When this motor was built I really didn't cut and corners for cost but it's just one of those things I guess

 

Could your thermostat be faulty?

 

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/nis...e-manuals.html

Dont know if they will take kindly to posting links to other forums but I downloaded the service manual from here... Good luck

 

Nah. It's definitely leaking from heads. Trust me I don't have that kinda luck.

 

nah nah nah...if you're thermo **** the bed, you wouldnt cycle coolant, heads/engine overheat and warp causing leakage between the block and heads...

just a thought...

 

We'll never had it over heat but I sure hope it's just something like a faulty gaskets. Got my fingers crossed!!!!

 

So I broke down most of the timing today and removed the cams. When I took the end caps off the cams on the front of the motor I noticed this on the drives side. Can anyone tell me what could cause this and what I should do to fix this issue. Is it fixable or should I buy a new one? Notice the one on left compared to the right.

 

Bump for some input on these cam covers

 

causes could be

- lack of lubrication
- foreign particles in oil
- overtightened cam cover?

The fix is replacing the head as it is machined with the cam cover at once. Mixing and matching parts could result in unpredictable clearance

 

True. So I sourced a new head and at the moment I'm rebuilding whole motor. Had so other issues like bearing wear ect. Plus why it's out I'm doing some upgrades. Rods pistons and maybe upgrade my cams from jwt s7 to the c8 not sure yet. Not sure if the cams r worth the upgrade from the s7